Ever felt like withdrawing completely from society? Well, that’s what hundreds of thousands of Japanese kids have decided to do. They are the Hikikomori. They lock themselves in their bedroom and refuse to leave – for years, sometimes for decades. Read this fascinating article written with compassion, investigative flair, and fantastic psychological insight into the phenomenon of Hikikomori. (Be sure to click on the follow up pages at the bottom).
14 comments:
Well that was certainly interesting to read. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I mean, I'm disappointed yet again by what people do, but it's just like any other subculture. It hasn't gain enough publicity, but judging by the increasing numbers that will happen soon. I bet people who are getting money from this are enjoying this trend quite a bit. It might prove to be a problem for the government seeing as how this will increase the dependency ration, but then again it's just 1%...or at least that's what the statistics say. The only thing that is certain is that changes in people's attitudes will have to be made to overcome this phenomenon, seeing as how the causes are socially constructed and not natural.
This article was extremely interesting.
In an "emo" case, I'd usually just date it back to a cry for attention, but this is far more serious than an emo syndrome. I do agree that these people are escaping the expectations that society has from them, but that isn't enough of a justification. There MUST be a reason why this phenomenon only occurs in Japan, as many have pointed out. It's either that the expectations are ABNORMALLY high, or there's something else there that no one has been able to figure out yet.
I did find it interesting though that in a minute manner, this could sometimes be a plead for attention. When that "rental sister" asked one of her "clients" to build a model car, she said he was actually willing, which means - according to me that is - that they crave communication, they're just afraid of the package that comes along with communication and a social life: The need to provide for themselves, find a job, ensure that they never disappoint their parents, etc.
But I can't help but wonder if this isn't becoming a "wannabe" trend. It sounds too extreme for a wannabe, to lock themselves in for years, even decades, but we humans are known for out notorious ability to act out of every sane boundary known to man.
On a last note, I agree with Kris, that people who are gaining money from this must be enjoying it, and so when you think about, they indirectly promote this unhealthy trend. They make it acceptable to a certain extent, because they offer a so called "solution".
Well, that was an eye opener. Decades locked up in a room! That is a "tad" extreme but I guess our species tends to exceed that boundary of sanity we have established for ourselves. Though these dramatic acts are almost always a plea for attention. What else could it be? Seriously, they've got everthing they NEED in their life; a family, a house, food and warmth and all other essentials for living a healthy life. Its just that they WANT a bit more. Well that isn't exactly going to solve anything but go ahead and send us a post card after a decade of isolation about your brand new, hip-happening life!
:p
But on a more serious note, these kids, surprisingly most of them Japanese, are going to increase in number seeing as more and more poeple are becoming aware of this situation. This is because the ones going through similar dilemmas will get the idea that this would be a suitable way to deal with their 'problems' while gaining a lot of publicity and the piece de resistance; ATTENTION!
Wow. And yet even after reading the article I still dont fully understand the cause of it, the causes are just so widespread. I mean it could honestly be anything, and why people react so... so fiercely is beyond me. And those quotatitions on estimates of these types of people is even more shocking. Even the smaller figures sound like alot!
Now sure I don't precisely know the Japanese way of life, but from what I've seen and heard there is alot of pressure on students to achieve, because there seems to be fierce competition with others to try and gain better achievements.
That 2nd page is captures the upsides of the condition. The fact is at least these kids arent committing suicide, or going crazy on the outside world. But that in no way means its a good thing. And again on the 3rd page, it seems to me that the type of people who do decide to have a life of hikikomori fit the exact profile of those in western cultures who are addicted to drugs.
Its good that there are these places that help out... But i would think that it was obvious that hikikomori kids arent all from upper families, and its almost silly to expect parents to pay such fees.
True, it's a money-making article, especially the point that the reporter would travel all the way to Japan, and back, to write this. Also, there is alot of made-up things in that article, completely biased and exaggerated. And why only Japan? This happens all over the world.
With that out, the kids who do this usually experience something mentally powerful, like a barrier, that completely takes them into a trance-like state, so that they are, basically, in mind-paralysis. This can be due to an infinite number of reasons, like Duwane has said, but all equally strange. The main cause is, seemingly, Anger.
Although they might lock themselves up in their rooms "for decades", as the article says, some of them can become highly intelligent, because away from the people, away from corruption, away from the working-system, you would be extremely surprised, and amazed, at how much information you can find out on your own. Judging by the mental state that those kids would have been in, they would be asking themselves questions like "Why do I exist?", or "is there a God?", and this would lead them to think, over and over again, until they start to answer them, either by using their own experiences, or by using the computer to research about it.
