Rational Choice Theory and Friends

Abstract

The roots for rational choice theory stem from the philosophical theories of Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. This theory is associated with the classical school of criminology with the core idea that people have free will, and they can choose how to act and react to situations within their lives (Moran, The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973–), 86(3), 1147–1160, 1996). Many people have taken the philosophies of Beccaria and Bentham and revived them within their own theories. The following chapter will focus on the variation of rational choice theory developed by Bill McCarthy, who notes that there are four distinct elements of decision making: information gathering, recognizing all potential courses of action and their consequences, making a decision, and reflecting on that decision (Paternoster & Pogarsky, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2, 103–127, 2009). These four elements can be seen within the actions and thoughts of the six main characters of the television show Friends. These characters find themselves in difficult and often hilarious situations throughout the show’s ten seasons, and they tend to show viewers how they process and react to these situations.