Existential Anxiety and the Search for Meaning in Late Modernity

Abstract

Late modernity is characterized by rapid social change, technological advancement, globalization, and the erosion of traditional structures of authority, which together contribute to profound experiences of existential anxiety. This anxiety, defined as a fundamental confrontation with freedom, mortality, and meaninglessness, has been extensively theorized in existential philosophy and modern sociology. This paper explores how late modern societies exacerbate existential anxiety and how individuals navigate the search for meaning amid uncertainty and contingency. Drawing on the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, and contemporary sociologists like Zygmunt Bauman, it examines the philosophical and social dimensions of existential crisis. The paper also explores coping mechanisms including authenticity, narrative construction, ethical commitment, and spiritual engagement. By analyzing existential anxiety within late modernity, the paper elucidates the challenges and strategies through which meaning is pursued in contemporary life.