" Kierkegaard described several levels of despair. The lowest, and most common, stems from ignorance: a person has the wrong idea about what "self" is, and is unaware of the existance or nature of his potential self. Such ignorance is close to bliss, and so inconsequential that Kierkegaard was not sure it could be counted as despair. Real desperation arises, he suggested, with growing self-awareness, and the deeper levels of despair stem from an acute consciousness of the self, coupled with a profound dislike of it. "

― , The Psychology Book, The Sociology Book 2 Books Collection Set - Big Ideas Simply Explained