Social scientists advance that making decisions purely according to cost-benefit calculations is not as common as common-sense would suggest. Often another reasoning prevails. It is called logic of appropriateness. It dictates action based on the understanding of what is correct and appropriate to do in a certain situation for certain actors. If you are a “British patriot” who wants the UK to be strong and sovereign or a Russian historic leader who wants to restore the imperial greatness of your country, you ought to behave in a certain way. It is not the consequences, but the meaning of the action for confirming your vision of yourself that matters. Acknowledging that people behave according to varying logics – such as cost-benefit calculations and logic of appropriateness – allows you to better understand and predict their actions.
Question 1
You can use your understanding of what motivates people’s actions to understand and influence them. Logic of appropriateness explains why it is important to find out how a person defines her identity (who is she, in her eyes?) and what this social group’s norms are.
Consider the statements below and select all correct ones.
