Angst

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Angst is a German word for fear or anxiety. It is used in English to describe a more intense feeling of internal emotional strife. A different but related meaning is attributed to Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). Kierkegaard used 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.

Angst, in contemporary connotative use, most often describes the intense frustration and other related emotions of teenagers and the mood of the music with which they identify. Punk rock, grunge, rock and roll, and virtually any Alternative Rock dramatically combining elements of dischord (eg. Dischord Records), melancholy, and excitement may be said to assert angst. There is an obvious connection to this music and the various subjugation of its proponent youth or racial or sociopolitical minority subculture. 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 the esoteric tradition of existentialism.

Angst is also the name of a supermarket chain operating in Bucharest, Romania. For more information, see Angst (supermarket).

Angst is also an album by KMFDM. For more information, see Angst (album) (It is also an album by Lacrimosa) de:Angst nl:Faalangst