Author(s)

Wei Wang ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Renji College, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China

Corresponding Author

Wei Wang

ABSTRACT

Under the background of individualization of contemporary society and deep integration of digital technology, "stealth behavior," as a new social mentality and behavior paradigm of young people, is spreading widely in the field of university campuses. The purpose of this study is to transcend the moral judgment of its appearance, to construct a three-dimensional analysis framework of "micro-medium-macro," and to systematically deconstruct the "stealth" behavior of college students. It is found that the self-identity crisis, the internalization of achievement anxiety and the activation of psychological defense mechanism form the core internal drive at the microcosmic individual level. In the mesoscopic environment, the algorithmic logic of digital platforms and the effect of "information cocoon" superpose the constraint of campus competitive evaluation system, and form the concrete pattern of the behavior. At the macro-social level, the social competition pattern, the cultural orientation of the performance-based meritocracy and the structural pressure brought by the accelerated change of society constitute the deep soil of its breeding. It is further dialectically pointed out that, as a strategic adaptation, "stealth" provides psychological protection for individuals in the short term, while it also entails the long-term risks of alienating interpersonal relationships, intensifying internal consumption and solidifying "information cocoons." In view of the above-mentioned causes and risks, this study proposes a set of systematic adjustment pathways to guide college students to construct positive and healthy social mentality from three dimensions of individual psychological empowerment, educational environment optimization and social support system.

KEYWORDS

"Stealth behavior"; College students; Youth social mentality

CITE THIS PAPER

Wei Wang, Study on the Psychological Motivation and Systematic Adjustment Path of College Students' Stealth Behavior. Applied & Educational Psychology (2025) Vol. 6: 28-35. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2025.060404.

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