Hikikomori In Spain: Social Isolation Syndrome Not Only Affects Japan
Hikikomori is a psychopathological and sociological phenomenon in which an individual isolates himself from society for at least 6 months, locking himself in his room without interest or motivation in work, school or social relationships. Until recently it was thought that there were only cases in Japan, but recent research suggests that there are also cases in other countries. For example: Spain, Italy, India, the United States or Korea.
This syndrome is distinguished from agoraphobia because Hikikomori patients feel apathy towards society. In contrast, agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an irrational fear of being in situations from which it may be difficult or embarrassing to escape or from which help may not be available in the event of a panic attack.
The term was coined by Dr. Tamaki Saito, a psychiatrist who estimated that 1.2 million people in Japan suffer from Hikikomori.
The effect of Hikikomori includes lto withdrawal from society and avoidance of interaction with others. The profile of the individual who suffers from Hikikomori is young, middle-class adults, predominantly male, who, apparently due to the pressures of modern life, escape the privacy and security of their bedrooms, living alone. They rarely leave their room, so they spend time within their world outside of society or within their virtual reality: video games, the Internet or manga comics (in Japanese Hikikomori).
Experts say that lSensitive, shy, introverted people with a lack of social skills and resources to tolerate stress are more prone to to suffer from this syndrome.
Hikikomori has been the source of much public debate: Does it have a social or psychological origin? Does it have anything to do with parents pampering their children? Why does it happen more frequently in Japan? At first it was thought that it only occurred in this Asian country, but there seem to be more cases outside of Japan.
Japan and its relationship with Hikikomori syndrome
To better understand this phenomenon, first of all we must understand the peculiarities of the Asian giant. Japan offers a multitude of singularities that are difficult to find anywhere else in the world. The Japanese country is today one of the most industrialized and advanced societies on the planet. Famous for its technological advances, it is a highly urbanized country. According to a recent UN report, its capital, Tokyo, is the most populous city in the world with 13.5 million inhabitants.
But even though Japan represents modernity, at the same time traditional patterns of behavior govern and social ethics continue to have deep meaning and roots. Japan mixes a millennia-old past and a highly technological future. That is, it is known for its fashions and trends, but its ancient culture coexists with the capitalist and consumerist model that characterizes it. In this context, it is not unusual for pathologies such as Hikikomori to arise, since the capitalist system tends towards individualism and traditional values towards the collective.
The culture of aesthetics, consumption and leisure has taken its toll on many young people because it turns subjects into objects and mere consumers, and they lose the genuine identity that should characterize them. The coexistence of these two value systems can lead to serious problems on an emotional level, because people’s well-being is closely linked to being with oneself, something complicated in the culture of the Japanese country.
The psychological disorders associated with technology and the culture of image and consumption are not exclusive to this country, but Western countries also experience different phenomena that are a consequence of this dehumanizing system. Below I leave you some examples of the problems that new technology and the culture of image and consumption can cause on an emotional level:
Causes of Japanese Hikikomori
The Causes of Hikikomori are varied and there is no consensus among researchers. Personal, cultural, environmental (family, school, etc.) or demographic factors may be behind this syndrome. Since the associated factors tend to occur to a greater extent in large cities, there seems to be more prevalence in urban areas.
Personal factors refer to self-esteem problems, the lack of social skills or stress management of these people, which due to the lack of resources they would isolate themselves to seek the comfort and convenience of their room. Other experts think that new technologies have a lot to do with it, causing a loss of contact with reality. Family factors would include pressure from parents or their work schedules. Socio-economic factors refer to the pressure exerted by the capitalist system and the culture associated with this model, in addition to factors unique to Japanese culture. Demographic factors refer to the low birth rate in this country, which causes even more pressure on young people as they are only children.
The concept of “amae” and its relationship with Hikikomori
In Japanese society highlights the impossibility of young people when leaving home different from European or North American society. Although solidarity is emphasized in this country, Japan is a vertical society, since it encourages all types of hierarchical structures. For example, the male precedes the female, and the older ones precede the younger ones. This concept of ancestral order underpins Japanese social architecture.
