Description
Possible causes of an existential crisis:
- feelings of isolation and loneliness;
- awareness of one's own mortality, or awareness of the absence of an afterlife;
- realization that own life has no purpose or meaning, neither supernatural nor simply life for life's sake.
In non-existential belief systems, meaning human life very often determined before birth, usually by some supernatural being or group of beings. Distrust of such views usually becomes a prerequisite for an existential crisis. Basically, an existential crisis is the sudden realization that you don’t know why you need life and/or the realization that your own death is inevitably approaching.
A person faces a paradox when he believes that his life is important, and at the same time understands that human existence in itself has no purpose or meaning. At this point, cognitive dissonance occurs. Resolving this paradox eliminates the crisis. The typical resolution of a crisis occurs through the acquisition of faith in a supernatural explanation provided by religion; others are of the opinion that everyone determines the meaning of their own existence on this planet.
Existential crisis sometimes generated by a significant event or change in a person's life. Usually the event makes a person think about his own mortality, removing the psychological barrier that protected against these unpleasant thoughts. Typical examples of such events are the death of a loved one resulting real threat life, the use of psychedelics such as LSD, growing up and leaving one’s own children from home, reaching a certain age or long-term confinement in solitary confinement.
Overcoming the crisis
There are various ways to overcome an existential crisis. Someone may decide, for example, that there is no point in thinking about this, since we will never know certain existential truths and will not receive any guarantees. Or that it is not important to know what is happening and how; all that matters is the present. And someone may decide that the essence of life is to be happy, and will try to accumulate more knowledge to achieve this.
Peter Zapfe, Norwegian philosopher, at work The Last Messiah offers a four-step way to overcome an existential crisis: isolation, fixation, distraction and sublimation.
See also
Notes
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See what “Existential crisis” is in other dictionaries:
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If the 20th century intelligentsia had a sacred cow that they endlessly dragged out for everyone to see, it was existentialism. Poets, philosophers, writers, artists and even, to some extent, musicians have always wondered about the place of man in nature. The further progress moved, the less humanity trusted in the “will of God” and marked man as a strong independent person capable of determining his own path.
So, the point is
Since it is very boring for creative people to simply live and work, they begin to engage in soul-searching. The result of such reflection was an attempt to answer the questions of what is the meaning of life and what is the place of man. And so, through the efforts of the old Dane Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Jaspers, Camus and Sartre, the outlet of the post-war generation was born. It was at this time and right up to the left youth movements, which was supported by grandfather Sartre himself.
The only problem is that all these philosophers need real life were alien, such is the type of personality. Philosophers are generally incredibly strange people. However, the concept turned out to be a feast for the eyes: I think, and therefore I exist. Man, as the only creature endowed with a brain, is capable of determining his own destiny. If the fate of an elephant is to stand in a dirty puddle and water itself from its proboscis, and the fate of a fly is to eat the most delicious products of the stomach, then a person has the right to find his essence in the process of existence. In other words, tired of the system, discipline, routine - the person becomes homeless. He decided so himself. He is perfect, he is the pinnacle of evolution, this is his choice. Most clear example existential choice is Hamlet, reflecting on the theme “to be or not to be” even before the appearance of the concept itself.
The main nuance of the teaching is that, according to pundits, a person then realizes himself as an existent when faced with something dangerous, for example, death. The rest of the time, no matter how hard you try, you won’t understand anything. Do not confuse fear with fear - concepts are diametrically opposed. In the true way penetration into the world is intuition: not that show with Gena Bukin, namely sensory cognition peace.
The hardest thing about existentialism is to spell the word correctly the first time. In second place is the problem that this direction gives rise to. Yes, yes, the study of any philosophy leads to a dead end, because not a single teaching has yet been able to answer all the questions. And those who have at least once read Jaspers’ “The Spiritual Situation of Time” (the term we are considering first appeared in this book), and not just read it, but tried to understand it, have encountered such a problem as an existential crisis.
