Idealtyp

An ideal type (German: Idealtypus) is a methodological concept in sociology, associated with Max Weber. It refers to a constructed analytic model that captures essential features of a social phenomenon and abstracts from incidental details. The ideal type is not a norm, nor a descriptive claim about reality; rather it provides a simplified standard against which real cases can be compared.

To build an ideal type, the researcher highlights certain characteristics and, if necessary, exaggerates them to emphasize causal relations and logical structure. Real social phenomena never perfectly conform to the model; instead, cases are assessed by their degree of fit, deviation, or variation from the ideal type.

Weber applied ideal types to a range of domains, including authority, bureaucracy, rationalization, religion, and economic life. Examples include the ideal type of bureaucratic administration—formal rules, a clear hierarchy, and impersonal relations—and ideal types such as charismatic authority or rational-legal authority, used to compare historical and cross-cultural patterns.

The method is a heuristic device, intended to illuminate mechanisms rather than to claim empirical exactness. Critics warn that ideal types can oversimplify complex realities or embed the analyst's biases. Used carefully, they remain a foundational tool in Weberian sociology and in comparative social analysis.