A CASE STUDY OF A CHINESE ‘HIKIKOMORIAN’ IN CANADA – THEORIZING THE PROCESS OF HIKIKOMORIZATION

Терминот акутна социјална изолираност (или hikikomori) потекнува од Јапонија и значи социјална повлеченост. Ова истражување има за цел да ги испита причинителите на hikikomori, што е во пораст ширум светот. Методологијата на истражувањето е студија на случај ситуиран во интерпретирана парадигма. Податоците беа собрани мануелно преку електронска пошта, каде разговорите со учесникот и мајката беа спроведени преку телефон. Учесникот беше хикикоморин и беше поканет да го разработува личниот проблем и да биде соработник-автор на овој труд. Резултатите од литературата и ова истражување беа понатаму конципирани во опширна рамка која го опфаќа процесот на акутна социјална изолираност. Резултатите покажуваат дека акутната социјална изолираност вклучува три процеси: прво, даден интровертен карактер; второ, ефекти The term ‘hikikomori’ originates from Japan and means ‘acute social withdrawal’. This study intends to investigate into the causes of hikikomori which is increasing worldwide phenomenon. The methodology is a case study approach located in an interpretive paradigm. The data was mainly collected through e-mails with the participant and phone conversations with his mother. The participant was a ‘hikikomorian’ who was invited to investigate his own problem and further to be the co-author of this paper. The literature findings and this case study were then conceptualized into a more wide-ranging framework in comprehending the process of hikikomorization. The result appears to show that hikikomorization involves three processes: first, a predisposed introverted personality; second, the effects of multiple

Резултатите покажуваат дека акутната социјална изолираност вклучува три процеси: прво, даден интровертен карактер; второ, ефекти The term 'hikikomori' originates from Japan and means 'acute social withdrawal'.This study intends to investigate into the causes of hikikomori which is increasing worldwide phenomenon.The methodology is a case study approach located in an interpretive paradigm.
The data was mainly collected through e-mails with the participant and phone conversations with his mother.The participant was a 'hikikomorian' who was invited to investigate his own problem and further to be the co-author of this paper.The literature findings and this case study were then conceptualized into a more wide-ranging framework in comprehending the process of hikikomorization.The result appears to show that hikikomorization involves three processes: first, a predisposed introverted personality; second, the effects of multiple

Literature review of hikikomori and its causes
Како As part of the data for understanding the causes of hikikomori, the literature review is conducted through searching the databases of ERIC, Google Scholar and EBSCO host, via using the 'hikikomori' term as a search key word.Around 30 key journal articles and seven books are identified between the period of 2000 and 2009; some of the literature which relates to the causes is selected and summarized below: 'Hikikomori' literally means 'social isolation'.The word 'hikikomorians' was coined by Ogino (1) to describe the people with a hikikomori condition for over six months.
Although, some studies have noted that hikikomorians existed since the 1970s, according to Furlong (2) the term was first used in 1986 by Norihiko Kitao.Others believe the term was popularised by Saitō Tamaki in 1998.(3) Hikikomorians are found to be predominantly males.(4,5) A literature overview reveals four main causes of hikikomori: personal, family, school, and societal.First, hikikomorians are theorized as adolescents who retreat from time pressures, space constraints and role performances.
(3) They are perceived as lacking self-confidence, having low selfesteem or an inferiority complex, being unable to trust, reserved, pessimistic and even narcissistic in personality ( Second, some studies have revealed associations between social withdrawal and family.Hattori (9) suggests that some children of middle and upper middle class families are more likely to suffer from hikikomori.Since some affluent parents who cannot spend quality time with their children may tend to use purchasing electronic gadgets as a substitute for their engagement, thereby (possibly unwittingly) encouraging their children to entertain themselves in solitary ways (10).Other discourses highlight that the cause stems from Asian cultural values, such as allowing children to live with their family until finishing school or getting married, which fosters dependency and a lack of selfefficacy (3).These tendencies may be further exacerbated by the cultural emphasis on the group conformity (11) and the 'face' or social pressure issue, which hinders parental intervention.Other researchers observe that some parents might have too high academic expectations for their children (12), or overprotect them (6), Some parents of hikikomorians may be themselves asocial and/or too fearful to interfere with their children's lives (4).As Sakamoto et al. (13) noted, hikikomori may fulfill the criteria for a 'culture-bound syndrome'.In addition, some studies claim that broken families may cause children to withdraw, rebel, or become unable to face the real world (7).Hence, there are also non-culture specific causes, although some of the seemingly non-culture specific influences in fact have a cultural origin, such as the shift from collectivism to individualism.This shift will be explained further under the fourth factor.
The third factor appears to relate to school.Wong (14) speculates that children with low confidence are easy targets for bullying.In the follow increased prosperity and competitive consumerism.Furlong (2) argues that the hikikomori phenomenon may be a by-product of the fragmentation of social structures, characteristic for the modern post-industrial era.As society becomes more technologically advanced, individualization, as well as the sense of normality, may result.The new interactive media may hinder the youth from forming physical or social relationships (3,15).Furthermore, the globalized socio-economic conditions may affect the traditional labor market opportunities in which the adolescents with low academic qualifications, experience or skills, may have trouble finding employment.Yet, Borovoy (16) speculates that hikikomori may be a result of the democracy in which individuals can freely exercise their right to be different, whereas Zielenziger (17) argues that it is a form of resistance to the pressures of conformity in Japanese society.Hikikomorians reflect the conflict between pressure to conform and the impulse to individuate.In this sense, hikikomori may sometimes be a manifestation of adolescent turmoil and the need to reject the pressures to conform to conventional expectations in order to strive towards a fresh identity.
Much of what has been found in the literature is generally not based on first-hand experiences by hikikomorians themselves.Although, some original reports have been written by hikikomorians, these articles are accessible only in Japanese language.This paper intends to fill such a gap of information from an insider's perspective, in English language which enables a wider audience to be reached.

