Though familiar and widely used, rational choice models have been subject to an extended critique. This critique is based on the following important claims and arguments.
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It is well known that human behaviour is extremely complex and consists of social, moral and altruistic behaviour as well as simply self- interested ones. More often, behaviour is embedded in collective and social decision-making contexts and other contextual factors. These factors continually shape and constrain individual preference.
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Habits and routines - which Simon (1957) referred to as procedural rationality - bypass cognitive deliberation and undermine a key assumption of the model.
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Emotional or affective responses appear to confound cognitive deliberation. It is well known in marketing theory, for example, that consumers build affective relationships with consumer goods