Compulsory Choices in Daily Life Situations Between Individual and Collective Rationality Applied to Rational Choice Theory

Document Type : Original Article

Author

أستاذ علم الاجتماع المساعد كلية الآداب - جامعة جنوب الوادي

10.21608/qarts.2025.354705.2155

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to present and analyze the epistemological origins of rational choice theory and its hypotheses, along with the methodological issues related to it, with the goal of analyzing a sample of everyday life situations and understanding the influence of both individual and collective rationality on individuals' action choices.
Methodology: The study relied on the situational analysis method as a qualitative approach derived from the grounded theory to describe and analyze the mechanisms of action choice among individuals in daily life situations. The researcher used a situation recording sheet to collect situations from a convenience sample of 113 situations, and situational maps to present models of the situations.
Results: The study showed that most situations reflecting the propositions of rational choice theory confront individuals in both the family environment and the work environment. In the family environment, familial relationships are used as a pressure factor on individuals in situations related to marriage and divorce, educational and career choices, and the demand for material rights among family members. In the work environment, professional relationships and material and moral gains direct individuals to choose what they do not desire.
Conclusion: The study clarified that collective rationality directs individuals in their choices of action through two main pathways: the pathway of maintaining social relationships and the pathway of the individual's image in front of society. On the other hand, individual rationality directs individuals through three main pathways: the instinctual pathway of motherhood and fatherhood, the pathway of material interests, and the pathway of the individual's safety from any harm. 

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