Angst . A recurrent state of disquiet concerning one's life which Existentialists interpret as evidence that human life has a dimension which a purely naturalistic psychology cannot comprehend. The term was introduced by Kierkegaard , who held that Angst (usually translated here as ‘dread’) concerning the contingencies of fortune should show us that we can only gain a secure sense of our identity by taking the leap of faith and entering into a relationship with God. Heidegger uses the same term (here usually translated as ‘anxiety’) to describe a sense of unease concerning the structure of one's life which, because it does not arise from any specific threat, is to be diagnosed as a manifestation of our own responsibility for this structure. Sartre uses the term angoisse (usually translated as ‘anguish’) for much the same phenomenon as Heidegger describes.
Prof. Thomas Baldwin
Prof. Thomas Baldwin " Angst " The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford University Press 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 13 July 2011
