what would be an ideal type
Ideal type. Written By: Ideal type, a common mental construct in the social sciences derived from observable reality although not conforming to it in detail because of deliberate simplification and exaggeration. It is not ideal in the sense that it is excellent, nor is it an average; it is, rather, a constructed ideal used to approximate reality by selecting and accentuating certain elements. 1  The concept of the ideal type was developed by German sociologist Max Weber, who used it as an analytic tool for his historical studies.