Find Examples of Psychology Ideas or Subjects in Media (Internet, TV, Movies, Books, Magazines, Newspapers and other materials

1. Find an example of what you have learned in Chapter 2 in any form of media.
2. In the discussion board, share that example and describe how it demonstrates the psychology that you learned (250 words at least).
3. Use supporting articles and materials as needed.  ALWAYS use references and citations when using such articles and materials.
4. Respond to two other discussion posts in a thoughtful way (100 words minimum)Permalink: 

Psychological growth

Nostalgic accounts entail , defined as “the potential to cultivate inner potentialities, seek out optimal challenges, and integrate new experiences into the self-concept” (Baldwin & Landau, 2014, p. 163; see also Sedikides & Hepper, 2009). We (Hepper et al., 2012, Studies 1 and 2) found that the central features of the nostalgia prototype included growth-denoting words (e.g., change, desire, future). However, such words may be symptomatic of linguistic conventions rather than changes in perceived growth or intentions to behave in pursuit of growth. In an experimental test, Iyer and Jetten (2011, Studies 2 and 3) showed that nostalgia promotes growth-related outcomes in the academic realm. First-year university students who focused on the continuity (rather than discontinuity) between their nostalgic recollections and their current self-concept were more enthusiastic about starting their university education, viewed fewer obstacles to their academic progress, and expressed more interested in opportunities during their university years.

Given these findings were restricted to the academic realm and to persons coping with life transition, their generality is in question. Baldwin and Landau (2014) provided a broader test of the proposition that nostalgia promotes psychological growth across two experiments using adult participants. Participants in the nostalgic (vs. ordinary) event condition reported greater growth-related  (i.e., self-expansion, curiosity, inclination toward new experiences; Kashdan et al., 2009) and stronger growth-related behavioral intentions (i.e., to engage in novel, self-expansive activities; Luke, Sedikides, & Carnelley, 2012). Further, the effects of nostalgia on growth-related self-perceptions and behavioral intentions were mediated by self-esteem. Relatedly, we (Stephan et al., 2012, Study 2) asked whether nostalgia bolsters the sense of self as true or real (“authentic”; Lenton, Bruder, Slabu, & Sedikides, 2013). We reasoned, based on theory and research (e.g., Kernis & Goldman, 2006), that authenticity involves acceptance and integration of one’s liabilities and strengths, and thus is indicative of psychological growth. Participants in the nostalgic-event (as opposed to the ordinary-event and positive-event) condition reported a stronger sense of authenticity: they stated that the event they described reflected “the person you truly are” (p. 294). Participants regarded the nostalgic event as capturing the essence of the self.

Baldwin, Biernat, and Landau (2014) pushed this agenda further. They found that nostalgia elevated the accessibility of the intrinsic self-concept, but not the accessibility of the mundane (e.g., everyday) self-concept (Study 3). Further, they proposed and found (Studies 1, 2, 4, 7) not only that nostalgia is associated with and induces a sense of authenticity (the “intrinsic self-concept”) and well-being, but that it is also associated with and induces distancing from extrinsic concerns (e.g., meeting external standards of evaluation). In all, nostalgia strengthens perceptions of psychological growth.