Date of Submission
Spring 2020
Academic Program
Psychology; Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literature
Project Advisor 1
Frank Scalzo
Project Advisor 2
Wakako Suzuki
Abstract/Artist's Statement
This senior project is a comprehensive discussion of hikikomori syndrome. It intends to offer a deeper knowledge of the complicated acute social withdrawal phenomenon that is impacting the lives of millions of people worldwide, with a specific focus on its relevance within the country of Japan. This project sets out to look deeper into hikikomori’s meaning and prevalence, its receival in the world of psychiatry, and its placement within modern Japanese society. This project also offers a proposal for a potential method of treatment for hikikomori syndrome, wherein the structure of modern Japanese households is explored and the possibility of codependency being a defining factor in the longevity of reclusive lifestyles is questioned.
Open Access Agreement
Open Access
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Otey, Andrea Michelle, "Existing but Not Living: A Discussion and Proposal for the Acute Social Withdrawal Syndrome Hikikomori in Japan" (2020). Senior Projects Spring 2020. 252.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2020/252
This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons, Social Psychology Commons