Steven L. Berman, Carl F. Weems, and Timothy R. Stickle
Published online: 29 April 2006
Existential anxiety is hypothesized to be a core human issue in a great deal of theoretical and philosophical writing. However, little is known about the emergence of these concerns and their relation to emotional functioning in youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of existential anxiety in a sample of adolescents. Data on existential concerns, identity development and psychological symptoms were collected on a sample of 139 youth in grades 9–12. Results indicated that existential anxiety concerns have a theoretically consistent factor structure, are common among adolescents, and are associated with psychological symptoms, as well as identity issues. Results are discussed with regard to the importance of existential concerns in the lives of youth and the need for additional research.
Introduction
Much has been written about existential anxiety, which involves apprehension about the meaning of life and death, and research is emerging pointing to the importance of such concerns in the psychological well being of individuals, yet little is known about the phenomenon in adolescence. This is unfortunate since adolescence is likely a time for the emergence of such concerns. For example, Westenberg et al. (2001) and Warren and Sroufe (2004) have presented models that suggest that by adolescence, youth have the cognitive capacity for insight into mortality and broader world concerns that may give rise to existential concerns. The purpose of this study was to provide an initial examination of existential anxiety in adolescents. In the following, the conceptual background for understanding existential anxiety in adolescents is presented and relevant research is reviewed.
You can continue reading the full paper here.
