Not long ago, she met a teenager in the area who was a reclusive loner. There is no official data on reclusive loners, but KBS reported that there are 100,000 in Korea and about 15% drop out of school. 40% of those with a history of seclusion began their seclusion in adolescence and the number of potential reclusive loners is considered to be much higher than what the figures indicate.
We see students around us who have lost motivation and even given up on social life. Even among teenagers, we learn through personal counseling that they are experiencing various difficulties (school violence, bullying, abnormalities lack of protection, etc.) even though it does not seem like a real crisis. Adolescents who experience such difficulties show fear or avoidance of interpersonal relationships.
They spend their days helplessly for no clear reason. They are reluctant to talk to others, and their interpersonal relationships gradually decrease, if this continues, they eventually reach the stage of dropping out of school or choosing isolation.
Considering that adolescence is a time for various relationship training required for adulthood, this can be considered a very serious problem. These are people who need great courage to face new people, a new world, and themselves.
That's why support is desperately needed for reclusive loners. What is significant among the survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on 8,800 isolated and reclusive young people is that the majority of isolated and reclusive youth and adolescents clearly expressed their intention to join the human family and even made active attempts to do so.
However, the rate of isolation again after attempting 'de-isolation' is 45.6%. The most common reasons were ‘because of lack of money and time,’ ‘because it was difficult and exhausting,’ and ‘because the problem was not solved.’ Among the respondents who did not attempt to break away from isolation, the most common reason was ‘because of lack of information’.
Adolescence is a time when children break free from the dependent relationship with their parents and learn various ways of life through more equal and mutual relationships with friends and others. In particular, since we grow through many rapid changes in various aspects, we need appropriate help to solve the challenges we face in this process. Therefore, peer relationships, social relationships, and experiences during adolescence are important factors in determining whether a person can grow into a healthy adult and adapt well to society.
If we intervene early on in adolescents who show signs of being reclusive loners, wouldn't it be possible to prevent the prolongation of seclusion and enable a successful return to society? Fortunately, the government recently revised the Enforcement Decree of the Youth Welfare Support Act to include support for reclusive youth as targets of the at-risk youth support project.
Once they decide to go out into the world, their anxiety about the unknown world will be unimaginably great. What is most needed is a safe support system and enjoyable and meaningful experience programs that can transform such anxiety into a positive experience.
Reclusive loners often occur due to social and environmental causes that are difficult to attribute responsibility. Therefore, all of us need to detect those who live in seclusion or those who are in situations that could lead to seclusion at an early stage so that they can grow into healthy members of society. It is our role to look around us to see if there are any reclusive teenagers.
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