How does The Concept of Anxiety examine anxiety and original sin?

In The Concept of Anxiety (1844), Søren Kierkegaard explores the psychological and existential dimensions of human existence, positioning anxiety—or dread—as a central element in his understanding of original sin.12

Rather than viewing anxiety merely as a negative state, Kierkegaard characterizes it as a "desire for what one fears." He suggests that anxiety is the fundamental condition of human freedom, representing the dizzying awareness of one's own capacity to choose. In his analysis, this state is inextricably linked to the fall of humanity; anxiety serves as the psychological mechanism through which the possibility of sin enters the world. It is the moment of hesitation before an act of choice, where the individual confronts the terrifying weight of their own potential and the responsibility that comes with it.1

By framing anxiety as the prerequisite for sin, Kierkegaard moves away from purely theological or historical interpretations, instead grounding the concept in the subjective experience of the individual as they confront their own existence and moral agency.1