Existential Anxiety: 5 Questions to Assess It

In brief: Evaluate your existential anxiety with a validated psychological test. Understand its causes and find meaning in your life again.

Marie, 34, often wakes up in the middle of the night with a feeling of oppression in her chest. She asks herself nagging questions: "What is the meaning of my life? What will happen after death? Do my choices really matter in the immensity of the universe?" These interrogations, far from being philosophical and detached, generate in her a deep anxiety that interferes with her sleep, her concentration at work, and her personal relationships.

This particular form of anxiety, which we call existential anxiety, affects about 15 to 20% of the general population according to recent epidemiological studies. It is characterized by anguish related to the fundamental questions of existence: death, the meaning of life, freedom, isolation, and the responsibility of our choices.

Unlike generalized anxiety which concerns concrete daily preoccupations, existential anxiety confronts us with the deepest and most inevitable aspects of the human condition. How then to identify, evaluate, and understand it? What psychological tools allow measurement of this particular dimension of our emotional experience?

Understanding Existential Anxiety: Definition and Manifestations

Theoretical Foundations

Existential anxiety draws its roots from 20th-century existentialist philosophy, with thinkers like Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Camus. In clinical psychology, it was formalized by the work of Irvin Yalom, American psychiatrist and psychotherapist, who identified four fundamental existential concerns:

• Death: anguish in the face of our finitude
• Freedom: the vertigo of our choices and responsibility
• Isolation: the fundamental loneliness of the human being
• Meaninglessness: the search for significance in a sometimes absurd-seeming universe

Symptoms and Clinical Manifestations

Existential anxiety manifests differently depending on individuals, but some symptoms frequently recur:

Cognitive manifestations:

• Ruminations on death and the afterlife
• Obsessive questionings about the meaning of existence
• Feeling of emptiness or absurdity
• Concentration difficulties related to existential preoccupations

Emotional manifestations:

• Deep anguish in the face of uncertainty
• Feeling of isolation and loneliness
• Sadness related to identity questioning
• Intense fear of the unknown

Physical manifestations:

• Sleep disturbances (insomnia, night awakenings)
• Muscle tension
• Chest oppression
• Neurovegetative symptoms (palpitations, sweating)

Existential anxiety is not a mental disorder in itself, but rather a normal reaction of the human being to fundamental questions of existence. It becomes problematic when it significantly interferes with daily functioning.

Tools for Assessing Existential Anxiety

The Existential Anxiety Scale (EAS)

Developed by Weems and his collaborators in 2004, the Existential Anxiety Scale constitutes one of the first tools specifically designed to measure this dimension. It includes 16 items distributed in four sub-scales corresponding to Yalom's existential concerns.

Example items:

• "I worry about what happens after death"
• "I feel anxious when I think about the fact that I am alone in the universe"
• "The idea that life has no meaning distresses me"

The Existential Concerns Questionnaire (ECQ)

More recent, this questionnaire developed by van Bruggen and colleagues in 2006 evaluates five dimensions:

Mortality: preoccupations related to death

Loneliness: feeling of existential isolation

Freedom: anguish in the face of choices and responsibility

Meaning: questionings about the significance of existence

Identity: interrogations about who we really are

Complementary Assessment Tools

For a complete evaluation, it is often relevant to use complementary scales:

The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) allows distinguishing existential anxiety from other forms of anxiety. With its 21 items, it measures the intensity of general anxiety symptoms. The Hamilton Depression Scale helps identify a possible depressive component often associated with deep existential questionings. The Purpose in Life Test (PIL) by Crumbaugh and Maholick evaluates the feeling of having a purpose in life, a central dimension to understand existential anxiety.

Self-Assessment: Practical Questionnaire

Simplified Self-Assessment Grid

Here is a self-assessment questionnaire you can use to take stock of your own existential preoccupations. For each statement, indicate your level of agreement on a scale of 1 (not at all agree) to 5 (completely agree):

Mortality Dimension:

• I often think of my own death with anguish
• The idea of the finitude of existence preoccupies me
• I feel anxiety when I evoke the death of a loved one

Freedom Dimension:

• I feel overwhelmed by the weight of my choices
• The responsibility of creating my own life distresses me
• I am afraid of making bad important decisions

Loneliness Dimension:

• I feel fundamentally alone, even surrounded
• I have the impression that no one can really understand me
• The feeling of isolation generates anxiety in me

Meaning Dimension:

• I regularly wonder what the purpose of my life is
• The apparent absence of meaning of existence worries me
• I feel an existential emptiness difficult to fill

Interpretation of Results

A high score (above 15 out of 20 in one dimension) may indicate a significant existential preoccupation in that domain. However, it is important to contextualize these results:

• Moderate scores (10-15): normal existential questionings
• High scores (15-20): preoccupations that may benefit from support
• Functional impact: the essential is to determine whether these preoccupations interfere with your daily life

