1. Particular features of high-level EQ individual economical behavior
Экономическое поведение потребителей с высоким уровнем эмоционального
интеллекта
Meshcheriakova Kseniia
Мещерякова Ксения Михайловна
Plekhanov Russian University of Economics
Российский Экономический Университет имени Г.В. Плеханова
Nowadays the concept of the rationality is an inseparable part of the individual’s
socialization for more effective cooperation with the surrounding, better understanding
interpersonal affairs and personal inside world, the way to what is usually intercepted by emotions,
frequently unconscious. The theory of the emotional intellect aims to promote the mindset with the
help of understanding, realizing and as the result managing and controlling the emotions. One of the
brightest illustrations of the emotional intellect level’s importance is the consumers’ behavior. So
the features of the consumers’ with the high level of EQ behavior are discussed in the article. The
number of conclusions based on it is made regarding to the role of EQ in the lives of people as
tended to rationality goods and services consumers.
В современном мире понятие рациональности – это неотъемлемая часть социализации
индивида для эффективного взаимодействия с окружающей средой, лучшего понимания
межличностных отношений и собственного внутреннего мира, путь к которой преграждают
эмоции, зачастую неосознанные. Теория эмоционального интеллекта направлена на
содействие мышлению через понимание, осознание и, следовательно, управление и контроль
эмоций. Одной из самых ярких иллюстраций значимости уровня эмоционального интеллекта
является поведение потребителей. В данной статье рассмотрены черты потребительского
поведения индивидов с высоким уровнем эмоционального интеллекта. На основании этого
сделан ряд выводов относительно роли эмоционального интеллекта в жизни людей, как
стремящихся к рациональности потребителей товаров и услуг.
- All individuals’ needs are ensured by the society and met by it as well
- Tending to the socialization for personal developing and using the society for personal aims is
peculiar to individuals
- Socialization is more voluntary than compulsory
- The final choice of the consumer is due to not only conscious but subconscious factors
- Economical behavior is used for searching economical alternatives
- Today there is no common way to find out the EQ level of a person
- Depending on implemented motives we can separate economical behavior on different types
- Emotions play more important role in making the decision than conscious ‘weighing for and
against”
- The aim of a consumer is not a good or a service but meeting his needs and solving the
problems
- The individual tends to developing the level of emotional intellect
- Stereotypes influence on the individual’s behavior till they are concerned by the emotions
- The ability of adaptation is very important for effective socialization
- Rational consumer tends to get maximal utility from the consuming with the minimal costs
- The concept of economical behavior is the result of the persons’ tendency to consuming
- The market of consumers with emotional intellect tended to maximum can be compared with
the market of perfect competition among the producers.
- The market of high level EQ consumers is predictable

2. - If you wants the stereotypes to stop influencing the intellect you should make the subconscious
emotion conscious
- The theory of emotional intellect is far from encouraging to avoid emotions
- The emotions perform the functions of adaptation, estimating and inspiring
The society is a difficult multilevel system, all its components are closely coherent and
interrelated. The functioning of each object in the system is limited by the entirety of norms and
rules learning and adaptation to which is called socialization. The concept of socialization
undeniably happens in the life of the individual from childhood to oldness.i
It can be simply
explained by the dependence of each individual on the society which appears in persons’ needs.
Moreover according to any classification of needs all of them are ensured by the system called
«Society» though they are derivate by it as well. So the person gets unmet needs as the punishment
if he doesn’t follow the rules.
However socialization is more voluntary than compulsory and it is the result of the centuries-old
evolution of the humanity, human affairs and co operations with external environment. Because of
this tending to socializing (I mean maximal adaptation to the norms and rules of the society and
moreover fruitful collaboration with it, its supporting, developing and of course using to meet
personal needs) is peculiar to the individuals. ii
The concept of economical behavior is the result of the persons’ tendency to consuming that
undoubtedly influences on individuals’ behavior inside “the system”. So economical behavior is
the type of social behavior which reflects the engagement of a man in the life of society with the
help of different forms of economical activity due to its social interest and abilities.
