The Concept of Anxiety

Although Søren Kierkegaard's death in the fall of 1855 foreshadowed a lasting split between conservative Christians and young contemporaries who saw him as a revolutionary thinker, it was not until the turn of the twentieth century—and beyond the borders of his native Denmark—that his lasting significance came to be felt. By transcending distinctions of genre, Kierkegaard brought traditionally separated disciplines to bear on deep human concerns and was able, through his profound self-insight, to uncover the strategies with which we try to deal with them. As a result, he is hailed today as no less than the father of modern psychology and existentialism. While the majority of Kierkegaard's work leading up to *The Concept of Anxiety* dealt with the intersection of faith and knowledge, here the renowned Danish philosopher turns to the perennial question of sin and guilt. First published in 1844, this concise treatise identified—long before Freud—anxiety as a deep-seated human state, one that embodies the endless struggle with our own spiritual identities. Ably synthesizing human insights with Christian dogma, Kierkegaard's "psychological deliberation" suggests that our only hope in…

The cheapest new copy of The Concept of Anxiety is £13.99 at Waterstones. Prices checked 2 Nov 2026

More by Søren Kierkegaard

More by Søren Kierkegaard