Question

Donald was arrested for murdering an acquaintance. At the trial, Donald takes the stand and testifies that he and the victim knew each other. He admits that they would drink and use drugs together. One night while "partying," Donald explains in his testimony, an argument got out of hand during a card game. Donald explains that the victim accused him of cheating and pulled out a knife on him and started swinging it in the air. Donald said that he had no choice but to pull out his gun and shoot the victim. The jury convicted Donald of manslaughter.

Who would argue that Donald weighed the potential costs and benefits of shooting the victim and decided to pull the trigger as a result of free will?
a) A conflict theorist
b) A positivist
c) A critical criminologist
d) A rational choice theorist

Answer 1

The best answer to the question: Who would aregue that Donald weighed the potential costs and benefits of shooting the victim and decided to pull the trigger as a result of free will, would be, D: A rational choice theorist.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rational choice theory is a perspective that helps to understand human behavior and the choices that a person, or a group, makes, in light of the options, and preferences, that that person has, given a certain situation. As such, anyone who applies this perspective will take a given circumstance and look at all the possible options available to correctly form a reaction to it, including weighing all the consequences, the benefits and the potential costs of making such a choice. In light of this perspective, Donald was faced by a difficult circumstance in which his life was on the line. Measuring all the possibilities, and overseeing the possible outcomes, Donald makes the choice, even if under duress, to pull out the gun and shoot his partner, instead of simply running away. In light of the rational choice theory, Donald made the choice of his preference after weighing all the possibilities.