Irrational and Rational Decision Making

What is irrational and rational decision making? Well first to understand what each on is individually, I believe that you should know what each word means separately. So according to meriam-webster.com, rational means, “having reason or understanding” (Rational, 2009) while irrational means, “not endowed with reason or understanding.” (Irrational, 2009). Lastly but not least, from the Encarta.msn.com/dictionary, decision making, is “the process of making choices or reaching conclusions, especially on important political or business matters.”
So what do all those definitions mean to you? To me, by these definitions, rational decision making is when a person has reason or understanding in reaching a certain conclusion and just the opposite of that is irrational decision making, when a person is not able to come to a conclusion without reason or understanding. The differences are clearly stated, such as not having any reasons. versus having a reason for a conclusion For example, if the tiles are muddy, the most rational thing to do is to mop the tiles. Your reason is that the tiles are muddy. I think that an irrational thing for a person to do is to sweep the tiles. If there is mud on tiles, it’s not the same as having sand on the tiles. The mud is wet therefore you would use a mop instead of a broom. With the broom, you could pick up dry particles such as sand. It would just make more sense, rather than using a broom to sweep mud when all you will be doing is pushing around something that is wet.
Decision that was Once Reviewed to be “Rational” but Now is “Irrational”
Back in the early 1700 and 1800’s, arranged marriages were part of the traditional and cultural beliefs that many families went through. Though arranged marriages happened in the United States, it was most likely to take place in the Southern States. Now, in the present day, though arranged marriages still happen in some cultures around the world, it is an irrational decision. (Decision, 2008)

References: Arranged Marriage. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.youth information.com/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=90221 Decision Making. (2008). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/ dictionary_1861688906/decision-making.html Irrational. (2009). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.merriamwebster. com/dictionary/irrational Rational. (2009). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.merriamwebster. com/dictionary /rational Plous, S. (1993). The psychology of judgment & decision making, New York, McGraw Hill The History of Arranged Marriages in America. (2008). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/787875/the_history_of_arranged _marriages_in.html