Allison Scott T, Green Jeffrey D
Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States.
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
Front Psychol. 2020 Dec 23;11:577862. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577862. eCollection 2020.
This article seeks to develop theoretical convergences between the science of nostalgia and the science of heroism. We take four approaches in forging a conceptual relationship between these two phenomena. First, we examine the definitions of nostalgia and heroism from scholars, laypeople, and across cultures, noting how the history of defining the two phenomena has shaped current conceptualizations. Second, we demonstrate how nostalgic experiences consist of reminiscences about our own personal heroism and about cultural role models and heroes. A review of heroism research, moreover, shows also that our recall of our heroes and of heroism is tinged with nostalgia. Third, we make linkages between heroism and nostalgia research focusing on functions, inspiration, sociality, and motivation. Nostalgia researchers have illuminated the functions of nostalgia implicating the self, existential concerns, goal pursuit, and sociality. Our review shows that heroism researchers invoke similar categories of hero functionality. Finally, we propose three areas of future research that can profit from the merging of nostalgia and heroism science, involving the mechanisms by which (a) heroism can fuel nostalgia, (b) nostalgia can promote heroic action, and (c) wisdom results from nostalgic reverie.
本文旨在探讨怀旧学与英雄主义学之间的理论趋同之处。我们采用四种方法来构建这两种现象之间的概念关系。首先，我们考察学者、普通大众以及不同文化背景下对怀旧和英雄主义的定义，留意定义这两种现象的历史如何塑造了当前的概念。其次，我们展示怀旧体验如何包括对我们自身个人英雄主义以及文化榜样和英雄的回忆。此外，对英雄主义研究的回顾还表明，我们对英雄和英雄主义的回忆也带有怀旧色彩。第三，我们在英雄主义与怀旧研究之间建立联系，重点关注功能、激励、社会性和动机。怀旧研究人员已经阐明了怀旧在涉及自我、存在性担忧、目标追求和社会性方面的功能。我们的回顾表明，英雄主义研究人员也提及类似的英雄功能类别。最后，我们提出了三个未来研究领域，这些领域可以从怀旧学与英雄主义学的融合中受益，涉及以下机制：（a）英雄主义如何激发怀旧情绪，（b）怀旧如何促进英雄行为，以及（c）怀旧遐想如何产生智慧。