Depending on implemented motives we can separate economical behavior on rationally aimed,
value-rational, based on belief in self-contained values, (religious, ethical, aesthetic etc.), affective
type of behavior caused by the emotional condition of the individual and traditional behavior due to
habits and traditions that exist for a long time.iii
In any case economical behavior is used for
searching economical alternatives to make the choice rational, in other words to minimize the costs
and maximize pure benefit. However the concept of rational choice in my opinion is subjective.
The final choice of a person as a consumer is due to either conscious or subconscious
determinates.iv
Conscious ones include economical mindset, consciousness, disposable personal
income, the quality of living and the needs, while subconscious consist of social stereotypes, hidden
motives, different psychological factors like suggestibility, asininity in choosing alternative
benefits, susceptibility to advertisements and so on. And if the influence of conscious determinates
on one’s choice can be predicted by the both sides – the individual as the consumer and the society
as the producer of the goods and services, the subconscious determinates can hardly be really
mentioned. The latest researches in the sphere of neuroscience maintain that our thoughts mostly
depend on prevailing emotions in our mind.
It plays more important role in taking the decision then rational argumentation formed in
conscious “weighing” for and against reasons. Each of us once has already come across the
thought: “I can’t explain, but I just feel what is right”. Under the influence of the social experience
and the intellect we feel the emotions and subconsciously interpret them as the natural instinct or
intuition choosing one of the alternatives far before we realize the fact the choice and the
alternatives. Understanding own emotions and hidden motives is the integral part of effective
cooperation with the outside world while on-time and quick adaptation to any changes in the
“system” are supposed. Mostly we decide how to behave in an unacquainted new situation
subconsciously blindly believing in our feeling and senses. Not the most strong and not the most
clever one survives, but the one who better adapts to changes. v
The concept of the emotional intellect appeared only in 1990. However closely to the meaning
of abilities, referred to socio-emotional sphere of mentality the scientists came across far earlier.
E. Thorndike, H. Eysenck, D. Wechsler and other followers of the EQ theory allocated some
people’s abilities to understand motives and behavior of other people better and even manage

3. them. In Russian history Vigotskiy L.S. talked about the gap between the intellectual side of
consciousness and its affective side.
Today there is no common way to find out the EQ levelvi
, moreover the theory itself is learnt
little and is just being developed. So in case using the concept “a high-level-EQ consumer “ I
imply the consumer with abilities to:
- perceive, realize and display the emotions
Perceiving the problem is the first step to solve it. The ability to understand and display the
emotion correctly, as well as to interpret someone’s emotion rightly, upgrades the quality of
people affairs wherever this is the cooperation between a producer and a consumer or business-
partners.
- use the emotions for more effective functioning
Concentration of good emotions on solving the problem actively contributes the efficiency of
the intellect
-understand the emotions and their prescription, the cause of appearance
Realizing the causality of our feelings.
- manage the emotion
Controlling person’s emotions and emotions of people around him to achieve personal aims.
Actually the consumer is interested in particular good or service very rarely, more often he
tends to meet his needs and solve the problems which are created by the “system” non-stop or in
other words to achieve his personal aims. By the way in the modern world besides the fact of
meeting the needs a consumer also considers the process of meeting has become very important.vii
The theory of consumer’s behavior bases on the prerequisite that the choice of any consumer of
goods and services is rational and tends to get maximal utility from the consuming with the
minimal costs. Put it simple “to get more for less money”. The so-called “consumer’s behavior”
depends on the variety of factors: social, personal, cultural and psychological. Psychological
factors such as motivation (the necessity and the need), perception ( the process of selecting and
interpreting of incoming information), assimilating ( data processing) and concerning ( taking a
decision), are uncontrollably subjected to emotions, therefore we can talk about the rational
consumers behavior only in case when the level of controlling, realizing, accepting and
understanding the emotions in other words the EQ level is maximal, for example on the scale
from 0 to 100 it is equal 100. In all other cases it is more correct to talk about individual’s tending
to rational behavior, thus about tending to developing of the emotional intellect.
