The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Oriented Deliberation in View of the Dogmatic Problem of Hereditary Sin

“The present work has set as its task the psychological treatment of the concept of ‘anxiety,’ but in such a way that it constantly keeps in mente [in mind] and before its eye the dogma of hereditary sin. Accordingly, it must also, although tacitly so, deal with the concept of sin.”

Kierkegaard hints here at his theme of The Psychological Precondition of Sin. In fact, this passage may be considered the thesis of the entire text, as Kierkegaard’s goal is to apply psychology and the psychological concept of anxiety to investigate the origins of sin in freedom of choice.

“But this abiding something out of which sin constantly arises, not by necessity (for a becoming by necessity is a state, as, for example, the whole history of the plant is a state) but by freedom—this abiding something, this predisposing presupposition, sin’s real possibility, is a subject of interest for psychology.”

Although Kierkegaard believes that sin as a whole is a matter for dogmatics, he also believes The Psychological Precondition of Sin can be examined scientifically. Since the origin of sin is humanity’s ability to freely choose, that part of sin is within the realm of psychology.

“The Genesis story presents the only dialectically consistent view. Its whole content is really concentrated in one statement: Sin came into the world by a sin.”

Kierkegaard disputes the view of hereditary sin held in many strands of traditional Christian theology, which argues that humans are born sinful due to the actions of Adam and Eve, the first humans. His interpretation of the Adam and Eve story in the Book of Genesis leads him to instead argue for The Psychological Precondition of Sin, specifically that freedom of choice leads to sin.

“It is not in the interest of ethics to make all men except Adam into concerned and interested spectators of guiltiness but not participants in guiltiness, nor is it in the interest of dogmatics to make all men into interested and sympathetic spectators of the Atonement [Forsoning] but not participants in the Atonement.”

One reason why Kierkegaard rejects the doctrine of original or hereditary sin is that it contradicts the fundamentals of Christian belief. Not only does Kierkegaard see hereditary sin as depriving people of their free will and ethical responsibility, he also argues that it makes the Atonement and Jesus Christ’s sacrifice meaningless.

“Anxiety is a qualification of dreaming spirit, and as such it has its place in psychology.”

Psychology cannot address the entire issue of sin, because sin holds a metaphysical significance that lies outside the realm of reason and science. However, it can address anxiety because, as Kierkegaard says, it is an element of the “dreaming spirit,” meaning the subconscious. Anxiety is a product of humanity’s free will and the possibility of choice.

“Sin entered in anxiety, but sin in turn brought anxiety along with it.”

In Kierkegaard’s view, anxiety does exist independently of sin. One can be in a state of innocence and still experience anxiety (62). At the same time, sin can come out of the anxiety surrounding free choices and their consequences, reflecting Anxiety as a Condition of Freedom.

“Hence anxiety is the dizziness of freedom, which emerges when the spirit wants to posit the synthesis and freedom looks down into its own possibility, laying hold of finiteness to support itself.”

Kierkegaard views Anxiety as a Condition of Freedom because humanity’s free will and its existence as a synthesis of animal and spirit are the ultimate origin of anxiety. Anxiety is not innately bad, but it must be confronted through self-development and faith instead of being avoided or having the individual succumb entirely to it.

“Even when the erotic expresses itself as beautifully, purely, and, morally as possible, undisturbed in its joy by any lascivious reflection, anxiety is nevertheless present, not as a disturbing but as an accompanying factor.”

Kierkegaard explicitly states that erotic desire, what he calls sensuousness, is not in and of itself sinful (49). Nonetheless, because desire involves the possibility of choice, it still brings with it anxiety.

“At the maximum we find here the dreadful fact that anxiety about sin produces sin.”

One of the problems with anxiety, according to Kierkegaard, is that it generates an escalating cycle. Sometimes it is “anxiety about sin” that “produces sin" because it makes individuals more aware of the possibility of sinning, and thus the free will inherent in choosing to sin.

“As freedom’s possibility manifests itself for freedom, freedom succumbs, and temporality emerges in the same way as sensuousness in its significance as sinfulness.”

Free will and possibility are what lead to anxiety and sin. However, another significant factor is only being concerned with finite time, or “temporality.” By contrast, Kierkegaard regards knowledge of eternity as an important part of overcoming sin and anxiety, enabling the individual to rise above temporality.

“Anxiety is the psychological state that precedes sin. It approaches sin as closely as possible, as anxiously as possible, but without explaining sin, which breaks forth only in the qualitative leap.”

Anxiety exists before sin in every person’s initial state of innocence. Anxiety as a Condition of Freedom and the fact that freedom and possibility are the sources of sin are why anxiety is not inevitably associated with sin, but can become intertwined with sin. The “qualitative leap” refers to the moment when individuals become sinful through exercising their free will.

“However, to explain how my religious existence comes into relation with and expresses itself in my outward existence, that is the task. But in our time who would trouble himself to think about such things, although now more than ever the present life appears as a fleeting, transitory moment?”

