Kokology 10 Poem by Hajime Midori

1. Inside the candy store, you find rows and rows of the old familiar candies, chocolate bars, chewing gums, and sweets from your youth. Some are stacked in organized shelves, some are loose in baskets and jars. What candy do you pick first, and why did you choose it?

2. While you’re wandering the store making selections, you notice that outside a group of children look as though they’re getting ready to enter the store. How many children actually come in?

3. You make your purchases and go home with a bag of candy. But when you open the bag, you see that the shopkeeper has added some free extra candies as a special treat for you. How many did you get?

4. You’ve been thinking about giving the candy you bought as a gift to someone. To whom, if anyone, would you give it?
Answer Key (click link below)
The candy theme harkens back to the time in your life when you could count on an occasional treat and even expect to be spoiled. This scenario reveals your expectations of others and your level of dependence.
1. If you thought something like “I’d take the one with the secret toy surprise in the pack”, you’re likely the type who responds well to people bearing gifts. If you said you choose the candy because you remember how good it tasted or it made you feel nostalgic, you are hungry for the same attention and affection you received from your mother as a child. Men, if you answered this way, you may be looked on as something of a mama’s boy. If you made your decision based on external factors, you’re the type of person who makes judgments based on appearance alone.
2. The number of children who entered the store while you shopped represents the number of people in your life you need to depend on. Most people imagine between one and five children. People who said more than five still have a way to go before they reach an adult level of independence. But those who said no children came in also might need to reconsider the way they look at the world.
3. The number of free treats you got reveals how much you still depend on your mother. The amound of special attention the store-keeper showed you is a measure of attention you actually want from your mother.
4. To whom would you give the candy? The person you chose is a person you would like to be able to take care of someday or have become dependent on you.