Differentiating Existential Anxiety from Other Disorders

Existential Anxiety vs. Generalized Anxiety

The distinction is crucial for adapted management:

Generalized anxiety (according to DSM-5):

• Excessive worries about concrete events
• Difficulty controlling daily preoccupations
• Prominent physical symptoms
• Avoidance of specific situations

Existential anxiety:

• Questionings on fundamental aspects of existence
• Search for meaning and significance
• Direct confrontation with the "ultimate givens" of life
• No avoidance but rather a quest for answers

Link with Existential Depression

About 30% of people presenting existential anxiety also develop depressive symptoms. The difference lies in:

• Existential anxiety: tension toward searching for answers
• Existential depression: feeling of powerlessness in the face of perceived absurdity

Special Case of Life Transitions

Existential anxiety often emerges during important transitions:

• Adolescence: identity construction
• Mid-life: assessment and questioning
• Bereavement: direct confrontation with mortality
• Retirement: questioning about legacy and accomplished meaning

These moments can reveal or intensify latent existential preoccupations, hence the importance of adapted evaluation.

Risk Factors and Vulnerable Populations

Socio-Demographic Profile

Research conducted by Steger and colleagues shows that some populations are more vulnerable:

Individual risk factors:

• High level of education (paradoxically)
• Intellectual or artistic profession
• Introspective and sensitive personality
• History of trauma or loss

Environmental factors:

• Important life transitions
• Exposure to mortality (medical profession, etc.)
• Social isolation
• Absence of structuring spiritual or philosophical framework

Impact of Life Events

A 2018 longitudinal study followed 1,200 participants over 10 years and identified the most frequent triggers:

• Death of a loved one (45% of cases)
• Personal serious illness (32% of cases)
• Couple or family crisis (28% of cases)
• Professional questionings (25% of cases)

Moreover, relational difficulties can particularly exacerbate existential questionings. If you are going through a difficult period in your couple, you could benefit from an analysis of your couple conversations to better understand these dynamics.

Specific Populations

Young adults (18-25 years): Period of identity construction where existential questions are naturally pregnant. 22% present high levels of existential anxiety according to Arnett's study (2014). Health professionals: Confronted daily with suffering and mortality, they more frequently develop this type of anxiety (prevalence of 28% vs. 15% in the general population). Creative people: Artists, writers, and intellectuals present higher scores on existential anxiety scales, possibly related to their sensitivity and capacity for introspection.

Management and Therapeutic Support

Specialized Psychotherapeutic Approaches

Existential therapy: Developed by Yalom, it accompanies patients in exploring their existential preoccupations without seeking to eliminate them, but rather to integrate them constructively. Adapted CBT: Cognitive-behavioral therapies can be modified to treat existential anxiety by:

• Identifying catastrophic thoughts related to existential questions
• Developing adapted coping strategies
• Working on accepting fundamental uncertainty

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy): Particularly relevant as it helps to:

• Accept existential questionings as normal
• Identify one's deep values
• Engage in actions aligned with these values

Self-Help Strategies

Immediate management techniques:

• Mindful breathing during anxiety peaks
• Existential journal to explore one's questionings
• Meditation practice to tame uncertainty
• Engagement in meaningful activities

Building meaning:

• Identifying one's fundamental values
• Engaging in causes that transcend us
• Cultivating authentic and deep relationships
• Creating or contributing to something lasting

When to Consult?

It is recommended to seek professional help when:

• Existential anxiety significantly interferes with daily functioning
• Questionings become obsessive and invasive
• Depressive symptoms associate with existential preoccupations
• Social isolation sets in through avoidance of others
• Risky behaviors appear as an attempt at escape

Conclusion and Perspectives

Existential anxiety, far from being a simple passing malaise, represents a fundamental dimension of human experience that deserves to be understood and accompanied with benevolence. The assessment tools we have explored — from the Existential Anxiety Scale to self-assessment questionnaires — constitute valuable resources to better understand this complex reality.

Testing and self-evaluating regularly allows not only better self-knowledge but also identifying moments when professional support could prove beneficial. For if these existential questionings are an integral part of our humanity, they should not paralyze or isolate us.

Existential anxiety can even become, with appropriate accompaniment, a source of personal growth and renewed meaning. It invites us to an authentic exploration of what makes the richness and depth of our existence.

FAQ

How does the existential anxiety test work?

Evaluate your existential anxiety with a validated psychological test. The test is designed to provide you with a quick and reliable assessment, based on validated clinical criteria.

Is this test reliable for diagnosing existential anxiety?

This questionnaire is based on clinical scales used in CBT and clinical psychology. It does not replace a professional diagnosis but constitutes a valuable first indicator for orienting a consultation.

What to do if the test result indicates a high score?

A high score suggests that consulting a psychopractitioner or psychologist may be beneficial. CBT offers effective protocols to work on these dimensions in 8 to 16 sessions.