From “Involution” to “Lying Flat”: An Analysis of the Causes and Countermeasures of College Students’ Occupational Anxiety from the Perspective of Marx’s Concept of Labor

在当代社会竞争日益激烈的背景下，大学生职业焦虑现象从“内卷”到“躺平”的转变，折射出青年群体面对职业发展时的矛盾心态。基于马克思劳动观的理论视角，本文探讨了大学生职业焦虑的具体表现、成因及缓解对策。研究发现，大学生职业焦虑主要表现为学业竞争中的过度内耗、就业抉择时的迷茫困惑以及职业发展预期中的不安心理，其根源在于社会层面的竞争压力与就业环境制约、教育层面的职业指导体系缺失以及个体层面的职业认知与心理调适能力不足。对此，本文提出应从社会、教育及个体三个维度协同施策：社会层面需优化就业环境与劳动价值导向，教育层面应完善职业教育与生涯规划指导体系，个体层面则需增强职业规划能力与心理调适素养。通过多维度联动，帮助大学生树立科学的劳动价值观，缓解职业焦虑，实现更高质量的就业与发展。In the context of increasingly fierce competition in contemporary society, the transformation of college students’ career anxiety from “involution” to “lying flat” reflects the ambivalence of young people in the face of career development. Based on the theoretical perspective of Marx’s concept of labor, this paper discusses the specific manifestations, causes and alleviation strategies of college students’ occupational anxiety. The results show that the occupational anxiety of college students is mainly manifested in excessive internal friction in academic competition, confusion and confusion in employment decision-making, and uneasiness in career development expectations, which is rooted in the competitive pressure and employment environment constraints at the social level, the lack of career guidance system at the education level, and the lack of career cognition and psychological adjustment ability at the individual level. In this regard, this paper proposes that policies should be implemented from three dimensions: social, educational, and individual: the employment environment and labor value orientation should be optimized at the social level, the vocational education and career planning guidance system should be improved at the education level, and the career planning ability and psychological adjustment literacy should be enhanced at the individual level. Through multi-dimensional linkage, it helps college students establish scientific labor values, alleviate occupational anxiety, and achieve higher-quality employment and development.