Beyond Rational Choice : Modeling Political Behavior Through Axiological Distance and Emotional Dynamics

This article presents a new interdisciplinary framework for analyzing political behavior based on the theory of axiodynamics. Moving beyond traditional rational-choice and identity-based models, it integrates the concepts of axiological distance and the Kleden-Hamilton formula to explain ideological proximity, group cohesion, and political polarization. By modeling values and mémotions (affectively charged memories) as structured vectors in a multidimensional space, the framework quantifies ideological divergence between individuals or political entities. It introduces ethopraxie—the dynamic interaction between dispositions and actions—as a key behavioral stabilizer, and incorporates emotional energy (EE) to explain both long-term activist commitment and episodic voter mobilization. Applications include axiological mapping of partisan structures (axiotypes), polarization indices, and the simulation of ideological conflict using adapted models such as the Axiological Hotelling model and Axiological Shapley-Shubik coalition theory. The proposed framework provides a computationally rigorous and empirically testable basis for understanding ideological competition, coalition formation, and the dynamics of political alignment in contemporary societies.