Final answer:
People who prefer a rational style of behavior are strategic and self-interested, making decisions aimed at maximizing their own well-being and are calculative in achieving their goals.
Step-by-step explanation:
A characteristic of people who prefer a rational style of behavior is that they act strategically to obtain their goals. In political science, a rational person is considered self-interested and strategic. They make decisions that are in pursuit of self-serving goals and are calculative in their assessment of which actions are most likely to achieve those goals. Such individuals aim to maximize their own well-being and will choose an action if the value of the perceived benefit exceeds the value of the perceived cost.
Political scientists and economists often discuss rationalism as the behavior that assumes people take all available information and make consistent and informed decisions that are in their best interest. This contrasts with those who are considered irrational, who may not act in a self-interested or strategic manner, but instead may be predictably irrational, not acting in their own best interests even when they know better.