Ego-Tucking: Exploring the Psychological Mechanisms of the "Fo-xi" Phenomenon Among University Students

Primary outcomes

1. Psychological Reorientation from Competitive Frustration (PRCF)

   Time frame: Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

   The Psychological Reorientation from Competitive Frustration (PRCF) scale is a psychometric instrument designed to quantify a specific multidimensional psychological response to chronic competitive stress and systemic effort-reward imbalances. Grounded in the contemporary socio-cultural phenomena of "lying flat" (tang-ping) and "involution" (neijuan), the scale operationalizes the theoretical construct of "Ego-Tucking"-a proactive psychological defense mechanism characterized by the strategic contraction of the social ego to preserve cognitive and emotional resources. Unlike passive amotivation or clinical depression, the PRCF assesses a deliberate reorientation where individuals withdraw from mainstream social evaluation tracks (e.g., academic rankings, professional hierarchy, and upward mobility) to mitigate internal anxiety and psychological exhaustion resulting from failed personal investments in significant competitions. Total Score Range: 15-75.

2. Socio-familial Cushioning and Expectations (SCE)

   Time frame: Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

   The Socio-familial Cushioning and Expectations (SCE) scale is a psychometric instrument designed to evaluate the dual-faceted role of the family unit as both a material safety net and a psychological stressor within hyper-competitive environments. This measure operationalizes the tension between material cushioning-the family's capacity to sustain living expenses and provide alternative career pathways -and performance-contingent expectations, where parental appraisal is tied to institutional prestige rather than personal character. The scale captures a critical intergenerational "perception gap," where parents, influenced by the "era dividends" of their own history, dismiss contemporary competitive pressures as "fragility". This lack of empathy often forces individuals to adopt a posture of proactive withdrawal from familial dialogue to mitigate anxiety and avoid acute conflict. Total Score Range: 12-70.

3. Socio-Structural Pressure and Evaluative Singularity (SSPES)

   Time frame: Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

   The Socio-Structural Pressure and Evaluative Singularity (SSPES) scale is a psychometric instrument designed to quantify the perceived impact of rigid social hierarchies and monolithic success metrics on individual psychological well-being. This measure operationalizes the concept of "evaluative singularity," where success is increasingly reduced to narrow indicators like institutional stability (bian-zhi) or high income, rendering alternative domains of achievement socially invisible. The scale assesses three core dimensions: occupational stigma, educational disillusionment, and defensive detachment. Total Score Range: 12-70.

4. Defensive Boundary Contraction (DBC)

   Time frame: Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

   The Defensive Boundary Contraction (DBC) scale is a psychometric instrument designed to measure the behavioral and spatial dimensions of "Ego-Tucking" as a self-regulatory strategy. This construct operationalizes the process by which individuals strategically reduce their social and physical spheres to mitigate the psychological exhaustion associated with hyper-competitive environments. The scale evaluates three primary adaptive behaviors: social minimalism, sensory insulation, and spatial confinement. First, it quantifies the reduction of non-essential social engagements in favor of a minimal core relationship circle, which serves to preserve depleted cognitive and emotional resources. Second, it assesses the use of "sensory shields"-such as headphones, bed curtains, or digital immersion-to achieve psychological detachment and tranquility amidst perceived environmental turbulence. Total Score Range: 3-15.

5. Internal Psychological Retrenchment(IPR)

   Time frame: Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

   The Internal Psychological Retrenchment (IPR) scale is a psychometric instrument designed to quantify the cognitive and emotional dimensions of strategic disengagement in response to chronic competitive stress. This construct operationalizes a self-regulatory process where individuals deliberately regulate their emotional investment in academic or professional pursuits to mitigate the psychological trauma of potential failure. The scale assesses three primary mechanisms: emotional neutrality, aspiration marginalization, and temporal shifting. Total Score Range: 9-45.

6. Micro-Domain Revitalisation and Meaning Anchoring (MRMA)

   Time frame: Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

   The Micro-Domain Revitalisation and Meaning Anchoring (MRMA) scale is a psychometric instrument designed to evaluate the constructive and restorative dimensions of "Ego-Tucking" as a proactive adaptation to systemic frustration. This construct operationalizes the process of existential re-anchoring, where individuals decouple their sense of self-worth from mainstream social hierarchies to establish autonomous, self-defined evaluation standards. The scale assesses three primary psychological mechanisms: intrinsic domain shift, ritualized daily agency, and latent motivational preservation. Total Score Range: 9-45.