Existential anxiety: what is it?

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Existential anxiety is a special case of anxiety in general that does not respond to any form of specific treatment and is based on the philosophy of existentialism, which focuses on the identity and meaning of the self. In this regard, someone suffering from existential anxiety is said to be trapped in an endless loop of speculating about the meaning of their life, contemplating their inevitable death, and the nature of their place in the world around them. Ultimately, existentialists are concerned with the fragile nature of human existence and the limitations of what can be experienced or accomplished in an unpredictable life span.

The clear difference between normal anxiety and existential anxiety lies in the fact that the former lends itself to clear treatment and the latter does not. An elementary fear can be treated by determining what dangers it is based on, realizing that those dangers are temporary, and finding appropriate methods to cope with or distance oneself from those risks. Instead, the existential attitude is based on what is termed a “floating terror” that has no identifiable cause, is all-pervasive, and can actually be a permanent condition for the individual. Because of its expansive nature, existential anxiety tends to exaggerate ordinary circumstances or fears to an extreme and generate phantom fears of monsters and other dangers created in the mind. Psychologists, however, believe that nearly all existential anxiety is rooted in two basic human conditions: fear of death and fear of unknown events in the future in general.

Philosophers also attribute existential anxiety to the self-concept as fluid. The self can be seen as having an identity based entirely on its physical circumstances and relationships with others, and as these conditions are always in flux, the individual’s identity lacks a solid foundation of meaning. This can also be seen in a positive light, where it frees people to redefine their place in the world and choose a new identity. The basic weakness and strength of human beings that cause existential anxiety, therefore, is the nature of human freedom and individual existence, which allows for sudden changes in one’s purpose and reason for living.

It has been said that humans are unique on Earth in that they are the only creatures that contemplate their own existence or place in the world. The practice reflects an insecurity and conflict deeply rooted in the human mind, where there is a longing for permanence and meaning in life while immersed in a reality of change and loss. The philosophical thought of existential anxiety is believed to have given rise to all of the world’s religions as well as scientific research or the desire to intimately understand the nature of physical reality. Existentialism is also about the dichotomy that exists between people who want to express their innate uniqueness and, at the same time, be welcomed and accepted by the group. One of the deepest expressions of this is in individuals’ longing for the long-term experience of romantic love.

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