Collective nostalgia as a balm for the distressed social identity. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wohl, Michael J.A.; Stefaniak, Anna; Smeekes, Anouk
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in psychology. Volume 49(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: Collective nostalgia -- Collective nostalgia content -- Collective action -- Group-based emotions; Psychology -- Periodicals; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101542
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-250X

Abstract

Abstract: Group history provides the experiential building blocks that shape social identity. When contemporary events are perceived as having created (or creating) a discontinuity with that history, collective nostalgia is likely to be elicited. Importantly, collective nostalgia is functional—it consolidates social identity, motivating group members to support a return to the group's "true" state of existence. However, no group is a monolith. Factions within a group may have differing opinions on what aspects of the past best represent core features of the ingroup. Variations in the content of the collective nostalgia can cleavage members' responses. Herein, we review research demonstrating the powerful role collective nostalgia and its contents play in intra- and intergroup relations, especially in the socio-political domain.