It's the result of never having to compete their entire lives, just awarded for "trying".
For some that may be true, but the strained job climate of the last decade and a half made for less scope for competition in the workplace as employees and employers both struggled to maintain their positions. For employees, advancement opportunities in the corporate environment were limited and tended to be awarded based in large part on loyalty. Company management was often driven by cost-cutting instead of expansion opportunities, with little attention to the need to keep employees engaged and loyal over the long term. Years of poorly chosen, relentless cost-cutting account for much employee discontent today, which is often expressed as work-place stress.