An economic person is a brief characteristic. Model of an economic person

The economic behavior of an individual and a group of people on the market forms a demand. For the financial result of the seller, it is very important to anticipate the volume of demand in the future in a timely manner and to determine the list of the main factors that can affect it. That is why it is necessary to understand the concept of the "model of an economic man" and, having connected the psychological and social aspects to economic ones, start using this knowledge in practice. They are relevant both for enterprises acting on the market from the supply side, and for ordinary people, which together provide market demand.

"Homo" -modeling or who we are?

Economists have long wondered how a person makes a choice, what is guided and how he prioritizes his priorities. With the development of market relations, the man himself evolved. Recall the known species of "homo".

Models of man from the point of view of biology or Homo biologicus :

• Homo habilis or a skillful person, learned to obtain fire and create the means of labor;
• Homo erectus or right-browing man, stood on both feet, freeing his hands;
• Homo sapiens or a reasonable person, has acquired the ability of articulate speech and non-standard thinking.

Evolution of people from the viewpoint of the type of activity and cause-and-effect being, rich in events, or Homo eventus :

• Homo economicus or an economic man guided in his behavior by the aspects of rationality and the attainment of the greatest possible benefit in conditions of limited economic resources;
• Homo sociologicus or a social person seeking to communicate with other people and asserting their role in the society;
• Homo politicus or a political man, motivated to strengthen his authority and achieve power through government institutions;
• Homo religiosus or a religious person who defines the support in his life and the main motive is "the word of God" and the support of the higher forces.

A brief description of the presented simplified models of the event type shows the system of human priorities and explains the motives of his behavior in this or that environment - economic, political, social, religious. Every concrete individual can be a "different person" depending on the coordinate system, that is, the environment in which he acts and is identified.

It is interesting to compare the first two event models of people: the economic person is individual, the social is too collective and dependent on society. The world adapts itself to the needs of the economic person, which is reflected in the law of supply and demand, and the social person adapts himself to the social trends of the world in order to avoid being separated from the crowd.

Rationality as the basis of profitability

Modeling assumes a certain system of assumptions, so a man in economic relations has rationality , that is, he is able to make the right decision under the proposed conditions. The rationality of the person is affected by the following factors:

• Availability of information on prices and volumes of production;
• Human awareness of the basic parameters of choice;
• High level of intelligence and sufficient competence of a person in matters of economic choice;
• A person makes decisions in conditions of perfect competition.

The ratio of the above assumptions leads to the fact that rationality can be of three types:

1. Complete , which involves a person's comprehensive knowledge of the state of the market and his ability to make a decision, getting the maximum benefit with a minimum of costs.
2. Limited , which involves the lack of complete information and an insufficient level of human competence, as a result, it seeks not to maximize benefits, but simply to meet immediate needs in ways that are acceptable to them.
3. Organic rationality complicates the model of the economic man by introducing additional variables that affect his behavior: legal prohibitions, traditional and cultural restrictions, social parameters of choice.

Ideas about a person as a rational subject with their needs and motivations evolved together with economic schools. Currently, four main human models are distinguished. They differ:

1. The degree of abstraction from the diversity of social, psychological, cultural and other aspects of a person's personality.
2. Features of the environment, that is, the economic and political situation around a person.

I. The model of an economic man - a materialist

For the first time the concept of "Homo economicus" was introduced in the XVIII century as part of the teaching of the English classical school, and later it migrated to the teachings of marginalists and neoclassicists. The essence of the model is that a person strives to maximize the usefulness of the acquired goods within the limited resources, the main one being his income. Thus, in the center of the model are money and the desire of the individual to enrich. An economic person is able to appreciate all the benefits, appropriating to everyone the value and utility for themselves, because when choosing is guided only by one's own interests, remaining indifferent to the needs of other people.

In this model, the "invisible hand" of the market of A. Smith actively manifests itself. People in their activities proceed solely from their own interests: the consumer strives to purchase the highest quality goods, and the producer - to offer the market such goods in order to meet demand and get the most profit. People, acting for selfish purposes, work for the common good.

II. The model of an economic man - a materialist with limited rationality

Followers of ideas Keynes, as well as institutionalism, was allowed by the fact that human behavior is influenced not only by the desire for material wealth, but also by a number of socio-psychological factors. A brief description of the first model allows us to conclude that a person is at the basic levels of the Maslow's pyramid of needs. The second model moves the person to higher levels, leaving the priority of the material side of being.

To support this model of a person in an equilibrium state, adequate intervention by the state is required.

III. The model of an economic man - a collectivist

In the system of paternalism, where the state assumes the role of a shepherd, automatically switching people to the position of herd sheep, the economic man also changes. His choice is limited not only by internal factors, but by external conditions. The state decides the fate of a person, sending to study by distribution, attaching to a certain workplace, offering only specific goods and services. Lack of competition and personal interest in the results of work leads to the emergence of bad faith, dependent moods and forced stay of a person at the lower levels of the pyramid of needs, when one has to be content with the small and do not strive for the best.

