Adaptation and Nostalgia

Nostalgia and Approach / Avoidance

In light of its role in maintaining psychological equanimity, we proposed that nostalgia—a self-relevant, social, and predominantly positive emotion—regulates avoidance and approach motivation. We advanced a model in which (a) avoidance motivation triggers nostalgia and (b) nostalgia, in turn, increases approach motivation. As a result, nostalgia counteracts the negative impact of avoidance mot...

Freudian Nostalgia

Parent symbolism make it easy to guess at their hidden leaning. What else could be the meaning of the fear of burglars, snakes, wild animals, and thunderstorms , if not the feminine fear of overwhelming forces that can vanquish, penetrate and destroy?' What else indeed??if, that is, you think along Freudian lines. If, however, you don't, it is readily apparent that burglars, snakes, wild animal...

Ecomusicology between Apocalypse and Nostalgia

Defining Nostalgia and Its Functions

Nostalgia is a psychological phenomenon we all can relate to but have a hard time to define. What characterizes the mental state of feeling nostalgia? What psychological function does it serve? Different published materials in a wide range of fields, from consumption research and sport science to clinical psychology, psychoanalysis and sociology, all have slightly different definition of this m...

Nostalgia: Past, Present, and Future

Traditionally, nostalgia has been conceptualized as a medical disease and a psychiatric disorder. Instead, we argue that nostalgia is a predominantly positive, self-relevant, and social emotion serving key psychological functions. Nostalgic narratives reflect more positive than negative affect, feature the self as the protagonist, and are embedded in a social context. Nostalgia is triggered by ...