Rationality and social representations: some notes on the relationship between rational choice theory and social representations theory

Abstract

This paper analyses the problem of unidirectional causal explanations in conceptions of rationality. First, three classical conceptions in social science are presented: the cultural-ideological conception, the formal logical conception and the theory of games. Second, the problem of the consistency between beliefs and decisions is discussed with regard to expectancy-value models. We consider that social psychology's approaches to rational choice are framed within methodological individualism. The model of social representations offers the possibility to analyze in depth the relations between the macro and micro processes playing a role in rational choice. It helps us to embed rational choice in a more social context.