Human Behavior: Compare and Contrast Theoretical Perspectives
The rational choice theoretical perspective on human behavior focuses on the self-interests that people have when making their choices. People have different logical ways of thinking about how they will accomplish their goals. Human interaction affects people’s behavior. People interact as they exchange resources. Humans can exchange social resources such as love and information, in addition to common physical resources. They seek to maximize the benefits they will receive from the exchange while at the same time reducing the costs. Those who have many resources tend to have more power and more control in the exchange. The way that people assess the rewards they receive or the costs they incur depends on their values and norms, as well as their expectations. This perspective encourages people to take measures and make decisions that will benefit others as they will also realize gains, and in the process serve their own self-interests (Hutchison, 2010).
The social constructionist theoretical perspective examines how people learn as they interact with each other. They learn more about their world and their place in it. Humans are social beings, and their understanding of shared meaning enables them to interact with each other and the physical world. Their interactions help in shaping their sense of self. People are flexible and not rigid in their way of thinking and acting. Past events are crucial in determining the way that people will behave. Even though people tend to perform for their social audiences, they have the liberty they need, and can use their creative abilities when making decisions. Language and other cultural aspects are crucial in social interactions. This approach recognizes people’s dynamic nature and allows them to change their ways of understanding (Hutchison, 2010).
The rational choice perspective places great emphasis on people’s self-interest. This is in contrast with the social constructionist approach, which focuses more on human interaction and shared meaning. The social constructionist theory posits that the way in which people will interact with each other will largely determine their behavior. On the other hand, people’s reasoning capabilities, as generally emphasized by the rational choice theory, enable them to determine their course of action without necessarily depending on what others do or say. They are able to judge individually what actions to take. Hence, two people facing similar situations will make different decisions.
Although different, the rational and social constructionist approaches are similar in some perspectives. The rational perspective posits that human beings use reason when making decisions. This allows some form of flexibility in terms of the actions they take. The social constructionist perspective believes in the presence of different realities and recognizes people’s dynamic nature. People interact with each other in different ways. They behave differently depending on their circumstances.
Case
Mary had to quit her job three weeks ago when she could no longer control her mental depression. She is forty years old and a mother of three children, all of whom are under her care. The eldest is sixteen while the youngest is four years old. She has been married for the last twenty years. However, she has been experiencing marital problems lately. She was the main provider for her family, as her husband does not have a permanent job. She had to quit her job as she made many mistakes and she often lost concentration. In addition, she became temperamental and had many outbursts. She could not work well with her colleagues, and this affected her work performance. Numerous counseling sessions have not helped her deal with her problems.
Reference:
Hutchison, D. E. (2010). Dimensions of human behavior: Person and environment. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
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