Nostalgia - what is it?This word we hear every day, but do we understand its essence and the true meaning?Let's deal!
word nostalgia has Latin roots and consists of two roots: "nostos", which means a return to his homeland, and "algos", which translates as sadness or pain.Thus, the question: "Nostalgia - what is it?"- The answer is simple: it is the longing for home, home.In some dictionaries, you can see the meaning of this word as "a clinical condition."Why is that?
The fact that the concept of "nostalgia" (what it is and applied to anyone to use it) is significantly changed during the development of psychiatry and psychology formation.For the first time it is used the concept of physician George. Hofer.In his writings, he spoke of the Swiss soldiers serving as mercenaries in other countries, and students who study away from home.Bolevshih soldiers and students recovered shortly after returning to his native land.The doctor identifies three stages of the disease:
- man tired, silent and lonely looking with sorrow constantly thinking about the homeland, without sharing their experiences with others.
- Thoughts of homeland becomes obsessive, disturbed sleep and digestion, increased blood pressure.
- comes insanity, "idee fixe", death from starvation if there is no hope of returning home.In such a state of Napoleon's soldiers it was like an epidemic.
In the 18th century, thanks to the philosopher Jean-JacquesRousseau's notion of nostalgia (what it is and to whom the term used) again changed.It began to be used in relation to urban residents, miss communion with nature in rural life.
What is the modern interpretation of the word "nostalgia"?To find out, let's look at the Great Dictionary of the Russian language.There we see two values:
- Homesickness, otchemu home.
- Yearning for the past and lost, for experienced events of life.
In modern usage the word "nostalgia" has a very advanced second meaning: it is often not only a longing for the past, but also for whole epochs, even very old or even non-existent;longing for the places where people have never been, and so on.This feature came under the influence of fiction and historical literature, movies.
In the dictionary of epithets of the Russian language the word "melancholy" is synonymous with "nostalgia", gives more than 150 epithets as positive staining, or negative.So, nostalgia can be a "miserable, bitter and hopeless" and "charming, proud and sweet."
Nostalgia - a special state of the human soul, reflection and rethinking his life, destiny, things and events.This is a form of self-knowledge, his personality.From a philosophical point of view, the question: "Nostalgia - what is it?"- The answer will be: "It's a reflection."This term refers to activities aimed at the self.The word has a Latin root reflection "reflexio", which translates as "rear-facing" what makes these two words not only tune in importance, but also related etymologically.
Nostalgia comes in many areas of our lives: in the memories, in the gathering of collections and antiques, retro-style clothing and the interior view photo albums and old movies.Soviet nostalgia expressed in the opening of restaurants, cafes and hotels with interiors and a kitchen at the time.
