INFLUENCE TACTICS IN PURCHASE DECISIONS B ETWEEN PARTNERS - A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ANALYSIS OF ACTION-REACTION-PATTERNS

Purchase decisions in private households are complex processes where p artners use several influence tactics in order to approximate their di fferent positions. Previous work showed that gender, satisfaction with the relationship and relative dominance of partners are important det erminants of tactic use. Rarely investigated are the consequences of a previous action of the respective partner. This study on 200 couples explores the effect of tactics used by one partner on the reaction of the other. Results show that primarily negative tactics, such as aggre ssion, withdrawal of resources and the use of negative emotions change the dynamics of decision making and lead, in turn, to an increase in negative reactions.