What the heck is "angst"?

[Realitycrash]

Angst is an english word dervied from Ångest. It differs from anger or sadness mostly in the fact that it has to do with regret or a feeling of social isolation and loneliness.

See, I thought it was a loan word from German (separate from 'Furcht' in definition as 'Furcht' would denote a specific fear of something perhaps at hand, while 'Angst' is more a fear of the intangible) that was entirely unnecessary since in English there is both 'anxiety' and 'anguish', both of which have the same etymology.

TL;DR version: Angst is feelings of regret, social isolation, loneliness and the self-loathing that comes with such feelings. However, angst is rather blurred out due to overuse.

I wouldn't say 'overuse' per se, just 'misuse' (though linguistic purists may go so far as to say 'abuse') since the 'modern' usage of 'angst' is to describe the 'traditional' definition of angst taken to its logical extreme. Just another demonstration of lingual corruption. Hence why it went from describing those who thought or worried excessively to those who brood or have the semblance of brooding to those who rage at the world (legitimately) and finally to those who merely whine. *shrug*

I'd take you up on the philosophy, but I shy away from anything that isn't metaphysics... >_>

I wouldn't put "worrying excessively" under "angst", though the reason one DOES worry might cause angst, since it often have root-causes in social-stigmata, loneliness or regret.
"Misuse" might be a more proper term, yes.
When it comes to "angsty teens", as a derogatory term, the fact is that most teens DO suffer from angst, and it is the PROPER term to use, since teenagers often suffer from social isolation, loneliness, regret, spiritual and existential confusion. This is one of the reasons that "angst" get a negative connotation with the view of "whiny bitches", as another poster put it.
Let me put it this way: Teenagers have angst, and teenagers are often "whiny bitches", but having angst does not mean you are a "whiny *****". Teenagers lack the experience and perspective of life, making them whiny. When one gains perspective and a sense of self, angst usually disappears (i.e when becoming older).
When one loses it, due to a life-chrisis, things can get really, really ugly.

 

[Gatx]

When people talk about angst they mean either somewhat legitimate problems but with excessive whining or worse yet. The term "fuck my life" comes to mind as something that gets overused. You have three 5 page papers due next week? Well, aren't you just the most unfortunate person on the entire planet.

Final Fantasy 13 and/or any anime ever.

I hate it when people generalize this about anime. There is no angst to be found here whatsoever:

Spoiler

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In fact the number of animes that feature typical whiny teenage angst are fairly low compared to just about everything else.

 

[Joseph Harrison]

As someone who is currently in high school I'd say I've seen my fair share of angst although I probably couldn't give you a precise definition I guess I could give you some examples. It's something, usually found in teens were we just whine about nothing. For example, I go to a predominately rich white kid school and EVERYONE whines and complains about how "terrible" their lives are. Whether its that they didn't get an iPhone or they didn't get the type of iPhone they wanted. Or the people (I've really only noticed this in girls but I'm sure there are boys who do this as well) who whine about how life is misery and their is no such thing as love or happiness even though their is nothing wrong with their lives. Angst is just being angry and miserable for no reason, usually just to get attention.
Hopefully that clears up any questions you have, if not then I'm sorry :/

 

[SckizoBoy]

I wouldn't put "worrying excessively" under "angst", though the reason one DOES worry might cause angst, since it often have root-causes in social-stigmata, loneliness or regret.
"Misuse" might be a more proper term, yes.
When it comes to "angsty teens", as a derogatory term, the fact is that most teens DO suffer from angst, and it is the PROPER term to use, since teenagers often suffer from social isolation, loneliness, regret, spiritual and existential confusion. This is one of the reasons that "angst" get a negative connotation with the view of "whiny bitches", as another poster put it.
Let me put it this way: Teenagers have angst, and teenagers are often "whiny bitches", but having angst does not mean you are a "whiny *****". Teenagers lack the experience and perspective of life, making them whiny. When one gains perspective and a sense of self, angst usually disappears (i.e when becoming older).
When one loses it, due to a life-chrisis, things can get really, really ugly.

