Abstract:
This book examines the phenomenon of social withdrawal in Japan, which
ranges from school nonattendance to extreme forms of isolation and confinement, known as hikikomori. Based on extensive original research, including
interview research with a range of practitioners involved in dealing with the
phenomenon, the book outlines how hikikomori expresses itself, how it is
treated and dealt with, and how it has been perceived and regarded in Japan
over time. The author, a clinical psychologist with extensive experience of practice, argues that the phenomenon although socially unacceptable is not homogenous and can be viewed not as a mental disorder, but as an idiom of distress,
a passive and effective way of resisting the many great pressures of Japanese
schooling and society more widely.
