Introduction
In this assignment, we must write three definitions for the term we choose: parenthetical definition, sentence definition, and expanded definition. The purpose of this assignment is to enable students to distinguish between different types of definitions and to know how to use these definitions correctly in different situations and for different audiences.
I would use the word Nostalgia. The target audience is either people who have experienced nostalgia but know little about its origins and evolution, or people who are interested in psychology. The aim is to give the audience a rough idea of what nostalgia means and to expose them to theories used in the field.
Parenthetical Definition:
I was overcome with acute nostalgia (longing for a period in the past) for my days at university.
Sentence Definition:
Nostalgia is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period or places with happy personal associations.
Expanded Definitions:
Etymology
The term nostalgia was coined in the 17th century by the Swiss physician Johaness Hofer. It is a compound word, consisting of nostos (return to the native land) and algos (suffering or grief).
History
Over the past 300 years, the concept of nostalgia has evolved from being a medical disease to being understood as a psychological construct. Through the construction of historical retrospection, the role of a medical context is first concerned, and then psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and psychological methods.
Comparison
Contemporary understandings distinguish between nostalgia and homesickness. First of all, nostalgia is more associated with warmth, old times, childhood, and yearning than homesickness. In addition, nostalgia transcends social groups and age, whiles studies of homesickness focused on the psychological problems that young people might have after leaving their home environment. Finally, nostalgia can refer to all kinds of objects, but homesickness refers to the place where one was born. In general, nostalgia is defined as “warm feelings about the past, a past that is imbued with happy memories, pleasures, and joys” and identified it as “a universal effect that results in a heightened mental state, an enhancing, uplifting mood related to particular memories of the past.”
Visuals
Nostalgia is a way in which a person develops and maintains identity, and reminiscence is the primary means by which a person maintains a relationship with the old part of himself, and by which a person measures personal change over time. So your identity today is developed and maintained by having autobiographical memories of the past. The memories also serve as bridges to connect the present you with the past you.
References:
Nostalgia. (2020). In Oxford Online Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.lexico.com/definition/nostalgia
Batcho, K. I. (2013). Nostalgia: The bittersweet history of a psychological concept Educational Pub. Foundation. doi:10.1037/a0032427
Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2008). Nostalgia: Past, Present, and Future. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(5), 304-307. Retrieved October 1, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20183308
Image Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coGfGmOeLjE
My Unit One Reflection: