ISSN: 2572-4037 Stone. Int J Psychol Psychoanal 2017, 3:018 DOI: 10.23937/2572-4037.1510018 Volume 3 | Issue 1 International Journal of Open Access Psychology and Psychoanalysis REVIEW ARTICLE Dread According to Kierkegaard Mark H Stone* Aurora University, Aurora, IL, USA *Corresponding author: Mark H Stone, Aurora University, Aurora, IL, USA, Tel: 6305547250, Fax: 6305547260, E-mail: [email protected] with in psychology, and I must therefore call atten- Abstract tion to the fact that it is different from fear and An explication of Kierkegaard’s concept of dread provides similar concepts which refer to something definite, insight into the life and mind of one of the first existentialists noted for giving particular attention to the subjective individ- whereas dread is freedom’s reality as possibility ual. His view of dread shows it to be much deeper and more for possibility. complex than anxiety by invoking an awesome expanse of freedom and possibility. This awesomeness is frequently an The cryptic remark, “freedom’s reality as possibility overwhelming state of being contrasted to becoming and for possibility”, is common to Kierkegaard’s style how- further still to the eternity of non-being. These terms became ever confusing it appears upon first reading. the essential topics of later existentialist writers. Selected quotations from Kierkegaard show him to be insightful about Anxiety is commonly associated with a matter of the human psyche and unafraid to expose his personal concern; some problem or fear perplexing the individu- thoughts and feelings to public view. Kierkegaard’s irony, al. By contrast, dread, according to Kierkegaard, invokes satire, and disjointed method of communication hinder an “awesome freedom” by way of anticipating some yet to initial reading until his unique style of expression becomes clearer to the reader. Successive reading shows Kierkeg- occur experience hanging over a person in such a way aard to be a dutiful student of Socrates, his literary mentor. as to possibly cloud the mind by impeding perception, thought, and action. Sullivan [5] explained, “Dread is Keywords far more than the purely conversational sense… It is a Dread, The individual, The crowd, Qualitative leap, Soul, sort of shuddery, not-of-this-world component, a curi- Socrates ous survival from a very emotional experience”. Sullivan considered the role of dread be carefully differentiated Introduction from all other manifestations of anxiety. The Danish noun “angst” is defined in the Ordbog of Imagine a long period of incessantly dreary, rain- th Vinterberg & Herløv (5 edn) [1] to be “dread, apprehen- soaked days that seemingly never end producing a de- sion, fear” given in that exact order. Therefore, angst, as bilitating effect upon ones’ physical and mental state. used by Kierkegaard, should be defined as dread. Lowrie Such a state acts as a heavy weight; an enormous ball [2] correctly translates angst in the title of Kierkegaard’s and chain attached securely to the neck causing the book as The Concept of Dread. Lowrie [2] further adds, head to hang low incapacitating all thought, feeling and “We have no [English] word which adequately trans- action. lates Angst”. Thomte [3] chooses to use anxiety in the Stolorow, et al. [6] relate a case study that describes title of his edition of the text, which I believe leads the the influence of dread: reader astray. That is because American usage of angst misses the mark of the concept that Kierkegaard wants Steven began treatment with a vague and gener- to describe. Kierkegaard [4] himself explains, alized sense of doom and a pervasive fear . His fears centered generally on his dread of becoming One almost never sees the concept dread dealt depressed, which he associated with a loss of con- Citation: Stone MH (2017) Dread According to Kierkegaard. Int J Psychol Psychoanal 3:018. doi. org/10.23937/2572-4037.1510018 Received: February 17, 2016: Accepted: May 18, 2017: Published: May 20, 2017 Copyright: © 2017 Stone MH. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Stone. Int J Psychol Psychoanal 2017, 3:018 • Page 1 of 8 • DOI: 10.23937/2572-4037.1510018 ISSN: 2572-4037 trol over his mind and body . Steven’s early life died November 4, 1855, in Kjøbenhavn (Copenhagen), was punctuated by pervasive feelings of loneliness or Merchant’s Harbor, Denmark at age 42. Kierkegaard and emotional isolation, his dread of feeling and has earned renown as an existentialist. Friedman [9]) depressive affects. considered him “The real founder of the philosophy of existence by his emphasis upon the existential subject”. The authors go on to describe the devastating effects that Steven’s dread produces. Their continuing use of A religious existentialist is how other philosophers “dread” seems clearly appropriate to describe how per- classify him along with such writers as Buber, Rosenz- vasive Steven’s