As an autistic academic, I do recognise some of the behaviours of both characters in myself (directness and no ‘off switch’). Although, what distracted me the most was your unironed t-shirt. Those creases! 😂
10:27 I love how Leonard and Sheldon ironically turned out the opposite of their mothers and want each other mothers as a result. It’s pretty funny that each character relates closer to the other’s mother than their own.
I think what's ironic about this episode is that Leonard's mother despite trying to analyze everyone paints the picture of someone who doesn't have a very strong grasp on the problems in their own life. her constant need to analyze everybody demonstrates someone who is sort of detached from their own life and experiencing it through others, you can see this in a future episode where she matter-of-factly tells Leonard that she divorced his father, as if she's talking about someone else and not her husband who she's been with presumably for decades.
Yes but....why would she care? We KNOW that other people are so limited they cannot understand, and ....what problems of our own life? We just move on to the next person.
1:22, Kunal Nuyar said he researched selective mutism when auditioning for the role of Dr. Koothrapoli (at the time he had a different first name) and after starting to play him he met people with selective mutism who were impressed with his having conveyed what it’s like to have it. (At least that’s what he says in his book.)
I saw an interview that Mayim Bialik did with Bill Prady (one of the creators) who made it clear that the character Sheldon was inspired by himself and he was diagnosed with autism.
@@kitty911000 Yes, that’s true. But it doesn’t change the fact that during the show’s run, Sheldon is never stated to be autistic for the reason given in my previous comment, which is that it would be limiting for the show’s writers and a heavy burden having to get things right and be consistent. So despite Sheldon being openly based on Bill’s former co-workers who were computer programmers and possibly neurodivergent, (whilst at the same time having Sheldon be subconsciously based upon himself,) that doesn’t change how the show itself handles Sheldon, Bill’s admission of projecting himself onto the character doesn’t retroactively improve the show/make it more progressive on the subject of people like us, as such TBBT gets no points for that from me, (since I am not ‘normal.’)
@@Sorozatfuggoseg yes, that's exactly what I said: that I loved her in The Good Wife AND in the spinoff The Good Fight.. sorry if you didn't understand me, you probably missed the AMPERSAND (&) which means AND
"...And when they say you can't let her get into your head, she's just asked questions. So, is it really her, or has she just opened up a box of stuff that's been packed away at the back of your mind for a while and just essentially forced you to become face-to-face with stuff you'd rather not become face-to-face with?" That's literally what they mean. Think about it, she's exposing some strong and potentially traumatic issues but not helping address them. So, to translate it'd be like if she were a physician and spotted someone's scar on their arm that hadn't healed properly... and, without consent, she uses a scalpel to reopen the scar and then walked away, not actually helping in aiding the scar to heal properly. Thus, actually making matters worse for the person with which she is dealing. She is also fully aware that she is doing this (unlike Sheldon).
I couldn't of said it better myself, like, there were a lot of interesting things that he was talking about, but it seemed like he didn't realize just how blatant she was being, and instead thought that it was just Leonard and Penny not wanting to deal with their trauma, which isn't the case.
Right? There's some cliches and primitive jokes too, but the actors and writers did a really good job at creating some very coherent characters including a few spectrum-presenting ones... My first therapist started suspecting I should get evaluated for ASD when I said one of my calming and/or pleasure activities is rewatching first seasons of TBBT, because "Sheldon feels like home" XD
13:06, considering she published a book about Leonard titled “The Disappointing Child” and another titled “Needy Baby, Greedy Baby”, I’m going to go with yeah, it’s her getting in their heads
That is emotional abuse. Beverly is an abuser. She doesn't know it, though. If those books existed, they wouldn't be about the child in truth, so much as about a woman who doesn't want to be a mother and is unable to connect with her child emotionally, and is blaming it on perceived defects of the child rather than her examining her unwillingless or inability to parent and where that stems from. It causes one to wonder why Beverly chose to be a parent in the first place.
@@moonlily1 She wanted to experiment with different child rearing methods to see which one worked best. That’s why she became a mother in the first place, since she viewed it as a scientific experiment
The last episode with Leonard's mom its somewhat suggested that she might have some form of (possibly untreated) autism. Leonard has a breakdown and finally learns to forgive his mom and she kind of admits that she knows she's being distant and cold but it seems like its not exactly by choice.
@@Beans_OW Therapy is also considered a treatment. A lot of people think treatment just mean medication. I said treatment and not diagnoses because I doubt she wouldn't already know that she has autism.
@@Beans_OW I was amazed at the effects of horse therapy with my friend's daughter. It greatly improved her quality of life. It was like flipping some switch or lever in her and it had permanent long term benefits.
@@supersizesenpai that’s not TREATING autism though, that’s covering it. The autism’s still there and there’s nothing preventing the effects from being present, you’re just pretending they aren’t. Saying therapy treats autism is the same as saying hearing aids cure deafness
@@Beans_OW There are treatments to help manage autism. There are tons of studies on it. Its obviously no current cure for autism but there are treatments. I know that the word treatment sounds wrong because of what people tend associate it with but treatment in this case is a fine choice. To be clear not every treatment works for every person there a vast number of options. There is no one size fits all.
I think of Leonard's mother in terms of Harlow's monkey experiments: she's the embodiment of the wire-frame mother, providing nourishment but no warmth or comfort. Leonard's "hugging machine" is his, possibly inadvertent, attempt to create Harlow's "cloth mother", which allowed for a secure attachment, even if it could not emotionally respond.
Psychologists and psychiatrists: You are NOT just asking questions! You are probing in a suggestive way and implying that there are answers without providing them. I am not saying you are not useful. But NEVER do the passive-aggressive "I'm just asking questions" Sometimes it can bring about resolutions and sometimes it cannot ... and other times it just tears down without building up .. leaving you .. hurt. This is just suggesting basic humility as a foundation. Yes, we need to look at things, but things are complex and much is out of your hands even though it affects you
I loved the entire run of The Big Bang Theory, but THIS episode is the best one. Nothing has topped it. Sure, there were later episodes with Beverly that just reinforced to the jokes established here, but you just can't top "Howard still lives with his mother, and Raj can't talk to women unless he's drunk. GO!" Fortunately, everyone did make strides in overcoming their mental health issues. Howard moved out when he married. Raj overcame his selective mutism. Penny found a sense of worth in her close friends that became family, external from her career. Leonard forgave his mom and got less clingy in his relationships. And finally, Sheldon developed some empathy and learned to appreciate his friends.
You might enjoy doing a video of the episode where Leonard and Sheldon's mothers meet each other and there's obviously a clash. I think it does a great job highlighting the pros and cons of each others parenting styles.
I have Autism too, when I started watching TBBT and instantly could tell Sheldon was likely on the Autism Spectrum. Also with Leonards mother. I was diagnosed under the old diagnoses criteria, so Atypical Autism; PDD-NOS, High Functioning, in 2003 at age 13. At a late age due to living in London and not getting the support to find out correctly. Until I moved up to the north east, then they looked at it all properly. I am also female which is a whole other ball game, lol. I was one teacher in London who expressed her concerns to my mother regarding specifically Aspergers Syndrome. That got the ball rolling as it were. I am forever thankful to that teacher Sister Patricia for taking note of it. Nowadays its all under the umbrella term Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Condition.
I think in real life Beverly would be a terrible therapist. She is interested in psychology from a purely intellectual standpoint and her methodology is coldly clinical to the point of being totally devoid of empathy. She doesn't have the social skills to develop a rapport with a patient, and she isn't motivated by a genuine interest in helping people, she simply finds it entertaining for herself to analyze people. She only understands emotions on paper and actually has extremely poor relationships. Her officiousness makes her unbearable to be around and her interjections hurt people more than they help them. She may unpack their hidden issues that they don't want to deal with, but she doesn't offer them ANY solutions or alternative coping mechanisms. She makes people feel worse about themselves and offers nothing constructive in return. Her behavior towards her son borders on emotional abuse.