A fair point, and it's given me pause for thought...

It's one of those 'first-world problems' (but I don't mean that derisively). There is an unfortunate... burden of expectation shall we say that is often a cause of angst, both from those around the individual and the individual him/herself. Knowledge of the remainder of the world was what came to mind (and one wonders at when 'teenaged angst' became an ascribable phenomenon since surely as recently as the late-nineteenth century, the average teenager's world was the town he/she grew up in and the rest of the world seems rather fanciful rather than a reality that one is effectively obliged by society and convention to be savvy about) and the inability to identify either a role or location along with the expectation of what will become of the self within it can be, perhaps, overwhelming. Rather ironically (with respect to this thread at least)... it comes down to definition.

Can an existentialist philosopher expand upon this for me? I'm a tad out of my depth here... >_>

 

[Realitycrash]

I wouldn't put "worrying excessively" under "angst", though the reason one DOES worry might cause angst, since it often have root-causes in social-stigmata, loneliness or regret.
"Misuse" might be a more proper term, yes.
When it comes to "angsty teens", as a derogatory term, the fact is that most teens DO suffer from angst, and it is the PROPER term to use, since teenagers often suffer from social isolation, loneliness, regret, spiritual and existential confusion. This is one of the reasons that "angst" get a negative connotation with the view of "whiny bitches", as another poster put it.
Let me put it this way: Teenagers have angst, and teenagers are often "whiny bitches", but having angst does not mean you are a "whiny *****". Teenagers lack the experience and perspective of life, making them whiny. When one gains perspective and a sense of self, angst usually disappears (i.e when becoming older).
When one loses it, due to a life-chrisis, things can get really, really ugly.

A fair point, and it's given me pause for thought...

It's one of those 'first-world problems' (but I don't mean that derisively). There is an unfortunate... burden of expectation shall we say that is often a cause of angst, both from those around the individual and the individual him/herself. Knowledge of the remainder of the world was what came to mind (and one wonders at when 'teenaged angst' became an ascribable phenomenon since surely as recently as the late-nineteenth century, the average teenager's world was the town he/she grew up in and the rest of the world seems rather fanciful rather than a reality that one is effectively obliged by society and convention to be savvy about) and the inability to identify either a role or location along with the expectation of what will become of the self within it can be, perhaps, overwhelming. Rather ironically (with respect to this thread at least)... it comes down to definition.

Can an existentialist philosopher expand upon this for me? I'm a tad out of my depth here... >_>

Teenage Angst is "older than they think", and the first "Emo" was actually Werther (I mentioned him before, the character created by Wolfgang von Goethe). He had fashionable yet "outrageous" clothing (he wore a red scarf around his neck when fashion dictated white, and he had two buttons on his shirt unbuttoned. TWO BUTTONS!), was overly melodramatic, wrote bad poetry that he dedicated to a chosen loved-one that was out of his reach (He, on purpose one might say, loved a woman that was engaged), felt "weltschmerts" ("Worldpain", he felt the worlds suffering and it brought him down), and in the end shot himself. The book was the what we would call a "teen-drama" today. It caused Werther's fashion to caught on with the youths of Europe, and even a series of similary-motivated suicides.
I'm not shitting you.

The burded on expectation is something that is very "western" in some ways, yes, and a cause for angst. A common one, a view that Kirkegaard agreed with, was that the Western man had lost his purpose and his communion with God. When we became "free", we sort of lost our point in existance. We can be whatever we wish for, but few of us knoww hat exactly we wish for, and we are lost, wandering without a purpose.
On the contrary, in the eastern world, those that live in a non-secular society don't have this problem in the same extent. The world is set in stone, the law of God is given, and one knows his purpose with life.
This has a different set of problems with it, but as long as one has that faith in God, existential-angst will most likely not be one of them.

 

[megarik]

angst is the Dutch word for fear but from looking through the front page of the topic it is ment as a English word that refers to hating everything without any particular reason.

