This study was based on the educational practice of Brief Naikan usually applied in the education of social work professionals as a method of acquiring self awareness. To find out whether Brief Naikan would function as a method in support of the acquisition of self awareness underlying knowledge, skill, and ethics for helping professionals, we analyzed students'experiences of Brief Naikan using a modified Grounded Theory approach.

  Results indicated six areas of development among the eighteen categories within the core category of "Ability to take on the perspective of others": "Awareness of others' perspectives", "Change in reality recognition", "Self-affirmation", "Expression of honesty and openness", "Positive relationship exchanges with interviewers", and "Distinguishing Naikan and external appearances". Even though Naikan was experienced only for a short period, students showed more self-awareness and understanding of others' perspectives. However, the lasting ability to distinguish between Naikan and external appearances appeared to be facilitated by their adjustment within the environment of the training facilities.

  In this study, the effect of Naikan Therapy on narcissism was examined by the NPI (Narcissistic Personality Inventory). The NPI was administered to 87 subjects before and after Naikan Therapy. The results suggested that Naikan Therapy decreased subjects' narcissism as measured by the NPI. Especially the subjects with initial high-NPI showed much lower NPI ratings after Naikan Therapy. Furthermore, some NPI item scores increased and others decreased after Naikan Therapy. The increased scores appear to be the result of recognition that in the past the subjects acted narcissistically, and decreased scores reflected insightful efforts to reduce such past narcissistic behavior.

  In Naikan Therapy, there is a kind of self-restraint in the setting like the self-restraint rule of psychoanalysis or "Fumon" technique of Morita Therapy. The restraint rule in Naikan Therapy is composed of the limitations on the patient's freedom of action, speaking, and the permissible style for introspection. As in psychoanalysis and Morita Therapy, the restraint rule in Naikan Therapy has therapeutic functions as follows: (1) the function of channeling a patient's energy into psychotherapeutic work to resolve his/her defense mechanisms; (2) the function to evoke frustration and maintain a patient's motivation toward psychotherapeutic work; (3) the function to encourage healthy ego function to build up the therapeutic alliance; (4) the function to define the therapist-patient relationship.

This paper shows how Naikan has changed in historical process. I divided the process of the development of Naikan into three stages:

1. The stage of Taikan-an-Mishirabe (1880's-1940)

2. The stage of Early Naikan (1940-1967)

3. The stage of Three-questions Naikan (1967-present)

I made up a table and compared these stages from various points of view.

  We evaluated measures to reduce dropouts in intensive naikan for participants with eating disorders. Our previous studies have suggested some characteristics of dropouts, and that many dropouts had the poor Naikan responded to the first interview. Based on these results, we first evaluated an interview policy and the interview structure, followed by measures in the intervention of some subjects who performed Naikan, and counseling-like support. The basic attitude of interviewers is close listening. However, some people with a low-ego level, which is a characteristic of dropouts, discontinue Naikan. Therefore, the interviewers made judgment in 3 stages and performed active interventions until 5 days after the initiation of Naikan while evaluating the subjects. This method was effective, and the subjects began to fully experience Naikan, and the discontinuation of Naikan could be prevented.

  I found a way of self-reflection called "Zanzo" (The Treasury of Shame) from the Mahayana Buddhist Sutra known as "Kegonkyo" (In Sanskrit: Buddahavatamsaka-na-ma-mahavaipulya-sutra). It resembles Naikan and its prototype "Mishirabe". This Zanzo could be the origin of Mishirabe.