@jclyntoledo True, though even in research I feel that empathy is incredibly important. A lack of empathy like this can also lead to overpathologizing and can bias the research results, and researchers can often still have direct contact with the subjects which would be awful in her case. However, I agree that as a researcher she'd do WAY less damage than as a therapist.
@@MerelvandenHurk Beverly also writes books giving parents advice on how to raise their children. It's hard to believe that they would not have been critically savaged, even or perhaps especially among the psychiatric community.
I'm autistic, and my old psychiatrist told me that I have very black and white thinking. I disagree. I explored if I might do have that issue and just don't realize it, but I don't think I do. I think she only said that because it is common for autistic people, and not because of how I actually think and view things. I think I generally see the nuances and gray areas in most things, and the people in my life that I asked about it agree. But that's not the point, what I find interesting is that she is the most black and white thinker I've ever met. Like it's insane that she's a psychiatrist that both have very black and white thinking, all or nothing. AND that she doesn't see it herself. Like rocks in glass houses my dude
So real. Neurotypical people around me keep not seeing that things are complicated and blame me for pointing it out because they see my behavior as either intentionally offending them (not true) or bothering them (a matter of approach). I guess it's mostly the difference between up-down and bottom-up processing, we're more likely to look for causes and how things work from the roots while they work with what they're given by the senses and society.
Great video (as usual)! I was wondering if you have ever seen the show "Community", one of the main characters, Abed, is autistic (so is the showrunner) so i think it would be interesting to hear you talk about it. Some episodes that you could watch/analysis are, Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas, Virtual Systems Analysis, Biology 101, and more!
I loved this show. If you watch it from Season 1 through to the end, Season 12, you see these people evolve through their relationships with each other. In many ways it's very touching - especially the friendship that develops between Sheldon and Penny - there's a sweetness to it.
17:22, The Emotion Detection Automation could be a good one for you to check out (it’s about Sheldon getting a machine to read people’s emotions for him) The Closure Alternative could be a good one (it’s about Amy trying to get Sheldon to get over his need for closure), The Bon Voyage Reaction has a scene of Amy analyzing Lucy’s social anxiety while Lucy is present, The Sales Call Simulation features Sheldon having synesthesia. I think those episodes could work
Those are great episodes to check out. The Lucy episode I really wanted to be angry at her because of how much she was hurting Raj, however she's most likely hurting as well because she struggles to get over that social anxiety.
I saw an interview that Mayim Bialik did with Bill Prady (one of TBBT creators) who made it clear that the character Sheldon was inspired by himself and he was diagnosed with autism.
My question is if Leonard build a hugging machine and his father was using it too, why didn't his father at least hug him ? I know his father probably had other emotional needs but at least he would have helped Leonard a bit and it would have helped him too.
Eventually, Leonard's mother and Sheldon's mother meet. That was really good. There was one where Leonard's father was present with both of them. Interesting that Beverly is a neuroscientist as Amy, Sheldon's girlfriend/wife, was, too.
Jesus , I love Sheldon, and scenes with him and Leonard's mom are gold. What wouldn't I give to have at least a few moments like this with someone, looks so comfortable and easy to understand
As someone with a motor cortex tumor I have to say - she's right about never hearing the end of it, but I mostly just like to use it for humor and deflection.
No one really ever called the mother on her behavior. Tho she did suffer socially eventually in a concrete way that made her feel badly. It is interesting watching your comments as they reveal the writers did a better than average job of writing the mother's character mental health expert. The hugging machine reminded me of the machine Temple Granger built to squeeze/pressure her. I like the way Leonard's mother and Sheldon bonded and found friendship *and* the writers never cross the line into romance.
10:36 this is one of my favorite scenes with Lenard mother. It’s pretty funny Lenard actually using the traits of his mother he disliked against someone else.
I always thought the shared traits between Leonard's mom and Sheldon is what made Leonard so good at tolerating Leonard, but I never considered that friendship might be a compensation of something Leonard is missing
Freud was not totally right, but I do appreciate that he advocated for talking (therapy) at least as a first line before institutionalization and that we are better off addressing our own sexualities rather than suppressing both socially and personally.
I find the almost rabid need to disprove Freud strikes me as envy by modern therapists. I agree he was mistaken about many things but ... of course he was-- he was covering a lot of new ground.
😂 is it just me or am I the only one that actually wants to have a brain scan while talking about my parents? It would be very informative for me and it makes me giggle 😂😅
I don't know if you take requests, but I would be really interested to see your take on the therapy in the show Castle. In my personal opinion, it's always the best therapy I've seen on TV, and I've never seen anyone review it or talk about it because I think it's more underrated. The therapy scenes are in episodes 1, 5, 9, and 21 of season 4.
2:16 paranoia is contagious….is that be a factor for cult membership? Also thanks for explaining the French expression so I better understand the new joker movie title
12:57 no no, it's really her. No one's asked her to ask any of those questions, no one's paying her to psycho analyse them, and her responses are unsolicited, in most cases unwanted. So this is on her.
Concur with advertising of medications in America. You often see ads during the Super Bowl for NFL advertising you cancer drugs and that you should talk to your doctor about them, and then it goes into a 42nd disclaimer about all the ways in which this medication can harm and kill you which end up being longer than the original advertisement. It’s a fucking weird culture.
My mother’s response after they’d list contraindications and possible side effects was to wonder why anyone would want to take the medications. Btw: she had the leg pain side effect of statin drugs before it was publicized, so that may have colored her view of things.
I literally, while watching this in its original airing and original run, talked about, "Well, now we know why Leonard puts up with Sheldon; he's recreating his relationship with his mother...and it's familiar territory." I do, personally, as one of four autistics in my 4-person nuclear family, wish they'd acknowledged in-universe and on-screen that Sheldon (and Beverly) is autistic. My family are all gamers and fangirls/fanboys, and we recognized ourselves or people we're friends with or have met in EVERYONE on the show.
For what it's worth, your T-Shirt didn't bother me at all. And after folks mentioned it, it still doesn't bother me. Personally, I'd wear a linen shirt next time to be passive aggressive. hehehehe.
Their superficial comment belies their focus: shallow and negative. They can’t understand the new concepts presented or the deeper thinking evident in this video. Hopefully they are children who who might yet learn to not judge people by something as meaningless as a tee-shirt. Those that embrace aesthetics over substance will have very disappointing and frustrated lives and be left with a profound confusion over failed relationships and friendships.
My biggest issues was that, while the mother characters always puts Leonard down and is the cause of many of his insecurities, at the end he "forgives her", when in fact he should have removed her from his life. I wonder what you would tell a patient that is struggling with such a relationship. Obviously it would have been too strong of a plot point for a sitcom, but in real life.
Man the early seasons were good. That 'external locus of identity' explanation is amazing, they would also casually bring up a lot of real science like in the first episode discussing the 'double slit experiment'
For 1 second I thought you were saying raj was tone deaf and that was a tiny percentage of the population, I was like "have you heard people sing their national anthem?
On if Sheldon has autism...there has been a media push and collective narrative to make Sheldon's behaviours ambiguous. Of course there are inevitable problems with poking fun at autistic people. I have seen an argument saying that Sheldon has strong features of 'giftedness' that is often conflated with autism. Young Sheldon definitely softened the character for me. While I love The Big Bang Theory, as someone on the autism spectrum, I found Sheldons portrayal at times problematic.
@@alyssat7809 I'd definitely be recommending he seeks a diagnosis if he were a real person. If there was one hint the show was satirising the symptoms of a disability it wouldn't have made the millions it did. That's why they were so ambiguous with it and have always denied Sheldon was autistic.
When young we're guided by feelings, hormones and desires in high focus. As you grow up and older, you learn to recognize the difference between impulses, and go thru life more physically or mentality atuned.