Time is an important part of Kierkegaard’s understanding of sin. Cultivating knowledge of eternity is preferable to being focused on the everyday in the “present life,” as focusing only on the here and now traps the individual within temporality instead of enabling them to transcend it through faith.

“In turning inward, he discovers freedom. He does not fear fate, for he lays hold of no outward task, and freedom is for him his bliss, not freedom to do this or that in the world, to become king and emperor or an abusive street corner orator, but freedom to know of himself that he is freedom.”

A key part of Kierkegaard’s beliefs is that freedom and faith, which are both interrelated for Kierkegaard, are not found through outside influences. Instead, they are found within in a way that is unique to every individual, reflecting The Development of the Self as a key component of faith.

“Repentance is reduced to a possibility in relation to sin; in other words, repentance cannot cancel sin, it can only sorrow over it.”

Just as sin is a choice emerging from freedom according to Kierkegaard’s concept of The Psychological Precondition of Sin, so is repentance. It is also a choice that still leaves open the possibility that sin may be chosen again in the future. This is why repentance can “sorrow over sin” without resolving the problem of sin itself.

“The only thing that is truly able to disarm the sophistry of sin is faith, courage to believe that the state itself is a new sin, courage to renounce anxiety without anxiety, which only faith can do; faith does not thereby annihilate anxiety, but, itself eternally young, it extricates itself from anxiety’s moment of death.”

Kierkegaard asserts that faith can defend a person from the worst consequences of anxiety. Exactly what Kierkegaard means in this passage is debatable, but the implication is that faith does not only denote a true awareness of God, but also means viewing one’s life through one’s connection to the eternal.

“The demonic is unfreedom that wants to close itself off. This, however, is and remains an impossibility. It always retains a relation, and even when this has apparently disappeared altogether, it is nevertheless there, and anxiety at once manifests itself in the moment of contact [with the good].”

The Development of the Self is especially important for Kierkegaard because the consequences of failing to develop make an individual vulnerable to unfreedom and becoming what Kierkegaard views as the demonic. Kierkegaard stresses that being a demonic is synonymous with “anxiety over the good” (118).

“The body is the organ of the psyche and in tum the organ of the spirit. As soon as the serving relation comes to an end, as soon as the body revolts, and as soon as freedom conspires with the body against itself, unfreedom is present as the demonic.”

“Demonic” not only refers to anxiety concerning what is good and ignorance of one’s own self, it is also unfreedom. By contrast, cultivating the authentic self through earnestness and faith enables the individual to know themselves and to transcend anxiety through faith—which is in turn true freedom.

“Truth has always had many loud proclaimers, but the question is whether a person will in the deepest sense acknowledge the truth, will allow it to permeate his whole being, will accept all its consequences, and not have an emergency hiding place for himself and a Judas kiss for the consequence.”

For Kierkegaard, truth is not something found externally through being convinced of the truth or having an outside experience with the truth. Instead, it is found internally through The Development of the Self. A person must therefore allow religious truth to “permeate his whole being” instead of acting in a passive, detached manner as the demonic do.

“This self-consciousness, therefore, is action, and this action is in tum inwardness, and whenever inwardness does not correspond to this consciousness, there is a form of the demonic as soon as the absence of inwardness expresses itself as anxiety about its acquisition.”

The Development of the Self is an internal process, but it is still also an active one. Just as freedom of choice can lead to anxiety and sin, freedom is also necessary for one to develop knowledge of truth and eternity.

“Whenever inwardness is lacking, the spirit is finitized. Inwardness is therefore eternity or the constituent of the eternal in man.”

There is an inexorable relationship between time and The Development of the Self. Specifically, being focused on finite things, or temporality, leads to an incomplete inwardness. By contrast, being focused instead on eternity leads to self-actualization and “earnestness” (146), allowing the individual to transcend the temporal.

“However, men are not willing to think eternity earnestly but are anxious about it, and anxiety can contrive a hundred evasions. And this is precisely the demonic.”

The way anxiety can sabotage The Development of the Self is by not only causing people to focus on the finite, but to also ignore or minimize the importance of eternity. This could lead to a person becoming a “demonic”—someone who avoids confronting anxiety through the power of faith.

“Anxiety is freedom’s possibility, and only such anxiety is through faith absolutely educative, because it consumes all finite ends and discovers all their deceptiveness.”

Since anxiety results from the many choices faced by every individual, Kierkegaard is clear about Anxiety as a Condition of Freedom. Nonetheless, anxiety is necessary, even beneficial, because it can educate people into understanding truth, eternity, and the need for The Development of the Self.

“However, in order that an individual may thus be educated absolutely and infinitely by the possibility, he must be honest toward possibility and have faith.”

The experience that comes with freedom can lead to The Development of the Self or to becoming a demonic. What makes the difference is whether or not a person can develop true inwardness, instead of avoiding genuine self-development as the demonic do.