Existential crisis
This is where the dog is buried. As is known, the majority philosophical problems- these are the problems of snickering reflective slackers who imagine themselves creative people and not even trying to do anything with themselves. In the case of existentialism, a paradox arises, because they wait for divine enlightenment, forgetting that they themselves are the architects of their own happiness. And no amount of fear helps them. These people believe that it is enough to explain their apathy/suicidal tendencies/diarrhea - whatever - by existence, and everything will become clear. In fact, this is the snot of individuals oversaturated with the benefits. From builders Panama Canal There was no such clouding, for they survived every day, shamelessly wasting their health and trying to feed their family. But where the needs for existence are satisfied, a problem arises, since people begin to understand that their existence is devoid of any value. If you, in search of the meaning of life, decided to go and kill someone, this is idiocy, and you are simply a psychopath dangerous to society. But Camus will say that you have a crisis. The court won't care, but Sartre will understand if it makes you feel better.
No, no, of course, everyone faces a loss of meaning in life, but not everyone calls it an existential crisis. Although, whatever you call the pot, it has the same affiliation. So it is with the search for the meaning of life.
Based on the example of the population
Nowadays, office plankton faces a similar problem, life cycle turns into a monotonous “woke up, went to the toilet, ate, fooled around at work, came home, ate, checked my homework, had a fight with my wife, went to bed.” Systematization – main enemy existence. It most often leads to the collapse of the meaning of life. Monotony, everything is like animals. Although the mole from the Czech cartoon “Krtek a jeho přátelé” lived a more interesting, varied life and never knew what his friend Mouse would cook this time. And existence without meaning, oddly enough, is meaningless. It can come suddenly and hit you with a frying pan, like the woman from the “Village of Fools,” regardless of your religion, gender, age and financial wealth. Even if you are a millionaire Buddhist who spends hours in meditation and harmony with the world, you will still at one point realize that you have not achieved harmony, you are bored with meditation, and you don’t know what to do next, because you don’t know how to do anything. And all the pleasures that you can afford with your mullions will not give you satisfaction. This is exactly what Jagger sang about in his famous song; no matter how hard you try, and you: “Can’t get know satisfaction.”
By the way, most of us face this terrible phenomenon, as soon as he realizes one sad thing: his youth is over. Bald and pot-bellied, you begin to feel sad and think about missed opportunities to the loud funeral chords of the “midlife crisis.”
So what should we do?
It is clear that every person wants to be happy, and smart people We have long understood that we need to fight for our happiness. Some in the process of struggle give up and fall exhausted, and some, gritting their teeth, begin to work and suddenly realize that there is no meaning in life. You just have to work hard and not cry. After all, if you work with a pickaxe in a mine, then at the end of the working day bad thoughts there will be no strength left.
It is possible, following the example of old Cobain, Hemingway, Hunter Thompson and other personalities who led close friendship with firearms, go to the forefathers. You'll solve the problem, but it won't be much fun for your relatives to pick off your dried blood unless Mr. Wolfe comes and solves the problem.
Many people find solace in religion, just like Kierkegaard himself. Tired, tormented by illness and impotence, he found solace in religion. Any monastery will cordially open its gates and popularly explain that your life has meaning, and everything is God’s will. The Lord just sent you trials. Half of Russian artists, tired of overload, emotional breakdowns and alcoholism, have found their refuge in religion. Whether you will do this is, as they say, a matter of taste.
Some simply radically change their lifestyle and follow the lead own desires. When I was a child, I wanted to become a musician - buy a guitar and play. If you want to change your surroundings, drop everything, sell your apartment, go on a carefree trip to Goa. Go on a journey. Maybe heavy loads and contemplation natural beauty They will shake your sick head and reveal something new to you. In fact, the film “Zack and Miri Make a Porn” is exactly about how people search for their path in life and themselves. A good example.
It's never too late to change your life and get away from what you hate. Unless your loved ones suffer from this. Yes, yes, this is the minus of the burden of responsibility: sometimes you have to think not only about yourself.
But there is another way: start developing, read more, study another philosophy. There is a possibility that you will be lost forever to society, because not a single philosopher has ever been happy for a single day, but you will solve the problem. However, there is a simpler way: find yourself a hobby. I'm embarrassed to remember this movie, but I have to - Let's Dance with Richard Gere. Yes, yes, I know how disgusting it is, but the essence of the film is precisely that in dancing he found the meaning of his daily existence.
Or remember how you once played the guitar. Take out a dusty instrument, channel your misunderstanding into creativity, and maybe you’ll find yourself. Play sports, shake yourself up. Well, if you simply don’t have enough time for all this, then you can try to find the meaning of life in something irrational, come to terms with the meaninglessness and continue to live, simultaneously steering into absurdity. Forget everything, suffer, as they say, wisely.
