As competitiveness emphasises the efficiency of time, this can contribute to making procrastination or slow pacing pathological or unethical. "Procrastination" becomes a condemned behaviour, a sign of the individual's lack of self-management (Tuckman and Sexton, 1989). It is "rational" and "normal" to "use time efficiently to produce effectiveness", whereas procrastination is "irrational It is "irrational" and "abnormal" and does not fit in with the idea of individual responsibility for oneself in neoliberal globalisation. Even on holiday, modern man does not spend his time doing nothing, every second is still filled with things "outside work" (such as planned leisure). The endless development of capitalism has led to an unending quest for individual success and people are subjected to the stress and anxiety of constant competition.
Furthermore, Martin (2007) argues that the transformation of economic and social structures can lead to the emergence of certain mental illnesses more than ever before. In the context of neoliberal globalisation, the intensification of ruthless competition has encouraged a 'mania' that can increase productive efficiency. In other words, a competitive economy requires high production morale, high labour intensity and efficiency, all of which require strong emotions of "agitation", which inevitably sink to "depression" after the ups and downs of "agitation". ", i.e. the emotions hit rock bottom and the motivation to work is lacking. This analysis may be a little sketchy, but it is still enlightening (Ning, Yingbin and He, 2012: 112). Individuals who are depleted by competition and mobility, and who suffer from depression, become 'disengaged (dysfunctional) subjects' who do not want to consume, eat or go out, and who are not only withdrawn but also fearful of making a difference. In a neoliberal context of high performance requirements, the lack of productive and active competitiveness is of course seen as a serious deviation, which makes depression increasingly visible (Ning, Yingbin and He, 2012: 111). With China following the path of East Asian developmental countries in catching up after reform and opening up, coupled with its own large population, competition is exceptionally fierce and efficiency is constantly emphasised. This undoubtedly increases the pressure on people and creates emotional problems.
Despite the different lines of development of individualisation in China and the West, overall, individualisation is already a global trend. On the one hand, neoliberal globalisation requires individuals to be "competitive", "adventurous", "flexible" and "mobile". "On the other hand, the flexible system of accumulation under the influence of neoliberal globalisation has led to an increasing diversity of goods and encouraged consumption, while the emergence of new technologies (e.g. the internet, mobile phones) has led to significant leaps in the production of desire, reinforcing the individualisation of modern society. All these factors have, to some extent, shaped the picture of contemporary society: on the one hand, the general individuation of society and the transformation of the self into a reflective enterprise (everyone is encouraged to realise themselves); on the other hand, the competitive pressure on individuals to transform themselves dramatically. Thus, when neoliberal globalisation operates in tandem with the narcissistic cultural potential of society, once the self is planned too intentionally, in case of failure, the individual is in extreme denial of the self that he or she loved in the past, just like losing a lover, losing a sense of meaning, generating self-mourning and suffering from depression (Ning Yingbin and He Chunlad, 2012). Thus, neoliberalism has led to a dual change in the external environment and individuation, with increasing conflict at the psychological level of the individual, which provides a possible explanation for the creation of depression.
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