 

[Jegsimmons]

Angst is basically the little bitches term for 'stress, depression, and anxiety'.

also see: 'mellow-dramatic', 'whiner', and 'Stop being such as piss ant and deal with life like a man, you fucking wuss.'

Because saying that to a depressed person makes you such a better human being, doesn't it?

Angst is, in my definition, sadness and anxiety coming from social causes. At least, I usually see it used in reference to social problems. It's the sort of constant low-to-medium-level stress and negative emotion that comes with turmoil in one's social life.

did i say it was the general term for depressed? No.
i said it was the little bitches terms for depressed. as it, spoiled middle class high schoolers who think they're edgy.

 

[Jegsimmons]

Angst is basically the little bitches term for 'stress, depression, and anxiety'.

also see: 'mellow-dramatic', 'whiner', and 'Stop being such as piss ant and deal with life like a man, you fucking wuss.'

As much as I wish I could tell every whiner in the world to "man-up or kill yourself", this doesn't solve the problem, because it isn't always that easy.
Also note that people can be socially functional and still suffer from angst.

so they arent little bitches are they? they just have anxiety or depression.
i was referring to the whiny high schoolers with no real problems.

 

[Realitycrash]

Angst is basically the little bitches term for 'stress, depression, and anxiety'.

also see: 'mellow-dramatic', 'whiner', and 'Stop being such as piss ant and deal with life like a man, you fucking wuss.'

As much as I wish I could tell every whiner in the world to "man-up or kill yourself", this doesn't solve the problem, because it isn't always that easy.
Also note that people can be socially functional and still suffer from angst.

so they arent little bitches are they? they just have anxiety or depression.
i was referring to the whiny high schoolers with no real problems.

Eh, they have problems. The magnitude of the problems differ, and compared to "the children in Africa", they are laughable, but they are still problems, and deserve to be treated as such.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

When I hear people complain about and hate so called "angsty teenagers", I'm reminded of what all the bulllied kids go through and how many suicides and school shootings there have been. And I'm supposed to be siding against them? Imagine if you were a gay teenager in a homophobic school and had parents who were conservative Christians. Wouldn't you feel a little bit apprehensive and worried when faced with society and reality?

Batman's angsty. But no one complains about Batman. Why? Cause Batman actually tries to do something productive with his angst.

Those bullied kids just wanna whine and ***** on the internet and make suicide attempts in the name of getting attention.

 

[Thespian]

Also, any definition I've ever heard of angst, is the last thing I'd ever feel a natural antipathy towards. Heck, if I ever ran into the way some people whine about angst in real life, I'd want to slap them. And possibly even spit on their face. Because of an utter disgust at a lack of empathy towards people who deserve it.

"Emotional clogging", "fear", "anxiety", "tenseness", "stress", "inner turmoil", people are supposed to hate people who feel this way? People like that are going through a natural emotion and deserve sympathy.

When I hear people complain about and hate so called "angsty teenagers", I'm reminded of what all the bulllied kids go through and how many suicides and school shootings there have been. And I'm supposed to be siding against them? Imagine if you were a gay teenager in a homophobic school and had parents who were conservative Christians.

You're totally right in that no one should be indifferent or hateful towards genuine angst.
I believe angst is actually used when you're certain it's not really angst.

If you want a definition in terms of internet colloquialism,
"The melodramatic exaggeration of minor first-world problems that could only be experienced in a privileged lifestyle, generally associated with adolescents"
is the best I can do.

I liked your post, however. It was a valuable objective viewpoint at the word and it's usage.

 

[Quaidis]

I get angsty due to PTSD once in a while. Goes from dread and paranoia to a full blown anxiety attack. Luckily, I'm usually able to warn friends around me so they don't freak out.


There are two real reasons people don't like 'angst'.

One: The word was commonly thrown around like used toilet paper around a decade ago. It hung out next to Emo and Goth. It was the 'in' thing. So therefore today's generation gives it the 'halo' effect and, due to it being in a ton of media (and games) back then, scoff and act like it's poison.

