Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 77 posts

Re: A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

#31

Post by Red_Tarsius »

torgoguys wrote: post #29

...so is partly a matter that these parents are enablers? At one time in my life, I'm sure I'd love to have done nothing but stay alone in my room for months of time sleeping and doing internet stuff, with my meals and such prepared for me and placed by my bedroom door, but there is no way my parents would have allowed that.

> Another study of 88 hikikomori found that 60% lived with both parents, 18% with just their mother, 3% with their father, and 16% in a 3-generation household... authors have suggested overprotectedness is more common in families of hikikomori.

Enabling parents are one part of the equation. But hikikomori might just be a cultural variant of Internet fixation. Independent adults are less likely to be called out on their addictions, because no caretaker is watching over them. How did the study find 88 hikikomori? They were reported by their parents or friends.

Re: A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

#32

Post by PaulHoule »

csa wrote: post #22
PaulHoule wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno. I do know people with panic disorder (and the associated agoraphobia) and social phobia who live on a "Non24" calendar (they might call you at 2am in the morning but not be awake at 3pm.) Depression, anxiety, drug use all compliate the equation, but it's hard to believe that this phenomenon is all that different from hikkiomori. Many cultures take pride in an imagined exceptionalism and Japan is one of the l…

What you describe is definitely "an issue" -- I know people like this in the US. This is not the issue that hikikomori is representing. FWIW, I don't think that this is actually unique to Japan -- I just think that it has become easier to document in Japan because so many folks in Japan are starting to think that being a hiki is a good idea, and there is societal infrastructure there to support it.

How do I do the differential diagnosis between "hiki" and the social phobic?

Re: A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

#33

Post by partisan »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #30
cpersona wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you could have more perfectly described what I experienced. The only thing that kept me from completely succumbing to it was my family's economic situation. I was something of a functional hikiki, drowning on the inside but putting on a normal mask for the outside world.

Are things better now?

Truthfully, I am still that same person on the inside. I am making some effort to fight off the motivation to give in to it in times of stress.

I think it won't ever go away and I will just have to manage it to the best of my ability.

Re: A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

#34

Post by zeroer »

EuroHikikomori wrote: post #25

I have been living as a Hikikomori for the last eight years. Every two years I leave my home for a few hours, but I spend the rest of the time in front of my computers. I don't have any friends in real life or online and the only people I interact with are my parents. Every meal is prepared for me so the only thing I have to do is my laundry once a month. I often think about how fast time flies when living this lifes…

What do you leave your house for for a few hours every two years?

Re: A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

#35

Post by bamboozled »

hikineet wrote: post #2

Hikikomori is not only a Japanese phenomenon. I was Hikiki for a year after dropping out of college. I lived with my parents playing WoW all night and sleeping all day. I had very few social interactions. What dragged me into that lifestyle was the complete destruction of my ego. I was simply unprepared to live as an adult. It's not much of a surprise I couldn't cope. In high-school I was coddled for being smart and…

"Ultimately what pulled me out of that malaise was successful employment in a software company. It was only after I recovered a sense of self worth that I could finally step out of my cave."

I read a lot of employment success stories similar to yours! Which is great, good to hear you're feeling better.

It does go to show that for some people, jobs (by giving community and a sense of purpose) are still very important and will probably continue to be, which means interesting times ahead.

Re: A New Form of Social Withdrawal in Japan: A Review of ‘Hikikomori’ (2009)

#38

Post by Red_Tarsius »

EuroHikikomori wrote: post #25

I have been living as a Hikikomori for the last eight years. Every two years I leave my home for a few hours, but I spend the rest of the time in front of my computers. I don't have any friends in real life or online and the only people I interact with are my parents. Every meal is prepared for me so the only thing I have to do is my laundry once a month. I often think about how fast time flies when living this lifes…

I really appreciate you sharing your experience. What made you decide to be hikikomori?

It's never too late. Tell your parents that you want to change life. Turn their support into something positive. Go out of your house to buy pizza, ice cream, whatever. Get your body moving, the mind will follow.

Try to stay in your room without digital devices... for one week. It will clear your thoughts and force you to deal with reality. You will feel bad, at first. But it's going to get better. It's the beginning of your new life. Isn't it exciting? A whole new journey lies ahead of you!

Take a long walk in the countryside, far from other people. Nature is truly amazing and hiking scratches that same itch of sensory overload (Internet and gaming).

Everyone makes mistakes. But you should not be defined by them. You're living a defeatist narrative. Get out of that narrative. Forget your biases and expectations. Don't let other people define you.

If you want to keep in touch, post your contact info.

Post reply on HN