This is great on multiple levels. Dr. Elliott does a great job of analysis, explains psychoanalytic terms, lists examples, and provides definitions, instantly: he is well versed and trained. But beyond the professional analysis, this is one of the best unintentional reaction videos out there. He gets the jokes instantly, unlike some pedantic and fact-driven professionals who haven’t a humorous bone, apart from the literal one. I’ve always been a big fan of TBBT, and knew right away that psychologists were present in the episodic writing and planning stages because of the clear use of iconic stereotypes. I used that observation to study TBBT for both character writing and techniques of applied humor. I found at least sixteen that were successfully recycled in various ways. The series had great character arcs, drama, emotion, humor, and a great series conclusion. It remains a glowing example of excellent writing and acting.
Freud: I can acknowledge that his work was groundbreaking at the time, and paved the way for deeper understandings of trauma, expressions of cognitive dissonance, and the revolution that was the introduction of talk therapy as a treatment - like, there's a reason he's called the grandfather of psychology and psychiatry. But his work on hysteria was really a backstep in women's healthcare in particular, and let's be honest, a lot of the psychosexual development stuff kind of says more about him than any of his clients lol. Therapy: one of the most valuable things I have ever had the courage to seek out. My first psych was super weird, but I didn't see her a lot, and then when she left that job, the psych she recommended has remained my psych to this day. He's a neuropsychologist, which I really appreciate because I like talking through what the brain is doing when I'm, say, having an anxiety attack - and I also just genuinely find that stuff interesting. We chat about nerdy stuff, but he also doesn't let me get away with bullshitting, which I think is very important in therapy. Therapy is hard work, and I think it's important that the clinician isn't just someone you get along with, but someone who is making sure you do the work, and knows when to push and when to ease up. I'm a very stubborn person, and I really appreciate that he knows how to work with (and sometimes around lol) that.
I really enjoyed your explanation of these scenes. I have only limited education in these fields (I have an MA in Clinical Psychology, which I got way back in the 90s and never really used), but I remain fascinated by the subject, and you have a truly marvelous ability to explain it all very clearly, and with great warmth and humor. Thank you!
Great episode reaction 😂😂 Sheldon seems autistic to me. I think he may also have OCD; he has a compulsive knocking ritual, can't leave anything unfinished, and is terrified of germs. He also needs to organize every minute of every day in order to feel well. Can't ignore his ornithofobia either 🐦
You should check out the entire series and see how they go through the whole span of 12 years. The only reason it ended was because the actor who played Sheldon had other plans and bowed out of the show. They would have kept it going otherwise. I would like to see your reactions. BTW, I had a brain aneurysm with surgery in 1993 and had to rehabilitate myself. Very challenging but here I am now.
When I first started watching this show, I didn't know I was autistic, but I related so hard to Sheldon (and not just because we're both from Texas and studied physics in college, though I switched to psychology after 2 years and eventually ended up getting a degree in computer science). I'd never seen a character quite like him before, but I felt like finally there was someone like me on TV. I took an online test somewhere around 2017 and scored high for guys, but I'm a girl so it said I'm really likely to be autistic. Never been diagnosed officially (don't really see the point in it), but I always loved watching this show mainly for him and later on for Leonard's mom. :) Glad you enjoyed the episode! This show used to get a lot of hate from people for a variety of reasons, but the one thing it's hard to fault the show on is its scientific accuracy because they consulted real scientists routinely to make sure all the information they gave out on the show was as accurate as possible. Still had some goofs here and there, but overall they wanted the show to be accurate and succeeded most of the time.
My father-in-law was aFreudian psychologist. His son, my husband, was a behavorist. My ffather-in0law ha and impact on our boys, I reprimandedm my four year old and he told me, “You injured my ego.” My response. Freud doesn’t live here, Your father is a behavoral psychologist. Autism was easy to spot in Sheldon. While high functioning intellectually, he (the character) cannot understand how his actions affect others. As an educator and former federal day care director, we had over the years many children on the spectrum. We had many individual educatioon program meetings with parents, medical proessionals, rrom staff to develop plans to best help the child.
I did a study on advertised medications. Shared it with Dean of Nursing at University I retired from. Warned her that side effects of meds HAS to be considered when caring for patient. (I was in Nursing school and recognize BAD nursing when I see it. 😠
Great video. I really love that episode of Big Bang Theory. Finding a video on you reacting to it s a real treat I could not hope for and gladly embraced. Thank you. edit: Leonard's tactic: diversion I guess.
I think the series was the best in its genre of Rom-coms. Each character was well thought out and planned down to stereotypes to create instantly recognizable people to laypersons, who themselves have seen these characters among friends, coworkers, and family. Each fit together, and moved each other, like the gears on a fine Swiss watch. While some were scene stealers, others still had key functions, as a form of pacing and comic relief. But each had a turn to shine. The layers of critical thing are what assemble into a somewhat opaque form of writing magic. The reruns will never get old.
Check out Everything's Gonna Be Okay, it's a show that features an Autistic character played by an Autistic actress and when fans wondered if Josh Thomas the creator and star, is Autistic he got evaluated and diagnosed. Since Josh Thomas reminded my wife and I of a guy that we knew from our Autistic adult support groups, we also suspected that Josh Thomas is Autistic too.
I enjoyed that, thanks. I'm a hugger hater myself. Thankfully those that know me just give very short gentle hugs while l stand there. I once told someone that l hated hugs and they gave a little chuckle and guilted me into giving them a hug because they were related to my mum.
My issue with the Oedipus Complex is that Oedipus was never raised by his mother. He’s abandoned as an infant. He kills his father by happenstance and purely as a result of men trying to defy fate. Relating the concept to a story that doesn’t actually demonstrate the theory is philosophically confusing. I mean I can understand and argument being made that the storyteller is working through their own deep seated desires by creating circumstances that justify their desired outcome…but really it always seemed a better allegory for nature vs nurture or determinism vs free will. If we consider the adopted parents are nothing like his biological parents then the whole concept of an Oedipus Complex kind of goes out the window. Outside of some sort of theory that the formation of our identities begins in the womb. And if the parents somehow had the exact same personalities then the question still goes back fate or free will / nature vs nurture…which is much more interesting.
About "folie à deux", can this happen in children groups as well? Or mass anxiety-like... I ask out of genuine curiosity. Because this might have happened to me when I was 9. (I try to make it short) I had a stay in a health clinic specialized in allergic illnesses in Switzerland because of my severe Asthma. The child ward for my age group (7 to 10) must have had around 30 kids if I recall correctly. I was there in winter, just before Christmas. Lots of traumatic stuff related to that (which may or may not be relevant). 1. my stay was prolongued, and neither me nor my parents knew that would even be possible. It was planned to stay 4 weeks (in which case I would have been back home for Christmas), but ended up having to stay 2 weeks longer. Which meant I was still there over the holidays. 2. (as at home) I was badly bullied by other kids. 3. I was alone the whole time. Which was the case for most kids. But at Christmas, I was the only one not having the parents stay there too (they simply could not afford it. The costs for the train travel did already take a toll on our households finances.). Which in and of itself was already terrible, and only increased though the fact that, since everyone's parents were there, there were no group activities during the afternoon and evening. Giving me even more time to feel terribly homesick. So that was the context. And then started that kind of mass anxiety or whatever. I don't know who started it exactly. I remember some ogf the older kids reading a magazine or st. with the image of a brownish, humanoid alien on it. Scared many kids. We had nightmares and only fueled one another with our stories and wild running imagination. At some point pretty much all the children were convinced there were really aliens terrorising the ward. It had a real impact, like for example the night shift nurse constantly being called by some child who had woken terridied from a nightmare. It really genuinely believed that these aliens were real. I believed this for years after. And that specifc kind of alien still scares me. I can watch pretty much any horror movie, but having images like that meet my eye and they hunt me in my dreams. Kind of embarassing... But I started wondering some time ago if (child) psychology has anything to offer about that kind of phenomeom. It really was huge. Even the educatours "parenting" us kids seemed at wits end.
