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social science subjects > sociology > social theory > comparative and historical theory > ideal type
... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > political theory > empirical political theory > ideal type
social science subjects > sociology > social theory > German social theory > ideal type
social science subjects > sociology > social theory > macrosociological theories > ideal type
... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > political theory > modern political theory > ideal type

Preferred term

ideal type  

Definition

  • Ideal types are methods of investigation (heuristic devices) in which researchers construct concepts or ideas in their pure and essential form, mostly with the intent of then comparing them against the real world. Ideal types do not represent the average or typical features of the phenomenon they describe but what the researcher considers its essence. [Source: The A-Z of Social Research; Ideal type]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/ideal_type

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