Theoretical and Applied Economics
No. 3 / 2026 (648), Autumn
Beyond generational decay: a psychosocial account of Generation Z’s changing relationship with achievement, education and work
Bodislav & Associates, Romania
Dumitru Alexandru BODISLAV
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania
Abstract. Generation Z is often defined in public and organisational discourse as less resilient, less willing to work, more psychologically vulnerable and more inclined towards immediate rather than progressive achievement than previous generations. Such interpretations tend to locate the presumed problem within the generation itself, treating behavioural differences as evidence of declining work ethic, motivation or tolerance for adversity. This paper challenges the explanatory value of this “generational decay” perspective and suggests an alternative psychosocial account. It proposes that characteristics attributed to Generation Z should be examined in relation to the developmental environment in which its members established expectations regarding success, effort, reward and wellbeing. Basing its arguments on social learning theory, social comparison theory, expectancy-value approaches to motivation and contemporary evidence concerning social-media use, materialism, academic procrastination and occupational values, the paper proposes that digitally mediated socialisation may systematically alter perceptions of normative achievement.
Social media disproportionately increases the visibility of exceptional outcomes while providing significantly less information about unsuccessful attempts, ordinary trajectories and the temporal costs underlying achievement. Therefore, exceptional success may become perceptually more available without becoming objectively more probable. The paper proposes that this asymmetry can contribute to a recalibration of expectations regarding the magnitude, probability and speed of reward, potentially reducing the subjective attractiveness of gradual educational and occupational pathways and increasing vulnerability to discouragement and disengagement when expected outcomes fail to be achieved. However, Generation Z’s changing relationship with work should not be interpreted exclusively as negative. A higher priority on respectful treatment, psychological safety, adequate pay, flexibility and personal development may constitute an adaptive renegotiation of the psychological contract between workers and organisations. The paper therefore differentiates reduced tolerance for productive discomfort from reduced tolerance for unnecessary psychosocial harm. It concludes that apparent generational decline may be more usefully conceptualised as a complex pattern of adaptation to altered technological, social and economic conditions, resulting in both vulnerabilities and potentially progressive changes in attitudes towards education, work and interpersonal life.
Contents
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The impact of shifting elasticity of substitution on international firm location: global macroeconomic implications
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Predicting customer churn using Machine Learning: models and core approaches
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Monetary-fiscal policy regimes and economic growth in Algeria: a Markov-switching analysis (1990Q2–2025Q4)
Does foreign aid reach the poorest? A multidimensional poverty analysis for Pakistan
Mathematical modeling of nearshoring and reshoring in the reconfiguration of trade flows
Analyzing the impact of agricultural growth on inclusive growth in Côte d'Ivoire: key challenges and opportunities
Credibility erosion and exchange rate pass-through in Türkiye
The aggregate banking-sector footprint of financial education mandates: cohort exposure, community bank margins, and an arithmetic of detection
The relationship between exchange rates, trade and economic growth in the Philippine context
Social sector expenditure, economic growth, and multidimensional poverty in India: evidence from panel data analysis
Capitalization of Romanian companies and macroeconomic variables: friends or foes?
The role of investment and trade in promoting economic growth in Ghana
Beyond generational decay: a psychosocial account of Generation Z’s changing relationship with achievement, education and work
Financial inclusion and sustainable development in Algeria: an empirical analysis using the ARDL Model (2004-2022)
The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Inflation in Romania
Comparing regional and global spillovers to the GCC equity markets
Tax pressure and governance in a spatially interdependent world: international evidence and Morocco’s positioning
Management and performance of territorial police structures: a conceptual framework based on indicators