Feminist Critiques of the Separative Model of Self

The article applies the radical-cultural feminist critique of the separative model of self to rational choice theories. Four assumptions of neoclassical economics-the “ideal type” of rational choice theories-are identified: selfishness; that interpersonal utility comparisons are impossible; that tastes are exogenous and unchanging; and that individuals are rational. For the most part, sociological versions of rational choice theories rely on these same assumptions. The article shows that a separative rather than a connected model of the self underlies each of these assumptions.