Opening my social media feed, I’m often faced with a jarring contrast: stark, diametrically opposed opinions from different friends. Comments can be accompanied by insults, character attacks and abusive language.
I’m certainly not the only one who notices this kind of vitreous polarization. Recent polls show that the majority of Americans believe that the country it cannot overcome its current divisions.
As a professor of human development and family studiesI have researched and written about traumatic and adverse childhood experiences and existential anxiety for over 20 years. Turning to my watch, I was struck by the recognition that both sides had something in common: a deep sense of existential dread.
While political polarization has many possible causes, existential anxiety is one that has received less attention.
What is existential anxiety?
Philosophers have written about the concept of existential angst for centuries. My own empirical research is based on writings of the mid-20th century philosopher Paul Tillichwho outlines three aspects of this fundamental human fear:
- Fate and death – fears of non-existence and uncertainty about one’s ultimate fate.
- Emptiness and meaninglessness – fears about the deeper purpose or ultimate concern of life.
- Guilt and condemnation – fears of moral failure or threats to one’s moral self.
Existential anxiety is humanity’s inherent confrontation with mortality, moral responsibility, and the search for meaning.
My colleagues and I found that these fears are very common – between 75% and 86% of our survey participants supports at least one concern. Higher levels of existential stress are associated with indicators of poor mental health, such as symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation. Levels of existential distress are also elevated among those who have experienced a life-threatening event. For example, after a natural disaster, up to 94% of survey participants mentioned at least one dimension of this fear.
Importantly, our research suggests that existential anxiety is are associated with aggression. In a study of adolescents, we found that the most extreme existential anxiety as measured by the existential anxiety questionnaire was associated with two types of aggression: proactive and reactive. Proactive aggression is targeted, deliberate, and unprovoked, while reactive aggression comes in response to a real or perceived challenge or threat.
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Underlying theme in existential anxiety
Existential fears they are rooted in things that almost everyone worries about, at least from time to time. But what specifically triggers that anxiety can be different depending on your worldview.
For example, as I scroll through social media, I see friends expressing concern about fundamental issues of security, the fate of the nation, cultural erosion and the loss of traditional values. These concerns are reflected in posts by other friends who express concern that the environment is being destroyed, democracy is failing and equality is being lost.
Although the content of these expressions may be ideologically opposed, each reflects deeper concerns about social fate, death, or the end of a meaningful way of life. Unspoken but underlying is the fear that the “other side” represents a real and imminent threat to one’s very existence.
Although the triggering circumstances may differ based on personal beliefs, the perspectives of both sides reflect existential concerns about meaning, moral direction, and survival.
But existential anxiety isn’t the only potential root of some of this angst. Research suggests that the underlying Fear can increase aggression. If left unchecked, fears can spiral into potential violence.
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Where are we going?
The good news is that while core existential fears may never be completely eradicated, you can recognize them, alleviate them, and possibly even channel them into adaptive action.
His techniques cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy it provides a path to finding common ground and preventing existential fears escalates into violence.
At the core of these techniques is recognizing and dealing with fear. Both help participants overcome common tendencies, such as seeing only one side of the evidence, or pretending that things are much worse than they really are. Acceptance and commitment therapy, for example, teaches participants how to cultivate psychological flexibility, learn to tolerate uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, and practice alignment with one’s core values. Together, these skills encourage positive action as opposed to destructive reaction.
As annoying as my social media feed is, I’ve also seen real-life cases of people figuring out how to connect across a gap. For example, one poster appreciated another’s comment because it helped her realize the existential value that his perspective represented to him. After this exchange, the second poster acknowledged that he only saw one side. In other words, they each recognized the other person’s existential fear – accepting it as such helped them de-escalate the confrontation and move forward more constructively.
The critical point is that people on all sides of every issue long for security, purpose, and belonging. Recognizing that basic existential concerns we all share lie behind polarized fears can be an important step toward bridging differences and reducing the risk of fear aggression.
