despair and depression

[adrienmundi]

Kierkegaard on the couch

Philosophy prof Gordon Marino on the Kierkegaardian distinction between despair and depression. Personally, I'm not so sure it's a map with clearly marked borders separating the two. My own despair, as I understand it, feeds my depression, though my depression tends not to feed my despair so much; it's much more self absorbed, self contained (to the extent that anything that colors the subjective perspective of my world can be. I think the distinction, for me, is that depression is always about me in relation to my perception of the world, whereas despair seems like more about the world, without me necessarily as focus).

Comments

[firespinner93.livejournal.com]

That was a great article! I understand your point on the distinctions between depression and despair. For me, despair is about my perception of the world, and to some extent that I feel like there is no place for me in it. I am not the specific focus, but I am in there somewhere. Depression is definitely much more me-centered. I have never really thought much about the matter, but for me, I think despair feeds my depression more so than the other way around. Good things to ponder.