Psycho-Education for Japanese Youth

Abstract

The development of a comprehensive program of psycho-education for students in a secondary school attached to a Japanese university is presented. The rationale for the program, basic concepts, methods and procedures, and curriculum development to address youth violence and enhance appropriate self-assertion among Japanese youth are discussed.Youth under age 20 now account for more than half of all violent acts committed in Japan. Although the crime rate for youthful offenders appears to have stabilized at a level approaching 5% (Japanese Ministry of Justice, 1999Justice, , 2002, school-related issues such as bullying, non-attendance at school, violence directed at classroom teachers, and recurrent classroom disruptions have Japanese educators rightly concerned about the future for their children (Hayes, 2001). In explanation, officials in the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) point to a set of social conditions that have been shaping contemporary Japan for more than two decades. Declining birthrates, expanding urbanization, substantive decreases in the educational functions traditionally performed in the home and local community, a growing emphasis on respect for individual rights at the expense of social responsibility, and the tendency of youth to be drawn further into their own worlds as a function of global consumerism have all been identified as factors contributing to the exacerbation of youth violence (MEXT, 2001).