@mangantasy289 Two examples of implied or possibly factual cases come to mind: 1) About a decade ago a temporary psychosis from a bread mold was proposed as a possible cause to mass delusions of witchcraft allegations that led to the Salem Witch trials. 2) There was a movie called “The Forth Kind,” that referenced a mass delusion of residents of Juno, an isolated town in Alaska. The residents reported dreaming about seeing the same owl peering into their widows at night. Under hypnosis, it was revealed to be something more terrifying. There have been multiple UFO incidents where large groups of people reported seeing aliens and UFOs including two British teachers and all their students. It was explained away as a mass hysteria, but was it?
I enjoyed this video. First time watching your channel, but I’ve been a huge Big Bang fan for years. But question: What happened to the yellow figurine behind you? Was it misplaced, or is it absent for another reason. ☺️
I think Sheldon is awesome. I know that some people get upset about autism being portrayed that way, but it's a sitcom: everything is exaggerated to be funny. I'm a high masking, late diagnosed autistic woman, and I see myself in Sheldon. No one else would see the resemblance, because what he displays on the outside are things that I have worked my entire life to hide or suppress. As for this episode specifically, I love the part where Sheldon and Leonard's mother said how comfortable they were together. I've been in that exact situation several times. Autistic people telling me (undiagnosed at the time) how comfortable they felt around me shortly after meeting me, and I felt the same way about them. It feels so effortless, while everyone else is so much work.
Leonard wasn't the first to invent the hugging machine, to simulate the hugs he never received from his mother. It was Temple Grandin, who had invented the hugging machine, so that she would be able simulate a hug, since her Autism and sensory issues made it difficult to want to embrace her mother. And yes, this show had become quite popular with those on the Autism Spectrum, like me, and some of my friends. By the way, Beverley was the worst! I don't if she was Autistic or not, but she was definitely misanthropic. And people with Autism aren't all like Sheldon. In fact, some people would just call him "rude." It's possible to be Autistic and still be compassionate. They say that when you've seen one Aspie, then you've only seen one Aspie. Thanks for the video!
Therapy is great!!! Warm happiness from how smoothly it started, ideal help. I was just avoiding it till the longest, wanting to feel prepared. But yeah, happy for more sessions. Also, I want to see the help it'll add to my graphic memoirs. Selective mutism, for me, cause my mom not letting me practice my emotions, as she ruined the emotional fragility of my mental state when I was 3.
Have you seen the series geek girl? It doesn't explicitly mention autism yet is obvious, and confirmed by the writer, that the main character is autistic. The writer was late diagnosed as autistic and dyspraxia and the character is based on herself. So it gives the perspective of someone growing up autistic, while unaware that they are.
I think Leonard's mother is more of an academic/research psychiatrist than a practicing one. I would guess there is a difference between those two classes in the real world.
Please consider doing reaction videos to Oliver Sacks documentary videos involving neurodivergent or cognitively impaired youth, I guarantee I'm not a "tourist/voyeur/fetishist" I was a Special Education teacher for over 30 years and found it refreshing reading Dr. Sacks' work with people with the same or similar conditions as some of my students in the manner best put by Zelda Williams, "...for treating humans like humans, not patients, and for how much you did and will continue to do for mental awareness." I too love and miss Robin Williams who played the character, Dr. Malcolm Sayer, based on Oliver Sacks from Dr. Sacks 1973 non-fiction book with the same title as the 1990 movie, Awakenings.
I quite like the closed box in my head. Its closed and comfortable. Let it stay there and slowly manifest as physically. I can deal with the physical pain not the pandora's box in my head. 😮😅
As an autistic person, I think the problem with emotional response is that a lot of us have alexithymia (personally, 99% of the time I have no idea what I'm feeling. I just "do" expressive behavior not really being aware of my emotions until I express the behavior) and as working with emotions themselves is hard, it might be dysregulating for us and we often see other people's emotions as their problem unless we directly offend them unintentionally. Personally, it's not my problem if someone wants to sugarcoat everything and doesn't like being told the truth directly. I can help them deal with it if they want but otherwise, their emotions are their responsibility. If I treat someone unfairly, I genuinely am sorry, but usually interpersonal conflicts come from neurotypical people expecting some treatment without really knowing why and being mad I'm being "disrespectful". I'm respecting you as a human being but if you're an ass, why would I respect you as a person?
I don't think Beverly is autistic-coded. She's more like Spock; she recognizes social cues and knows sarcasm when she sees it, she just has an academic interest in them and doesn't feel personally affected.
Given that a lot of us project autism or a more generalised neurodivergent reading onto Spock, I don’t see how her being Spock-like is really a point against autistic or neurodivergent readings of Beverly.
Is there a connection between autism and psychopathy? The lack of emotion and only operating on logic leads me to think there is because of the similarities in behavior.
I was very athletic from kindergarten thru high school... Dad (or Mom) didn't encourage it. Nor see me play any sport. Yet, I'm fine!!! I got involved in my son's athletic pursuits, and musical accomplishments. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤❤❤❤❤
The prefrontal cortex. Do people with bigger or lack of better term more advanced have less addictive tendencies? I know a guy who can smoke packs of cigarettes or drink to excess. All day for months and months and just stop on a dime when he wants. He has no withdrawals or any negative side affects. He literally just stops. I have seen it or i wouldn't have believed it. Is it about the structure of the prefrontal cortex or just amazing will power or something?
As a man with autism, this video felt nice to hear from you, good doctor. Also, the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix “Joker” sequel has the subtitle “Folie a deux”. Now I know what it means. Thank you, good doctor
As an autistic academic, I do recognise some of the behaviours of both characters in myself (directness and no ‘off switch’). Although, what distracted me the most was your unironed t-shirt. Those creases! 😂
i was rather distracted by his beautiful eyes!
Me too!
I was so distracted by the creases too! ADHD with ocd neuro type here 😂
@@drthalattos so does linen bother you or does knowing it's intended to wrinkle let you relax?
Yes This!! LOL
10:27 I love how Leonard and Sheldon ironically turned out the opposite of their mothers and want each other mothers as a result. It’s pretty funny that each character relates closer to the other’s mother than their own.
I think what's ironic about this episode is that Leonard's mother despite trying to analyze everyone paints the picture of someone who doesn't have a very strong grasp on the problems in their own life. her constant need to analyze everybody demonstrates someone who is sort of detached from their own life and experiencing it through others, you can see this in a future episode where she matter-of-factly tells Leonard that she divorced his father, as if she's talking about someone else and not her husband who she's been with presumably for decades.
I view her constant need to analyze people as a form of control and domination.
Maybe she is just trying to figure out the rules.
That's very common though - that's why you never therapy yourself or your family, and why my psychiatrist grandma hurt me more than she helped xD
Yes but....why would she care? We KNOW that other people are so limited they cannot understand, and ....what problems of our own life? We just move on to the next person.
1:22, Kunal Nuyar said he researched selective mutism when auditioning for the role of Dr. Koothrapoli (at the time he had a different first name) and after starting to play him he met people with selective mutism who were impressed with his having conveyed what it’s like to have it. (At least that’s what he says in his book.)
He did look very convincing to me, especially as for long time one of my main triggers was male humans (on a smaller scale all humans anyway lol) 👀
Fans suspected that Sheldon is Autistic and after doing research the writers realized that they unintentionally made him Autistic.
One of the creators got diagnosed after the show started!
Yeah one of the creators said they gave Sheldon some of their own annoying traits and that's the one that one diagnosed with autism
The only reason they didn’t confirm he was autistic, was because they’d have to change the type of jokes they made about him, (so laziness.)
I saw an interview that Mayim Bialik did with Bill Prady (one of the creators) who made it clear that the character Sheldon was inspired by himself and he was diagnosed with autism.
@@kitty911000 Yes, that’s true. But it doesn’t change the fact that during the show’s run, Sheldon is never stated to be autistic for the reason given in my previous comment, which is that it would be limiting for the show’s writers and a heavy burden having to get things right and be consistent.
So despite Sheldon being openly based on Bill’s former co-workers who were computer programmers and possibly neurodivergent, (whilst at the same time having Sheldon be subconsciously based upon himself,) that doesn’t change how the show itself handles Sheldon, Bill’s admission of projecting himself onto the character doesn’t retroactively improve the show/make it more progressive on the subject of people like us, as such TBBT gets no points for that from me, (since I am not ‘normal.’)
Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, Ph.D., M.D., was one of my favorite characters. i'd hate to meet her in real life though.
I would LOVE to meet her in real life
Leonard's mother stole every scene she was in.
She's a great actress, I loved her in that series The Good Wife (& the spin-off The Good Fight), she was my favourite character
She owned every episode she was in 😂
@@toramenorthe good wife was first hence the good fight is the spin off 😅
@@Sorozatfuggoseg yes, that's exactly what I said: that I loved her in The Good Wife AND in the spinoff The Good Fight.. sorry if you didn't understand me, you probably missed the AMPERSAND (&) which means AND
"...And when they say you can't let her get into your head, she's just asked questions. So, is it really her, or has she just opened up a box of stuff that's been packed away at the back of your mind for a while and just essentially forced you to become face-to-face with stuff you'd rather not become face-to-face with?"
That's literally what they mean. Think about it, she's exposing some strong and potentially traumatic issues but not helping address them. So, to translate it'd be like if she were a physician and spotted someone's scar on their arm that hadn't healed properly... and, without consent, she uses a scalpel to reopen the scar and then walked away, not actually helping in aiding the scar to heal properly. Thus, actually making matters worse for the person with which she is dealing. She is also fully aware that she is doing this (unlike Sheldon).
I couldn't of said it better myself, like, there were a lot of interesting things that he was talking about, but it seemed like he didn't realize just how blatant she was being, and instead thought that it was just Leonard and Penny not wanting to deal with their trauma, which isn't the case.
@@tabithanel1975Not "of" but "have".
As an Asperger, the actor playing Sheldon is doing an amazing job. Many hate on BBT, but I love it because I identify with all of the characters!
Right? There's some cliches and primitive jokes too, but the actors and writers did a really good job at creating some very coherent characters including a few spectrum-presenting ones... My first therapist started suspecting I should get evaluated for ASD when I said one of my calming and/or pleasure activities is rewatching first seasons of TBBT, because "Sheldon feels like home" XD
Well said, one of the few shows I watch to laugh at myself.
Most HFA are a mix between all of the characters, i see them as one aspect each of the highly-functional Autism side of the spectrum
13:06, considering she published a book about Leonard titled “The Disappointing Child” and another titled “Needy Baby, Greedy Baby”, I’m going to go with yeah, it’s her getting in their heads
That is emotional abuse. Beverly is an abuser. She doesn't know it, though. If those books existed, they wouldn't be about the child in truth, so much as about a woman who doesn't want to be a mother and is unable to connect with her child emotionally, and is blaming it on perceived defects of the child rather than her examining her unwillingless or inability to parent and where that stems from. It causes one to wonder why Beverly chose to be a parent in the first place.
@@moonlily1 She wanted to experiment with different child rearing methods to see which one worked best. That’s why she became a mother in the first place, since she viewed it as a scientific experiment
@@matityaloran9157Damn that's cold
@@jclyntoledo True.
As far as I can tell, Sheldon lacks social awareness, Beverly lacks social regard.
The last episode with Leonard's mom its somewhat suggested that she might have some form of (possibly untreated) autism. Leonard has a breakdown and finally learns to forgive his mom and she kind of admits that she knows she's being distant and cold but it seems like its not exactly by choice.
i think you mean diagnosed, there isn't really a treatment you could have
@@Beans_OW Therapy is also considered a treatment. A lot of people think treatment just mean medication. I said treatment and not diagnoses because I doubt she wouldn't already know that she has autism.
@@Beans_OW I was amazed at the effects of horse therapy with my friend's daughter. It greatly improved her quality of life. It was like flipping some switch or lever in her and it had permanent long term benefits.
@@supersizesenpai that’s not TREATING autism though, that’s covering it. The autism’s still there and there’s nothing preventing the effects from being present, you’re just pretending they aren’t. Saying therapy treats autism is the same as saying hearing aids cure deafness
@@Beans_OW There are treatments to help manage autism. There are tons of studies on it. Its obviously no current cure for autism but there are treatments. I know that the word treatment sounds wrong because of what people tend associate it with but treatment in this case is a fine choice. To be clear not every treatment works for every person there a vast number of options. There is no one size fits all.
I think of Leonard's mother in terms of Harlow's monkey experiments: she's the embodiment of the wire-frame mother, providing nourishment but no warmth or comfort. Leonard's "hugging machine" is his, possibly inadvertent, attempt to create Harlow's "cloth mother", which allowed for a secure attachment, even if it could not emotionally respond.
Psychologists and psychiatrists:
You are NOT just asking questions! You are probing in a suggestive way and implying that there are answers without providing them. I am not saying you are not useful. But NEVER do the passive-aggressive "I'm just asking questions" Sometimes it can bring about resolutions and sometimes it cannot ... and other times it just tears down without building up .. leaving you .. hurt.
This is just suggesting basic humility as a foundation. Yes, we need to look at things, but things are complex and much is out of your hands even though it affects you
This, you are leading them on by the types of questions to ask and in what order.
Actually thought Young Sheldon was more relatable in an emotional sense. Especially the last episodes struck very close to home.
I loved the entire run of The Big Bang Theory, but THIS episode is the best one. Nothing has topped it. Sure, there were later episodes with Beverly that just reinforced to the jokes established here, but you just can't top "Howard still lives with his mother, and Raj can't talk to women unless he's drunk. GO!" Fortunately, everyone did make strides in overcoming their mental health issues. Howard moved out when he married. Raj overcame his selective mutism. Penny found a sense of worth in her close friends that became family, external from her career. Leonard forgave his mom and got less clingy in his relationships. And finally, Sheldon developed some empathy and learned to appreciate his friends.
You might enjoy doing a video of the episode where Leonard and Sheldon's mothers meet each other and there's obviously a clash. I think it does a great job highlighting the pros and cons of each others parenting styles.
I have Autism too, when I started watching TBBT and instantly could tell Sheldon was likely on the Autism Spectrum. Also with Leonards mother. I was diagnosed under the old diagnoses criteria, so Atypical Autism; PDD-NOS, High Functioning, in 2003 at age 13. At a late age due to living in London and not getting the support to find out correctly. Until I moved up to the north east, then they looked at it all properly. I am also female which is a whole other ball game, lol. I was one teacher in London who expressed her concerns to my mother regarding specifically Aspergers Syndrome. That got the ball rolling as it were. I am forever thankful to that teacher Sister Patricia for taking note of it.
Nowadays its all under the umbrella term Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Condition.
I think in real life Beverly would be a terrible therapist. She is interested in psychology from a purely intellectual standpoint and her methodology is coldly clinical to the point of being totally devoid of empathy. She doesn't have the social skills to develop a rapport with a patient, and she isn't motivated by a genuine interest in helping people, she simply finds it entertaining for herself to analyze people. She only understands emotions on paper and actually has extremely poor relationships. Her officiousness makes her unbearable to be around and her interjections hurt people more than they help them. She may unpack their hidden issues that they don't want to deal with, but she doesn't offer them ANY solutions or alternative coping mechanisms. She makes people feel worse about themselves and offers nothing constructive in return. Her behavior towards her son borders on emotional abuse.
"Borders on"?
I grew up with an avoiding ignoring narcissistic mother, and it *IS* emotional abuse!
True but it looks like she focuses on the research side of things vs doing actual talk therapy
@jclyntoledo True, though even in research I feel that empathy is incredibly important. A lack of empathy like this can also lead to overpathologizing and can bias the research results, and researchers can often still have direct contact with the subjects which would be awful in her case.
However, I agree that as a researcher she'd do WAY less damage than as a therapist.
@@MerelvandenHurk Beverly also writes books giving parents advice on how to raise their children. It's hard to believe that they would not have been critically savaged, even or perhaps especially among the psychiatric community.
