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

The objective of this cross-sectional study is to explore the multi-dimensional factors influencing the shift toward "Ego-Tucking" (Fo-xi) mindsets among the contemporary student population. By utilizing a comprehensive structured questionnaire, the research aims to quantify how individual experiences, family dynamics, and macro-social environments contribute to behavioral changes and psychological defense mechanisms in the face of intense academic and professional competition.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Self-Perception; Mental Fatigue; Psychological Stress; Healthy University Students
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: No Interventions

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 713

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Hubei
    • Wuhan, Hubei, China, 430074
      • Wuhan Technical University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of university students and recent graduates navigating a high-pressure transition from higher education to a precarious labor market. This cohort is characterized by significant personal investment in academic and professional competition, often accompanied by a history of frustration where outcomes failed to meet expectations.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Currently enrolled undergraduate or postgraduate students, or recent graduates within the last two years.

Adults aged 18 to 30 years. Individuals who have participated in competitive academic or professional processes, such as entrance exams, internships, or job seeking.

Participants must be familiar with contemporary social concepts like "involution" (neijuan), "lying flat" (tang-ping), and "institutional stability" (bian-zhi).

Exclusion Criteria:

Individuals with diagnosed severe mental health disorders that might prevent distinguishing between strategic withdrawal and pathological symptoms.

Those who have not experienced the specific socio-structural pressures or "evaluative singularity" common in the current competitive environment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychological Reorientation from Competitive Frustration (PRCF)	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.	Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.
Socio-familial Cushioning and Expectations (SCE)	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.	Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.
Socio-Structural Pressure and Evaluative Singularity (SSPES)	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.	Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.
Defensive Boundary Contraction (DBC)	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.	Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.
Internal Psychological Retrenchment(IPR)	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.	Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.
Micro-Domain Revitalisation and Meaning Anchoring (MRMA)	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.	Baseline assessment upon enrollment (Day 0); all data points are collected during a single session via an online survey.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lincoln University College
• Investigators: Study Director: Sheng Yan, Wuhan Technical University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 8, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): April 8, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 9, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Fatigue; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Mental Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: WTU-010326

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No