Background and objectives: Intensifying social competition has contributed to the emergence of the “lying flat” movement in China, yet little is known about the psychological mechanisms through which high-pressure work environments foster lying-flat behavior at work. Prior research has rarely applied theoretically grounded models to explain this phenomenon. This study advances understanding of lying flat by developing and testing a model informed by Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) framework. Methods: Guided by COR and JD–R theories, we proposed a model in which job resources predict lying flat indirectly via reduced personal accomplishment, with job demands moderating the resource–accomplishment relationship. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 232 primary-level psychiatrists. Hypotheses were tested using regression analyses and structural equation modeling in SPSSAU 25.0. Results: Reduced personal accomplishment mediated the effects of job resources on lying flat, partially mediating the relationship between perceived organizational support and lying flat and fully mediating the relationship between work autonomy and lying flat. Moreover, job demands attenuated the motivational effects of job resources on reduced personal accomplishment. Specifically, patient threats and violence weakened the negative associations of perceived organizational support and work autonomy with reduced personal accomplishment; role conflict weakened the effect of perceived organizational support; and workload weakened the effect of work autonomy. Conclusions and implications: This study provides a theoretically grounded account of lying flat at work by integrating COR theory with the JD–R framework. The findings highlight reduced personal accomplishment as a key psychological mechanism linking job resources to lying-flat behavior and demonstrate that overwhelming hindrance demands can erode the protective effects of job resources. These insights underscore the importance of addressing both resource enhancement and demand management in efforts to mitigate lying-flat tendencies in high-pressure work settings.

--

Keywords: Job Demands–Resources (JD–R),Conservation of Resources (COR) theory,Reduced Personal Accomplishment,Lying Flat at Work,Psychiatrists in China.

• Psychology - Social Sciences
• Sociology - Social Sciences