The Formation Mechanism of Involution in Chinese Family Education from the Perspective of Comparison Psychology and Its Negative Impacts on Children’s Social Relationship Development

Abstract

The involution phenomenon in the field of family education in contemporary China has become a widely discussed educational and social issue. It is characterized by low-level homogeneous competition, irrational investment in educational resources, and the widespread prevalence of parental educational anxiety. This study takes parental comparison psychology as the core entry point, employing literature research and logical analysis methods, and drawing on relevant theories such as social comparison theory, positive psychology, and developmental psychology. It analyzes the formation mechanism by which comparison psychology drives the involution of family education and explores the multiple adverse effects of the resulting over-parenting behaviors on the establishment and development of children’s subsequent social relationships. The study finds that parental comparison psychology is the core psychological driver of involution in family education. It is jointly propelled by multiple factors at the social-cultural, family structural, individual cognitive, and school behavioral levels. The high-expectation, high-investment, and high-anxiety parenting model it triggers hinders the healthy development of children’s social relationships in terms of self-cognition, social skills, and mental health. Based on these findings, this study proposes preliminary coping strategies from the three levels of society, family, and school, aiming to provide theoretical references and practical insights for alleviating parental comparison psychology, breaking the involution of family education, and promoting children’s social development.