Normative and rational choice accounts of human social behavior

Two approaches to the problem of explaining social order are compared: the rational choice approach (as represented in Coleman'sFoundations of Social Theory) and the normative or social control approach, in which rules and rule-following play the central role. Considered in terms of Coleman's own criteria for social theory, only the social control approach seems plausible. In particular, the rational choice approach is circular in that it necessarily presupposes the existence of rules and rule-following, while its pretense is to be able to explain social order in non-normative terms. The social control approach accounts for social order in terms of the existence of social rules and the innate capacity of human beings to learn to follow such rules.