Sherlock we lost

Psychopath, neurotic, sociopath, drug addict, asexual — that’s what they call Holmes. Emotionless, aloof. But here’s the mystery — this cold genius, who is unfamiliar with simple human feelings and whom even the beautiful Irene Adler could not lead astray, for some reason attracts millions of people around the world.

The last season has divided fans of the American-British series into two camps. Some are disappointed that Sherlock «humanized» and in the fourth season appeared soft, kind and vulnerable. Others, on the contrary, are intrigued by the new image of the Briton and are waiting in 2018 not only for exciting investigations, but also for the continuation of the love theme. After all, the new Holmes, unlike the old one, is able to lose his head from love.

What is the secret of the popularity of such an ambiguous and, at first glance, not the most benevolent character, and how has your favorite movie character changed over the course of four seasons?

Wants to look like a sociopath

Perhaps he wants others to think of him as a sociopath or a psychopath. However, by words and deeds, he proves that he does not feel pleasure from the humiliation of other people and does not need it. He is decent and with all his features touches the heart of the viewer, it is hard not to sympathize with him.

Screenwriter Steven Moffat also denies such accusations: «He’s not a psychopath, he’s not a sociopath… he’s a person who wants to be who he is because he thinks it makes him better… He accepts himself regardless of his sexual orientation, regardless from his emotions, in order to make himself better.”

Benedict Cumberbatch creates his character so fascinating and extraordinary that it is difficult to unequivocally attribute him to any group in terms of psychological or mental disorders.

What do his character, behavior, thoughts say? Does he have antisocial personality disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, some type of psychopathy? What makes us listen, to know Holmes?

Can manipulate but does not

Witty and ironic Sherlock Holmes is sincere in everything he says and does. He can manipulate, but he does not do it for the enjoyment of power, nor for pleasure. He has his own quirks and oddities, but he is able to take care of people close and important to him. He is non-standard, he has a high level of intelligence, and it can be said that he manipulates himself more, suppressing his emotions and desires so that his brain works as efficiently as possible..

Due to this approach, most likely, he is very attentive and receptive to details («you see, but you do not observe»), he can discard all distractions and highlight the essence, he is a passionate person, able to understand and predict people’s behavior, connect completely disparate data .

Holmes has an incredible memory and can detect important details in a matter of seconds, but at the same time he has no idea how to deal with people and does not know banal, well-known facts that are not directly relevant to the case. This resembles the signs characteristic of anxious personalities.

Suppresses his emotions to use only his intellect

If Holmes had an antisocial disorder (sociopathy) or a schizoid-type psychopathy, he would have no empathy for others and would be ready to use his charm and intelligence to manipulate others.

Psychopaths tend to break the law and generally have a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. He uses social skills to manipulate others. A sociopath is not adapted to social life, works mostly alone. While the psychopath needs to be a leader and be successful, he needs an audience, he hides his true monster face behind a smiling mask.

To be considered a psychopath, Holmes had to be immoral, impulsive, willing to manipulate others to please himself, and also prone to aggression. And we see a hero who understands human emotions quite subtly, who uses his knowledge to help others. His relationship with Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Brother Mycroft shows closeness, and it is likely that he suppresses his emotions in order to solve crimes only with the help of intellect.

Stubborn and narcissistic

Among other things, Sherlock is stubborn and narcissistic, does not know how to cope with boredom, analyzes too much, is sometimes rude and disrespectful to people, social rituals, norms.

The investigator may be suspected of having Asperger’s Syndrome, symptoms of which include obsessive behavior, lack of social understanding, insufficient emotional intelligence, attachment to rituals (pipe, violin), literal usage of turns of phrase, socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior, formal speaking style, narrow range of obsessive interests .

This could explain Holmes’s dislike of communication and the narrow circle of his loved ones, it also explains the peculiarities of his language and why he is so absorbed in investigating crimes.

Unlike antisocial personality disorder, those with Asperger’s syndrome are able to form strong bonds with those close to them and can become very dependent on those relationships. Given Holmes’s high level of intelligence, this could explain his inventiveness and craving for experimentation. Investigations for him are a way not to feel the monotony and boredom of everyday life.

Women are turned on by his asexuality and mystique

In the final season, we see a different Holmes. It’s not as closed as it used to be. Is this an attempt by the writers to flirt with the audience, or has the detective become more sentimental with age?

“Playing him, you seem to recharge your batteries and start doing everything faster, because Holmes is always one step ahead of people with ordinary intelligence,” Benedict Cumberbatch himself said in the first seasons of the series. He also calls him a genius, a popular hero, and a selfish scoundrel. Later, the actor gives the following characterization: “There is nothing surprising in the fact that the spectators fall in love with Sherlock, a completely asexual character. Maybe it’s just his asexuality that turns them on? Passions are raging in my hero’s soul, but they are suppressed by work and driven somewhere deep. And women are often interested in mystery and understatement.

“In working on the role, I started from traits that, it would seem, can cause nothing but rejection: I saw him as an indifferent type who does not love anyone; for him, the whole world is just a decoration in which he can show his own ego, ”the actor says about the last season.

So, Holmes has the unique characteristics that appeal to us: a self-confident, eccentric outsider genius, and also able to benefit society by investigating crimes. He decides to suppress his passions and emotions because he believes that this interferes with his ability to reason logically, namely logic — the main skill that he needs for business. He takes on investigations not out of altruism, but because he is bored.

Perhaps there were signs of trouble in his early childhood history, which forced him to train in the ability to ignore feelings. His weapon or defense is emotional coldness, cynicism, isolation. But at the same time, this is his most vulnerable spot.

In the fourth season, we get to know another Holmes. The old cynic is no more. Before us is the same vulnerable person, like all of us. What’s next for us? After all, the main character is a fictional character, which means that he can combine characteristics that never occur in life. This is what attracts and delights millions of fans. We know that such people do not exist. But we want to believe that it exists. Holmes is our superhero.