I think it's more that these roles seem to prefer studying phenomena from an outside point of view - some believe that by immersing themselves in the culture, t

I think it's more that these roles seem to prefer studying phenomena from an outside point of view - some believe that by immersing themselves in the culture, they would lose their objectivity (also, this appears to be a particularly difficult culture to immerse oneself in, as by the definition presented in this article, having deep social interactions with a Hikikomori makes him/her less of a Hikikomori). I think really the key is to work your way into the place where you can relate to the people you're studying, but still understand the person you were before / the status quo.