Bringing the past to the present: Temporal self-comparison processes moderate nostalgia’s effect on well-being
Issue Date
2015-05-31Author
Baldwin, Matthew
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
116 pages
Type
Dissertation
Degree Level
Ph.D.
Discipline
Psychology
Rights
Copyright held by the author.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This research tested the theory that the effect of nostalgia on well-being depends on temporal comparison processes. Five studies (N = 501) apply established models of self and social judgment and demonstrate that nostalgia is a resource for well-being when contextual variables prompt inclusion of the past self in current self-conceptions. Study 1 (n = 76) showed initial evidence that inclusion of the nostalgic (vs. ordinary) past self in the current self-concept leads to higher self-concept clarity. Study 2 (n = 78) aimed to replicate this pattern for well-being. Supporting hypotheses, recalling a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) memory led to higher psychological well-being when the past self was included in the current self-concept. Study 3 (n = 122) conceptualized inclusion as the tendency to focus on similarities (vs. differences) between the current and past selves, and experimentally demonstrated that nostalgia results in higher psychological well-being when a focus on similarities (vs. differences) is induced. Finally, Studies 4 (n = 145) and 5 (n = 80) examined broader contextual variables that were hypothesized to influence both inclusion and similarity focus mechanisms. In Study 4, recalling a nostalgic memory promoted well-being when a reflective (vs. evaluative) mindset was experimentally primed. In Study 5, individual differences in trait self-reflection moderated nostalgia’s contribution to well-being such that nostalgia (vs. control) resulted in higher well-being but particularly when trait self-reflection was high. Taken together, the current research establishes a cognitive mechanism that determines when and how nostalgia contributes to well-being and provides a richer understanding of nostalgia, temporal comparison processes, and mechanisms that maintain and enhance the self.
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