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HUMAN WANTS
SYNOPSIS
1. Types of human wants
2. Feature of Human Wants
3. Factors afectn! human wants
I. INTRODUCTION
Consumption is the act of satisfying human wants and forms an
important aspect of the study of economics.
Hence consumption refers to the use of goods and services to satisfy
human wants.
Hence from the day we are born we become consumers that are we
enoy goods and services !economic goods" for which we pay a price.
Consumption enab#es production to ta$e p#ace.
%herefore in recent years the importance of consumption is
increasing#y recogni&ed.
'Consumption in the beginning and end of a## production(
)oods and services produced in any economy wi## depend upon the
wishes of the consumers. If consumers #i$e a particu#ar commodity i.e.
it satis*es their particu#ar want+ then that commodity wi## be produced.
Hence a consumer is said to be the $ing or the 'sovereign(
%herefore it is to satisfy the consumers that production or economic
activity ta$es p#ace which means that the #eve# of production+
emp#oyment and income in any country wi## depend upon the vo#ume
of consumption.
%he #arger the consumption the #arger the production and vice versa.
Even human beings perform economic activities or wor$ in order to
satisfy their wants.
So+ wants form the basis of a## economic activities.
,ants can a#so be ca##ed the desires or needs of the peop#e.
II. TYPES/KINDS/CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN WANTS.
Everyone wor$s in order to satisfy their wants.
,ants are basica##y the basis of a## economic activities.
Hence we can say-
1. Men h!e "n#$ n% nee%$.
2. The& h!e #' $#($)& #he*
3. The& +e,-(+e *'ne& #' $#($)& #he(+ "n#$.
4. The& h!e #' "'+. #' e+n *'ne&.
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Ear#ier peop#e were satis*ed with simp#e food+ c#othing+ and
entertainment.
But today peop#e simp#y want everything they #i$e and can a.ord to
have.
%here is a continuous increase of wants.
As wants increase production and trade too wi## have to increase.
%here wi## be increasing emp#oyment.
The !+('-$ #&/e$ ') h-*n "n#$ +e0
1. P+(*+& "n#$1 Ne2e$$+(e$
2. Se2'n%+& Wn#$1 C'*)'+#$ n% L-3-+(e$.
1. P+(*+& Wn#$1 Ne2e$$+(e$
(. Ne2e$$+(e$ )'+ e3($#en2e
/an re0uires the basic wants name#y food+ water+ c#othing+ and she#ter.
,ithout food a person cannot #ive at a##.
Hunger is so painfu# that a man wi## do anything to satisfy it.
A#so+ considering that we are #iving in a civi#i&ed society+ man a#so
re0uires c#othes.
A man may be prepared to starve but wi## not #i$e to go out without
some c#othes.
Housing comes at a #ower #eve# but it is again a necessity.
%hese are wants which are essenta" an# necessary for e$stence.
. Ne2e$$+(e$ )'+ e42(en2&
Besides those necessaries which are essentia# for human e1istence
there are other which are necessary for e2cient#y.
E.5.0 %ab#e and chairs may be regarded as necessary for students. 3or
a construction wor$er wor$ing one bui#ding site or a coo#ie on rai#way
p#atform+ p#enty of food is necessary for e2ciency.
(((. C'n!en#('n6 Ne2e$$+(e$
%here is a third type of necessity $nown s conventiona# necessaries.
Convention means tradition or custom.
4eop#e wou#d #i$e to possess those goods which everybody $eeps.
E.5.0 A woman wou#d #i$e to have a %5 if her neighbor has one. If one
fami#y a refrigerator the other fami#ies wi## want one too.
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Necessares for e$stence% necessares for e&cency an#
con'entona" necessares are to!ether (nown as prmary
wants.
2. Se2'n%+& Wn#$1 C'*)'+#$ n% L-3-+(e$.
(. C'*)'+#$
4eop#e #i$e many types of goods because they are a source of comfort
and happiness to them.
An additiona# chair in a room+ a record p#ayer in the house+ di.erent
varieties of food etc ma$e ones #ife comfortab#e and p#easurab#e.
In a broad sense necessaries for e2ciency and comfort appear to be
simi#ar.
But goods which are necessaries for e2ciency tend to promote
e2ciency whi#e those goods which are comforts have the tendency to
ma$e #ife comfortab#e.
