Confronting existential anxiety: the ultimate stressor

First the following terms are defined: stress, stressor, physical stressor, social stressor, psychological stressor, individual make-up, stress response, anxiety, fear, guilt, phobia, panic and existential anxiety. This is followed by an examination of existential anxiety and methods of dealing with existential anxiety both early in life and later in life. Then the following subjects are briefly considered: God, the origin of the universe, evolution of life, near-death experiences, apparitions and immortality. Finally, the results of worrying about death are examined. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.