The Silent Echo of Existential Anxiety
Although death scares us in some way with its timelessness and uncertainty, most of the time, there is much more to this fear than just physical annihilation: saying goodbye to life without being able to realize one’s own potential, not being able to live a genuine life. This is one of the most fundamental issues of existential psychology and, as Viktor Frankl emphasized, it is the search for meaning, which is the basic motivation of man; this search frequently emerges from within repressed anxieties.
Death Awareness and Existential Anxiety
Existential psychology emphasizes that death is not merely an end, but also a point of consciousness that gives life purpose. Irvin Yalom also argued that awareness of mortality awakens the individual, allowing him to reflect on his life, detach himself from the superficial, and live a more meaningful, authentic life. This insight may induce worry in the individual; nonetheless, anxiety is not only destructive, but also transformational. Realizing the fleeting nature of life prompts people to reconsider their values and goals. This questioning can be a powerful driving force that motivates the person to self-actualize and get closer to his essence.
Authentic Self and Inner Journey
What is this essence, therefore, and where might one get it? According to Jean-Paul Sartre, “existence precedes essence” means that a person creates their “essence” during the course of their life rather than having it predetermined by birth (Sartre, 1946). A person’s experiences, decisions, and conflicts help to shape who they are. This demonstrates that asking “Who am I?” is an existential quest that lasts a lifetime.
The relationship that is attempted to be made with the real self is truly reflected in an anxiety that is produced by the possibility of dying without knowing oneself. According to existential thinkers, one of the main questions a person asks themselves during their lifetime is “Who am I?” A person’s decisions, relationships, values, and life path are influenced by their responses to this question. But in today’s environment, people are frequently caught between expectations, social roles, and the hectic pace of daily life. A sense of existential emptiness and an inability to connect with one’s inner voice may result from this circumstance. According to Viktor Frankl, this emptiness can lead to emotions like anxiety and hopelessness since it is “a lack of meaning in life” (Frankl, 1946). In this context, the fact that individuals attribute high meaning to objectively unimportant events during periods of psychological depression can actually be an expression of an inner dissatisfaction and search.
The concept of self-actualization in Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs holds an important place in understanding these emotional fluctuations. According to Maslow, an individual can only realize their potential when more basic physiological and psychological needs are met.
An individual who cannot reach the level of self-actualization may experience a feeling of emptiness at an existential level.
Finding Your Own Way in the Void
The desire to know yourself underlies filling this void and taking life to a special point. The thought of “I may die one day and never have known myself” is not only a fear in this sense; it is also a strong call for transformation. Getting closer to yourself means getting closer to a meaningful life. This fear directs us to the depths of life; because when a person gets to know himself, he not only knows who he is; he also discovers what he values, why he wants to live and how he does not want to live.
Knowing oneself is not a process that is completed once, but an existential journey that lasts a lifetime. Each stop on this journey opens a new layer of human existence and brings us one step closer to our authentic self. Being able to say, “My only fear is dying before I know myself” is the confession of this inner search. Sometimes our fears are not things we should run away from, but are actually guides that will help us find our direction. Confronting them means taking on our own existential responsibility.
Conclusion: The Search for Meaning and the Call to Transformation
As Rollo May says, “Courage is the ability to confront one’s own existential anxiety” (May, 1977, p. 3). The anxiety of dying before knowing oneself is exactly this kind of existential anxiety. Confronting this anxiety means showing the courage to create our own meaning even in the face of the uncertainties of life. Because even though life is full of many elements that we cannot control, the power to construct our own self and give it meaning is always in our hands.
Existential psychology reminds us that although life is full of many elements that we cannot control, the power to build our own self is always in our hands. And maybe the most significant first step is having courage to ask ourselves: Who am I really, and how can I truly realize myself in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
References
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.
May, R. (1977). The courage to create. W. W. Norton & Company.
Sartre, J. P. (1946). Existentialism is a Humanism. Les Éditions Nagel.
Yalom, I. D. (1980). Existential psychotherapy. Basic Books.
Yalom, I. D. (2008). Staring at the sun: Overcoming the terror of death. Jossey-Bass.