Two: People react to outside emotions at a root level of instinct. If you're around someone with angst, and it's hardcore enough, you'd feel stressed by being in their presence. The same goes for if someone's throwing a tantrum, or sobbing on a bench, or even if someone's angry and shouting at you - you're bound to react to it emotionally as well. A good example is if you're on a plane and the person next to you is fidgeting nervously, sweating a storm, wild-eyed, and repeatedly telling you about the possibility of a plane crash. Chances are, even if you know the person, you'd also get a bit nervous or worried... Or you'd get pissed/annoyed at them for reacting that way. Your self feeds off of it and responds negatively towards negative emotions.




There are smaller reasons as well, like teenagers and brick-walled twenty-year-olds online acting like everything they do sucks, and everything sucks, and no one likes them. They are not, in fact, full of angst, but instead driving for attention. This 'crying wolf' can royally anger people as well. But I'm sure everyone else is bringing those up.



Captcha: you're welcome

 

[Something Amyss]

Pretty much. When someone does it because it's a trend or a lifestyle (seriously, depression is not a lifestyle choice) it loses any genuine meaning.

Peter Mulvey once said (in song), "the trouble with poets is they talk too much, they tell us it hurts them a little more."

And the thing is, we have had wave after wave of self-indulgent teenagers who have decided they are deep and meaningful because they hurt in a very generic, nondescript way. It comes out as "depression," and yeah, it's not a lifestyle choice, so assuming the role to look deep really cheapens things.

I'm not sure exactly when it got so ridiculous. Many of the problems are age-old, but as far as trends? It's a mystery. But I grew up with a ton of kids who had affluent families and better opportunities than me whining about how hard their lives were. It was a trend. Maybe a couple really were depressed, but how the hell could you tell when it was basically a jacket kids slipped on to fit in? The outsider, just like everyone else.

It's more or less like yuppies pretending their from the "hood," both in that it's disingenuous and it cheapens any real struggle. I've lost friends to depression. It's not pretty.

 

[The Abhorrent]

The literal translations for "angst" are "fear" and/or "anxiety" (German, and some other neighbouring dialects); other associated terms are "anguish", "despair", and maybe "self-loathing". To put it in the simplest of terms, it's pretty much a person who's being overloaded with negative emotions... and has lost all hope.

Existentialist thoughts are often part of the package, as the person is desperately trying to find a meaning for themselves; anything they can cling onto, and it's almost never something shallow like mere praise.

Has it been misused? Certainly, just about anytime it's used to seek attention or get something they want. Those cases are almost always whiny, but not all whiny cases are automatically disqualified from being angst. Sometimes the line between the two isn't very clear, but as a general rule true angst takes a while to build up and to work out of.

---

Anyhow, examples might be a bit more useful:

If someone says "I hate my life", it's (usually) just wangst [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Wangst].

If they say "I hate myself" and mean it, it's usually angst.

 

[him over there]

If you are:
Clinically depressed
being abused, tormented etc.
Grieving or mourning a passed loved one
Suffering through a traumatic event like your parents divorce
etc.

Then that isn't angst, it may fit the definition of angst but it isn't what people call angst. It's usually referred to simply as depression.

Angst the way people use it now refers to stupid teenagers that act pathetically melodramatic and claim to be depressed because they have two hours of homework and they just realized there's only going to be more where that came from so they whine and whine. Like the people who say they hate their parents because they took their cell phone away for a week over something like failing a test. It's essentially first world problems taken to an extreme and overinflated with pseudo emotional bullshit.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Angst is basically the little bitches term for 'stress, depression, and anxiety'.

also see: 'mellow-dramatic', 'whiner', and 'Stop being such as piss ant and deal with life like a man, you fucking wuss.'

This. Being overly dramatic to a relatively minor issue. Isnt the term for it memed as "A 1st world problem." 3rd world would be starvation and being killed. 1st world would be "Im only half way home and my ipod battery went dead".

 

[somonels]

I was also confused by this but angst is german for scared.