Методологија Methodology
Ова No ethical approval was sought from an authorized body as the participant is an adult with intact cognitive integrity to give his personal consent.During drafting of the document, the author continuously sought feedback from the cowriter to check for the understanding or clarifications of the information so as to reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation.With the cowriter's consent, the final draft was sent to his sister for verification of the truthfulness of the information.The author hopes that such feedback processes may serve as a means of triangulation.The entire data collection and content validation was through e-mail correspondences as the participants reside in Canada while the author lives in Asia.In order to protect him and his family from exposure risk, the name Ka-mon was used, since this Chinese name he hardly used in school or elsewhere.related to one of my hobbies: internet, movies, anime, manga.If I removed all the introverted activities in my life, most of the periods in my life would disappear.All my life, I have had a natural drive to participate and expand in my "inner/introvert world" but for most of my life never really sought primarily to expand in an extroverted activity...just minimizing my time spent there.So after schooling, I just ended up as a hikikomorian, when the "tracks and guide rails" ended and the social environment not as natural or easy to keep ongoing as when I was in high school.2. Looking back at my life, the times I was least like a hikikomorian was either pushing my social boundaries or most socially active: at least making phone calls, going out and meeting people.The real switch has been being the one doing the initiating instead of waiting for the others to do it and communicating with people I don't already know.These experiences have been limited for me, but I definitely could feel the difference.If there were any feeling that could be labeled as the least hikikomorian, it'd be the feeling I got after doing something socially daring, difficult or extroverted.
By summarizing the studies from the literature and the current data, a plausible theoretical framework is drawn to explain the process of hikikomorization.It is not meant to be exclusive of other underlying factors, but the framework may serve as a starting point of discourse in understanding the complex phenomenon of hikikomori.

Дискусија и импликации
Discussion and implications Fourth, it appears that the role of attribution may explain some part of the causes.For example, in Kar-mon's early experiences of developing the hikikomori tendencies, it may be attributed to his own sense of helplessness (external attribution/low internal control) in the face of external events, such as the change of school and departure of extrovert peers); whilst the current reflective phase is marked by a belief that he can influence the situation through his own efforts (internal attribution/high internal control) such as when he talked about pushing his social boundaries by initiating rather than waiting for others to communicate with him (p.10).How attribution theory plays out in hikikomorization and how it relates to the interest of one in overcoming his/her hikikomorian status, certainly needs further studying.

Заклучок Conclusion
Да wastage of human resources.To provide a sense of the economic impact scale, using the 700,000 hikikomorians which the Japanese government figures showed in 2010 (19), if each of the youth could potentially earn a minimum of Euro500 a month (i.e., Euro6, 000 per annum times 700,000), Euro 4, 200, 000, 000 per year could potentially be added to the economy.Therefore, not only will the government generate income revenue, but, at the same time, save on long-term expenditure on psychopathological counselling and rehabilitation.
This study has two main limitations: first, the review of literature is largely reliant on English writers or translated materials; for the texts in Japanese language are incomprehensible to the authors, hence many original sources of information are compromised.Second, this is a single case study; therefore, it is limited by its representativeness and generalization.To increase the validity and generalization of the current study, large scale international collaborative research is certainly warranted to further validate the hypothesis.In addition, there are still a lot of unknowns which warrants more research in this field of knowledge and theory building.
The participant's background data is extracted from two sources: from a collection of e-mail correspondences between 2004 and 2011 (compiled in 77 pages document) and from few conversational exchanges with the participant's mother who first approached the author regarding her son's problem in 2004.The main data for this purposeful study in understanding the causes of the hikikomorian experience are grounded in his own narratives through four guiding questions: who is a hikikomori, when does it takes place, what symptoms are exhibited and why does that happen.With his informed consent and also being the co-author of this paper, his original writings are presented.
Part of the reason he wanted to do this research was the fact that he cannot find much professional help for hikikomorians in North America/Canada.He is unable to find any existing support groups, help lines, or programs for this particular problem.