E.5.0 a student may desire a tab#e and chair though he can do without
it but the tab#e and chair wou#d increase his e2ciency.
%here is no hard and fast ru#e in a## these.
,hat one man considers as a necessity another may consider as a
comfort.
((. L-3-+(e$.
Lu1uries refer to those wants which re very e1pensive and which are
meant main#y to show wea#th and power of a person.
As they are e1pensive items on#y the rich can a.ord them.
Cost#y food+ c#othes and house+ e1pensive ewe#ry+ refrigerators+
e1pensive cars+ e#ectric shaves and washing machines etc are
e3*/6e ') 6-3-+(e$.
%he bene*ts of such goods are comparative#y #ow to the price.
However #u1uries may be di.erent from individua# to individua#.
E.g.- A car may be a #u1ury to a c#er$ but for a businessman it is a
necessity to move form one town to another a#ong with the status
symbo#.
III FEATURES OF HUMAN WANTS
%he fo##owing are the features of human wants.
i. ,ants are un#imited
ii. Each want can be fu##y satis*ed.
iii. ,ants are comp#ementary.
iv. ,ants are competitive
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v. ,ants are in6uenced by advertisements.
vi. /any wants become habits.
vii. /any wants are the resu#t of custom or convention.
viii. ,ants change according to time+ p#ace and person.
(. Wn#$ +e -n6(*(#e%
/an has so many wants that there is no #imit to them.
%he satisfaction of one want #eads to another want.
%here is no continuous cyc#e of wants.
%a$e the case of food. A fami#y re0uires rice+ wheat+ pu#ses+ vegetab#es+
meat+ *sh+ oi#s+ vanaspati etc.
%he fami#y has to buy these items again and again+ for the want for
these items comes bac$ again and again.
In the same way+ every fami#y re0uires c#othing of a## types.
Every year probab#y every moth+ o#d c#othes have to bought.
%hen there are many items re0uired for the house7there seems to be
no end to these wants.
It is for this reason we say wants are un#imited.
ii. E2h "n# 2n 7e )-66& $#($8e%.
Even though there is no end to the number of wants a person+ any
particu#ar want can be fu##y satis*ed.
If at any time a man is hungry and wants food+ he can consume food
and be fu##y satis*ed for the time being.
It is true that he wi## re0uire food again after a few hours+ but at any
given time his want for food can be fu##y satis*ed.
Individua# wants are therefore fu##y satis*ab#e.
(((.Wn#$ +e 2'*/6e*en#+&.
,hen two or more goods are wanted together+ we say these goods are
comp#ementary.
%he want for a car a#so imp#ies the want for petro#.
A student wants both pen and in$.
A man does not eat rice on#y8 he wants pu#ses+ meat+ vegetab#es etc
a#ong with rice. )enera##y two or more wants go together.
(!. Wn#$ +e 2'*/e#(#(!e
,hen a person has a want and if that want can be satis*ed by two or
more goods.
%here wi## be competition between the goods to satisfy the consumer.
Let us ta$e an e1amp#e.
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Suppose that a person is thirsty and wants to have a drin$.
He can ta$e a g#ass of sherbet+ a 4epsi or a Co$e or he can ta$e a cup
of co.ee or tea and so on.
He cannot ta$e a cup of co.ee and a cup of tea or a g#ass of sherbet+
a## at the time.
He wi## have to choose one commodity at a time.
%hus wants are competitive.
,ants become competitive because there are many a#ternatives which
satisfy a person.
v. Wn#$ +e (n9-en2e% 7& %!e+#($e*en#$.
%his is probab#y the most important reason why our wants are
mu#tip#ying these days.
,e are to#d a## the time what we shou#d buy. %he toothpaste we use
ear#y in the morning+ the bread and tea we consume at brea$fast8 the
soap we use for morning bath8 etc
Crores of rupees are spent on advertisements in newspapers+ in poster+
in cinema theatres+ in %5s etc to create wants.
In fact+ advertisement has become a mu#ti7crore business.
vi. Mn& "n#$ 7e2'*e h7(#$.
A person may want tea in the morning. If he goes on satisfying this
want regu#ar#y+ his want for the morning tea wi## become a habit.
Habits are formed when peop#e satisfy certain wants regu#ar#y.
,hen once habits are formed the wants for these goods become
a#most necessaries.
