Need some opinions on this R/C related topic

[TC3Racer]

Hey guys -
In order to graduate my senior class has to write a 10-page long Senior Thesis on whatever we want. Since it does have to be somewhat intelligent I was trying to find ways to use R/C. I came up with this... Radio Controlled Cars and psychological factors of Control. It sounds prety complex but I have to create an argument for my paper. Right now the arguement is that Radio Controlled Cars fulfill peoples psychological needs for Control. Like being able to control something from a distance and doing things that do not effect you. For example, you cant do the things you do with an R/C car in a real car because YOU are in it and crashes effect you physically (obviously other matters as well but you know what i mean). Anyway the reason i'm posting this is because I want your input on the subject. What do you think of when driving R/C cars and how does it make you happy? Any opinions or thoughts on how the Control factor comes in would be greatly appreciated. I pretty much just want your guys' opinion on this subject and what you think. Thanks alot and please let me know if you have any questions. I know this is a bit confusing.

[bufferoo]

I think that this is actually a very interesting topic that you could get very deeply into when writing. I think for myself it's all about picturing myself in the place of being the driver. I feel the same way with cars, boats or planes. In fact I think it's even worse with planes. I know quite a few people who are working on getting their pilots licence after getting into R\C planes. I guess it has something to do with being able to act out (and up) in a way that would simply not be possible or safe to do in full sized equipment. You get to live vicariously though your own handiwork. Not to mention that it is FAR more financially accessable with R\C over 1:1.

Bufferoo

[TC3Racer]

Thanks alot for your opinion Bufferoo. I like the points you brought up - especially linking it to R/C planes and the accessiblity of R/C over 1:1 cars.

[C.J.OO]

So what your saying is the Basic Persona of a RC'er likes to Controll situations throughout His/her Life..
and does actually driving/flying/floating RC vehicles quench the appetite for this.?.

have i got it.?.

[asc]

I told my wife that if she came with a remote, I wouldn't need this hobby. That goes over like a lead ballon.

[TC3Racer]

I'm pretty much just asking your personal experience with R/C. All forms of R/C count and I just want your opinion on how it feels when you drive your R/C cars along the lines of actually controlling it.

[cool head]

for me, it's not a control issue. it's more like how can i build a better car. and will it out perform a car in it's original configuration. can i stuff this huge engine in this thing and keep it together. can my car beat a higher calliber car? 1/2 the fun for me is actually the building and designing of a car. i have soooo many ideas floating through my head, and rc cars have become my canvas. it's just tooo dificult and expensive to modify 1/1 cars. especially on a work bench! like my motorcycle, my rc cars are a hodge podge of many different cars, pieced together like an abstract painting. but as a whole becomes a work of art!

a turning wrench gathers no rust!

[MrB1973]

IMO, moreso than the 'control' aspect of R/C would be the escape aspect. For me, as I'm sure with others, it's a hobby...an activity designed to take you away from your everyday life and provide some level of joy and fulfillment.

That being said, I am a card carrying control freak...oh well...lol

[rocknbil]

... the arguement is that Radio Controlled Cars fulfill peoples psychological needs for Control......

Hmmm well I think you've got your work cut out for you. When you speak of "control" in a psychological context, it is generally in reference to one's life and the elements around it. Usually control manifests itself by creating situations that meet the person's inner needs. Some base examples are:

You give a girl/boyfriend a gift, tell them you care about them, propose a "steady" or marriage to gain some control over their emotions.
You complain and whine to a co-worker, parent, or spouse to gain control over things you want from them.
You drive like an a-hole, cutting people off in traffic and racing, to effect control on the highway.
Babies (and some people) have temper tantrums or play "poor me" to gain control over others around them by drawing their attention. This is what is called a "control drama" in the Celestine Prophecy.

Things like that. In RC, people try to gain "control" by having the fastest, baddest RC and winning all the races, but it's a staged control, only on the track or with whoever you bash it up with. The control you gain in RC is not real. It is like a video game, you're only controlling an alternate reality that has no real-world value (unless you're winning Nats. :D )

Participation in the hobby doesn't fill very many psychological control needs, it is more of a diversion from ordinary life, one that allows you to play. It feeds the ego more than anything.

If you want to explore the psychological aspects of RC, you're probably going to have a lot more to say about the physiological changes that go on as a result of involvement in racing, or the contribution RC play makes to psychological well-being.

[Piggy89373]

...the hobby doesn't fill very many psychological control needs, it is more of a diversion from ordinary life, one that allows you to play. It feeds the ego more than anything
One of the diversionary qualities of RC is the ability to remove oneself from everyday external inputs and create a situation where the driver has near absolute control. It's a pure ego based activity.

I think it is control based. If you look at the mechanics of it, you have a driver standing over an area controlling a vehicle. It's near absolute control over the vehicle and it's capabilities. It's this absolute control that feeds the primal ego.

A prime example was the disassociation my nephew displayed over the summer. I let him drive my truck in a construction site. While driving it, he was completely oblivious to his environment outside of his driving area. It was an ego "rush" experienced by all of us having complete control of a vehicle. On the drive back home, he was still feeling the effects of the "control rush." If you take a look at the end of a race, you can see those same effects.

I agree with Bill about looking at a race. If you want to look at more psychological impacts of RC, watch a race. Your paper could possibly change topics and deal more with the impacts RC has on the ego.

