Master Narratives Among Youth With Hikikomori in the Japanese Sociocultural Context

Background

Narrative identity is inherently embedded in sociocultural contexts. In this approach, master narratives refer to culturally shared stories about “how to live a good life.” Although studies on master narratives have accumulated, most of them focused on Western cultures, neglecting Eastern ones. Master narratives guide youth in forming narrative identities but can also constrain those who deviate from them. This study focused on the Japanese sociocultural context amidst changing cultural values. Japan has traditionally emphasized collectivistic values such as cooperation and filial piety, but in recent decades individualism stressing agency and independence has gained influence. Thus, youth often face paradoxical cultural expectations in the process of identity formation.

To examine identity development among Japanese youth, we employed the master narrative approach as an appropriate tool for understanding the dynamics of narrative identity in negotiating social structures. We focused on hikikomori youth, a subgroup deviating from Japanese sociocultural expectations. Hikikomori refers to individuals who avoid social participation for extended periods, often withdrawing from education or employment due to fear of failure or being judged by others. This study had two aims: (1) to test whether hikikomori youth elaborated master narratives more than non-hikikomori youth, indicating a greater sense of deviation (quantitative analysis); and (2) to explore the contents of master narratives from which hikikomori youth deviated (qualitative analysis).

Method

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 96 Japanese emerging adults (M_age = 21.5, 60% women), of whom 41 (42.7%) exhibited hikikomori symptoms. Participants were asked to describe experiences of deviation from normative expectations.

Results

This mixed-methods study followed two steps. First, we conducted a quantitative analysis of covariance to compare master narrative elaboration scores between the hikikomori and non-hikikomori groups. The result showed that the hikikomori group provided more elaborate master narratives than the non-hikikomori group, supporting our hypothesis. This suggested that hikikomori youth are more seriously aware of master narratives and faced difficulties in forming narrative identities because of deviation from master narratives. Second, we conducted a thematic analysis for the hikikomori group to identify master narratives from which they deviated. The analyses revealed master narratives: (1) communion based on Japanese social structure, characterized by the expectation of forming cooperative friendships at school and maintaining harmonious family relationships, and (2) straight life course, characterized by the expectation of going to higher education, smoothly transitioning from college to work without failure, and obtaining a stable job.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the importance of examining narrative identity within specific sociocultural contexts. Consistent with previous research in Western contexts, we found that hikikomori youth deviate from master narratives and struggle to form narrative identities that were socially accepted and valued. At the same time, our results revealed that hikikomori youth deviate from collectivistic, rather than individualistic master narratives, emphasizing sameness and cooperation. These findings suggested that while youth across cultures who deviate from master narratives were at heightened risk of difficulties in identity formation. Future research should examine how Japanese youth who deviate from master narratives internalized alternative values and formed narrative identities.