The five kleshas (afflictions)—ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and fear of death—are the root causes of anxiety.
Patanjali identifies five kleshas (afflictions or obstacles) as the fundamental sources of psychological suffering, including anxiety: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). These kleshas form the psychological architecture underlying anxiety. Ignorance manifests as misperception and catastrophic thinking; ego creates fear of failure or judgment; attachment and aversion generate perpetual striving and resistance; fear of death underlies existential anxiety. Modern psychology recognizes these same patterns: cognitive distortions (avidya), perfectionism and shame (asmita), conditional self-worth (raga/dvesha), and existential dread (abhinivesha). Understanding the kleshas provides a comprehensive diagnostic framework for anxiety. Rather than treating anxiety as a single problem, this teaches that anxiety often involves multiple layers—some rooted in thought patterns, others in identity protection, others in avoidance, others in existential concerns. For treatment, identifying which kleshas drive a particular person's anxiety enables targeted intervention. This ancient framework offers precision: different anxiety presentations require different approaches.
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