[Grant Tokumi]

How about also discussing the opposite, which would be the fear and anxiety of when you DON'T have control or lose the control, such as when you have a runaway.

[TC3Racer]

You guys are helping me so much you dont even understand. These points that have been discussed are great and I have altered the topic again. I'm going with: Psychological fulfillment of Radio Controlled Cars. This way the title is broad enough to talk about control, escape, fantasy, effects on the ego, etc, etc. Looking at it as a diversion from real life and the main quality of that being the situation of total control is great. Also linking that to being an ego based activity and how its generally positive to the psychological well-being of the Driver.

This definitely helps me gain more information and broaden the topic to bring up more points. Once again the main thing here is that fact that this is a Thesis - therefore I need an arguement. Right now that will be that R/C does contain psychological factors and that they do fulfill certain aspects of psychological well-being with fantasy, escape, and fueling the ego. I need to recognize the other end of the arguement and that will be more along the lines of what Grant brought up. That R/C can cause fear and anxiety because we put so much time and money into these little cars. I probably wont get as specific as a runaway, but wil probably use it to recognize the other end of the arguement.

Another thing I have to tackle is how to introduce R/C as being serious. I'm not worried about my teacher or anything, i just have to introduce R/C in a way that shows how important it is to people like us and how much we care about it. As long as i can get this across well, it shouldn't be hard to link it to everything else that is going to support the argument.

Once again thanks alot guys. Focusing on the control factor alone was way to detailed and i wasn't getting nearly enough information to write 10-pages. Now with the factors and points you've discussed my topic has broadened and this whole thing is becoming easier.

[ducati777]

Yup, great topic. As with anything there isn't some 1 sweeping reason why we do RC. Some like the control, getting to control not only the car, but all of its adjustments. Some like the control that goes with competition, and some people like to feel powerful by 1-upping the next guy.

How many people have you seen who have to have the best car there is? They'll spend ridiculous sums of money on a car because of the thrill of showing it off. I know a guy who lives in a trailer and is otherwise a nobody, but has a full aluminum/bl/lipo mini-T. When he's at the race track, he's a big man and everyone wants to see his truck. Outside the hobby, he's just a working joe like me.

[C.J.OO]

Gord I hope a noob dosent come across this thread it will scare em away for good...lol.

[cool head]

very interesting replies..... but now lets get a little deeper into this "RC" thing. how about addiction? just like gambling and sometimes worse. out on the track with a $1K car that can get seriously screwed up at any moment. even moreso with heli's and planes. a glitch in your servo can ditch your heli in nothing flat. bam, there goes $500. or, has anyone ever been cought up in the old "if i only had one of those, i could probably win" mindsets? you'll buy an engine you cant afford, or buy a kit that you thought was such a great deal, and by the time you set it on the track you've spent $600+. rubber checks, credit bebt, lieing to you significant others, letting the hobbie guy have his way with your sister for some tyeet t-maxx parts. this hobbie has a dark side too!

[C.J.OO]

LOL...now you've done it...

[djgrom]

I think its rare to be that addicted, i think most of us buy our dream car and drive it stock for quite awhile, and using breakage as a means to upgrade, or at least that is what i do to keep spending in check

[C.J.OO]

I think its rare to be that addicted, i think most of us buy our dream car and drive it stock for quite awhile, and using breakage as a means to upgrade, or at least that is what i do to keep spending in check



LOL...........
Thats exactly what I do....
or If I find a weak Point I'll hop it up straight away... :) :D :) :D

[MrB1973]

Another thing I have to tackle is how to introduce R/C as being serious. I'm not worried about my teacher or anything, i just have to introduce R/C in a way that shows how important it is to people like us and how much we care about it. As long as i can get this across well, it shouldn't be hard to link it to everything else that is going to support the argument.

This should be as easy as compiling some facts and figures about the industry as a whole. I'm sure both your teacher, and many of the people on this board as well, might be surprised to see how much money is circulated in the R/C industry. Put that together with an estimate of the number of people, hobby shops, race tracks, etc...add in a healthy dose of the international factor and away you go.

HTH..B

[TC3Racer]

Yep. Overall I'm not too worried about that. Some nice information and statistical stuff on the hobby as a whole and i'm sure i wont have trouble gettin gmy point across.

djgrom - I know what you mean. Most of us have that dream R/C car and if we ever end up getting it or something similar we like to keep it stock and enjoy the features it comes with. I just bought a Hot Bodies Lightning 2 Pro this summer and haven't touched it as far as hop ups go. It really doesn't need any hop ups because its such a great buggy stock. I think its great that we do have the option to personalize our cars though and most of us definitely take advantage of that. I think its one of the coolest things of this hobby.

[rocknbil]

...Another thing I have to tackle is how to introduce R/C as being serious.....

Oh man this one's so easy.

Contact some of the magazine publishers (hint-hint) and industry manufacturers and ask where you might find any public reports or other info they would be willing to release on how much money is spend annually in the industry. You'll find numbers individually in the millions and probably cumulatively in the billions. If that doesn't make it serious, what would? :D

Also dig around the ROAR (http://www.roarracing.com) site, and remember that ROAR is only the North American block of IFMAR (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ifmar/), the world R/C racing organization. That's worldwide. Serious enough? :D