Nostalgia and moral identity: a facilitator model

Introduction: New trend in virtue ethics focuses on personal trait and motivation to highlight the important role of perceptive and motivational aspect of emotions. Aim: The goal of present research was showed the line to facilitate moral virtues into personal identity by focusing on potentials of nostalgia. The question of the present study is that nostalgia as a non-moral emotion has which relation to the importance of moral virtues. Method: Method of research was correlational study and PhD and graduate students of Shiraz University were the statistical society of this research. 71 students participated in this research. Participants responded to event reflection manipulation (Wildschut et al., 2006), Moral identity scale (Aquino & Reed, 2002) and Nostalgia inventory (Batcho,1995). To analyze of data using SPSS 19, Amos and calculator of composite reliability depend on Raykov s formula (1997). Results: The result showed that nostalgia was significant positive predictor for internalizing and symbolizing. Conclusion: The results showed that nostalgia is a positive predictor for internalizing moral values in the individual's self-concept, and also predicting the representation and social pretense as a person who carries some values. Probability, Nostalgia is associated with a kind of emotional regulation and other importance in the person's life, which facilitates the strong moral identity by integration of self and openness to other.