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Sociology vocabulary · Theories and Thinkers

Ideal type

Meaning in sociology, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In sociology, ideal type means: A simplified model that brings together the typical features of a social phenomenon, used by researchers as a yardstick for comparing real cases.

In Turkish: ideal tip

How it is used

A methodological tool introduced by Max Weber. 'Ideal' here means 'existing as an idea', not 'perfect' or 'desirable'. Weber's ideal types of bureaucracy and of authority (traditional, charismatic, legal-rational) are standard exam topics.

Example sentences

  1. No real organisation matches Weber's ideal type of bureaucracy exactly.

  2. We built an ideal type of the 'traditional village' to compare our three cases.

Common collocations

  • Weber's ideal type
  • construct an ideal type
  • ideal types of authority
  • bureaucracyA large organisation run through a hierarchy of offices, written rules, specialised tasks and impersonal procedures, as described by Max Weber.
  • rationalisationThe historical process, described by Weber, in which tradition, emotion and magic give way to calculation, efficiency, rules and scientific reasoning in more and more areas of life.
  • case studyA detailed study of one particular case, such as a person, organisation, community or event, often using several methods to understand it in depth.

More terms: Theories and Thinkers

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