引きこもりhikikomori
Quick definition:Hikikomori is a Japanese term for a person who withdraws from society and stays at home for a long period, as well as for the condition of social withdrawal itself.
Meaning
Hikikomori describes people, often young, who withdraw from school, work and social life and spend most of their time at home, sometimes for months or years. The word is also used for the situation as a whole. It is a recognised social issue in Japan, and researchers and support groups have studied it for decades.
In anime and manga, hikikomori characters appear in comedies and dramas, usually as shut-in characters who rarely leave their rooms, often playing games or spending time online. Some stories treat the topic with humour, while others look more seriously at the pressures, anxiety and loneliness that can lead a person to withdraw. Respectful series show these characters as people with a story, not as a joke.
Families, counsellors and support groups generally approach the situation through patience and small steps, not pressure.
Origin:Hikikomori is made from the verb hikikomoru, meaning to withdraw or shut oneself in. The word was popularised in Japan in the late 1990s, when psychiatrists and the media began to discuss young people who had withdrawn from society, and it later became a term used by researchers in other countries.
Example:In the anime Welcome to the NHK, a young man who has withdrawn from society and rarely leaves his apartment struggles to find purpose, helped by a neighbour who wants to cure his isolation. The story mixes comedy with a serious look at loneliness, so it is sometimes used to explain the idea.
Did you know?Government surveys in Japan have found that long-term withdrawal affects people of many ages, not only teenagers and young adults, and that it can last for years. Researchers elsewhere in the world have also described similar patterns in several other countries.
