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[Jungian Cognitive Functions] Strong feeling of nostalgia

wordsword

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I've been thinking about a really strong feeling of nostalgia that I get sometimes. It's usually accompanied by a strong sense of longing. Thing is, it's not always related to something I've actually experienced.

E.g. I've gotten it when I've thought about large houses from the 18th century with doors leading from one room to another. Large houses I've imagined, not experienced in real life. But the feeling arises when I think of walking through those doors, usually it's dark outside.

Another one that I've had recently, stemmed from thinking about mid-century furniture made of teak wood (yeah, I'm weird). I didn't connect it to the 50's or the 60's, it was just connected to the furniture it self and not a period in time. It's hard to explain.

I hope that I make just the tiniest bit of sense here :hi:

Can this be related to Si? And would it be lower order Si? Or is it just a quirk in my brain? Or perhaps something that everyone experiences?
 

Yama

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Si is a lot more than just nostalgia. If it can be related to anything, I'd call nostalgia tert Si. Though I definitely wouldn't call it strictly function related to experience nostalgia.
 

wordsword

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I know Si is more than nostalgia. I'm trying to describe a fleeting but strong sense of nostalgia and longing that is not based on actual real life experiences. I also get nostalgic when thinking about some memories from my childhood, like most people do. I'm not ruling out that the feeling I get isn't related to cognitive functions as such. Anyway, it was just a thought I had, that maybe this weird thing was related to lower order Si :)
 

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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I don't know if it cannot necessarily be accurately described by functions. It depends on the reason for the feeling I guess. I could see this as maybe Si combined with an intuitive or feeling function.

Only marginally related, but K'm an Si type who is very anti-nostalgia (though I was not always so).
 

Forever

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Well it's gotta be related to Si. INxJ types are the type to least experience nostalgia.
 

ceecee

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Says who?

Say me (as an INTJ). I compare current to past experiences but the addition of feeling like I'm reliving the moment part, no. I don't wistfully long for the past either.
 

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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Say me (as an INTJ). I compare current to past experiences but the addition of feeling like I'm reliving the moment part, no. I don't wistfully long for the past either.

No offense, but a sample size of one or two doesn't mean much.
 

geedoenfj

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I don't remember the last time I didn't have nostalgia
 

ceecee

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No offense, but a sample size of one or two doesn't mean much.

I'm not offended, I'm just stating a fact. Si comes in dead last of all the functions for an INTJ, of course it's going to be nearly non-existent and when it shows up, they'll try to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
 

chado

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yes i get super strong nostalgia when listening to old music,,like songs from the 40s.50s.60s,it so intense its like a spiirtual experince,....
 

Norrsken

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I get really sad when I am nostalgic. It seems to never bring me joy for some reason. Where it makes it happy for some people, it just makes me very depressed.
Don't think I understand getting nostalgic when listening to old music or looking at old buildings, but I do think past time periods can be beautiful in their own way.

EDIT: I looked up online that apparently, for those who have Si in their first four functional stack, they may experience nostalgia but in a way that feels very nice to them, like they can just warp themselves back in time to places and events that brings them the warm, fuzzy feelings. I came upon one INFJ's account of how their Si came out in full force and it went like this:

There was one particular instance when I went into full-on Si mode. I was having a breakdown -- the "curled up on the ground in a ball while crying until you can't cry anymore" variety. When that happened, I started reliving one of my worst memories in vivid detail, and I felt like I was trapped in it. I remember wanting to bash my head into a wall just to make it stop (inferior Se. You know you're in a bad spot when you want to use Se to get yourself out).

They also said, "If I'm looking back on a memory, I either feel neutral or not-so-great about it (it's usually the bad memories that come up. My theory is that if it's a shadow function, it's mostly going to churn out bad things for you)." and I completely agree with this. Nostalgia, for me, usually always feel like a dull knife cutting me from the inside and I hate it. It's usually almost always the bad memories that messed me up as a child or a teenager. I may remember the good times, but it just doesn't invoke a lot of good feelings.. at best, it'll feel lukewarm.
 