condition had become, and showing weig, Berdyaev, Marcel, and Tillich. His use of religious how dread dominated his psyche. terms and emphasis upon a critique of Christianity turns some people away from considering what he has to say. For Kierkegaard, dread is first manifest as an antic- Kierkegaard ironically deemed himself a missionary to ipatory state. Dread in this sense impairs not just the Christians. recollection of past matters as does fear; dread pro- duces a sense of being overwhelmed together with an Always an excellent student, Kierkegaard earned ominous foreboding that entangles the individual thus special recognition for his studies in History, Latin, preventing progress in any activity. Such dread is over- Greek, and Hebrew. He was a student of philosophy and whelming. It appears somewhat similar to agoraphobia religion in Berlin before submitting his dissertation On when, for example, a person suddenly becomes over- the concept of irony with particular reference to Soc- whelmed upon entering a “big-box” store; accosted by rates in 1841 [10] to the University of Copenhagen. Ki- the blinding lights and bedazzled by all the seemingly erkegaard’s own classification of writings designated his endless possibilities. early works to be aesthetic/philosophical culminating in Concluding Unscientific Postscript [11]. His religious Fear, by contrast, usually concerns some object, cir- writings followed this major publication.The Concept of cumstance, or creature. These fears are usually focused Dread [4] belongs to the earlier philosophical category. and situational. We might fear snakes, but absent from our immediate environment, such fear is minimized. Kierkegaard reported a happy childhood albeit Other fears are internal and may appear similar to strongly influenced by his father’s deep mournfulness dread. Stone [7] found people’s reported fears to be and religiosity. Kierkegaard’s own disposition to melan- either situational, based on specific external fears, or choly was attributed to his father whom he described as internalized ones. Absent a height producing a scaring “the most melancholy man I have known”. Kierkegaard feeling, there remains only the remembrance of a fear writes [12], of heights. By contrast, fearing embarrassed by the an- In the two ages of immediacy (childhood and ticipation of some public performance shows this form youth), with the dexterity reflection always pos- of fear to be more in line with dread. It might be con- sesses, I helped myself out, as I was compelled cluded that probably all fear emanates from within. to do, with some sort of counterfeit, and not be- Nevertheless, dread remains the best word to convey ing quite sure of myself and the talents bestowed and distinguish Kierkegaard’s Danish word “angst” used upon me, I suffered the pain of not being like the to connote an ominous forebodingness distinguishable others - which naturally at that period I would have from anxiety and fear. given everything to be able to be, if only for a short Kierkegaard in his Journal [8] writes, time. Dread is a desire for what one dreads, a sympa- Kierkegaard was lanky and ungainly in his move- thetic antipathy. Dread is an alien power, which ments suffering the torments of his schoolmates. His lays hold of an individual, and yet one cannot fear quick wit and intelligence served as an antidote to this oneself away, nor has a will to do so; for one fears cruelty, and his verbal retorts became a longstanding what one fears one desires. Dread then makes the hallmark of his behavior. With trades people he was individual impotent. kind and conversant. By contrast, his verbal retorts to critics were well-known. Kierkegaard met numerous This potent statement is typical for Kierkegaard. He times for long conversations with the Danish King who sometimes uses the same two words in opposition, apparently enjoyed these talks and desired even more comparing and contrasting his ideas and feelings in stark conversations. contrast to one another, and often expressing these words in ways that catch our attention. Understanding By 1834, Kierkegaard’s father had lost his wife and Kierkegaard requires more thought than first garnered three children to early deaths; only Peter the eldest (29) from an initial reading. His troubled syntax was noted by and Søren (21) the youngest were still living at this time. all his translators, and it perplexes us as well. Peter destined to enter the clergy regarded his young- Søren kierkegaard er brother Søren as the prodigal son. They were never close. From his twenties onward Kierkegaard alternated Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was born May 5, 1813, and between maniacal exaltation and depression, exhibiting Stone. Int J Psychol Psychoanal 2017, 3:018 • Page 2 of 8 • DOI: 10.23937/2572-4037.1510018 ISSN: 2572-4037 what we might diagnose today as a bipolar condition.