Emotional Self Defense Regarding Decision Making For Sensitive People

The role of emotions in decision making gets a bum rap. So, it’s important to have an emotional self defense regarding decision making for sensitive people. To that end, a reader emailed me asking:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of sensitivity in decision making, especially in buying and selling?

Emotional Self Defense Regarding Decision Making

Sensitivity’s advantages and disadvantages in decision making stem from being more in tune with their emotions and those of others. This is the basis of the emotional self defense regarding decision making. It does not come without offsets though. That’s where awareness for them can minimize their effect.

In buying and  selling decisions, something else comes into play too. People respond different to sensitive people (SP). That means any advantages and disadvantages sensitivity offers also depends upon others in the event.

For instance, since people tend to feel emotions play an adverse role in decisions, they might suffer from over confidence. Others find emotions uncomfortable. They’re unpredictable. Therefore, they make decision making unpredictable. This becomes the “madman theory” in which causes people to agree to anything just to be rid of him.

Emotional self defense regarding decision making is based on the idea that insensitive and sensitive people will tend to make different decisions.

Sensitive Person Versus Less Sensitive Person (LSP)

These advantages and disadvantages are more visible when we compare decisions of SP’s to LSP’s. To start let’s assume both have the same knowledge of a decision. The SP will tend to have more inputs stimulating his emotions. They will also be stronger ones.

On one hand, these inputs will allow him to assess better how others might feel about the decision. On the other, he will have to work through more emotions on his part. This is especially true if his decision might hurt him or others. Thus, he will likely need to muster more courage than an LSP.

Post Decision Emotions

One key aspect of emotional self defense regarding decision making deals with post decision emotions. Simply, who will likely enjoy their decision more? It’s true that emotional factors will likely influence SP’s more than LSP’s. SP’s might pay more or sell for less (disadvantage). Yet, they will likely enjoy their decisions more (positive).

For example, SP’s are more likely to sell a car for less to a friend, but they are more likely to feel good about helping a friend. Of course, an LSP might not appreciate what the SP did. That could have the SP feeling taken advantage of. That’s why the advantages and disadvantages of sensitivity in buying and selling decisions depend on others too. It’s not just about the SP.

Yet, this point is rather moot. With whom we do business matters whether one is sensitive or not. So, most likely for the SP, doing business with one who doesn’t give him positive emotions is not wise. After all, emotions, through intuition, tell us stuff.