Definition of Unsettlement
The lack of orientation causes unsettlement. It drives us to look beyond all the footholds that we have so far relied on for further footholds. Since orientation constantly copes with irritating and therefore unsettling surprises, its basic mood is unsettlement. If unsettlement increases, it can grow into anxiety, despair, and depression. But if orientation succeeds, one feels reassured, calmed down, and at ease; regularity and familiarity ensue.
Orientation permanently oscillates between these two poles of unsettlement and reassurance (chap. 3.2). Even though successful decisions might suspend the unsettlement, it is only for a limited time (chap. 6.3). Other people with their different orientations, especially in face-to-face situations, can unsettle or reassure one more than anything else (chap. 10.1).
Note:
The chapters and the page numbers refer to the book by Werner Stegmaier, What is Orientation? A Philosophical Investigation, translated by Reinhard G. Mueller (Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2019).
29-32, 38, 60, 83-84, 111-114, 122, 163-164, 189, 199, 236, 250, 279
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