ANXIETY AND EXISTENTIAL ANGST

How Everyday Anxiety Is Different To Existential Angst Or Is It The Same?

How Everyday Anxiety Is Different To Existential Angst Or Is It The Same

Millions of people are desperately lonely every day (Cutrona? 1982); still? loneliness remains perhaps one of the most disregarded and misunderstood of all psychological conditions. It is not considered a formal diagnosis nor are there any but the most meager clinical efforts devoted to its amelioration. In our culture? which is so competitive (Kohn? 1990) and? in many other ways? alienating (Booth? 1996; May? 1969; Slater? 1976; Weiss? 1982)? we may not be surprised that loneliness abounds; however? given that it does? why do we do so little to relieve those who suffer its multiple torments and psychologically disintegrating dynamics?

Arguably? loneliness is a "silent" condition? by which I mean two things: (1) many lonely people fail to recognize that what they are experiencing is actually loneliness? given that depression? feelings of helplessness? low self-regard? and loneliness overlap in significant ways? rendering discrimination difficult; (2) to admit one's own loneliness in a public way is socially embarrassing-one is simply "not supposed" to be lonely and? if one is? the feelings are not to be discussed. The lonely person is? in this sense? a social pariah. Just imagine going to a social event where someone asks you? "How are you?"? to which you respond? "I am very lonely. " Your honest response would likely stop conversation and the other person might even move away from you? not knowing how to react or what to say. In fact? Fromm-Reichmann (1959) noted this tendency in her very early work on loneliness. We do not seem': to possess the requisite cultural tools for dealing with people who tell us they are lonely and we seem to intuitively avoid them. An example of how people feel when admitting (or seeming to admit to) being lonely can be gleaned from the following scenario.

What Is Pathological Loneliness?:

A Brief Overview Of Correlates

While the past two decades have yielded a rich literature enlightening the nature of pathological loneliness? there is still no universally accepted definition of it. Weiss (1973) describes pathological loneliness rather than defines it? but his description is poignant: [Loneliness is a] "gnawing? chronic distress without redeeming features" (p. IS). He sees nothing positive in being lonely? and later data support his hypothesis. I would argue? given the data? that? whether loneliness is reactive and short-lived or long-term? cognitive? affective? and behavioral components all play vital roles in constituting it. It is dysfunctional because lonely people are not happy people and they do not enjoy life (Booth? Bartlett? & Bohnsack? 1992; Fordyce? 1986). They tend to reject? directly and indirectly? the very resource they most need to ameliorate their condition? namely? other human beings (Jones? 1982).

Pathological loneliness is correlated with a multitude of counter-productive interactive styles (Russell? 1982)? diminished problem-solving abilities (Rubenstein & Shaver? 1982)? and significant social skills deficits (Jones? Freemon? & Goswick? ...