Yama

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*sneaks on forum even though I'm supposed to not be here today*

I'm an Si dom and my nostalgia is sad nostalgia more than it is happy. Nostalgia really isn't as linked to Si as people like to think it is. It really, really can't be watered down to being a "memory function." It's incredibly similar to Ni and it's very misunderstood. *sighs*
 

Norrsken

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*sneaks on forum even though I'm supposed to not be here today*

I'm an Si dom and my nostalgia is sad nostalgia more than it is happy. Nostalgia really isn't as linked to Si as people like to think it is. It really, really can't be watered down to being a "memory function." It's incredibly similar to Ni and it's very misunderstood. *sighs*

I wonder if at this point the whole nostalgia thing isn't even a Si thing at all and is just something that anybody can go through from time to time.
Am sorry if I somehow said the wrong thing, just relaying what I learned from other sources. :sorry:
 

Yama

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I wonder if at this point the whole nostalgia thing isn't even a Si thing at all and is just something that anybody can go through from time to time.
Am sorry if I somehow said the wrong thing, just relaying what I learned from other sources. :sorry:

Oh no no you did nothing wrong! it was aimed at the thread as a whole. :p

What I mean is that I see a lot of people, usually people who are newer to typology, watering Si down. It's usually not seen for being as complex as it really is. IMO, Si is more similar to Ni than it is to Se. (Same with Ni>Si>Ne).

It seems to me as though anyone who ever experiences nostalgia thinks it's somehow related to Si. Things like "I'm not nostalgic enough to be an Si dom." As if Si is somehow only about constantly living in one's memories and reliving the past. On the contrary, I'm quite focused on the present moment, I can't remember what I did 3 days ago. It is true that I'm extremely sentimental (more so even than most other Si types) but there's a lot more complexity to Si than it's given credit for. Michael Pierce explains it best.
 

Flâneuse

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I've been thinking about a really strong feeling of nostalgia that I get sometimes. It's usually accompanied by a strong sense of longing. Thing is, it's not always related to something I've actually experienced.

E.g. I've gotten it when I've thought about large houses from the 18th century with doors leading from one room to another. Large houses I've imagined, not experienced in real life. But the feeling arises when I think of walking through those doors, usually it's dark outside.

Another one that I've had recently, stemmed from thinking about mid-century furniture made of teak wood (yeah, I'm weird). I didn't connect it to the 50's or the 60's, it was just connected to the furniture it self and not a period in time. It's hard to explain.

I used to experience something like this a lot (getting a feeling of longing similar to nostalgia, but it's directed towards imaginary experiences, sometimes even dreams I remember, rather than real ones), although it happens less often these days.
For example, I have this idyllic pseudo-memory of myself as a small child, arriving in front of a large, grey brick house beside a vast green pasture, imagining myself running through it and just feeling this childlike sense of wonder and complete freedom, though now tinged with sadness and longing because I’m now looking at it from an outsider’s perspective. I can always bring up the visual if I want to, but only certain things (often pieces of music that have a lush and soaring sound) cause me to really revisit that “experience” emotionally. I get nostalgic about real experiences too, but it’s not uncommon that revisiting imaginary experiences is more powerful.

Sorry I can't answer your question about whether it's related to Si and how so, but for the record I think I'm Si-tertiary.
 

Lady_X

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i'm super nostalgic all the time kinda...i like to just wrap up in and sit with it for hours...it's comforting for some reason. it's not sad...it's like connecting with your lost pieces. it's nice.
 

highlander

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I've been thinking about a really strong feeling of nostalgia that I get sometimes. It's usually accompanied by a strong sense of longing. Thing is, it's not always related to something I've actually experienced.

E.g. I've gotten it when I've thought about large houses from the 18th century with doors leading from one room to another. Large houses I've imagined, not experienced in real life. But the feeling arises when I think of walking through those doors, usually it's dark outside.

Another one that I've had recently, stemmed from thinking about mid-century furniture made of teak wood (yeah, I'm weird). I didn't connect it to the 50's or the 60's, it was just connected to the furniture it self and not a period in time. It's hard to explain.

I hope that I make just the tiniest bit of sense here :hi:

Can this be related to Si? And would it be lower order Si? Or is it just a quirk in my brain? Or perhaps something that everyone experiences?

I experience nostalgia somewhat often in a bittersweet kind of way. I don't think it has anything to do with Si since that would be #8 in my function stack. Emotional memories do not equal Si.
 
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