Enjo Kosai Girls: Identity Confusion

Enjo Kosai Girls Identity ConfusionINTRODUCTIONThe term enjo kosai has appe ared prevalently at Hong Kong in around October 2007, after a local newspaper opused that girls go out for compensation and brand product. However, the seriousness of the problem was not addressed until a 16-year-old enjo kosai girl was killed and dismembered by a 24-year-old adult male who was a drug abuser in July 2009. This incident aroused huge companionable concern towards this emerging trend which is originated from Japan. What is the situation in Hong Kong? This paper aims to study this problem by pointing out that negative family factors is an antecedents of enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong, as well as analyzing that these girls melt to be in the identity element diffusion status. Roles of social workers, plight they face and future invention strategies are also discussed.LITERATURE REVIEWBackground of Enjo KosaiEnjo Kosai, abbreviated as enko, which is translated in English as Compensated geolo gical dating or Subsidized Dating, is a term originated in Japan. Enjo means to assist and Kosai means dating. The term was first report in a Japan theme in September, 1994. With the spread of internet and cultural interf small-scale, it was soon creation prevalent in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. At first, the definition meant teenage girls dating an sr. man for m unrivaledy or gifts, so as to assist them from loneliness. Teenage girls regarded it as a part-time job, and for some of the participants, stir became part of the process. With the addition of sex for pay, the meaning of this activity became unclear. Nowadays, enjo kosai has generally turned into teenage sex work.The major difference between with prostitution is that, prostitution is generally performed in a bordello or by arrangement of a third party, while in enjo kosai, the fact is girls can choose men. If a girl does not like a man when she first sees him, she can leave him. As they are not bounded by any co ntract, they can conduct enjo kosai only when they need superfluous money.Causes of Enjo KosaiAs suggested by Matsumoto (2002), in a survey by Asahi Shimbun in 1998, people where asked what they perceived to be the main contributing factors to this obvious social problem. The close to common response was that parents cannot discipline their children and society overemphasizes the desire of goods. Typically girls commit in enjo kosai spend the money on expensive brand-named goods or on activities with friends.Although monetary reward underlies each of enjo kosai girls, apparently there are several explanations for the reasons behind. According to a Japanese study as suggested by Wakabayashi (2003), Maruta (2001) analyse that there are three reasons why girls engage in enjo kosai 1) efficiency of making money, 2) sexual desire, and 3) psychological compensation. The ratio among these three categories was 316.For the reason of psychological compensation, Maruta analyzed that there are two subcategories 1) Girls are grown up in defective families and struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder or PSTD, which is a multidimensional effect of stress response syndromes. These girls have experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. This trauma might be physical, e.g., being raped or being physically abused by their parents or it might be emotional, e.g., experiencing their parents divorce. 2) Girls seek to gain sexual experience, affirm their own sexual attractiveness and are achievable to set a price for their bodies.Marutas analysis found there might be certain psychological connections between enjo kosai and the compensation for the neglect of love, loneliness and recent trauma experiences. Not surprisingly, other recent research found the same result. McCoy (2004) suggested that many teenage girls who engage in enjo kosai experience family dysfunction and a lack of communication with their parents, or they feel overprotected or stifled. They tend to be unable to exercise self-restraint, act impulsively and feel lonely.Research on Enjo Kosai in Hong KongAs enjo kosai is an emerging issue in Hong Kong, little formal research is done as it is a new research topic. A few local social service agencies conducted exploratory research. Some significant research include 1) An Exploratory Study of Enjo Kosai Girls in Hong Kong by Yang Memorial Methodist mixer Service (2008) This is one of the earliest comprehensive exploratory studies on the emergence of enjo kosai in Hong Kong. Information of enjo kosai websites and other internet sources were extensively analyzed and six enjo kosai girls were being interviewed. Causes, prevalence and opposition of enjo kosai were discussed.2) Adolescents Views on Enjo Kosai by Hong Kong Christian Service (2009) 3) Secondary Students Knowledge and Values of Enjo Kosai by Hong Kong Association of Sexuality Educators, Researchers Therapists (2009) They have done mistakable research on the causes of enj o kosai in Hong Kong, the value system of adolescents and their perception on this issue. Both studies suggested adolescents perceptions of the main reason that girls engage in enjo kosai is the efficiency of making money to buy branded products. These support the analysis of Kuruta (2001).4) Uncontrollable Desire of Consumerism? Rethinking the Problem of Enjo Kosai in Hong Kong by Office of Hon Cheung Kwok Che, Member of Legislative Council (Social Welfare Functional Constituency) Shiu, K. C. (2009) This study interviewed several enjo kosai girls and summarized disparate perspectives of viewing this problem in Hong Kong, including how society, police and the law treat enjo kosai. Social workers roles, positioning and intervention method were discussed.Negative Family FactorsResearchers have found parental and family descent relates to teenage girls sexual behavior, which applies to enjo kosai in this paper. Parental characteristics, family relationships, and attitudes, values a nd norms of family members also have been associated with adolescent sexual behaviors (Dorius et al., 1993). Adolescents from single-parent families have been shown to begin sexual intercourse at junior ages than those from two-parent families (Miller Bingham, 1989). Thornton and Camburn (1987) found that both parents and adolescents who have experienced divorce have more permissive attitudes about non-marital sexual intercourse.In addition, other than family factors that affect sexual behaviors, adolescents