Reconstruction of “Connection” with the World During Adolescence: The Potential of a “Small Framework” Provided by Psychotherapy and Image-Based Approaches

This paper argues that the task of reconstructing “connection” with the world during adolescence has become more complex and difficult due to various factors specific to contemporary society. Through this examination, it is pointed out that the existing frameworks supporting the adolescent transition have become dysfunctional across various dimensions, including the end of the “Grand Narrative,” the decline of the seken (traditional communal relations), the transformation of school and friendships, and the loss of relationship with the “other world.” As a result, adolescents who have withdrawn from reconstructing “connection,” as exemplified by school refusal, are influenced by isolated families and a digital world disconnected from reality, making this task even more difficult. In response to this situation, the paper shows that the “small framework” provided by psychotherapy can function as a marginal space and serve as an interface with the world. It particularly considers that the image-based approach, which creates an even “smaller framework” within psychotherapy, has a unique strength not found in language and can play a vital role in helping adolescents to weave their own narratives and find new connections with the world.