,ants become habits and habits are responsib#e for wants.
A good e1amp#e is cigarettes.
A young man starts smo$ing once in a way+ may be in a marriage
party+ or when someone o.ers him a free cigarette.
)radua##y he starts smo$ing regu#ar#y and ac0uires the smo$ing habit.
9ne he gets the habit+ he cannot give it up easi#y. His want for
cigarettes becomes a necessity.
vii. Mn& "n#$ +e #he +e$-6# ') 2-$#'* '+ 2'n!en#('n.
/an #ives in society and hence becomes a s#ave to customs.
He is in6uence by other peop#e by his ancestors+ by his re#igion etc.
9ur wants for good c#othes+ ewe#ry etc are the resu#t of customs.
Everyone is wearing c#ean c#othes to co##ege.
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It has not become a custom to have %5s+ 5C:s+ refrigerators+ etc.
,ants are thus he resu#t of the customs of peop#e
viii. Wn#$ 2hn5e 22'+%(n5 #' #(*e: /62e n% /e+$'n.
Even the same person may want di.erent things at di.erent times.
3or instance+ I may #i$e rice and pu#ses for #unch one day but on the
ne1t day I may not #i$e to have rice at a## but may prefer chapatti
and vegetab#es.
,hen you were young you probab#y had a g#ass of mi#$ in the
morning. But as you grow o#der+ you may want tea and not mi#$.
/any north Indians have ac0uired a taste for co.ee+ id#i+ dosa etc.
Li$ewise many south Indians have gradua##y been ac0uiring a taste
for wheat products7 such as chapattis+ parathas+ puris etc.
;i.erent peop#e prefer di.erent things at di.erent times.
I; FACTORS AFFECTIN< HUMAN WANTS.
(. =('6'5(26 F2#'+$
((. E2'n'*(2 P+'5+e$$
(((.C-$#'*$ n% H7(#$.
(!. A%!e+#($e*en#$
!. In2'*e
!(. A5e n% T(*e
(. =('6'5(26 F2#'+$
/any wants are connected with our bio#ogy or with our natura#
interests.
E.5.0 ,e fee# hungry or thirsty and re0uire food and drin$.
,e cannot face heat+ co#d and rain and hence we re0uire c#othes and
she#ter.
%hus hunger thirst and need for she#ter are determined by bio#ogica#
factors without the satisfaction of these wants we wou#d probab#y not
be ab#e to survive or e1ist.
%hus basic wants or necessaries are bio#ogica##y determined.
((. E2'n'*(2 P+'5+e$$
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,ith economic growth and deve#opment and the advent of <<<<<
man has progressed signi*cant#y and a modern man wants more and
more di.erent types of food+ drin$s+ c#othing with we## furnished
homes.
%hus with the increase in income+ there wi## be more and more
demand for di.erent varieties of goods and services.
%hus with economic progress+ man=s events have mu#tip#ied and
become comp#e1.
iii. C-$#'*$ n% H7(#$.
/an is a socia# anima# and wou#d #i$e to o what others do in matters
of food+ c#othing+ housing+ entertainment etc
/an fo##ows socia# customs. ,ants re in6uenced by other peop#es
pinions and ideas.
E.50 9ur demand for ed tea is a resu#t of a habit ac0uired over time
or our demand for cigarettes is a#so the resu#t of a habit ac0uired
over time.
(!. A%!e+#($e*en#$
Certain goods are invented and produced and those who produce
these goods induce peop#e to buy them.
;emand for fridges+ cars+ %5s etc are hence created.
Advertisements attract peop#e to want certain goods and create
customs or habits of them.
Advertisements te## peop#e what they shou#d wear+ eat+ what goods
they shou#d buy+ which brands to wear+ which cigarettes to smo$e
etc.
%hus human wants are in6uenced by advertisements and peop#e
demanding goods which are advertised.
!. In2'*e
Lower the income+ fewer the human wants.
Higher the income+ more the human wants.
A rich person wants better and more varieties of food c#othing she#ter
whi#e a poor man with #esser income wi## have fewer and simp#e
needs.
!(. A5e n% T(*e
3rom the day man is born+ human wants arise but his wants wi##
change over the years+ ages or over time.
If he is an infant or an ado#escent or an adu#t or nag o#d man+ his
wants wi## di.er from age to age and time to time
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