disclosure on their activities, i.e., communication with family also plays an important role in escalating and fostering enjo kosai activities. Dishion et al. (2004) suggested that monitoring is embedded within the parentchild relationship. Stoolmiller (1994) made a similar point that some teenagers actively avoid parental supervision, especially are disinclined to share information about their comings and goings and with whom they spend time. Both parents attempt and childre ns willingness to violate affect parents involvement in and influence on children (Dishion et al., 2004).Marcias Identity Statuses Identity DiffusionErikson (1950, 1968) suggested the descriptions of identity formation as a particularly adolescent activity. He grounded that adolescents need to confront the crisis of identity versus role confusion. Marcia (1966) extended Eriksons theory into a structured Identity Statuses by accessing individuals crisis and committedness. This includes 1) Identity masterment crisis leading to commitment 2) Foreclosure commitment without crisis 3) Moratorium crisis with no commitment yet 4) Identity Diffusion no commitment, no crisis.Marcia (1976) revealed that the Identity Diffusion individuals had in common a lack of direction and pop the question in their lives and a pervasive air of unconcern about the matter. Some individuals were drifting and some were distressed. They seemed to have jobs rather than occupations. They tended to be cont rolled largely by speedy environmental influences. Kroger (1993) suggested that parents of identity defused adolescents are more likely laissez-faire in child-rearing attitudes. They are rejecting or not available to children. The adolescents personalities tended to be with low levels of ego development, clean reasoning, cognitive complexity and self-certainly. They tended to have poor cooperative abilities.ANALYSIS DISCUSSIONNegative Family Factor as Antecedents of Enjo Kosai Activities in Hong KongFollowing Dishion et al (2004) s fundamental interaction effect between adolescents developing deviant friendships and parents disengaging from family management, this paper applies the argument to enjo kosai If a girl is involved in enjo kosai, her behavior will escalate under conditions of low parent monitoring, negative parent communication, and poor relationship quality. This interaction of family management degradation and enjo kosai involvement is also in line with Dishion et al .s premature autonomy hypothesis.though having a small sample size in Hong Kong, Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008) found that all girls who engaged in enjo kosai they interviewed have a poor relationship with their families. They lacked communication with their parents and siblings, some were being abused and some parents were divorce. It is obvious that parental and family relationship strongly relates to enjo kosai activities in Hong Kong. Some interviewees agreed that their divorced family background might also foster them to involve in enjo kosai for psychological compensation of love and care.Identity Diffusion of Enjo Kosai Girls in Hong KongFrom the above literature, it is reviewed that girls who engaged in enjo kosai activities could be applied as in the Identity Diffusion status. Despite McCoy (2004) found that in Southeast Asia, some girls who engage in compensated dating were frequently from middle or upper-middle-class families and were commonly good student s and school leaders, while in Hong Kong, the situation is not the same. The few local studies suggested that enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong tend to have no commitment to schooling, education and have no seriously considered options of future career. Some of them treated enjo kosai as a part-time job. Their parents do not tend to discuss the future with these girls.The characteristics of Identity Diffusion adolescents also include high degree of anxiety and fluctuation in feelings about self and their superior characteristics. Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service (2008)s findings supported these. The girls they interviewed are distressed, anxious, uncertain about themselves when they were alone and psychologically empty. Abortion was also reported from some girls.Roles of Social Workers in Hong KongThe roles of social workers are controversial. Office of Hon. Cheung Shiu (2009) discussed extensively about the roles and ethical dilemma of social workers face when handling with enj o kosai cases. For example, 1) the dilemma between being answerable to the case owner (enjo kosai girl) versus being accountable to the school whether social workers should confidentially help the enjo kosai girls or they should report to the school principal once they receive a case and 2) the intervention of institutionalized life is good for all girls whether putting enjo kosai girls into girls home is advantageous regardless of their long-term identity and personality development as well as social network. Office of Hon. Cheung Shiu (2009) also argued that the role of social worker is more like police. They claimed that nowadays more social workers tend to report and publicize the case rather than focalization on confidentially due to social pressure. However, the intervention phase will be affected and might not be aiming at the biggest interest of the case owner.It is suggested a balance should be kept when facing the dilemma of confidentiality versus accountability. More a gencies could conduct research on this topic so that social workers will understand more on the reasons behind enjo kosai and to help these girls. More training to social workers could be provided on this topic and outreaching teams that focus on this target group could be formed.CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONSThis paper concluded that negative family factors are antecedents of enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong. It also discussed that these girls tend to be in the identity diffusion status. This would be useful for social workers, social service agencies, sociologists and the government to understand more about enjo kosai, the role of family factors as well as the girls psychological development.It is recommended that more comprehensive sex education shall be given in early and middle adolescence stage so as to build up and achieve youths positive identity. On the other hand, more aid shall be given to existing enjo kosai girls in Hong Kong by social workers with focused outreaching teams.