Psychology and Rational Actor Theory

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6338136
AutoresKristen Renwick Monroe, Kristen Hill Maher (0000-0003-0151-5201)
Año1995
Volumen16
Número1
Páginas1
Fecha de publicación1995-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPolitical Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0162-895X • E-ISSN: 1467-9221
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3791447
OpenAlexW2313351588
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas21
Referencias citadas20

Does rational actor theory accurately capture our underlying political psychology? What can rational actor theorists gain from increased dialogue with psychologists? These were the central issues that concerned me as I chose to focus this special issue on the economic assumptions concerning human psychology, assumptions that form the foundation of neoclassical economics and which have been transmitted to the rest of social science through the theory of rational action. I asked each contributor to respond to three questions: What is your understanding of these assumptions? How valid do you believe these assumptions are? And what important areas and questions do these assumptions leave unexplained? My purpose in so structuring the discussion was to move debate away from the confrontational tone in which economic theory is too often attacked or defended; instead, we should ask about the conditions under which the theory is most useful and about when the theory will be most limited. As anticipated, there is tremendous variation in the responses I received to these questions. I hope the disagreement and the ensuing dialogue advance our understanding of the strengths and the limitations of the economic approach as applied to politics. In this introductory essay, let me open discussion by outlining what I believe are the basic assumptions underlying rational actor theory. This should provide a common reference for the later articles. (To simplify discussion, I shall use rational actor, rational choice, and economic theory interchangeably, although subtle distinctions among them do exist. See Monroe, 1991.) I then present my own analysis of the theory's underlying strengths and weaknesses. Essentially, I will argue that the intellectual brilliance of rational actor theory as a universal

Epistemology · Economic Theory and Institutions · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology