The Concept of Anxiety - Classic Text | Alexandria
The Concept of Anxiety (Danish: Begrebet Angest), published in 1844 under the pseudonym Vigilius Haufniensis by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, stands as a groundbreaking philosophical and psychological exploration of human anxiety, freedom, and the nature of sin. This seminal work, appearing at a crucial juncture in European intellectual history, represents one of the first sustained analyses of anxiety as a fundamental aspect of human existence, predating modern psychological treatments of the subject by nearly a century.
Written during Copenhagen's Golden Age, amid intense theological debates and growing secular rationalism, The Concept of Anxiety emerged from Kierkegaard's complex engagement with German idealism, Christian theology, and his personal struggles with melancholy. The text's publication coincided with a period of significant social upheaval in Denmark, as the absolute monarchy faced mounting pressure from liberal reformers, providing a fitting backdrop for Kierkegaard's meditation on human freedom and its accompanying anxieties.
The work's revolutionary insight lies in its treatment of anxiety not merely as a psychological state but as an ontological condition intrinsically linked to human freedom and possibility. Kierkegaard's analysis introduces the concept of "anxiety of possibility" (Angest), describing it as the dizzying awareness of one's freedom to choose, famously comparing it to standing at the edge of a precipice. The text weaves together theological, psychological, and philosophical threads, examining how anxiety relates to original sin, temporality, and human development, while introducing influential concepts like "sympathetic antipathy" and "antipathetic sympathy" to describe anxiety's paradoxical nature.
The Concept of Anxiety's legacy extends far beyond its immediate theological context, profoundly influencing existential philosophy, modern psychology, and contemporary discussions of mental health. Its insights have been particularly crucial to existential psychotherapy and continue to resonate with current debates about anxiety disorders, free will, and human responsibility. The work's enduring relevance raises intriguing questions about the relationship between freedom and anxiety in our increasingly complex world: How do Kierkegaard's insights illuminate our understanding of contemporary anxiety, and what might his analysis reveal about the human condition in an age of unprecedented choice and uncertainty?