When talking about Hikikomori, many are surprised at how a parent can let their child lock themselves in their room without doing anything to get them out of there. The fact is that Japanese society does not react in the same way to Hikikomori as Western societies. To give an example, while European psychologists recommend that hospitalization is the best treatment for this syndrome, Japanese psychologists and psychiatrists think just the opposite. Besides, Hikikomori has become acceptable behavior within the society of the Asian country ; has been normalized.
As we have already seen, Japanese society is a very vertical and hierarchical society that values the group above the individual in order to alleviate tensions and conflicts and achieve social harmony in the group. A characteristic concept of this culture is “amae”, which governs many personal relationships in Japan.
He amae or “permissive dependence” is expect indulgence and acceptance from others. The amae can be seen in the West as well. For example, in the relationship between a child and his parents, no matter how badly the child behaves, the parents will always forgive him. In Japan, however, this behavior continues throughout life: in personal relationships of friendship, in a couple, between business colleagues and even between boss and employee. Japanese people have a hard time saying “no” because they fear destroying the relationship. It is one of their social norms. While in our culture individual achievements are rewarded, in Japan achieving goals collectively is reinforced.
The role of the family in Japan
Japanese families rarely divorce, and Family stability is very high compared to Western countries. The relationship between spouses shows a strong tendency towards separation of roles.
The husband takes on the role of bringing money home, and on the other hand, the wife assumes exclusive responsibility for the house and children. When it comes to raising children, parents pay a lot of attention to their academic development. Saving for your education is one of your priorities.
Education and work in Japan
Japan’s educational system reflects the organized and hierarchical social-political structure that I have talked about, in such a way that All members of society have the duty to contribute to the collective improvement of the country and direct all his dedication towards this end throughout his life, from birth to death.
Japan has a very elaborate educational system and is one of the populations with the highest cultural level. But Their education system offers little opportunity for self-expression and children have little free time, since they have a heavy academic load. At school, Japanese children learn not to move, not to cry, not to ask, they must also have a very severe capacity for work, thus they educate submissive beings to obey their superiors in the future.
Furthermore, it is common for children to go to academies after school to take extra lessons, since Japanese society is highly competitive. In Japan, society is divided based on education and where one has studied, as well as employment, income, and position held within a company.
Hikikomori outside Japan
Recently, researchers have wondered if this syndrome is a consequence only of the peculiarities of Japanese culture, of capitalism, or if it is a reaction to any culture. Research has confirmed that Hikikomori exists outside of Japan, but with some differences. Oman, Italy, India, the United States, Korea and Spain are some of the countries where cases have been reported.
Isolated cases from Oman or India could indicate that this type of isolation is a reaction against culture and society. But due to the large number of cases that have been reported in Japan, seems to confirm the idea that Japanese culture and its socio-economic characteristics could favor this reaction of apathy against the society characterized by social isolation. It could be said that it is not a syndrome exclusive to Japan, but that the conditions that exist in that country cause more pathological cases.
In Spain there is also Hikikomori
A study carried out by the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions of the Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) has reported 164 cases of hikikomori in Spain. The study was published in the Journal of Social Psychiatryand the researchers have stated that “this syndrome has been underestimated in Spain due to the difficulty in accessing these people and the lack of specialized home care teams.”
There are certain differences between the cases of Hikikomori in Spain compared to those that occurred in Japan. The majority of Spanish patients suffer from associated mental disorders such as psychotic disorders (34.7%), anxiety (22%) or affective disorders (74.5%), which is known as Secondary hikikomori. He Primary hikikomori It is the one that does not present comorbidity with other psychological disorders. The Spanish patients, most of them men, are older than the Japanese, with an average age of 36 years. Likewise, the majority of those affected live with their family and half have higher education.
Below you can watch a video about Hikikomori in Spain:
