Angst
Angst is a
Dutch,
German, and
Scandinavian word for
fear or
anxiety. It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of emotional strife.
A different but related meaning is attributed to
Danish philosopher
Søren Kierkegaard (
1813–
1855). Kierkegaard used the word
angst (Danish, meaning "dread") to describe a profound and deep-seated
spiritual condition of insecurity and
despair in the free
human being. Where the animal is a slave to its God-given instincts but always confident in its own actions, Kierkegaard believed that the freedom given to mankind leaves the human in a constant fear of failing its responsibilities to
God. Kierkegaard's concept of angst is considered to be an important stepping stone for 20th-century
existentialism.
While Kierkegaard's feeling of angst is fear of actual responsibility to
God, in modern use, angst is broadened to include general frustration associated with the conflict between actual responsibilities to self, one's principles, and others (possibly including God). Still, the angst in alternative music may be more accessible to most audiences than
existentialism. The term "angst" is now widely used with a negative and derisive connotation that mocks the expression of a common adolescent experience of malaise; in this sense it has become one of the most debased words in the current vocabulary.
Angst, in contemporary connotative use, most often describes the intense frustration and other related emotions of
teenagers and the mood of the music and art with which they identify.
Punk rock,
grunge,
emo, and virtually any
alternative rock dramatically combining elements of discord,
melancholy and excitement may be said to express angst.
Angst was probably first discussed in relation to contemporary music in the mid to late 1980s and 1990s. In the 1980s "teen angst" was expressed in music to a certain extent in the rise of punk,
post punk, and
alternative music with bands such as
The Smiths. The word "angst" is currently more associated with, and was probably first used in reference to, the grunge movement and the band
Nirvana. Nirvana themselves seem to have been aware of this, as evidenced by the first line of "
Serve the Servants" in which
Kurt Cobain describes the success of writing songs dealing with the subject (
Teenage angst has paid off well | Now I'm bored and old...). Although
KMFDM, a
Geman industrial band, released an album entitled
Angst at the same time. The band
Placebo also has a song "Teenage Angst" which deals with many of these same themes. One of the many examples of describing the feeling of teen angst in electric music is
M83's "Teen Angst" (from the 2005 album
Before The Dawn Heals Us). The band
From First To Last released an album titled
Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count in June 2004.
Sometimes, the term is used derisively to refer to members of the "goth" subculture who may seem to be in competition with each other as to who can give the most "tragic" account of his or her circumstances. These sorts of perceptions can produce a backlash in the general public, who accuse the members of the subculture of exaggerating the normal frustrations of life to ridiculous extremes in an attempt to elicit pity and make excuses for their situation. Thus, the description of such a person as "angst-ridden" may involve a note of sarcasm. Similar negative characterizations have been made of other subcultures, such as the "Beat Generation", the grunge rock movement, and various literary and artistic movements.
The term is also sometimes used to negatively stereotype the very wealthy and well-to-do, with the implication being that angst (and occasionally
ennui) are the only problems that they face. "Of course, my money solves the problems that you face daily, and I don't have to subject myself to the backbreaking labor that you do every day, but you mustn't think I live a life of ease. I suffer from such terrible angst!"
*
Fear*
Guilt*
Panic*
Phobia*
Shame*
Weltschmerz
