A person's culture and society have a great influence on development and growth. Cultural and social expectations can sometimes cause considerable stress to an individual and lead to mental disorders. An example of this would be the prevalence of anorexia and other eating disorders in Western society due to a distorted sense of body image. Similarly, Asian countries have seen an increase in young people withdrawing socially for extended periods of time. In Japan, this term is called “hikikomori”. It is a rapidly developing syndrome in which adolescents “lock themselves in their rooms for months, years, or sometimes decades, with minimal social contact” (Rosenthal and Zimmerman 82). Although these two conditions are more commonly conceived in their conception, some experts have estimated that there may be as few as a million hikikomori within the Japanese population (Furlong 309). The most common behaviors that can be attributed to this condition are dropping out of school, developing an addiction to the virtual world or alternate reality, and being confined to the house. However, the assumption that they never leave home is incorrect. Some leave their homes daily, but usually do so at a time that allows them to avoid social contact, such as early in the morning or late in the evening (Furlong 311). Although these basic behavioral characteristics have been identified, the main reason psychiatrists are unable to distinctly define hikikomori is due to the large number of behaviors classified under the same term (Rosenthal and Zimmerman 83). For example, social isolation, the main component of hikikomori, can include diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, personality disorders, or even “psychotic illness” (Teo and Gaw