Existential Anxiety in the Period of COVID -19 Pandemic

Abstract

Existentialism emphasizes action, freedom, and decision as fundamental to human existence; and is fundamentally opposed to the rationalist tradition and to positivism. That is, it argues against definitions of human beings as primarily rational. This article organized around what Irvin. D. Yalom identifies as the four “ultimate concerns of life” — death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. Death has been described as inevitable and although we may fear the latter in the short term, we have a deep, instinctive fear of death that only increases with age. One of the ultimate challenges of life is to find meaning in it, and we struggle to give reason for our daily actions. We have deep needs for belonging and, top cement this, the esteem of others. We join groups and take on their identity, trading independence for oneness with others. When we are separated from others our sense of control is increased and we can choose and create our own meaning. We can select the safest path for ourselves, even though that may not necessarily the best for all others. We give up some freedom when we join groups to avoid isolation and death risks. Groups can also help give us meaning. India is one of those countries that have taken some of the strictest measures to contain the threat of COVID19. Here we consider Existential anxiety arising from the main four concepts mentioned above in the period of COVID -19 Pandemic. The objectives was to understand the existential anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.