"The author claimed that the hikikomori interviewed for the book had discovered independent thinking and a sense of self that the current Japanese environment could not accommodate."
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Tobias 1104~4Y
I learned about hikikomori years ago when trying to figure out what was wrong with me, though it seems in that case it's largely related to the specifics of Japanese culture. I remember reading that expectations are especially harsh there, even in everyday interactions (honorifics, etc), and it's just too much for some people so they retreat from it all. Interestingly, the Wikipedia article says it's not obviously tied to mental issues, which says more about the cultural variation in what constitutes a 'mental issue' than anything.
I can relate to their situation though because mine is similar. In my case, I've ended up here due to a combination of childhood-trauma-related mental issues and poorly-timed events (moving country right after finishing school and becoming slightly internet famous at the same time, then when I tried to go out and finally get a degree, I found out I had brain cancer and had to retreat to recover from that).
"The author claimed that the hikikomori interviewed for the book had discovered independent thinking and a sense of self that the current Japanese environment could not accommodate."
I can relate to their situation though because mine is similar. In my case, I've ended up here due to a combination of childhood-trauma-related mental issues and poorly-timed events (moving country right after finishing school and becoming slightly internet famous at the same time, then when I tried to go out and finally get a degree, I found out I had brain cancer and had to retreat to recover from that).