I'm autistic, and my old psychiatrist told me that I have very black and white thinking. I disagree. I explored if I might do have that issue and just don't realize it, but I don't think I do. I think she only said that because it is common for autistic people, and not because of how I actually think and view things. I think I generally see the nuances and gray areas in most things, and the people in my life that I asked about it agree. But that's not the point, what I find interesting is that she is the most black and white thinker I've ever met. Like it's insane that she's a psychiatrist that both have very black and white thinking, all or nothing. AND that she doesn't see it herself. Like rocks in glass houses my dude
So real. Neurotypical people around me keep not seeing that things are complicated and blame me for pointing it out because they see my behavior as either intentionally offending them (not true) or bothering them (a matter of approach). I guess it's mostly the difference between up-down and bottom-up processing, we're more likely to look for causes and how things work from the roots while they work with what they're given by the senses and society.
I would think you have *extremely* nuanced thinking, but have made your mind up, based on the thoughts.
It's actually amazing that Leonard is much more well adjusted seeing how emotinally unavailable his mother is.
I recall an episode where Sheldon was asked "Are you crazy!?" and his response to that was "I'm not crazy, my parents had me tested"
He said his "mother".
The "I'm not crazy; my mother had me tested" was a running gag of a line--and a great one.
Great video (as usual)! I was wondering if you have ever seen the show "Community", one of the main characters, Abed, is autistic (so is the showrunner) so i think it would be interesting to hear you talk about it. Some episodes that you could watch/analysis are, Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas, Virtual Systems Analysis, Biology 101, and more!
Leonards mother reminds me of Lilith from Frasier.
Even more so, Lilith when she first appeared in Cheers, allready in the late 1980's early 1990's
I loved this show. If you watch it from Season 1 through to the end, Season 12, you see these people evolve through their relationships with each other. In many ways it's very touching - especially the friendship that develops between Sheldon and Penny - there's a sweetness to it.
17:22, The Emotion Detection Automation could be a good one for you to check out (it’s about Sheldon getting a machine to read people’s emotions for him) The Closure Alternative could be a good one (it’s about Amy trying to get Sheldon to get over his need for closure), The Bon Voyage Reaction has a scene of Amy analyzing Lucy’s social anxiety while Lucy is present, The Sales Call Simulation features Sheldon having synesthesia. I think those episodes could work
Those are great episodes to check out. The Lucy episode I really wanted to be angry at her because of how much she was hurting Raj, however she's most likely hurting as well because she struggles to get over that social anxiety.
Yessss, that would be awesome🥳🎉
Psych grad and med student here!!! so I've more than heard of him haha😅.
Great content Dr!! Love every minute of it!!!
Somthing I leaned here, is that I have a Internal Locus of Control.
I saw an interview that Mayim Bialik did with Bill Prady (one of TBBT creators) who made it clear that the character Sheldon was inspired by himself and he was diagnosed with autism.
My question is if Leonard build a hugging machine and his father was using it too, why didn't his father at least hug him ? I know his father probably had other emotional needs but at least he would have helped Leonard a bit and it would have helped him too.
I think the joke there was that the father was using this “hugging machine” in another way beyond hugging, if you catch my drift 😅
@@lizl.9707 that would be sick
@@lizl.9707 that would be messed up
The spirit of the machine was to replace hugs from Beverly, so his father wanted a hug from his wife.
Eventually, Leonard's mother and Sheldon's mother meet. That was really good. There was one where Leonard's father was present with both of them. Interesting that Beverly is a neuroscientist as Amy, Sheldon's girlfriend/wife, was, too.
Jesus , I love Sheldon, and scenes with him and Leonard's mom are gold. What wouldn't I give to have at least a few moments like this with someone, looks so comfortable and easy to understand
As someone with a motor cortex tumor I have to say - she's right about never hearing the end of it, but I mostly just like to use it for humor and deflection.
No one really ever called the mother on her behavior. Tho she did suffer socially eventually in a concrete way that made her feel badly. It is interesting watching your comments as they reveal the writers did a better than average job of writing the mother's character mental health expert.
The hugging machine reminded me of the machine Temple Granger built to squeeze/pressure her.
I like the way Leonard's mother and Sheldon bonded and found friendship *and* the writers never cross the line into romance.
Leonard's mom kisses Sheldon in onw of the episodes and then later apologizes 😂😂. So yeah it was romantic, thankfully it stopped soon after.
10:36 this is one of my favorite scenes with Lenard mother. It’s pretty funny Lenard actually using the traits of his mother he disliked against someone else.
I always thought the shared traits between Leonard's mom and Sheldon is what made Leonard so good at tolerating Leonard, but I never considered that friendship might be a compensation of something Leonard is missing
Freud was not totally right, but I do appreciate that he advocated for talking (therapy) at least as a first line before institutionalization and that we are better off addressing our own sexualities rather than suppressing both socially and personally.
I find the almost rabid need to disprove Freud strikes me as envy by modern therapists. I agree he was mistaken about many things but ... of course he was-- he was covering a lot of new ground.
😂 is it just me or am I the only one that actually wants to have a brain scan while talking about my parents? It would be very informative for me and it makes me giggle 😂😅
I don't know if you take requests, but I would be really interested to see your take on the therapy in the show Castle. In my personal opinion, it's always the best therapy I've seen on TV, and I've never seen anyone review it or talk about it because I think it's more underrated. The therapy scenes are in episodes 1, 5, 9, and 21 of season 4.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Gone Girl, or We Need to Talk About Kevin.
YES! We Need To Talk About Kevin, great choice for analysis, it's such a kick in the head.
2:16 paranoia is contagious….is that be a factor for cult membership? Also thanks for explaining the French expression so I better understand the new joker movie title
As a Huge Big Bang Theory fan, I absolutely loved this breakdown.
I love your reactions to this show. 😂😂😂 Please do more on Big Bang. This is one of my FAVE shows.
12:57 no no, it's really her. No one's asked her to ask any of those questions, no one's paying her to psycho analyse them, and her responses are unsolicited, in most cases unwanted. So this is on her.
Concur with advertising of medications in America. You often see ads during the Super Bowl for NFL advertising you cancer drugs and that you should talk to your doctor about them, and then it goes into a 42nd disclaimer about all the ways in which this medication can harm and kill you which end up being longer than the original advertisement. It’s a fucking weird culture.
My mother’s response after they’d list contraindications and possible side effects was to wonder why anyone would want to take the medications.
Btw: she had the leg pain side effect of statin drugs before it was publicized, so that may have colored her view of things.
I literally, while watching this in its original airing and original run, talked about, "Well, now we know why Leonard puts up with Sheldon; he's recreating his relationship with his mother...and it's familiar territory."
I do, personally, as one of four autistics in my 4-person nuclear family, wish they'd acknowledged in-universe and on-screen that Sheldon (and Beverly) is autistic. My family are all gamers and fangirls/fanboys, and we recognized ourselves or people we're friends with or have met in EVERYONE on the show.
For what it's worth, your T-Shirt didn't bother me at all. And after folks mentioned it, it still doesn't bother me.
Personally, I'd wear a linen shirt next time to be passive aggressive. hehehehe.
Their superficial comment belies their focus: shallow and negative. They can’t understand the new concepts presented or the deeper thinking evident in this video. Hopefully they are children who who might yet learn to not judge people by something as meaningless as a tee-shirt. Those that embrace aesthetics over substance will have very disappointing and frustrated lives and be left with a profound confusion over failed relationships and friendships.
Haha same here.
My biggest issues was that, while the mother characters always puts Leonard down and is the cause of many of his insecurities, at the end he "forgives her", when in fact he should have removed her from his life. I wonder what you would tell a patient that is struggling with such a relationship. Obviously it would have been too strong of a plot point for a sitcom, but in real life.
Man the early seasons were good. That 'external locus of identity' explanation is amazing, they would also casually bring up a lot of real science like in the first episode discussing the 'double slit experiment'
For 1 second I thought you were saying raj was tone deaf and that was a tiny percentage of the population, I was like "have you heard people sing their national anthem?