On my way to school, there is an advert at the exit on Sheikh Zayed Road, the exit that leads to Ibn Battuta Mall, that says "Readers are plentiful, but thinkers are rare". This is true, because some of us, actually most of us, just don't think enough, to realize that answers are right infront of us. By "thinkers", it means the sub-conscious mind, the mind that exists in an infinite, mental space, and can only be unlocked by frequently testing the mind. Signs that you have unlocked this sub-conscious mind, are:- You "feel" something is right, you dont "know", or even "think", you just "feel". You can predict daily things, and imagine present things, in a mental state.
There are more, but those two are the main ones. These kids, they can unlock their sub-conscious mind, but, when they have been pulled away from society for so long, they want to go back, but are too afraid of what may lay ahead, and organisations that have found out about this weakness, have used it to make money instead, rather than directly pushing that mind-barrier, they scratch at it, so it slowly detireoates. It's not the parents' fault, nor the kids' fault, its society's fault, and the governments should be blamed.
Another thing, "they" don't shut themselves in, it's society that "they" shut out, they want to escape, because they cannot believe the world they live in. True, some of them may just be in a deep depression, and they might do it because it is just the way their brain works, but, I strongly believe, that they are shutting themselves in for a reason, even though this article blames their head, I blame society, because it is society that makes a head, nowadays.
These kids should be studied in depth, not by examining their depressed state, but by examining their mind. "To crack one's mind, one must enter that mind".
'To hell with it. I don't like it and I don't do well.' - This quote satisfies everything that I have said. Society/school/governments are all to blame for this, they make kids feel stupid if they cannot solve a math equation, and I just cannot understand why people ignore this, or try to ignore it, because it will just increase in number. Personally, I believe that schools should be eliminated, and new schools should arise that excel in teaching kids what they are best at, for example, dancing. Someone who was born to dance is not going to like maths, no matter how much emphasis you put over it, so why are they forced to do so? And why is so much pressure existing now? If someone fails in an important subject, simply because he/she cannot do it, they get pulled back a year, then another, until their life terminates beneath their feet, and they then have no hope, and there you go, a Hikikomori is formed.
The main link between all those kids in the article, is that they always leave school, dump it, and stay at home, where it develops into a new life, maybe they can forget that school never existed, that this forced life never existed, and try to live life to the max. They abandon all hope, therefore, they believe they are worthless in this life, and you get suicides or Hikikomori. Quotes from the biased article itself, show that this is the main case, and the other cases are just severe mind-trauma, or severe mental disruption and confusion (bullying).
Mo
I've said this to you before - please refrain from making outrageous statements like, "there is alot of made-up things in that article, completely biased and exaggerated.
What on earth do you mean? If you can't comment without criticising everything or writing lengthy essays masquerading as responses, then I'd rather you didn't comment. Find another forum for that. But please don't try to impress with these arrogant responses.
And, it is an investigative article paid for by one of the best newspapers in the world - so yes, she did go to Japan - NY Times can afford it.
"The nail that sticks out gets hammered in." -> i really loved this line. its very true! and its very unfortunate when people are bullied because they are actually better than others in some way.
i found it extremely intersting how japanese people revolt to emotional rebels rather than violent, like in most other cultures. at one point in the article, the writer says that in japan "rebellion comes in muted forms" rather than the typical drug abuse or runnign away from home. something i never considered befroe -> muted forms of rebellion. and i wonder why its only the japanese culture that this seems so popular..
well fascinating read despite the 6 pages!
A very interesting article that left me dumfounded. I mean I have never heard about people locking themselves shut away from the society, withdrawing completely from society. I was so shocked about the fact that people can react so fiercely, that they can get affected so much that they lock themselves away from the world because of it and for such a long time….wooowww I am speechless.
My bad, sir, won't happen again.
That was a very interesting article. It's startling how things like bullying can affect a person so much- to the extent that he withdraws from the society(locked up in one room)for 15 years!
Aisha Bashir
10g2
Woah. The way we crave for attention is NOTHING compared to this!
It really astounds me why this is most popular, and possibly only popular in Japan when there are so many more countries with parents that pressurise their children to excel.
It's nice to see awareness being raised on such topics and illnesses that no-on has ever heard of before and that is usually only national. And it's really funny that the Japanese feel 20-25 is "old"!
It was an interesting read and I hope more journalists raise awareness about illnesses like this.
That was very mind boggling to read. I can't even stand spending one hour in my room, fifteen years would drive me completely insane! This is sort of a foreign alternative to things like; cutting yourself, getting high, and throwing up. It is also a bit sickening that society is coming to this, honestly why can't people just be nice to each other?
Otherwise Sir that was quite an eye opener, thank you for posting.
I would love to withdraw from society at times but NEVER for that long,This is just taking it to a WHOLE different level!
It gets to a point where it seems like they'd do anything for attention..
Or maybe its just the pressure that society has inflicted on them,sometimes i wish to escape it too.
It does seem a bit bizarre to lock yourself up for so long,you lose your social life and friends but maybe then they feel relaxed and comfortable.
Spending alot of time alone also makes you think and realise A LOT of things.. :)
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