The use of rational choice theory in sociology started in the 1980s with American sociologist James Coleman. He began to be interested in how parts of the social system work and how they form the system. He observes the individual actor as a basic part of the social system, and to explain his behavior, Coleman took over the theoretical approach of microeconomics and the rational choice theory that it developed.

In his books Individual Interests and Collective Action (1986) and Fundations of Social Theory (1990b), Coleman applies the rational choice theory to the behavior of individual actors. He believes that this theoretical approach has an obvious advantage because it starts from the assumption that the behavior of actors depends on their interests and their power. On the other hand, this theory provides an excellent basis for explaining how large organizations are formed and how they operate, as well as how social exchange and collective action take place. Coleman starts from elementary actions and relationships in order to build a macro theory. Actors have interests and they control some of the resources they use to pursue those interests. Some resources and events, however, are completely under someone else's control. To achieve interests, actors exchange control over resources and events that are less important to them, to gain control over things that are more important to them.

At the middle level, which takes place between the activities of individual actors and macro structures, there are structures that mediate individual activities, the most important of which are: the system of authority, the system of trust, networks, norms, and organizations. Coleman applied this theory to the analysis of the collective decision-making process and the study of the functioning of the labor market. To further develop his model theoretically, Coleman also devised mathematical models.

American sociologist Michael Hechter deals with the problems of the theory of rational choice; values ​​and norms; the problem of social order; group solidarity and nationalism. He sought to solve the "Hobbesian" (Thomas Hobbes) problem of social order, and in that context, he applied theories of rational choice. Hechter believes that the concept of rational egoism used by classical theories of rational choice is not enough to explain the phenomenon of cooperation and collective action, and therefore cannot be the basis for explaining the social order. To improve the theory of rational choice, Hechter focuses on two new areas of study. To better understand the social order, it is necessary to study the "aggregation mechanism", that is, the process by which different individual actions are combined to give common outcomes. Another area of ​​study is the issue of information available to actors before making a decision. Because there are large differences in the amount and quality of information available, this variability affects completely different choices made by individual actors.

American sociologist Anthony Oberschall used rational choice theory and the "resource mobilization theory" in his study of social movements in the book Social Conflicts and Social Movements (1973). He believes that the ideas and beliefs that social movements use when they are trying to fight for something through public protests already exist in the wider culture. If collective protests are centrally organized, then the mobilization of participants is very similar to the mobilization of soldiers within the army; and the management of protests is similar to a military organization. The key to a successful protest is the possession of the most important resources: organizational resources, money, skills, time, access to the media, and access to centers of power. Oberschall views the protests and their organizers and participants in the context of the logic of rational choice developed by the Neoclassical School of Economics. He believes that this model best explains the strategies and tactics of social movements and that the main unit of their analysis should be a group, not individual members.

American sociologists William Bainbridge and Rodney Stark developed Stark-Bainbridge's theory of religion in the books A Theory of Religion (1987) and The Future of Religion (1985). Their theoretical approach to religion is based on the rational choice theory and social exchange theory. According to them, almost all human interactions can be considered a form of exchange. Religion serves to satisfy desires, that is, to provide rewards, and that can be, both for concrete things and for abstract needs (the meaning of life, the salvation of the soul). The investment in the realization of the award will be proportional to the size of the award. If people cannot easily achieve their goals, then they accept compensators, hope, and the promise that they will achieve those goals in the future, and that is exactly what religion gives them.

Religion, above all, refers to the supernatural order, the belief that there are forces that are more powerful and surpass natural physical forces. Religions offer explanations, that is, explanations of why some awards are given, as well as how those awards can be achieved. The main difference between magic and religion is that magic offers specific compensators and there is no long-term relationship between those who provide magic compensators and their "clients". With the creation of complex societies comes the emergence of religious experts and this is one of the first professional specializations. Religious experts can join organizations to monopolize religious authority, which they achieve if they establish a close relationship with the state. Some religions abandon the giving of supernatural compensators, which reduces people's attachment to these religions. The authors cite Taoism and liberal Protestantism as examples of this process.

Norwegian philosopher Jon Elster's approach is specific because in his scientific work he combines analytical Marxism with the rational choice theory. He advocated methodological individualism, but he also accepted the existence of multiple selves. In Explaining Social Behavior (2007), he argues that individual choices should be the main theoretical starting point for the social sciences. Elster pays special attention to the relationship between rational and irrational behavior, mental states (emotions, beliefs, and attitudes) that precede choices in action, and the mechanisms of social interaction that lead to collective decision-making.

Other notable authors who use rational choice theory in their research are: Barry Markovsky, Karen S. Cook, Gary Becker, Mary Brinton, James Buchanan, Debra Friedman, Douglas Hechatron, Sigwart Lindenberg, Victor Nee, Pamela Oliver, Steven Seidman, Kazuo Yamaguchi, and Benjamin Zablocki.

Books:

Coleman, James. Individual Interests and Collective Action (1986)

    -     Fundations of Social Theory (1990)

Elster, Jon. Explaining Social Behavior (2007);

Hechter, Michael. Microfoundations of Macrosociology (1983);

     -     Principles of Group Solidarity (1987);

     -     The Origin of Values (1993); 

Oberschall, Anthony. Social Conflicts and Social Movements (1973);

Stark, Rodney, and William S. Bainbridge. A Theory of Religion (1987);