Happy to be here early!!! Love big bang theory
On if Sheldon has autism...there has been a media push and collective narrative to make Sheldon's behaviours ambiguous. Of course there are inevitable problems with poking fun at autistic people. I have seen an argument saying that Sheldon has strong features of 'giftedness' that is often conflated with autism.
Young Sheldon definitely softened the character for me. While I love The Big Bang Theory, as someone on the autism spectrum, I found Sheldons portrayal at times problematic.
Well I mean doesn't that kind of fit tho?
@@alyssat7809 I'd definitely be recommending he seeks a diagnosis if he were a real person. If there was one hint the show was satirising the symptoms of a disability it wouldn't have made the millions it did. That's why they were so ambiguous with it and have always denied Sheldon was autistic.
When young we're guided by feelings, hormones and desires in high focus. As you grow up and older, you learn to recognize the difference between impulses, and go thru life more physically or mentality atuned.
This is great on multiple levels. Dr. Elliott does a great job of analysis, explains psychoanalytic terms, lists examples, and provides definitions, instantly: he is well versed and trained.
But beyond the professional analysis, this is one of the best unintentional reaction videos out there. He gets the jokes instantly, unlike some pedantic and fact-driven professionals who haven’t a humorous bone, apart from the literal one.
I’ve always been a big fan of TBBT, and knew right away that psychologists were present in the episodic writing and planning stages because of the clear use of iconic stereotypes.
I used that observation to study TBBT for both character writing and techniques of applied humor. I found at least sixteen that were successfully recycled in various ways. The series had great character arcs, drama, emotion, humor, and a great series conclusion. It remains a glowing example of excellent writing and acting.
Freud: I can acknowledge that his work was groundbreaking at the time, and paved the way for deeper understandings of trauma, expressions of cognitive dissonance, and the revolution that was the introduction of talk therapy as a treatment - like, there's a reason he's called the grandfather of psychology and psychiatry. But his work on hysteria was really a backstep in women's healthcare in particular, and let's be honest, a lot of the psychosexual development stuff kind of says more about him than any of his clients lol.
Therapy: one of the most valuable things I have ever had the courage to seek out. My first psych was super weird, but I didn't see her a lot, and then when she left that job, the psych she recommended has remained my psych to this day. He's a neuropsychologist, which I really appreciate because I like talking through what the brain is doing when I'm, say, having an anxiety attack - and I also just genuinely find that stuff interesting. We chat about nerdy stuff, but he also doesn't let me get away with bullshitting, which I think is very important in therapy. Therapy is hard work, and I think it's important that the clinician isn't just someone you get along with, but someone who is making sure you do the work, and knows when to push and when to ease up. I'm a very stubborn person, and I really appreciate that he knows how to work with (and sometimes around lol) that.
I really enjoyed your explanation of these scenes. I have only limited education in these fields (I have an MA in Clinical Psychology, which I got way back in the 90s and never really used), but I remain fascinated by the subject, and you have a truly marvelous ability to explain it all very clearly, and with great warmth and humor. Thank you!
Just found your channel and loved your discussions.
I’ve only seen a few of your videos. But from that small sample size, I think you’re awesome!
"Have a nice flight!"
"That's not really under my control is it?"
Actually, it is. You can choose how you react to events, even unpleasant ones.
I always like Sheldon's mother.👍🏼 Sans the Holey Roller aspect.
Great episode reaction 😂😂 Sheldon seems autistic to me. I think he may also have OCD; he has a compulsive knocking ritual, can't leave anything unfinished, and is terrified of germs. He also needs to organize every minute of every day in order to feel well.
Can't ignore his ornithofobia either 🐦
You should check out the entire series and see how they go through the whole span of 12 years. The only reason it ended was because the actor who played Sheldon had other plans and bowed out of the show. They would have kept it going otherwise. I would like to see your reactions. BTW, I had a brain aneurysm with surgery in 1993 and had to rehabilitate myself. Very challenging but here I am now.
When I first started watching this show, I didn't know I was autistic, but I related so hard to Sheldon (and not just because we're both from Texas and studied physics in college, though I switched to psychology after 2 years and eventually ended up getting a degree in computer science). I'd never seen a character quite like him before, but I felt like finally there was someone like me on TV. I took an online test somewhere around 2017 and scored high for guys, but I'm a girl so it said I'm really likely to be autistic. Never been diagnosed officially (don't really see the point in it), but I always loved watching this show mainly for him and later on for Leonard's mom. :)
Glad you enjoyed the episode! This show used to get a lot of hate from people for a variety of reasons, but the one thing it's hard to fault the show on is its scientific accuracy because they consulted real scientists routinely to make sure all the information they gave out on the show was as accurate as possible. Still had some goofs here and there, but overall they wanted the show to be accurate and succeeded most of the time.
LEAVE MY BOX OF STUFF ALONE, SIR!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂
My father-in-law was aFreudian psychologist. His son, my husband, was a behavorist. My ffather-in0law ha and impact on our boys, I reprimandedm my four year old and he told me, “You injured my ego.” My response. Freud doesn’t live here, Your father is a behavoral psychologist.
Autism was easy to spot in Sheldon. While high functioning intellectually, he (the character) cannot understand how his actions affect others. As an educator and former federal day care director, we had over the years many children on the spectrum. We had many individual educatioon program meetings with parents, medical proessionals, rrom staff to develop plans to best help the child.
I did a study on advertised medications. Shared it with Dean of Nursing at University I retired from. Warned her that side effects of meds HAS to be considered when caring for patient. (I was in Nursing school and recognize BAD nursing when I see it. 😠
Great video. I really love that episode of Big Bang Theory. Finding a video on you reacting to it s a real treat I could not hope for and gladly embraced.
Thank you.
edit: Leonard's tactic: diversion I guess.
I have self-medicated with alcohol exactly once. It worked disturbingly well. Now I barely ever drink, cause I've seen where that road ends.
I think the series was the best in its genre of Rom-coms. Each character was well thought out and planned down to stereotypes to create instantly recognizable people to laypersons, who themselves have seen these characters among friends, coworkers, and family. Each fit together, and moved each other, like the gears on a fine Swiss watch. While some were scene stealers, others still had key functions, as a form of pacing and comic relief. But each had a turn to shine. The layers of critical thing are what assemble into a somewhat opaque form of writing magic. The reruns will never get old.
Check out Everything's Gonna Be Okay, it's a show that features an Autistic character played by an Autistic actress and when fans wondered if Josh Thomas the creator and star, is Autistic he got evaluated and diagnosed.
Since Josh Thomas reminded my wife and I of a guy that we knew from our Autistic adult support groups, we also suspected that Josh Thomas is Autistic too.
I enjoyed that, thanks. I'm a hugger hater myself. Thankfully those that know me just give very short gentle hugs while l stand there. I once told someone that l hated hugs and they gave a little chuckle and guilted me into giving them a hug because they were related to my mum.
My issue with the Oedipus Complex is that Oedipus was never raised by his mother. He’s abandoned as an infant. He kills his father by happenstance and purely as a result of men trying to defy fate. Relating the concept to a story that doesn’t actually demonstrate the theory is philosophically confusing. I mean I can understand and argument being made that the storyteller is working through their own deep seated desires by creating circumstances that justify their desired outcome…but really it always seemed a better allegory for nature vs nurture or determinism vs free will.
If we consider the adopted parents are nothing like his biological parents then the whole concept of an Oedipus Complex kind of goes out the window. Outside of some sort of theory that the formation of our identities begins in the womb.
And if the parents somehow had the exact same personalities then the question still goes back fate or free will / nature vs nurture…which is much more interesting.
0:38, the Oedipus Complex, the Tripartite Psyche, the Unconscious Mind, the Narcissism of Small Differences, Transference and The Uncanny.
About "folie à deux", can this happen in children groups as well? Or mass anxiety-like...
I ask out of genuine curiosity. Because this might have happened to me when I was 9.
(I try to make it short) I had a stay in a health clinic specialized in allergic illnesses in Switzerland because of my severe Asthma. The child ward for my age group (7 to 10) must have had around 30 kids if I recall correctly. I was there in winter, just before Christmas. Lots of traumatic stuff related to that (which may or may not be relevant).
