Volconvo Debate Forums - View Single Post

Cathy · Sep 16, 2003, 07:43 am

I watched The Cutting Edge for the first time this evening. Tonight's show was called "Japan's missing teenagers".

It documented the stories of a few young Japanese men and their families. These young Japanese men suffer from hikikomori - they choose to become reclusive and sometimes spend years in one room of their homes. It seems that generally a stressful event in their lives is a trigger for this.

I have little knowledge of Japanese society. I understand it is high pressure but I was astounded to find out that up to 1 in 10 young men in Japan are affected by hikikomori. Some due to bullying, others due to the pressures of study/work. It was also suggested that the lack of human interaction may be an explanation.

I can understand that these reasons make sense. What I don't understand is how parents respect their child's need for solitude, and allow them to keep to a single room of the house. I can only think that it's a cultural difference. If I were to lock myself in my room when I was a child, my parents would have simply entered and tried to communicate with me about it, and then maybe arranged for me to see a counsellor. There is no way they would have left me there.

Has anyone else seen this? Or have any thoughts on this?

I'm perplexed to say the least.

Sep 16, 2003, 07:43 am	#1 (permalink) (top)
Cathy Sedimentary Rock Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 20	I watched The Cutting Edge for the first time this evening. Tonight's show was called "Japan's missing teenagers". It documented the stories of a few young Japanese men and their families. These young Japanese men suffer from hikikomori - they choose to become reclusive and sometimes spend years in one room of their homes. It seems that generally a stressful event in their lives is a trigger for this. I have little knowledge of Japanese society. I understand it is high pressure but I was astounded to find out that up to 1 in 10 young men in Japan are affected by hikikomori. Some due to bullying, others due to the pressures of study/work. It was also suggested that the lack of human interaction may be an explanation. I can understand that these reasons make sense. What I don't understand is how parents respect their child's need for solitude, and allow them to keep to a single room of the house. I can only think that it's a cultural difference. If I were to lock myself in my room when I was a child, my parents would have simply entered and tried to communicate with me about it, and then maybe arranged for me to see a counsellor. There is no way they would have left me there. Has anyone else seen this? Or have any thoughts on this? I'm perplexed to say the least.