Last updated on September 27th, 2026 at 11:33 am
Two friends sit on the same bench after hard years; one keeps asking who she really is, and the other keeps asking what any of it means. Both are in crisis, but they are wrestling with two very different questions.
An identity crisis and an existential crisis can feel alike, since both bring confusion, restlessness, and a sense that something important has cracked.
The difference lies in the question underneath: one asks “Who am I?” and the other asks “Does anything I do really matter?”
The comparison below defines each one, sets them side by side, and shows where they overlap.
It then offers questions to help you tell which one you are facing and practical ways to work through each. If you are new to the topic, it helps to begin with the basics of identity first.
Table of Contents
What Is an Identity Crisis?
An identity crisis is a period of intense uncertainty about who you are, what you value, and where you belong.
Erik Erikson coined the term for a normal turning point in adolescence, and today it describes any time a major change shakes your sense of self.
Its core concern is personal, centered on your roles, values, relationships, and direction in life.
The causes, signs, and steps through it are covered in what triggers an identity crisis.
What Is an Existential Crisis?
An existential crisis is a period of deep questioning about the meaning, purpose, and value of life itself, frequently accompanied by anxiety or despair.
Psychiatrist Irvin Yalom identified four ultimate concerns that tend to drive it: death, freedom and responsibility, isolation, and meaninglessness.
Existential crises tend to follow encounters with mortality or emptiness, such as a close friend’s death, a serious diagnosis, or reaching a long-sought goal and feeling nothing.
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who survived Nazi concentration camps, argued that humans can endure almost anything if they find meaning in it.
Key Differences at a Glance
The table below captures how the two crises differ in their central question, triggers, and emotional tone.
| Identity Crisis | Existential Crisis | |
|---|---|---|
| Central question | “Who am I?” | “What is the point of life?” |
| Scope | Personal roles, values, and direction | Life, death, meaning, and freedom |
| Typical triggers | Transitions, job loss, divorce, migration | Death, serious illness, emptiness after success |
| Common feelings | Confusion, restlessness, feeling lost | Dread, despair, meaninglessness |
| Typical resolution | A clearer, self-chosen identity | A personal sense of meaning or purpose |
| Common timing | Adolescence, early adulthood, major transitions | Any age, frequently after loss or in later life |
Where the Two Overlap
The two crises can feed each other, because questions about who you are can lead to questions about why any of it matters.
Research on meaning helps explain the link, since the Meaning in Life Questionnaire developed by Michael Steger and colleagues separates having meaning from searching for it.
Feeling that your life already has meaning is linked with greater well-being and less anxiety and depression, while an intense search for meaning is linked with more rumination and distress.
Identity plays a part too, since a study of more than 9,000 young people found those with a settled identity reported the strongest sense that their lives had meaning.
In other words, a clearer sense of who you are may make it easier to feel that your life matters.
Examples Side by Side
Identity Crisis
After twenty years as a devoted mother, a woman watches her last child leave for university and wonders who she is when no one needs her daily care.
Her questions center on her roles and what comes next for her personally.
Existential Crisis
After a close friend dies suddenly at forty, a man begins asking what the point of his busy career is if life can end so abruptly. His questions reach beyond his own roles to mortality and the meaning of life itself.
When Both Happen Together
A refugee who loses home, career, and community may face both at once, asking who she is now and if life can still hold meaning after so much loss.
How to Tell Which One You Are Facing
These questions can help you sort out which crisis is at the center of your distress.
- If you are mostly asking about your roles, career, or values, the crisis leans toward identity.
- If your questions keep returning to death, freedom, loneliness, or the point of anything, the crisis leans existential.
- If a specific life change set it off, such as a move or job loss, identity is usually the core issue.
- If a brush with mortality or a sudden sense of emptiness set it off, meaning is usually the deeper question.
- If both kinds of questions feel urgent, you may be facing the two together, which can happen after major losses.
Working Through Each One
For an Identity Crisis
Separate your own values from others’ expectations, try small experiments with new roles, and commit to choices that reflect who you want to be.
Since life changes are the usual trigger, the advice on coping with big life changes offers useful groundwork.
For an Existential Crisis
Rather than seeking one grand answer, look for meaning in everyday sources such as relationships, creative work, service to others, and facing hardship with courage, the sources Frankl emphasized.
Philosophy can help too, and philosophy for everyday living and Stoic thinking on mortality both offer time-tested ways to face life’s biggest questions.
For Both
Talk with someone you trust, keep caring for your body and routines, and give yourself time, since both crises tend to ease as new commitments and meanings take root.
In my observation, people rarely think their way out of either crisis; they live their way out, one small, meaningful action at a time.
When to Seek Help
Either crisis becomes a mental health concern when it brings persistent depression, hopelessness, panic, or thoughts of self-harm, or stops you from functioning.
Therapists trained in existential or meaning-centered approaches, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, can help with both.
If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of ending your life, contact local emergency services or a crisis line immediately.
Conclusion
The two friends on the bench are both struggling, but one needs to rediscover herself while the other needs to rediscover why life matters.
An identity crisis asks “Who am I?”, while an existential crisis asks “What is the point?”, and the two can overlap after major losses.
Identity crises ease through self-chosen commitments, while existential crises ease through finding meaning in relationships, work, service, and courage.
Write down the single question that has been keeping you awake lately, and notice which of the two crises it truly belongs to.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an identity crisis and an existential crisis?
An identity crisis questions who you are and where you belong, while an existential crisis questions the meaning, purpose, and value of human life itself, beyond your roles.
What triggers an existential crisis?
Common triggers include the death of someone close, a serious personal illness, aging, sudden major loss, or reaching a long-sought goal in life and feeling unexpectedly empty afterward.
Can you have an identity crisis and an existential crisis at the same time?
Yes, especially after major losses like migration, bereavement, or divorce, when questions about who you are can quickly lead to deeper questions about meaning and your purpose.
How do you get through an existential crisis?
Look for meaning in relationships, creative work, service to others, and facing hardship with courage, draw on philosophy or faith, and seek professional support if deep despair persists.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and reflective purposes only and does not constitute mental health, psychological, or therapeutic advice. The author is not a licensed therapist or psychologist. Where content is based on personal observation or experience, this is stated clearly in the article. If you are struggling with your mental health, please consult a qualified mental health professional.
Pious Clements writes about character, conduct, and the deeper questions of how a life is lived. He is the founder of The Conducts of Life, a site built on the belief that how you behave, not what you achieve, defines who you are. His writing draws from decades of observation, lived experience, and serious thinking about human nature, ethics, and self-development. He writes to be useful, not popular.