IV. The model of an economic man-idealist

In this model, a feeling economic man appears: the concepts of rationality and benefits for him are refracted through the prism of higher spiritual needs. As a result, it may not be more important for the individual to pay than the amount of salary, but the degree of satisfaction with his work, the importance of his activity for society, the complexity of his work and the level of self-esteem.

The fundamental difference from previous models allows us to say that a new economic man has appeared, equally thinking and feeling, allocating priorities in accordance with his internal state.

Here, the individual has a complete set of needs from the basic physical to the higher spiritual, the most important of which is the need for self-realization. A person is a complex model, his behavior depends on many factors that can be predicted only with a certain error margin.

Psychological aspects of the behavior of an economic person

All the economic problems of man are connected with the choice in conditions of limited resources. And this choice is greatly influenced by psychological factors. If we turn again to the above pyramid of needs, we can see what the role of non-material factors in human behavior. The pyramid includes the following levels:

• The first (basic) - physiological needs for housing, food and drink, sexual satisfaction, rest;
• The second is the need for safety on the physiological and psychological level, the belief that the basic needs in the future will be met;
• The third - social needs: to exist harmoniously in society, to be involved in any social group of people;
• The fourth is the need for respect, for achieving success, for securing from the society according to competence criteria;
• The fifth - the need for knowledge, learning new and applying knowledge in practice;
• The sixth - aesthetic needs in harmony, beauty and order;
• The seventh is the need for self-expression, the full realization of one's abilities and capabilities.

Man and Society

The manifestation of the social component in human behavior can significantly affect the economy, breaking the habitual notions about the interaction of supply and demand. For example, a phenomenon such as fashion involves the removal of certain trend products in the increased price range, distorting the relationship between price and quality.

Luxury goods are always in demand, but the purpose of acquiring this category of goods is not to meet vital needs, but to maintain the status of the individual, to enhance his self-esteem.

Man - a subject of social, therefore always acts in accordance or contrary to the opinion of others. Therefore, in the modern world there is a socio-economic person who also makes a choice in conditions of limited resources, but with an eye on his psychological needs and the reaction of the society.

The manifestation of the "economic man" in modern people

Let us consider an example of an economic man, solving the everyday problem.

Task : Suppose an economist Ivanov earns 100 rubles. at one o'clock. If you buy fruit on the market for 80 rubles. Per kilogram, then you need to spend an hour to get around the market, choose the best product and stand in line. The store sells good quality fruit and without queues, but at a price of 120 rubles. Per kilogram.

Question : At what volume of purchases will Ivanov expediently go to the market?

Solution : Ivanov has an alternative cost of his time. If he spends it on work in the office, he will get 100 rubles. That is, to rationally spend this hour on a march through the market, the saving on the price difference should be at least 100 rubles. Therefore, expressing the volume of purchases through X, the total cost of fruit sold on the market will be:

80X + 100 <120X

40X> 100

X> 2.5 kg.

Conclusion : Economist Ivanov rationally buy cheaper fruit on the market in excess of 2.5 kg. If you need less fruit, it is more rational to buy them in the store.

A modern economic man is rational, he intuitively or knowingly assigns a certain price to everything and chooses from alternatives the one that suits him most. At the same time he is guided by all possible factors: monetary, social, psychological, cultural, etc.

So, an economic man ...

Let's single out the main characteristics inherent in the modern economic person (ECH):

1. The resources that are at the disposal of the EF are always limited , while some of them are renewable, while others are not. Resources include:

• Natural;
• Material;
• Labor;
• Temporary;
• Information.

2. The ECH always makes a choice in a rectilinear coordinate system with two variables: preferences and constraints . Preferences are formed on the basis of human needs, aspirations and desires, and restrictions are based on the amount of resources available to the individual resources. It is interesting that as opportunities grow, human needs also rise.

3. ECH sees alternative choices , is able to evaluate and compare them.

4. When choosing an EC, it is guided solely by its own interests , but family members, friends, close people can get into its zone of influence, whose interests will be perceived by a person almost on par with his own. His interests can be formed under the influence of a whole variety of factors, not only material ones.

5. Interaction among themselves of socio-economic people with their interests takes the form of exchange .

6. The choice of ECH is always rational , but due to limited resources, including information, the individual chooses from the alternatives known to him the one that is most preferable for him.

7. ECH may be wrong , but its misses are random.

Studying the economic man, his motives for action, his system of values and preferences, as well as the limitations of choice will allow him to better understand himself as a full-fledged subject of socio-economic relations. The main thing is that people become a little more competent in economic issues and make fewer mistakes, systematically improving the quality of life.