TITLE:
Psychological Shock and Value Reconstruction of Urban Residents in Early Reform and Opening-Up China
AUTHORS:
Yuanyuan Dan
KEYWORDS:
Reform and Opening-Up, Urban Residents, Psychological Shock, Value Reconstruction, Social Transformation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.13 No.12,
December
31,
2025
ABSTRACT: As the most significant turning point in contemporary Chinese history, reform and opening-up profoundly influenced the psychological state and values of urban residents. This paper focuses on the period from 1978 to 1992 to explore the psychological shock experienced by urban residents and their value reconstruction process during the dramatic social transformation in the early stage of reform and opening-up. The research finds that economic system reform shattered the stable expectations of the planned economy era, generating intense psychological conflicts and cognitive dissonance among urban residents between traditional collectivist values and emerging individual interest pursuits. This psychological shock manifested as anxiety about future uncertainty, identity crises, and confusion in moral judgment standards. On this basis, urban residents gradually completed the transformation from a single value orientation to coexisting multiple values. The legitimization of material pursuits, the awakening of individual rights consciousness, and the formation of competitive concepts became the core content of value reconstruction. This study reveals the internal mechanism of psychological adaptation and value change during social transition periods, providing a historical perspective for understanding the psychological characteristics of contemporary Chinese urban residents.