The Psychology of the Car. Automobile Admiration, Attachment, and Addiction

322 Pages·2017·24.81 MB·English

by  Stefan Gössling (Auth.)

The Psychology of the Car
Automobile Admiration, Attachment,
and Addiction
Stefan Gössling
Elsevier
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To Mathias, my brother
Acronyms
AAA American Automobile Association
ADAC Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club
ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
BAC Blood alcohol concentration
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke
BS Boredom susceptibility
CEO Chief economic officer
DSM Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
DUI Driving under the influence
ES Experience seeking
EU European Union
FF Fast and Furious (movie franchise)
GDP Gross domestic product
HPA Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
IAA Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung
ICD International statistical classification of diseases related to health problems
ICT Information and communication technologies
IMDb Internet movie database
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
NSW New South Wales
OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
OSAS Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
PD Personality disorder
PTSD Posttraumatic stress disorder
SNS Sympathetic nervous system
SUV Sport-utility vehicle
TAS Thrill and adventure seeking
TMB Travel money budget
TTB Time travel budget
VDA Verband der Automobilindustrie
WHO World Health Organization
WWII World War II
List of Boxes
Box 2.1 Car Admiration – Cultural and Technical Glamorization 24
Box 2.2 The Fast and the Furious 29
Box 2.3 The System of Automobility 35
Box 2.4 Key Insights From Complex Models of Car Use: Schwanen
and Lucas (2011) 38
Box 3.1 Hot Versus Cool Driver Personalities in Movies 49
Box 3.2 Cars With Personality in Movies 56
Box 3.3 Car Lyrics (Excerpt) Depicting Specific Identities in the Context of Cars 60
Box 3.4 Bumper Stickers as Expression of Personality 61
Box 4.1 Driving as Escape: Drive (2011) 100
Box 5.1 Transformers: Oedipal Sexual Constellations Involving Cars 117
Box 6.1 Increasing Perceived Friction: Speed Limits in Bristol, UK 132
Box 6.2 Speeding: No One Thinks Big of You 135
Box 7.1 Automobile Agnotology: Energy Labels for Cars in Germany 146
Box 7.2 “Hatred of Government”: New Zealand Carless Days Scheme of 1979 149
Box 7.3 Public Shaming of Politicians 160
Box 7.4 Gangsta rap lyrics - Ridin’ (feat. Krayzie Bone) 164
Box 7.5 Government in Movies: Death Race (2008) 168
Box 8.1 “No Ridiculous Car Trips”: Refusing Community 174
Box 8.2 Soon the Most Successful Music Videos in History? 183
Box 9.1 Speed and Death: Rush (2013) 208
Box 10.1 Volkswagen & Darth Vader 220
Box 10.2 Troubled Childhood Characters as a Central Feature of Car Movies 222
Box 12.1 “Climate Change Stickers on Gas Pumps,” Canada 256
List of Figures
Figure 1.1 Growth emissions of CO from the transport sector, 1900–2050. 10
2
Figure 2.1 Factors influencing transport behavior. 37
Figure 3.1 Driver-car coidentities: capabilities. 65
Figure 6.1 Development of speed records (km/h after 1 km). 122
Figure 6.2 Average motorization of newly registered vehicles, Germany. 123
Figure 6.3 Differential speeds in urban space. 131
Figure 7.1 N ew car registrations in Germany: percentages April 2015
compared to previous year. 146
Figure 7.2 Interrelationships of government, police, and car drivers. 153
Figure 9.1 Fatal accidents, Isle of Man TT. 191
Figure 11.1 Real versus perceived structures of car dependency. 233
Figure 12.1 U rban modal split transition in a radically different transport
future scenario. 244
Figure 12.2 Inducing change in transport behavior. 245
List of Tables
Table 1.1 Growth in Vehicle Numbers, Selected Countries 4
Table 1.2 National Congestion Cost, United States 1982–2014 11
Table 1.3 Share of Trips Made by Bicycle and Growth Rates, Various Cities 14
Table 2.1 The Fast and the Furious Box Office Revenues 30
Table 2.2 Examples of Failed Infrastructure Projects, Inducing New Traffic 33
Table 3.1 Personality Facets 48
Table 3.2 Bumper Sticker Categories 61
Table 4.1 Functions of Emotions 68
Table 4.2 Examples of Fears and Anxieties Related to Automobility 71
Table 4.3 Range of Anxieties Addressed in Car Advertisements 72