However, the choice is yours, good luck!
Despite the mystery of existence, many of us are able to cope with our lives and avoid debilitating feelings of despair, personal failure and overall meaninglessness. But from time to time we are pulled out of our self-satisfaction and forced to re-evaluate our lives. Here's what you need to know about existential crises and how to deal with them.
American psychiatric association did not include a description of such a condition as “existential crisis” in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual mental disorders- 5). However, psychologists and psychotherapists are quite familiar with it. They describe this condition as “existential anxiety.”
The shock of being in this world
An existential crisis can manifest itself in many forms, but its fundamental aspect is deep doubt and a feeling of being unsettled about oneself, one's very essence and one's significance in the world.“Existential crises are often relational in nature, meaning people's relationship to everything and everyone around them is questioned,” says Jason Winkler, a Toronto-based psychotherapist who specializes in this area. “Being-in-the-world is carefully considered in an existential crisis, and the questions that arise are often unanswered. Usually the person feels completely out of touch, existentially alone and confused - even despite many loving friends and family, successful career and professional reputation, material wealth and religious/spiritual faith.”
Winkler says that an existential crisis is pervasive and can permeate every aspect of life. It manifests itself in many different ways, including a loss of meaning, a feeling of deep disconnection from loved ones, despair and horror of existence (for example, a lot of thinking “what-is-the-point-of-this?”), and preoccupation with worries about big life issues, for example: Why am I here? Do I even matter? What is my place in the Universe?
Since school, we have been asking questions about the meaning of life. At school we are taught a natural-scientific picture of the world, but it, unlike religious and mythological pictures, does not contain the answers we need, for which we come to school. As a result, the knowledge that we have accumulated by adulthood does not answer the questions that have worried us since childhood. Knowledge gained at school: about how the world works in physical, chemical, biological level leave us unsatisfied in our spiritual quests. We want to know why, why it exists? Why do we live? What's the point of this? We look for the foundations of our life and not finding them, we end up trying to forget, not think about it. The question of the meaning of life often baffles, causes irony, and sometimes aggression even in an adult. Children are more inclined to ask questions of meaning, but when they don’t find answers at school or from their parents, they stop actively asking them.
However, they still have the need to search for meaning. We are left with internal anxiety, fear caused by an unresolved problem of meaning, which, having accumulated, can result in a crisis.
Existential crisis- this is a feeling of restlessness, anxiety and fear caused by questions about the meaning, awareness of the insignificance of human existence. A crisis can overtake a person at any moment in life; usually, in the routine of everyday life, we tend to avoid this state. Modern culture“helps” escape: entertainment, alcohol and work are just ways to distract from the feeling of loss of meaning, but only up to a certain point. As a result, left alone with ourselves, we come to the same questions about the foundations of our existence, usually suppressed by our psyche.
Meaning and meaninglessness
Is there meaning or is everything in this world random and meaningless? Often the death of people close to us brings us back to this question. We understand that they lived their lives, we imagine how, but we don’t know why. This “why” torments our consciousness day and night. Let us remember the Buddha, for whom the encounter with human death was the beginning of the path to enlightenment.If I am what I do, then my work is part of me. But usually our work is very fragmented; we are forced to do the same thing every day. Asking himself about the problem of meaning, A. Camus tells us the myth of Sisyphus.
In this myth, Sisyphus is forced to carry a stone to the top of a mountain. Raising a stone to the top is a difficult task, each time requiring Sisyphus' will and courage. But when the stone reaches the top, it rolls back down again, and Sisyphus has to roll it to the top again and again. This activity has no meaning; it was invented by the gods as a punishment for Sisyphus for deception. He tried to cheat death, for which he bears a heavy burden. Likewise, our life, according to A. Camus, is an absurdity, devoid of meaning. We, like Sisyphus, try every day to raise a stone to the top, which will still roll down, but unlike us, Sisyphus is happy, he still managed to resist death and the gods. Our activities bring us only suffering. The only thing we can do is to express our disagreement with this order of things, that is, to rebel. Rebellion against the absurd is the only meaning that has the right to exist in a meaningless world. However, is this the way out?
