An existential crisis is an anxious state or a feeling of comprehensive psychological discomfort as a result of thinking about the essence of existence. This concept is common in countries where basic needs are satisfied. A person’s existential crisis can arise in adolescence or maturity (at the time of assessing the years lived), during the maturation of the individual. Such an experience can be quite painful, since there is no opportunity to find the necessary answers. There are several ways to cope with an existential crisis. Some individuals decide to stop asking these questions, since many different problems require participation and solutions. Others find a way out in the realization that only the present has meaning, so it is necessary to live it fully, so that later you do not regret the missed moments.
What is an existential crisis
The word existence comes from the Latin existential, which means existence. Today it is one of the largest philosophical movements.
Crisis comes from the Latin crisis, meaning a serious condition caused by some reason or a sharp change in living conditions.
The state of existential crisis is caused by a feeling of deep psychological discomfort when thinking about the meaning of life and existence. Without proper control and elaboration, it can lead to existential horror - a state when a person thinks about leaving life.
That is, a state of existential crisis means experiences when a person cannot decide on the meaning of life and his place in this world.
Existential loneliness
Existential loneliness is a state in which a person has a need to express his feelings, share his experiences, but he cannot do this. The reason is the inability to express what is on the soul.
Existential loneliness is not always associated with everyday loneliness. A person may have friends, parents, a partner, or chat partners. A person is haunted by the fear that he will be misunderstood and unheard.
Existential fear
Experiences and anxiety can transform into existential fears. These fears are not related to life circumstances, but to the very essence of a person.
What are these fears?
- fear of space;
- fear of the passage of time;
- fear of the unknown of life;
- feeling afraid of oneself.
What do you think about existential fears? Have you ever experienced something similar? Share your experience in the comments.
Existential guilt
Existential guilt arises in a person before himself for the fact that, in his own opinion or in someone else’s opinion, he lived his life incorrectly. For example, I didn’t manage to do something, didn’t get a higher education, didn’t start a family, didn’t achieve significant success in my career.
Along with this, a person comes to alienation from himself, from his true desires and needs.
Psychologists have traced an interesting pattern according to which the older a person is, the more serious and intense existential guilt he experiences.
A person prefers to live with a feeling of pain, inferiority and dissatisfaction, since changing something in his life is even more scary for him than simply enduring it. Sometimes patients of psychologists and psychotherapists use the excuse “It’s too late for me” or “I’m not at that age.”
Transcendence
Transcendence (from the Latin transcendere - “to step over”) is a term in philosophy that means moving from one area to another, usually from the real and earthly to the otherworldly.
Existentialists have many definitions of the word "transcendence". According to some, transcendence is true being. It is necessary in an uncomfortable and unfriendly world, constrained by social conventions, to find a way to exist truly. Religious existentialists believe that such authentic existence can only be achieved through transcendence, that is, contact with God.
According to other philosophers, transcendence is the exit of human consciousness beyond its boundaries; a situation in which consciousness moves from the present to the future.
See also the meaning of Philosophy.
Types of crises and their causes
Existential crises vary in type and intensity.
| Type. | Description and reasons. | Example. |
| Existential crisis of freedom and responsibility. | A person is under pressure from circumstances, the need to make a choice. They have an internal struggle, quarrels with themselves. | The student has been studying at the university for several years. Due to his high workload, he cannot get a job and is experiencing financial difficulties. At the same time, his classmate, who graduated from college, has already got a job and is earning money. On the one hand, a person realizes the need for a good education, on the other, he wants simple everyday comfort. |
| Existential crisis of death and mortality. | It often happens when people realize that life has its end, that sooner or later death will come. | A pensioner has a hard time experiencing his own aging; he is constantly overcome by thoughts of death. |
| Existential crisis of lack of purpose. | When a person has no goals in life, he becomes overwhelmed with anxiety. This is due to the fact that the brain does not tolerate complete idleness. It is perceived as punishment. | The parents provided their son with everything he needed and even more. He does not need to work, earn money for an apartment and other benefits. Over time, his condition turns into a negative, alarming one. |
History of existentialism
The founder of existentialism is considered to be the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Even in the first half of the 19th century, the philosopher expressed ideas close to existentialism.
In addition to the works of Kierkegaard, existentialists also drew inspiration from the works of such philosophical scientists as Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Edmund Husserl, Oswald Spengler, Henri Bergson, Georg Simmel and others.
It is no coincidence that the concept of existentialism was introduced by the German philosopher Heinemann in 1929. The atmosphere in the German Empire after the First World War provided good soil for the flourishing of negative emotions: worthlessness of life, abandonment, fear, loneliness.
Who is experiencing an existential crisis
It is fair to note that an existential crisis is directly related to a personal crisis; they often complement each other.
Psychologists have proven that all people experience existential problems. This is a necessary life milestone that must be crossed in order to move further in one’s development and formation.
The first existential crisis or its preconditions can strike a person as early as adolescence, when a person begins to form more serious ideas about life, the structure of the world, and social relations.
Usually an existential crisis comes when a person has fulfilled all his basic needs and achieved some success.
