A study on the social psychological mechanism and intergenerational differences of the "lying flat" phenomenon

Abstract

This study takes the phenomenon of "lying flat" as the starting point to explore its social psychological mechanism and intergenerational differences. The study found that "lying flat" is not only a passive compromise of young people to high housing prices, involutionary employment and intergenerational value conflicts, but also a symbolic resistance to structural oppression. In terms of behavioral representation, young people achieve psychological adjustment through career downgrades, low-consumption life and online self-mockery, but in reality they still participate in "invisible involution", forming a contradictory survival state. In terms of intergenerational differences, the "struggle ethics" of the post-60s/70s and the "self-realization" needs of the Z generation are in significant conflict. The resource transfer of parents aggravates class anxiety, while educational involution strengthens the opposition between instrumental rationality and innovative literacy. The social impact is dualistic: it relieves anxiety in the short term and promotes institutional reflection, but in the long term it may lead to human capital mismatch and weakening of social mobility. Based on the three-dimensional linkage of institutions, culture and individuals, a strategic framework for building a "struggle-friendly" society is proposed. The study emphasizes the need to transcend moral criticism and achieve a balance between social vitality and individual well-being through structural reform and cultural tolerance.