Intratemporality

Intratemporality refers to the experience of time within a specific, bounded duration. It contrasts with concepts that consider time as an unending, linear progression. When we are deeply engaged in an activity, such as reading a captivating book or playing a sport, the subjective sense of time can become compressed or expanded, yet it remains contained within the duration of that activity. This is intratemporal experience. The focus is not on the past leading up to the event or the future after it, but rather on the unfolding of the present moment within that defined interval. For example, a concert has a clear beginning and end, and the emotional and perceptual experiences within that timeframe are considered intratemporal. It is the quality of time as it is lived and felt within a particular event or period, rather than time as an abstract, external framework. This subjective experience of time's flow, distortion, and richness during a confined period is the essence of intratemporality. It emphasizes the contained and qualitative aspect of temporal perception over its quantitative or infinite nature.