IV Concurs de Joves Sociòlegs. 1r. premi. Homo sociologicus. L'acció guiada per normes socials

Resum

The purpose of this article is to summarize the basis of an action theory alternative to the rational choice theory. Social norms and the action these can promote non consequentialist and a great deal irreflexive are the key pieces of this alternative theory, which stresses the emotional link between norms and individuals. The conditions of their origin and maintenance are studied from two fronts: the first one, strategic, sees norms as solutions to social interaction problems that rationality is enabled to resolve; the second one, evolutive, understands norms as tops reached in cultural evolution, behaviour strategies stable from an evolutionary point of view. The contrast of both approaches points out the main objective of this article: to find out the ex-planatory mechanism that lies in the motivational stress of social norms. Vote paradox and collective action ilustrate the boundaries of rational choice to explain specific social processes and the analitic potential that a theory based on social norms offers.