Rationalization

From RationalWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Tell me about your mother

Psychology

Icon psychology.svg
Let us examine...
Random examples

Rationalization is a term of art in both psychology and sociology, though the term is most popularly used in the psychological sense.

Contents

[edit] Psychology

Rationalization in psychology is often understood to mean making excuses, or post hoc explanations, for some action. Lying could be considered a conscious form of rationalization. Rationalization may also occur at the unconscious level, commonly known as self-deception. There is evidence that this kind of rationalization can occur immediately after a decision is made.[1][2] In some cases, the lie may come first and bleed into the unconscious, displacing the truth. This sometimes goes under the heading of "drinking one's own Kool-Aid." Rationalization is a way of reducing cognitive dissonance.

[edit] Sociology

Rationalization in sociology refers to the favoring of efficiency through quantification and calculation in social transactions over, for example, tradition or custom. It is usually tied into bureaucracy and the process of bureaucratization. Rationalization is considered to be central to the concept of modernity. The concept was first put forth in Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.[3] What is considered "rational" is often contingent on what is valued by the elite of society. During the modern era, this usually equated to the goals of governing a nation-state. Urban planning serves as an example where what was rational for state purposes diverged with what was rational for locals. State planners preferred uniform designs, usually in a grid pattern, while locals were accustomed to the often odd layout of streets in unplanned areas.[4] Michel Foucault famously expanded on rationalization with his concept of "governmentality" or "governmental rationalism," which traced the evolution of governance from an "art" to a "science" and sought to explain various methods by which modern states promoted "desirable" behavior in their citizens.[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. Jarcho et al. The neural basis of rationalization: cognitive dissonance reduction during decision-making. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci (2010)
  2. See also Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson.
  3. Rationalization and Bureaucracy
  4. For historical examples and numerous other case studies, see Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott or Rationality and Power: Democracy in Practice by Bent Flyvbjerg.
  5. Rose, Nikolas, O'Malley, Pat and Valverde, Mariana, Governmentality (September, 16 2009). Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Vol. 2, pp. 83-104
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support