Table 4.4 Levels of Control in Car Driving 85
Table 4.5 Forms of Video Car Contempt 90
Table 4.6 Forms of Escape—Avoidance in the Context of Automobility 101
Table 5.1 Reproduction Strategies in the Animal Kingdom and Automotive Mimicry 105
Table 5.2 Sex Motifs in Car Movies 115
Table 7.1 Examples of Media Reports on the Police 151
Table 7.2 Examples of Reactions to Traffic Controls and Reported Violations 151
Table 7.3 Examples of Celebrity Car Choices 154
Table 7.4 Examples of Celebrity Traffic Violations 158
Table 7.5 Police Stereotyping in Car Movies 167
Table 8.1 Forms of Automobile Community 176
Table 9.1 Fatal Accidents in Car Races 190
Table 9.2 Interrelationships With Death in Car Movies 206
Table 10.1 Phobias/Anxieties With Relevance for Car Transport Behavior 214
Table 10.2 Mental Disorders and Repercussions for Transport Behavior 216
Table 10.3 Fast and Furious Conflict Motifs 225
Table 11.1 Forms of Car Dependency 232
Table 11.2 The Car Industry and Its Appeal Strategies 234
Table 12.1 Examples of Measures Changing Transport Value Perceptions 246
Table 12.2 Rational Versus Emotional Arguments in Communication Strategies 248
Table 12.3 Incentives and Rewards for Residents in Werfenweng, Austria 251
Table 12.4 Overview of Campaigns Based on Emotional Interventions 253
List of Plates
Plate 1.1 Expansion of the automotive system: 12 lanes in Dubai. 4
Plate 1.2 Car mass, weight, and motorization continue to increase:
new BMW model. 6
Plate 1.3 Public transport in Barbados: air pollution is now recognized as a serious
health issue. 9
Plate 1.4 Street space dedicated to car-sharing program in Freiburg, Germany. 15
Plate 2.1 Autopia: Suburb without sidewalks, Texas, United States. 20
Plate 2.2 Germany’s obsession with speed had its origin in the Third Reich:
Mercedes sets a new speed record at 372 km/h in 1936. 21
Plate 2.3 Car admiration in Colmar, France. 26
Plate 2.4 Congestion: an important factor in the use of alternative transport. 33
Plate 2.5 Coincidence? A number plate in Germany. 36
Plate 2.6 Why would children admire a Koenigsegg? 39
Plate 2.7 A car brand appealing to specific personalities: Maserati 40
Plate 3.1 Car front with a personality message? Dodge Ram. 50
Plate 3.2 Change of character: Mercedes in 1970. 52
Plate 3.3 Change of character: Mercedes in 2016. 53
Plate 3.4 Nice, friendly, defensive: a car front expressing personality. 55
Plate 3.5 Branded car coidentities: children riding Mercedes car toys. 59
Plate 3.6 A car sticker as a personality warning. 62
Plate 3.7 Aspirational identity: concept study of the Maybach 63
Plate 4.1 Preempting or confirming fears? Sign defining “safe” parking for women,
Germany. 73
Plate 4.2 Notions of a postapocalyptic world: advertisement screen displayed at
Autosalon, Geneve. 74
Plate 4.3 Fear message to influence driving styles, Australia. 76
Plate 4.4 Emission levels of newly registered cars: a form of fear messaging? 78
Plate 4.5 Tesla addressing cruising range anxiety. 80
Plate 4.6 Risk and safety as key features of car advertisement: Volkswagen. 83
Plate 4.7 In control: the cockpit of Porsche Panamera. 84
Plate 4.8 Angry in traffic: evolution in BMW car fronts. 88
Plate 4.9 A car to avenge: Batpod. 91
Plate 4.10 Car nuts in use in Queensland, Australia. 96
Plate 4.11 Coal rolling as form of rebellion. 98
Plate 4.12 Nowhere to go but everywhere. 101
xviii List of Plates
Plate 5.1 Indicating a good mate? Bentley signaling resourcefulness and protection. 108
Plate 5.2 The car as expression of maleness, power, and dominance: Brabus 500. 109
Plate 5.3 “Fuck,” a new alcoholic drink presented at a car exhibition, Germany. 114
Plate 5.4 Car exhibitions and the female object: Autosalon Genève, Switzerland. 115
Plate 6.1 Marketing focused on speed: Corvette. 127
Plate 6.2 Female reactions to fast cars. 130
Plate 6.3 Australian campaign to address speeding. 136
Plate 6.4 Child in car simulator video game. 138
Plate 7.1 German campaign “Reduce your speed!” 140
Plate 7.2 Automobile rights and contested space. 142
Plate 7.3 Closer to the public: female police on bikes, Paris, France. 144
Plate 7.4 Deliberate (?) parking violation. 148
Plate 7.5 Historic Beetle used to curry sympathy for police. 153
Plate 7.6 Too much government? 169
