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"Hikikomori" - a new psychological phenomenon of the younger generation

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 17.10.2021
 
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11 February 2014, 09:00

Recently, among the younger generation, a new phenomenon, called "hikikomori", is gaining popularity. This is the name of the part of people who decided to voluntarily become recluses in their own home. They try to contact as little as possible with the outside world, while the age of the "recluses" rarely reaches 32 years.

As experts believe, people inclined to this form of personality disorder, spend practically all their time on the Internet, and only come off to buy products or basic hygiene needs. Usually such people prefer self-development, viewing serials, reading books, etc., while the overwhelming majority of people with this diagnosis are unemployed, they receive unemployment benefits or depend on their parents, some are interrupted by irregular earnings on the Internet. As psychologists note, a long stay without the Internet has a depressing effect on "recluses", they become more irritable, restless. Most voluntary recluses in Japan and the authorities are already beginning to worry about the spread of this phenomenon among the younger generation. People with such a mental disorder are difficult to communicate live with other people, a congestion of more people causes them depression and a lot of discomfort, they can for months and even years not leave their own apartment or room. People with such mental disorders usually do not have close friends (or very few - literally one or two people).

According to statistics, in Japan there are already more than seven hundred thousand people suffering from hikikomori, and their number continues to increase every year. Already in the country there is a tendency towards a demographic crisis, as according to sociologists almost half of couples have no sexual relations, and young people do not seek to find their soul mate and create a family. Most young people prefer a lively romantic relationship, prefer networking and loneliness. Based on this, the government of Japan has decided to finance programs aimed at developing an effective method of treatment for this kind of mental disorder. In the Land of the Rising Sun, clinics are already beginning to open, in which they are engaged in the treatment of this kind of diseases of the psyche. It is also worth noting that the reasons why young people themselves are alienated from the outside world are very diverse. Usually, such behavior is promoted by personal failures (loss of work, unhappy love, etc.).

Psychologists who study this phenomenon, explain his emergence of youthful maximalism and self-centeredness, which is inherent in many young people. As a result, a sense of responsibility for one's own destiny is lost and transferred to the surrounding people. Hikikomori young people simply refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their own actions in the real world. Currently, people-hikki appear in other countries, while their number increases.

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