Existential crises most often strike people who are truly rich and successful. People around him do not understand this, because a person has everything to live and enjoy (position in society, material wealth, the ability not to worry about tomorrow).
Often teenagers, pensioners, people who stand on the line between adolescence and full-fledged adulthood, awareness of the individual and his place in the world are susceptible to an existential crisis.
Existential threat can also be felt by people who are experiencing a serious illness and do not know whether they will survive.
It would be fair to note that all people are subject to an existential crisis; an individual faces it inevitably.
Symptoms with examples
The symptoms and manifestations of an existential crisis vary from fairly harmless to serious problems.
| A symptom of an existential crisis. | Characteristics of the symptom. | Example. |
| A person is very worried about the meaning of his life. | A person is interested in how others will talk about him after death, what trace he will leave behind, what he has done useful for humanity. | An elderly person thinks about his past years, always comes to disappointing conclusions, worries about this, experiences sadness, despair and anxiety. |
| Failure to accept one's own environment. | The individual feels that he could have achieved more if he had been born in a different family, raised in a different society, etc. | A person spends a long time indulging in thoughts and reasoning about how people are ruining the planet, and in general, if he had been born into a wealthier family, he would have been able to get a higher education and get the profession of his dreams. |
| Lack of belief in the possibility and feasibility of change. | The condition is characterized by the fact that a person no longer believes that anything can improve in his life. | A man wanted to become an artist all his life, but he went to study to become a machinist. Relatives and colleagues suggest that he start drawing, but the driver rejects their proposals, saying that he won’t succeed anyway, and that he shouldn’t even try. |
| A feeling of total loneliness, lack of acceptance in society. | Feeling like a “black sheep” in a company or team, worries about this. | A 30-year-old man is going through a midlife crisis, looks at his peers and believes that their goals in life are much more global and necessary than his goals. Although, no one in society even thinks of condemning him. |
| Termination of relationships with friends and relatives. | A person does not experience satisfaction from communicating with friends, relatives, and colleagues. He begins to doubt the appropriateness of such a relationship and gradually moves away. | It seems to the girl that her parents have ceased to understand her and to support her plans and endeavors, so she declares that she completely stops communicating with them, although she feels despondent about this. |
| Lack of motivation, internal energy, productivity. | It is difficult for someone experiencing an existential crisis to do even the things that are familiar to them. | A man in an existential crisis gives up playing sports because he believes that he has no strength left for it. |
| Worries about the correctness of your goals, values and life attitudes. | A feeling of uncertainty arises, so a person is afraid of the future. | In 3 months the student will have to defend his diploma and enter adulthood. He is afraid, doubts whether he has chosen the right profession, whether he will be able to find a job and provide for his needs. |
| Thoughts about suicide. | We are not talking about a person’s real desire to commit suicide; it is simply that death seems to him the most acceptable option for resolving existing problems. | A person is in an existential vacuum, admitting that if he does not meet a girl to start a family, then he can always simply commit suicide. |
[edit] See also
- Emo
- OBVM
- Middle age crisis
| [ + ] “Existential crisis is the opium of the people!” | |||||||||||||||||
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How to overcome an existential crisis and find the meaning of life
You can get out of an existential crisis with the help of a number of exercises that help you look at the situation from a completely different angle:
Think about your thoughts again
The simpler and more positive a person thinks, the easier his life is, the easier it is to carry out his daily duties.
For example, you shouldn’t think, “My girlfriend left me, I’m a terrible person who is impossible to love.” Instead of this one, “I haven’t met “my” person yet, I still have such a wonderful experience ahead of me.”
The “Yes, but” technique from the collection of resource practices for every day from our website Psychology Lightly will help you change your thoughts from negative to positive.
Keep a notebook, diary or any other notes
A letter is an excellent and safe way to throw out accumulated negativity and worries. It also helps bring clarity to life. It’s worth making a list of what you like and what annoys you.
You can also write a similar list of people, places, events. This will help a person understand that he himself focuses on the negative, and that he can focus on the good.
Learn to ask yourself the right questions
Questions like “What is the meaning of life?” or “What will change if I die?” are incorrect, there is no positive answer to them.
It is more productive to ask yourself the question “What can I do to leave a memory of myself?” or “How can I improve the quality of my own life?” Such questions open up new horizons for a person, contribute to the development of creative activity and self-knowledge.
Accept the fact that a person cannot do everything
It is impossible to know the answers to all questions or to have scientific confirmation of everything. Human knowledge is limited, so it's worth taking the pressure off yourself. Accepting this fact reduces the crisis.
And a person has the right to make mistakes. This will also relieve tension.
Ask for support
A person is never alone in his problem; there are those who have already experienced a similar experience. It is worth discussing troubling issues with your loved ones or friends, listening to their solution strategies or just words of support.
Seek help from a psychologist
If it seems that all possibilities and resources have already been exhausted, then it is worth visiting a professional psychologist or psychotherapist. A specialist will be able to correctly reformulate a person’s questions and help him understand himself. He will also offer strategies that are aimed at improving the quality of life.
It is important not to close yourself off or hide, not to try to pretend that everything is fine and going according to plan. These crises happen to almost everyone and need to be lived through.