Choice and responsibility
We know that we ourselves give meaning to our actions, since we are responsible for what we do. Every time we make a choice, we weigh the degree of responsibility we will bear for it and our ability to bear it. Rebellion is also such a choice, therefore rebellion must be approached with an awareness of responsibility for the ways and methods of rebellion, one of which, according to A. Camus, is rebellion through creativity.J.P. Sartre stated that each person creates himself and is responsible to himself and society for this image he created. This responsibility for one’s image is the meaning of life. If this image does not correspond to a person’s plans and expectations, then you need to have the courage to admit it and live with it to the end.
Interaction with an indifferent world
IN natural science picture the world is neutral in relation to man, although man is included in it, his actions do not affect movement heavenly bodies or the change of seasons. We begin to feel abandoned, left in a world where everything would exist anyway without our presence. This feeling of abandonment prevents us from coming to terms with the indifference of the world. We begin to introduce meaning into our activities, interact with the world consciously, and these meanings enliven the lifeless world. The world ceases to be faceless and indifferent, it becomes a space of meanings that give us opportunities for spiritual development. The meanings that we discover in art and nature revive us, and therefore creativity has the power to elevate a person above the ordinary and give him the courage to interact with the world, but not an indifferent world, but a world of beauty and meaning.Fear of death
Fear of death is the most strong fear, to which any person is susceptible, regardless of social status or religious beliefs. We don’t know what’s there, and therefore the fear of death is the fear of nothing, of the unknown. This fear was perfectly described by M. Heidegger, calling it primitive horror.Heidegger writes that once upon a time man was alone, the world he was frightened, he did not know what to expect from him in the next moment. Exploring the world, man learned to designate it in words. The process of designation with a word is naming, which gradually began to relieve a person’s anxiety and horror of the world. But even today there are still those areas about which we cannot say anything, and therefore they evoke in us a feeling of anxiety and horror. Terror is the fear of the unknown, which only knowledge can overcome. “Know yourself” is the main way to deal with an existential crisis.
Faith
Often in a state of crisis, we do not know where to look for support or what to rely on. It is as if we are in a state of constant falling into the abyss. Imagine returning home late at night, but for some reason the lights along your street are no longer on. You know this road by heart, but since it has been raining all day today, you don’t know for sure at what moment there might be a puddle or mud under your feet. Most likely, you will walk very carefully, trying to comprehend every step you take. Faith in this situation is like a sudden light from a nearby lantern, which makes your path to home clear and understandable. And most importantly, you no longer experience anxiety or fear of stepping into a hole or puddle. In a state of existential crisis, a person is in constant stress, he begins to look for support, any source of light, in order to feel a solid foundation under his feet. However, this basis may also be dubious. social connections and organizations: destructive sects, subcultures, magicians and charlatans. It is important to remember that there are certified specialists able to help in case of a crisis.Love
Love can lead us out of crisis and give us reasons for later life, which we will build by accepting the active role of our loved one in our daily affairs.Meeting on your own life path another person, we may become interested in him. What underlies this interest is not so important. It is important that as communication progresses, this interest intensifies and is never completely satisfied. We want to know everything about him. What does he do, how and why does he wear exactly those clothes, what kind of music does he listen to, etc. We become so attached to our loved one that we want to get to know him in different life situations, however, we must always remember that it is impossible to know a completely different person. It turns out that we can take it on faith that what we don’t know is not significant, and therefore does not threaten us. Love is always trust, which gives meaning to our existence, therefore faith is an integral part of love. In love, a person receives self-confidence and a foundation that gives him strength to overcome difficult situations. life situations.
Love- a world-transforming force capable of saving a person. Appearing in everyone's life, it gives us the freedom to transform ourselves and the world, because it gives the answer to the question why this needs to be done.
Creation
An existential crisis is not always destructive for a person and does not always lead to negative consequences. A crisis gives us the opportunity to stop, retire and think about ourselves and our lives. As a result of solitude, we can discover creative abilities in ourselves that were previously unknown to us. The writers of the “lost generation” (E.M. Remarque, E. Hemingway, F.S. Fitzgerald), faced with an existential crisis during the war, returned from it, realizing their duty to humanity - to write. Their work is the truth about themselves and their lives; each of them has their own life and their own views on the role of war in it. However, the work of the writers of the “lost generation” became for them the only way salvation of the soul, the only way out from an existential crisis.Thanks to creative communication a person is able to change and overcome a crisis. If he can entrust his experiences to another person, and the other can accept them as his own, support him and help him believe in himself, then such communication can give a person a solid foundation under his feet.