SAGE Reference - Encyclopedia of Social Problems

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Rational Choice Theory

In: Encyclopedia of Social Problems
Edited by: Vincent N. Parrillo
Subject:Social Policy (general)

Rational choice theory (RCT) is a social-scientific approach that explains social phenomena in terms of deliberate decisions that self-interested individuals make.

One of the key assumptions of RCT is the notion of the purposeful actor. Rational choice theorists portray social actors as ...

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  Parrillo, V. N. (2008). Rational choice theory. In Encyclopedia of social problems (Vol. 1, pp. 754-754). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963930.n455
  
  Parrillo, Vincent N. "Rational Choice Theory." In Encyclopedia of Social Problems, edited by Parrillo, Vincent N., 754-754. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963930.n455.
  
  Parrillo, V. N. 2008. Rational Choice Theory. In: Vincent N. Parrillo Editor, 2008. Encyclopedia of Social Problems, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 754 Available at: <https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963930.n455> [Accessed 26 Jun 2022].
  
  Parrillo, Vincent N. "Rational Choice Theory." Encyclopedia of Social Problems. Edited by Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008, pp. 754-754. SAGE Knowledge. 26 Jun 2022, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412963930.n455.
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