Abstract
This study investigated how the siblings of hikikomori (“socially withdrawn”) youth become autonomous from their families, as a clarification of sociocultural influences that impact on their autonomy. Analysis of narrative data from 3 siblings whose brother or sister were hikikomori in adolescence utilized a Trajectory Equifinality Model. The results revealed a four phase process. First, these siblings faced up to the changes in their brother or sister, and in the second phase they progressed through feelings that “I want my family to change” and that “They won't change” as a period. In the third phase they kept their distance at the appropriate times, and in the final phase the siblings exhibited decisiveness and self-control. It was also clear that this process involved both autonomy from their family and independence in adolescence. During the third phase, their parents appeared to impart sociocultural influences by encouraging them to remain in family unit (reflecting a traditional Confucian mentality), and yet respected their independence in the modern context of an industrial society where one must progress through successive levels of education. Finally, the discussion explores the developmental transformation of siblings in Japanese adolescence.