1. my stay was prolongued, and neither me nor my parents knew that would even be possible. It was planned to stay 4 weeks (in which case I would have been back home for Christmas), but ended up having to stay 2 weeks longer. Which meant I was still there over the holidays.
2. (as at home) I was badly bullied by other kids.
3. I was alone the whole time. Which was the case for most kids. But at Christmas, I was the only one not having the parents stay there too (they simply could not afford it. The costs for the train travel did already take a toll on our households finances.). Which in and of itself was already terrible, and only increased though the fact that, since everyone's parents were there, there were no group activities during the afternoon and evening. Giving me even more time to feel terribly homesick.
So that was the context. And then started that kind of mass anxiety or whatever.
I don't know who started it exactly. I remember some ogf the older kids reading a magazine or st. with the image of a brownish, humanoid alien on it. Scared many kids. We had nightmares and only fueled one another with our stories and wild running imagination. At some point pretty much all the children were convinced there were really aliens terrorising the ward. It had a real impact, like for example the night shift nurse constantly being called by some child who had woken terridied from a nightmare.
It really genuinely believed that these aliens were real. I believed this for years after.
And that specifc kind of alien still scares me. I can watch pretty much any horror movie, but having images like that meet my eye and they hunt me in my dreams. Kind of embarassing...
But I started wondering some time ago if (child) psychology has anything to offer about that kind of phenomeom. It really was huge. Even the educatours "parenting" us kids seemed at wits end.
@mangantasy289 Two examples of implied or possibly factual cases come to mind:
1) About a decade ago a temporary psychosis from a bread mold was proposed as a possible cause to mass delusions of witchcraft allegations that led to the Salem Witch trials.
2) There was a movie called “The Forth Kind,” that referenced a mass delusion of residents of Juno, an isolated town in Alaska. The residents reported dreaming about seeing the same owl peering into their widows at night. Under hypnosis, it was revealed to be something more terrifying.
There have been multiple UFO incidents where large groups of people reported seeing aliens and UFOs including two British teachers and all their students. It was explained away as a mass hysteria, but was it?
This video just taught me what folie a deux means for the joker movie, thanks 🙏
I enjoyed this video. First time watching your channel, but I’ve been a huge Big Bang fan for years. But question: What happened to the yellow figurine behind you? Was it misplaced, or is it absent for another reason. ☺️
I think Sheldon is awesome. I know that some people get upset about autism being portrayed that way, but it's a sitcom: everything is exaggerated to be funny. I'm a high masking, late diagnosed autistic woman, and I see myself in Sheldon. No one else would see the resemblance, because what he displays on the outside are things that I have worked my entire life to hide or suppress.
As for this episode specifically, I love the part where Sheldon and Leonard's mother said how comfortable they were together. I've been in that exact situation several times. Autistic people telling me (undiagnosed at the time) how comfortable they felt around me shortly after meeting me, and I felt the same way about them. It feels so effortless, while everyone else is so much work.
There's an episode of Young Sheldon where he almost gets tested for autism. That may be worth checking out. Season 3 Episode number 1.
Oh, I'd love for Elliot to be my therapist.
Leonard wasn't the first to invent the hugging machine, to simulate the hugs he never received from his mother. It was Temple Grandin, who had invented the hugging machine, so that she would be able simulate a hug, since her Autism and sensory issues made it difficult to want to embrace her mother. And yes, this show had become quite popular with those on the Autism Spectrum, like me, and some of my friends. By the way, Beverley was the worst! I don't if she was Autistic or not, but she was definitely misanthropic. And people with Autism aren't all like Sheldon. In fact, some people would just call him "rude." It's possible to be Autistic and still be compassionate. They say that when you've seen one Aspie, then you've only seen one Aspie. Thanks for the video!
You didn't speak much French in this episode, but what you spoke was spot on. You might be really good at it, who knows😊
5:00 that look cracks me up.
Therapy is great!!! Warm happiness from how smoothly it started, ideal help. I was just avoiding it till the longest, wanting to feel prepared. But yeah, happy for more sessions. Also, I want to see the help it'll add to my graphic memoirs.
Selective mutism, for me, cause my mom not letting me practice my emotions, as she ruined the emotional fragility of my mental state when I was 3.
Have you seen the series geek girl? It doesn't explicitly mention autism yet is obvious, and confirmed by the writer, that the main character is autistic. The writer was late diagnosed as autistic and dyspraxia and the character is based on herself. So it gives the perspective of someone growing up autistic, while unaware that they are.
I think Leonard's mother is more of an academic/research psychiatrist than a practicing one. I would guess there is a difference between those two classes in the real world.
Please consider doing reaction videos to Oliver Sacks documentary videos involving neurodivergent or cognitively impaired youth, I guarantee I'm not a "tourist/voyeur/fetishist" I was a Special Education teacher for over 30 years and found it refreshing reading Dr. Sacks' work with people with the same or similar conditions as some of my students in the manner best put by Zelda Williams, "...for treating humans like humans, not patients, and for how much you did and will continue to do for mental awareness." I too love and miss Robin Williams who played the character, Dr. Malcolm Sayer, based on Oliver Sacks from Dr. Sacks 1973 non-fiction book with the same title as the 1990 movie, Awakenings.
They had a lot of actual scientists and psychiatrists helping with the writing.
I quite like the closed box in my head. Its closed and comfortable. Let it stay there and slowly manifest as physically. I can deal with the physical pain not the pandora's box in my head. 😮😅
Amazing video as always.
Day 3: can you do a review of Psychonauts 2. Please
He’s never done video games
I know. I thought it would be something different than his usual content
As an autistic person, I think the problem with emotional response is that a lot of us have alexithymia (personally, 99% of the time I have no idea what I'm feeling. I just "do" expressive behavior not really being aware of my emotions until I express the behavior) and as working with emotions themselves is hard, it might be dysregulating for us and we often see other people's emotions as their problem unless we directly offend them unintentionally. Personally, it's not my problem if someone wants to sugarcoat everything and doesn't like being told the truth directly. I can help them deal with it if they want but otherwise, their emotions are their responsibility. If I treat someone unfairly, I genuinely am sorry, but usually interpersonal conflicts come from neurotypical people expecting some treatment without really knowing why and being mad I'm being "disrespectful". I'm respecting you as a human being but if you're an ass, why would I respect you as a person?
Miss this show!
Not catering to delusions isn't homophobic
Christine Baranski is brilliant
I don’t know about Leonard’s mother, but the show runners confirmed Sheldon is not autistic
As a French i must say your french is pretty good !
Merci ;)
I don't think Beverly is autistic-coded. She's more like Spock; she recognizes social cues and knows sarcasm when she sees it, she just has an academic interest in them and doesn't feel personally affected.
Women, especially those of an age, are explicitly taught these things growing up. That's why they are often underdiagnosed.
Given that a lot of us project autism or a more generalised neurodivergent reading onto Spock, I don’t see how her being Spock-like is really a point against autistic or neurodivergent readings of Beverly.
Is there a connection between autism and psychopathy? The lack of emotion and only operating on logic leads me to think there is because of the similarities in behavior.
I was very athletic from kindergarten thru high school... Dad (or Mom) didn't encourage it. Nor see me play any sport. Yet, I'm fine!!! I got involved in my son's athletic pursuits, and musical accomplishments. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤❤❤❤❤
The prefrontal cortex. Do people with bigger or lack of better term more advanced have less addictive tendencies? I know a guy who can smoke packs of cigarettes or drink to excess. All day for months and months and just stop on a dime when he wants. He has no withdrawals or any negative side affects. He literally just stops. I have seen it or i wouldn't have believed it. Is it about the structure of the prefrontal cortex or just amazing will power or something?
As a man with autism, this video felt nice to hear from you, good doctor.
Also, the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix “Joker” sequel has the subtitle “Folie a deux”. Now I know what it means. Thank you, good doctor
Just chalk what you said up to the booze, Leonard, it's your only way out