Abstract
Social identification is one of Herbert Simon’s most recurrent themes. Starting with Administrative Behavior (hereafter, AB, Simon, 1947/1997), he investigated that theme in his scientific work on an impressive number of occasions. Perhaps it is section 3, entitled Perception and Identifications, of chapter 6 (Cognitive Limits on Rationality), in March and Simon (1958/1993), that symbolizes Simon’s main concern in this issue, its connection with human rationality and emphasis on every individual’s multiple belongings to social groups (in the broad sense, i.e., from primary groups, to formal organizations, to the whole of society). From this general standpoint, ‘identification with groups is the major selective mechanism controlling human attention in organizations (and elsewhere)’ (Simon, 1993, p. 137). Accordingly, social identification is a process that allows people to stabilize their anticipations, and to coordinate perceptions and interpretations of reality. While this tendency to identify with groups appears necessary to build and maintain social systems, it also leads to mimetic opinions and behavioral conformity.
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© 2016 Rouslan Koumakhov
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Koumakhov, R. (2016). Simon on Social Identification: Two Connections with Bounded Rationality. In: Frantz, R., Marsh, L. (eds) Minds, Models and Milieux. Archival Insights into the Evolution of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137442505_12
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