PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE IN A STATE OF ACUTE SOCIAL SELF-ISOLATION (HIKIKOMORI)

Aim of this article is to determine some of the personality characteristics of young people who manifest in their social behavior extreme forms of social withdrawal and alienation called hikikomori.

Methodology. On the basis of the theoretical analysis and the empirical study on a sample of 272 people, some socio-psychological characteristics of hikikomori were clarified. The study involved young people aged 18 to 30, 68 of whom defined themselves as “hikikomori” and indicated that they have almost minimal contact with the outside world. The following methods were used: the author’s adaptation of the screening method for determining hikikomori HQ-25 (А. Тео); Questionnaire for measuring the level of escapism severity (T.N. Savchenko, O.I. Teslavskaya, E.V. Belovol, A.A. Kardapoltseva); Alienation test by Maddi et al. (SAQ, adaptation for adolescence by E.N. Osin (Osin, 2011); Questionnaire for the study of self-attitude (S.R. Panteleev). A comparative analysis of data in two groups of subjects, as well as a correlation and regression analysis were made.

Research implications. As a result of the comparative analysis of the experimental and control groups, it was noted that individuals with an acute form of social withdrawal (hikikomori) have such pronounced characteristics as general escapism, isolation, vegetativeness, impotence, nihilism, and a high level of alienation. In the entire sample of young people, high scores on the “problems of socialization” scale were noted. The features of self-attitude among hikikomori the dissatisfaction with their abilities was noted, as well as a feeling of weakness, doubts about the ability to command respect, and the belief that their personality causes disapproval and rejection in other people. In general, all indicators according to the Questionnaire for the study of self-attitude gravitate towards the negative pole.

Research implications. The results of the study expand the understanding of the hikikomori phenomenon, which is increasingly being recorded among young people in Russia, and also open up the prospect for developing psychological practices focused on the psychological correction of non-adaptive personality traits of people prone to acute forms of self-isolation and escapism.

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