Methodological individualism
From Geography
Methodological individualism (or methodological subjectivism) is a view that all social events can be fully explained by reducing them to the beliefs and actions of only individuals, and the relations among them (Johnston, et al., 2000). According to Werlen (2009) we should accept that ultimately it is in the individual human beings acting, that the dynamic for all social life resides. This acting can be seen in different forms. They can be mental processes such as the apprehension of the world, making sense of it and attributing meaning to certain of its contents. These mental processes will then lead to physical acting: such as acting upon the sense- and meaningmaking in social life.
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Philosophical underpinnings
It justifies its position on the basis that a real explanation is one that exaplins by reducing phenomena or events to their most fundmental constituent elements.
Critique
Methodological individualism typically tends to presume that individuals are governed by the singular motive of rational choice. Because of this narrow conception of human action and practice and broader derogation of the social, it is subject to wide criticism.
References
- Johnston,R.J., Gregory, Derek.,Pratt, Geraldine. & Watts, Michael. (2000). The Dictionary of Human Geography. 4th edition. Blackwell.
- Werlen, B. (2009): Everyday Regionalisations . In: Kitchin, R./Thrift, N.: The International Encyclopaedia of Human Geography. Elsevier, Oxford, 286-293.
Contributors
- page created by Kolar Aparna
- page edited and improved by Lars-Olof Haverkort --LarsHaverkort 15:57, 13 September 2012 (CEST)
- page edited by--HennyLi 19:29, 10 October 2012 (CEST)
