Sartre Theory Of Anguish

All of a sudden, one cannot take another step forward and in that moment the person is stuck, experiencing vertigo. People say that they are afraid of different things, but is fear the definition or is anguish? Others may break a resolution to quit their addiction. The reason for breaking their resolution depends on who explains it. Sartre argues people experience vertigo, addictions and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) because of anguish. In contrast to Sartre’s view, I will argue anguish is not the cause for vertigo, addictions and PTSD. Instead, by using the experience of people who suffer from the above mentioned conditions and the research of medical professionals, I will make the assertion that the complexity of these experiences …show more content…
When given freedom, a person knows that they have the ability to do something even if the action is wrong. Sartre writes “anguish is distinguished from fear in that fear is fear of beings in the world whereas anguish is anguish before myself” (Sartre, 65). According to Sartre, when people experience anguish, they are not afraid of discrete objects or other living species, they are contradicting themselves and experiencing conflicts within. Sartre believes anguish is the consciousness of “being [one’s] own future, in the mode of not-being” (Sartre, 68). When someone is experiencing anguish, he argues that one goes against one’s self in an attempt to decide if one should become his/her future self. In anguish he believes one is afraid of one’s self and what one can do and be. This then causes a conflict debating which part of one’s self is …show more content…
When someone just stops in his/her place on top of a high ledge, the person is experiencing vertigo. Sartre writes “vertigo is anguish to the extent I am afraid not of falling over the precipice, but throwing myself over” (Sartre, 65). He believes the distrust that the person has in his/her self and the way in which they will react in the situation described above provokes anguish. One probably does not want to throw themself over the precipice and commit suicide, but the person knows it is possible. According to Sartre, vertigo is the acknowledgement of knowing that who the person is now, depends on the person he/she will be in the future. This acknowledgement creates anguish and in one’s consciousness, the person realizes that suicide will cease the anguish (Sartre, 69). Sartre argues the suicide comes off as a motive to end the anguish, but luckily it is not strong enough to override the other amazing possibilities and motives in one’s life. As a result, the person decides to not jump off the cliff. People sometimes remove the anguish by removing themselves from the situation, and therefore never walk along the precipice. Sartre believes that people can overcome the anguish and continue their journey along the precipice if they overcome the thought of throwing themselves off and decide that it is not an option (Sartre 69). Here Sartre