The Individual in the Economy
A Textbook of Economic Psychology

The Individual in the Economy presents interesting analyses of important human behaviours.

Stephen E. G. Lea (Author), Roger M. Tarpy (Author), Paul M. Webley (Author)

9780521317016, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 April 1987

652 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.7 cm, 0.95 kg

This book, originally published in 1987, argues that economics and psychology both claim to study human behaviour, but historically they have had very little to do with each other. Previous efforts at integration tended to take the form of bringing in psychology to reform economics or vice versa. The authors believe this approach is unfruitful. Instead, they take the view that many kinds of behaviour have both economic and psychological aspects and can be studied by both economic and psychological methods. Economic psychology is the body of knowledge that results from such interdisciplinary investigation. Throughout the authors employ both psychological and economic theories, emphasising how each matches up to the observed facts rather than pitting one against the other. Drawing on the strengths of economics and psychology, The Individual in the Economy presents interesting analyses of important human behaviours, which will surprise and inform psychologists, economists, their students and motivated general readers.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I. The Essential Background: 1. Introduction to psychology
2. Introduction to microeconomics
3. Introduction to macroeconomics
4. Methods for economic psychology
5. Is human behaviour rational?
Part II. The Economic Behaviour of Individuals: 6. Work
7. Buying
8. Saving
9. Giving
10. Gambling
Part III. How the Economy Affects Individual Behaviour: 11. Taxation
12. Money
13. Advertising
14. Growing up in the economy
15. Primitive economies
16. Economic growth and development
17. Token economies
Part IV. Implications: 18. The means and ends of economics behaviour
19. Economies, policy and psychology
20. The causation of economic behaviour
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]