Reminiscences are evocations or memories.
We would have to go to Latin, symbolically speaking, to be able to find the etymological origin of the word reminiscence that concerns us now. And it comes from “reminiscentia”, which can be translated as the ability to remember things from the past. This word is made up of four different parts:
• The prefix “re-“, which is equivalent to “backwards”.
• The noun “mens”, which can be translated as “mind”.
• The particle “-nt-“, which indicates “agent”.
• The suffix “-ia”, which is used to record a “quality”.
Concept of reminiscence
Reminiscence is a concept that can be associated with evocations , memories or memories . A reminiscence is the mental representation of a situation, event or other thing that took place in the past .
For example: “This aroma reminds me of my school days” , “I can't even remember those times” , “When I saw her enter the bar, a reminiscence crossed my mind and I felt young again” .
In general, reminiscence is understood as an imprecise image or a memory that the person does not clearly treasure. A reminiscence is almost a trace or trace of something that happened previously.
Reminiscence therapy is used in patients with Alzheimer's or dementia.
an influence
Another possibility is to understand reminiscence as an influence . This meaning of the concept is linked to art , a field in which reminiscences appear when a creator shows, in his work, characteristics that resemble another.
“In this painting, the work of the Dutch painter reflects reminiscences of Spanish cubism”, “It is an album reminiscent of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka” y “I don't think there are reminiscences of Borges in the novel, but rather something closer to Sábato” son frases que muestran este uso.
Reminiscence in medicine and philosophy
In the field of medicine, the word we are analyzing is also used. Thus, it is used to shape the concept of Reminiscence Therapy , which is carried out with people who are suffering from Alzheimer's. Thanks to this proposal, they are able to remember experiences from their past in an absolutely natural way and with little effort.
In the field of philosophy , reminiscence is a way of understanding the cognitive act . This theory was developed by Plato and associates knowledge with memory: for this Greek philosopher, the most universal knowledge is not accessible only through experience or empirical tests. The soul of the human being, when knowing, does not generate new information but rather “remembers” something that it already knew from the world of ideas, a stage prior to physical (material) life.
The concept in psychology and video games
We cannot ignore either that the term reminiscence is used within the field of psychology. In this case, it is used to refer to the improvement that a person's learning experiences thanks to having carried out a period of rest.
In the same way, it should be noted that within the field of video games there is a character called Reminiscence of Vanitas . He is, along with others, one of the most important bosses of the so-called Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. This is the sixth game in the well-known Kingdom Hearts saga and revolves around young people who wield a unique sword.