2024 Volume 30 Issue 1 Pages 45-54
We surveyed the implementation of a Naikan program in 13 juvenile correction facilities in western Japan, and found that the number of schools utilizing the Naikan program had been decreasing. However, in the facilities where the therapy is being conducted, the Naikan method has a synergistic effect on daily correctional education. Therefore, Naikan Therapy holds the potential for usefully fostering juveniles’ metacognitive abilities and for helping them to develop a positive image both of themselves and others.
Recently however, the number of juveniles in such institutions who have experienced child abuse has been increasing, and the Naikan method is potentially inappropriate for such individuals, since it may cause them to recall their experiences of abuse. In this article, we discuss whether or not the Naikan method may be usefully replaced by Mindfulness Therapy.
As a result of our review, we conclude that Mindfulness Therapy may be a sufficient substitute for the Naikan method from the perspective of fostering the development of juveniles’ metacognitive abilities. However, it is indispensable for juveniles’ mental development that they also cultivate a positive image of themselves and others. From the standpoint of the cultivation of such positive images, we suggest that the Naikan method offers benefits that surpass those of Mindfulness Therapy.