Plate 8.1 Sociality in motion (and stasis): the home from home
as microcommunity. 179
Plate 8.2 Car community: race team celebration in Hockenheim, Germany. 180
Plate 8.3 An offer of community: car lobbying organization in search
of new members. 184
Plate 9.1 A celebrity death crash site turned tourist attraction. 189
Plate 9.2 NASCAR crash: how important is the prospect of death
in the appeal of races? 192
Plate 9.3 James Hunt winning the Formula 1 World Championship in 1976. 199
Plate 10.1 Public transport infrastructure as space of fear. 213
Plate 10.2 A scenic drive, killing time, or a reflection of a mood disorder? 216
Plate 11.1 Car order. 230
Plate 11.2 A more desirable transport future? 231
Plate 11.3 Initiative to challenge car domination. 234
Plate 11.4 Be aware of government: information on taxation at German fuel station. 237
Plate 11.5 Parking violations unchallenged: evidence of a tipping point? 239
Plate 12.1 Like father, like son: Rolls-Royce admiration. 242
Plate 12.2 Positive communication: “We respect each other” campaign in Freiburg,
Germany. 248
Plate 12.3 Cycling as major transport mode in Copenhagen, Denmark. 249
Plate 12.4 Increasing perceived safety (with a view): physically separated
cycle track along the river in Brisbane. 252
Plate 12.5 Incentive system: car charger stations in Paris. 255
Plate 12.6 Warning labels on gas pumps. 257
Plate 12.7 Gas pump label design as suggested by industry. 258
Plate 12.8 One possible future: car-free island of Juist, Germany. 259
Preface
Nino [looking at a convertible]: “Now this… that is one mother-f**king, fine-a**,
p***-mobile…! Damn!”
Drive (2011)
Perhaps a book on the “psychology of the car” demands a positioning of the author.
As probably most readers of this book, I have been socialized in a car-centric world.
Growing up in a suburban area about 5 km outside a medium-sized town in North
Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, most of my childhood memories are entangled in trans-
port dependency; we went to school by bus, were taken to sports practice by car, and
drove to see family or friends on weekends. I got my driving license 08-08-88, a magic
date marking independence more than my 18th birthday a day earlier. Soon after, the
car afforded my first better-paid student job as a newspaper photographer and free-
lancer. I also associate the car with first escapes, driving nowhere in particular in the
middle of the night with a friend, movement being a goal in its own right. The car was
the means of transport during my first “real” holiday, a trip to Spain with my girlfriend
(and later wife) at the age of 22. We drifted “south” in search of October warmth, and
prayed that the car, her father’s aged VW Golf, wouldn’t break down. Countless trips
have been made by car since then, and we (still) own a small car today. However, trains
became our favorite transport mode a long time ago, and as a family, we nowadays
associate highways with congestion and stress, places to avoid.
Yet, this is only half the story of my relationship with the car. In my childhood days
in the 1970s, suburban structures were different. In most small communities, there
existed a local post office, a bank, an ice cream parlor, a restaurant, and a local mini-
market, catering to a few thousand people (these are long gone). Because everything
you needed was close by, people walked or cycled. I have been told that I rode my little
bicycle to the day care center for the first time when I was 3 years old. When I turned
7, school required a longer trip, which I later made by bike as well. Today, this would
probably pass as a serious case of parental neglect, as I had to ride along a major road
with a 100 km/h speed limit and no safety strip, and I remember cars flying by in a
blur while pedaling up the hill. At the age of 16, it took all my savings to buy a British
racing bike, which brought independence and speed. I loved that silver, smooth bike,
and even today, riding a bike continues to represent my idea of freedom.
Our daughter was born into this constellation in 2005. She surprised us when her
first word was bil (Swedish for “car”), bearing evidence of the great fascination cars
have for children. At the age of two and a half, she told her astonished parents from