Journal of Social Science Innovation
JSSI, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.163-170
Print ISSN: 3134-9226; Online ISSN: 3134-9234
Journal homepage: https://www.ssijournal.com
DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/jssi260115dmess
Liu Jia, Liu Maosheng
Abstract: In the contemporary social context, terms such as “involution,” “lying flat,” “mental internal friction,” and “a sense of ease” have long transcended the realm of internet buzzwords and become precise annotations of modern existential conditions. People seem to be trapped in a collective psychological quagmire: they feel powerless when striving forward, yet are overwhelmed by anxiety when they stop. Anxious Society: The Nowhere-to-Place Modern Mind (2026), authored by Professor Wang Tianfu, emerges from this historical moment as a sociological work marked by strong realist concern and profound theoretical insight. The core contribution of the book lies in its crucial shift in perspective—it detaches “anxiety” from the realm of individual psychological distress and reanchors it as a structural symptom embedded in society. This work is not only a “social diagnostic” of emotion but also a “survival guide” that illuminates how modern individuals may achieve inner coherence amid pervasive uncertainty.
Keywords: anxious society; Wang Tianfu; meritocracy; social structure; inner coherence
Author Biographies: Liu Jia, Master’s student, Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, specializing in British and American literature. E-mail: 1764559940@qq.com. Liu Maosheng (Corresponding Author), Ph.D., Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor at the Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies; Research Interests: British and American Literature, Literary Ethical Criticism, Narratology. E-mail: 201810064@gdufs.edu.cn.
标题：解构时代情绪，探寻心灵归途——评王天夫《焦虑社会：无处安放的现代心灵》
摘要：在当下的社会语境中，“内卷”“躺平”“精神内耗”“松弛感”等词汇早已超越了网络流行语的范畴，成为描绘现代人生存状态的精准注脚。人们似乎陷入了一种集体的精神泥沼，前行时感到力不从心，停下时又伴随着巨大的恐慌。王天夫教授所著的《焦虑社会：无处安放的现代心灵》（2026），正是在这一时代背景下诞生的一部具有强烈现实关怀与深厚理论穿透力的社会学著作。本书的核心价值在于完成了一场关键的视角转换——将“焦虑”从个体心理困境中抽离，重新锚定为深植于社会结构的时代症候。这不仅是一部探讨情绪的“社会诊断书”，更是一部指引现代人如何在充满不确定性的世界中实现心灵自洽的“生存指南”。
关键词：焦虑社会；王天夫；优绩主义；社会结构；心灵自洽
作者简介：刘佳，广东外语外贸大学英语语言文化学院在读硕士生，研究方向：英美文学。电邮：1764559940@qq.com。刘茂生（通讯作者），博士，广东外语外贸大学英语语言文化学院教授，博士研究生导师，研究方向：英美文学、文学伦理学批评、叙事学。电邮：201810064@gdufs.edu.cn。
Received: 01 Apr 2026 / Revised: 19 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 24 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
