Social withdrawal as invisible youth disengagement

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss state inaction on and NGO responses to the hidden problem of youth disengagement in the form of social withdrawal. Design/methodology/approach -The study is based on data drawn from six focus groups of social workers working with youths experiencing the problem of social withdrawal and another 30 individual interviews with service users having had this vulnerable background. Findings -Substantiated with empirical findings, the paper argues that young people in social withdrawal characterized by their socially avoidant behavior and deprivation of an engagement status as a worker, student or trainee are largely invisible to the state because of the latter's insensitivity to the heterogeneity and diversity of disengaged youth and reproduction of the anti-social notion of at-risk youth. A flexible and tailor-made strategy initiated by an NGO is argued to be more effective in meeting the needs of silently-disengaged young people. Originality/value -This paper critically examines state inaction on the problem of youth disengagement in the form of social withdrawal and argues the importance of adopting a flexible and tailor-made strategy with regard to both outreaching and service provision efforts.

Youth social withdrawal behavior (hikikomori): A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies

“…Socially withdrawn youths normally go out alone for different purposes. Some go out only when it is necessary, for example, to buy things at a convenience store, usually when few people are around because they do not want to encounter ex-classmates or neighbors (Wong, 2009(Wong, , 2012. Some, however, go out on a regular basis during the day, as if going to school or work, in order to hide their social withdrawal condition, but in fact they spend their time aimlessly walking around or riding trains (Furlong, 2008).…”

“…Social withdrawal as an avoidant behavior can delay a person seeking help (Chong and Chan, 2012). The longer the social withdrawal period, the more challenging it is for a socially withdrawn youth to make a step toward accessing or receiving professional help (Wong, 2012). In Japan, two-thirds of socially withdrawn youths do not consider meeting health professionals (Heinze and Thomas, 2014) and only severe cases visit health centers (Koyama et al, 2010).…”

“…If students miss several classes, it may be difficult to get back on track, resulting in a sense of the worthlessness of school life and thus to school truancy and dropout (Uchida, 2010). In addition, bullying, such as name-calling, teasing, social isolation and peer rejection, of the physically fragile, developmentally delayed or emotionally detached is commonly reported in many studies (Borovoy, 2008;Chong and Chan, 2012;Furlong, 2008;Hattori, 2006;Kondo et al, 2013;Krieg and Dickie, 2013;Lee et al, 2013;Sakamoto et al, 2005;Teo, 2010;Todd, 2011;Wong, 2012). In Japan, it has been found that teachers or parents are, in fact, tolerant of bullying because they believe it is 'behavior modification' to make students conform to peer groups (Todd, 2011).…”

“…Gradually, they will begin to talk with organizers and try to take part in social activities (Ogino, 2004). However, organizers need to sensitively arrange tuned-in groups for different socially withdrawn youths (Krieg and Dickie, 2013), be vigilant to stigmatizing labels and messages in the groups (Wong, 2012) and avoid authoritative supervision (Ogino, 2004); otherwise, competition, conflict and participant dropout may occur in the groups.…”

“…Similar contemporary youth phenomena have been named and conceptualized between cultures; for instance, 'freeter', 'otaku' and 'hikikomori' are Japanese expressions, respectively, referring to people who are not in fulltime employment, value manga and the virtual world above reality, and confine themselves at home for long periods (Heinze and Thomas, 2014); 'NEET' (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) was first used in the United Kingdom to represent young people not in employment, education or training (Bynner and Parsons, 2002); 'slacker', 'twixter' and 'adultolescent' describe young people in the United States living with their parents who do not embrace independence (Staff, 2013); and 'NEY' (Non-Engaged Youth) in Hong Kong refers to the non-engaged youth, young people who are unemployed and not pursuing further studies (Wong, 2012).…”