in spite of this definition, weber was not totally consistent in the way he used the ideal type. to get a grasp of what the concept means initially we will have to overlook some of the inconsistencies. at its most basic level, an ideal type is a concept constructed by a social scientist,based on his or her interests and theoretical orientation, to capture the principal features of some social phenomenon. for example, an ideal-typical military battle delineates the principal components of such a battle-opposing armies, opposing strategies, materiel at the disposal of each, disputed land ("noman's"land),supply and support forces,command centers, and leadership qualities. actual battles may not have all of these elements, and that is one thing a researcher wants to know. the basic point is that the elements of any particular military battle may be compared with the elements identified in the ideal type.