NEET in Japanese culture:Examining Origins and Structures of Attitudes and Malleability of Self

研究代表者
Norasakkunkit, Vinai ミネソタ州立大学 准教授
連携研究員
内田由紀子 こころの未来研究センター 助教
プロジェクト趣旨
The purpose of the current research is to examine the social psychological characteristics (e.g. malleability of self, explicit / implicit attitudes, persistence in response to failure, and consequences for intrinsic motivation) that distinguish between NEET and occupationally functional youth in Japan and to understand the developmental and social origins of these differences. Due to the relative inaccessibility of individuals in the hikikomori category, the current proposed research will start by investigating individuals in the NEET category but who are not in the hikikomori subcategory with the hope that, in the future, this study can eventually extend to investigating hikikomori as well.
On a basic level, it is hoped that this study will further clarify the relationship between culture, attitudes, and psychological functioning. It is also hoped that the findings from this study will help policy makers to understand the social nature of the NEET phenomenon and to think about appropriate preventative and intervention strategies to keep the most valuable resource of Japan, its labor force, from shrinking excessively.

2008/10/08