One of the most poplar and correct in my opinion way to increase the EQ level is the
developing of self control which is not the denying from emotions and their activators but
monitoring their influence on intellect. Between the stimulus and the reaction there is the freedom
of choice.viii
Usually subconscious convictions (‘programs’) inspired by the society prevent us to
estimate adequately the emotions and their reasons. For example let’s look at Mr. Smith. His
family used not to have enough money to buy beautiful and different clothes. Because of it in his
childhood he didn’t care about his appearance and was never under the women sights. He used to
hear phrases from his classmates like: “You are ugly”, “Go away, beggar”, “You’re not worthy
play with us”. Nowadays Mr. Smith has grown up and he has enough money to buy good clothes
and look not worth than many people. However our friend will avoid shops with ‘good clothes’
even if he really wants to become better. He will never understand that his ugliness is the result of
his fear but not the reason till he accepts his fear – in other words till he increases the level of
controlling his emotions to understand the outside world better and his behavior as a consumer
tends to rational and total utility to maximal.
Each consumer first of all is a person. And each person’s head includes a variety of
stereotypes, norms, rules and other ‘wastes’ of the society which strongly influence on his o her
life.ix
However all of them live till they are connected to subconscious emotions and feelings. Any
woman will be extremely happy and self-confident on Tuesday wearing a new stylish dress. While
already on Thursday the dress can be called ugly in the magazine where by the way on Monday it
was in the section ‘fashionable’. Thus on Friday woman wearing this dress will be unsure of

4. herself, irritable and even aggressive. While it is obvious dress hasn’t changed. If she wants the
stereotypes to stop influencing her intellect she should not feel the problem but understand, use
“her head but not heart” and make the subconscious emotion conscious. Then the mood of the
woman won’t depend on the editors of the magazine, influence on her work and financial status.
And only then her choice will tend to be rational and conscious.
The consumers with high EQ level are the most predicted buyers. It is not hard to plan
appearing of new good on the market if the proportion of price and quality is optimal and suitable
for a rational consumer. It is not difficult to organize advertising company when the demand on
good or service can be easily predicted based on qualities and rationality of the consumers.
The market of consumers with emotional intellect tended to maximum can be compared with
the market of perfect competition among the producers. It will be theoretical situation when the
necessary quantity of goods and services with necessary quality will be produced, sold on an
equilibrium price not influenced by quantitative (surplus or shortage), geographical (for example
natural or hothouse vegetables), nationality (import or not), psychological (popular, elite, old or
young, TV presenter advised trademark) factors. Economical behavior of consumers will
correspond with marketing expectations of producers, the reasons of a fall or an increase of
demand will be obviousx
. Of course the prices will be higher as if the quality implies higher
expenses thus higher production costs; barriers for entering the market will be more significant.
In summary it is necessary to mention that modern society is very rational thus the bet on
precisely intellectual improvement is very high. However denying the emotional component of the
life can cause internal conflict, strain and even illnesses. The theory of emotional intellect is far
from encouraging to avoid emotions in order to perfect the intellect. Vice versa it concentrates
attention on using personal emotional conditions and emotions of people around to solve the
problems and correct the individual’s behavior as if emotions are related to the needs of person.xi
They perform the functions of adaptation, estimating and inspiring. They include the accordance
of individual’s behavior to the impact of its main needs, interests and values. The developing of
emotional intellect is an integral part of effective co-operation with the system called ‘Society’ for
all of us as the consumers as if the economical behavior of a consumer with high level of EQ is
more rational thus more useful for ouselves.
Literature:
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интеллект для достижения успеха»
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6. www.lief.ru/blog/2007/04/emotsionalnyiy-intellect/
7. А. Чернов «Личная эффективность: властные эмоции», статья
8. www.akademiki.biz/stati-ob-emotsionalnom-intellecte/
9. Стивен Кови «7 навыков высокоэффективных людей»
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