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Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ)

Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ) Test

Understand how strongly you experience anxiety around meaning, mortality, and choice in about 3 minutes. This 13 item tool gives clear results to guide focus in counseling and track change over time.

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Questions: 133 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

16,925 views

1,223 completions

973 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

1/4

Guilt and Fear of Judgment (GaFoJ)

Measures anxiety linked to feelings of guilt and fear of being judged that can challenge a person’s sense of moral self-worth.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 1: Low | 2 – 3: Moderate | 4: High

A score of 1 suggests low anxiety around guilt and judgment, indicating these concerns are present but not strongly distressing or central right now.

example score

2/4

Emptiness and Lack of Meaning (EaLoM)

Measures anxiety associated with feeling empty and perceiving life as lacking meaning.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 1: Low | 2 – 3: Moderate | 4: High

A score of 2 indicates a moderate level of anxiety related to emptiness and reduced sense of meaning, suggesting some internal tension in this area.

example score

2/5

Fate and Death (FaD)

Measures anxiety related to fate and the inevitability of death and how strongly these themes challenge one’s sense of existence.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 1: Low | 2 – 3: Moderate | 4 – 5: High

A score of 2 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not overwhelming level of concern about mortality and finiteness.

example score

5/13

Existential Anxiety (EA)

This scale measures the overall intensity of anxiety related to existential themes such as meaning, mortality, freedom of choice, and guilt.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 9: Moderate | 10 – 13: High

A score of 5 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not overwhelming level of existential worry or tension around fundamental life questions.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People in life transitions

41%OF USERS

They are facing big changes (loss, breakup, moving, career shift) and want to understand why fears about meaning, choice, or mortality feel stronger lately.

Clients with vague anxiety

34%OF USERS

They feel persistent tension or emptiness without a clear trigger and use the questionnaire to see whether existential themes are driving their distress.

Therapy-focused self-explorers

25%OF USERS

They like structured reflection and take the test to clarify personal values, responsibility, and inner conflicts and to track changes over time.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Guilt and Judgment (GaJ)

Average

Normal range

1.4 — 2.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Emptiness and the Absence of Meaning (EatAoM)

Average

Normal range

2.3 — 3.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Fate and Death (FaD)

Average

1.6

Normal range

0.9 — 2.3

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Existential anxiety (Ea)

Average

8.5

Normal range

6.2 — 10.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It screens for anxiety related to fundamental life concerns such as mortality, meaning, freedom, and responsibility. It reflects how strongly these themes are experienced as distressing.

How is it completed?

Read each of the 13 items and select the response that best matches current experience. Completion typically takes about three minutes.

What types of topics do the items cover?

Items address fear of death, fear of the unknown, feelings of emptiness, and responsibility for one’s choices. The content focuses on existential themes rather than everyday situational stressors.

How should the results be interpreted?

Scores indicate the relative level of existentially focused anxiety and help identify areas of inner tension. Results should be interpreted alongside clinical context and other assessment information.

Can it be used to monitor change over time?

Yes, it can be repeated to track changes during counseling or therapy. Use consistent timing and similar conditions when comparing scores.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

existential psychology attitude toward death uneasiness

This self-report measure assesses distress and concern related to core existential themes. The Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ) is intended to help clinicians and researchers quantify the intensity of anxiety associated with meaning, mortality, freedom, and responsibility. It was developed by Weems, C.

The instrument consists of 13 items and typically requires about 3 minutes to complete. Items sample common domains of existential anxiety (e.g., death-related concerns, uncertainty, emptiness, and responsibility for choices), supporting a brief screening of these experiences in clinical or counseling contexts.

Scores from the Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ) may be used to inform case conceptualization and to monitor change over time, alongside clinical interview and other assessment data. As with other brief self-report tools, results should be interpreted in context and are not a standalone diagnostic indicator.

Author: Weems, C.

Literature: Weems, C. F., Costa, N. M., Dehon, C., & Berman, S. L. Paul Tillich’s theory of existential anxiety: A preliminary conceptual and empirical analysis. Anxiety, Stress & Coping. 2004.

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