Object, subject and field of study of economic psychology

Microeconomics. Classical economists have created the science of the economic behavior of people in a situation of market economic relations. The object of the study is taken small economic systems - firms, enterprises, households of individual owners, individuals. An important object of empirical research at this level is family and economic behavior in everyday life. Subsequently, this approach was called microeconomic .

Microeconomics uses the following concepts : profit, prices, costs; studies the relations between market participants: producers, consumers, laying the concept of competition into the basis of analysis.

Microeconomics , on the basis of ideas about a fairly stable economic reality, corresponding to a certain economic formation and a certain type of civilization, gives answers to the subjects of economic relations of the microeconomic environment - the owner of the company (group of owners), entrepreneur, banker and others - how to optimize their activities its economic performance.

Economic psychology ( microeconomic psychologists I) answers the same questions as microeconomics, taking into account the human factor at the psychological level:

- personality characteristics,

- features of its behavior and activities,

- decision making in the field of the family budget,

- the problem of the economic socialization of children in the family,

- the use of economic incentives in management,

- consumer psychology,

- psychology of advertising,

- problems of consumer and saving behavior of citizens,

- the study of psychological patterns of interaction and relationships of sellers and buyers in the process of sale and purchase,

- psychology of other types of economic activity in the microeconomic environment.

Macroeconomics. The global trend towards increasing complexity of economic systems, increasing their interdependence, globalization of economic problems, moving them beyond individual national and state farms creates a different economic reality and, as a result, macroeconomics   - science, revealing the patterns of economic development on the basis of interrelations between the main structural proportions, which generalize the indicators of the national economy.

In macroeconomics, economic objects of such a scale as states, large social groups and such macroeconomic phenomena as economic policy, economic well-being of the country, etc. are represented.

Macroeconomics uses the following concepts : social welfare, the proportions of the distribution of national income, inflation, the totality of investments, etc.

Economic psychology ( macroeconomic psychologists ) , as a science about the aggregate economic behavior of people in the macrosystem, considers:

- the sphere of economic relations of the individual and society,

- psychological mechanisms of economic behavior of citizens in relation to the state economic policy,

- psychological problems of property relations, inflation, unemployment, shadow economy, wealth and poverty, etc.,

- the economic reality in which the economically active person acts,

- characterizes the level of development of this economic environment in comparison with others.

Differences in the approaches of economics and psychology are fundamental. The economy-based approach initially considers economic behavior as economically viable, rational, aimed at maximizing benefits and minimizing costs. The main task of the economy is the study of the laws of more efficient management.

The approach from psychology considers economic behavior as a private element of human life, far from being the only and not always the most important one. The psychologist may be interested in the question of why a person sometimes behaves economically expedient and rational, and not according to his human nature, how the individual psychological characteristics of people manifest in their real economic behavior, how economic conditions affect the psychological characteristics of people, relationships between them.

The approach of economics to psychology is utilitarian , it is determined by the fact that it (psychology) can be useful for increasing the success of economic activity.

The approach of psychology to economics is humanistic , it (psychology) is interested in what a person is in economic activity, what he feels, being included in it, what happens to him in the process of implementing economic activity. What can economic activity give for human development (or what can be deprived)? For an economist, irrational behavior is an artifact; for a psychologist, it is the norm. He is interested in how, in the end, people manage to make ends meet and successfully run a household.

Economic psychology is a science that studies the psychological laws of economic behavior and interactions between people as subjects of economic relations.

The object of economic psychology may be individuals, large and small groups.

The subject of economic psychology is the psychological laws of human economic behavior associated with the production, distribution, exchange and consumption of goods and services.

Economic behavior is the behavior of people caused by economic incentives, in which economic decision-making takes place, as well as the determinants and consequences of economic decisions.

There are economic and psychological approaches to the study of economic behavior.

Economic .

1. Directly depend on mathematical calculations in the development of economic models.

2. Basic principles and theories are accepted by most economists.

3. The main dogma is "a rational and economic person." His motives - the desire to maximize profits and minimize losses. The only determinant is economic factors.

Psychological.

1. The mathematical apparatus is used only for statistical data processing.

2. There is no single accepted theory.

3. Considers the determinants of real people, taking into account the mentality, etc., both economic factors and psychological.

Areas of research. Scientists prefer to work with generally accepted reference models, and economic psychologists are no exception. In 1981, F. Van Raai (Rajn) proposed a conceptual scheme for the development and taxonomy of research problems of economic psychology. According to this scheme, he gives examples of possible studies.

Fig. 2. The general model of economic psychology (Van Ridge).

The diagram shows the reference model of economic psychology proposed by Van Rage in 1981 (rectangles). The arrows between the rectangles are certain relationships that need to be explored. The interactions between different subjects inscribed in rectangles are research in economic psychology:

A) the perception of various aspects and factors of economic reality;

B) features of perception, preferences, attitudes and opinions related to behavior;

C) customer satisfaction and claims;

D) the supply and demand of goods and services;

E) design and develop products, services and programs based on meeting the requirements and experience of the participants;

F) how well-justified and unjustified consumer expectations change his perception of markets and products;

G) the ratio of general economic conditions and personal financial capabilities of families;

H) the impact of personality type, cognitive style and lifestyle on the perception and categorization of economic reality;

I) the impact of situational influences on economic behavior;

J) the ratio of satisfaction with marriage, work and life in general, on the one hand, and consumption and economic satisfaction, on the other.

The proposed scheme provides ample opportunities to expand the potential field of research.

Today, in Western European and American science, three most developed areas of research can be identified, born of three types of economic reality, namely:

• consumer market, where the psychology of consumer behavior and the psychology of housekeeping are in the center of attention;

• the area of ​​business where psychological characteristics of an entrepreneur and his behavior are investigated, making deals, negotiating, competition, trade secrets, etc .;

• the sphere of citizen-society relations, where problems of the reaction of citizens to the economic and tax policies of the state, social benefits and benefits, inflation, unemployment, etc. are considered

At present, the following areas of research and approaches to solving theoretical and practical problems have emerged in Russian economic psychology:

• economic and psychological methodology;

• history of economic psychology;

• psychology of economic culture;

• psychology of business organizations;

• labor psychology;

• employment psychology;

• household psychology;

• psychological, professional and economic stratification;

• psychology of economic history;

• psychology of economic knowledge.

• psychology of money;

• consumer psychology;

• demand psychology;

• psychology of accumulation;

• psychology of economic behavior;

• macroeconomic psychology;

• business psychology;

• advertising psychology;

• psychology of decision making in economic activity.

Some of these areas are the content of the course “Economic Psychology” and are discussed in this manual.