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Is James Bond a sociopath?

Pierce2DanielPierce2Daniel
edited April 2013 in Bond Movies Posts: 4,412
I was recently watching an interview with Tony Kushner about his film Munich, in it he says that the men at the centre of the film were difficult to write for as they were not your typical sociopaths, and instead they do bear consciences and accept responsibility for their actions.

It made me wonder if Bond could be described as a sociopath? Personally I don't think he is, despite having many of the known traits relating to sociopathy. After all it takes a certain kind of guy to become a hired killer, and also his promiscuous sexual behaviour would suggest so as well.

But I think he does feel guilt, remorse and often seems genuinely sympathetic to the other characters he encounters in the books and the films. If anything it's his commitment to his duty that pushes him forward despite knowing that the profession he feels compelled to work in is slowly corroding his soul. He's not a sociopath, if anything he probably wishes he was as it would make his job a little easier to do.

Comments

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,344
    No, I agree. I don't think he's a sociopath, though he has few real friends besides Bill Tanner and Felix Leiter, and they're both work-related.
  • timmertimmer
    Posts: 4,622
    Of course he isn't. He protects us from the sociopaths who don't care about anyone other than themselves. Bond is a white hat. He fights the good fight.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    Frank Castle aka "The Punisher" = sociopath

    not James Bond
  • chuck007chuck007
    Posts: 172
    if you compare James Bond to normal society, i can accept James Bond is a sociopath to a certain degree, for example how many normal people would make stupid one liner joke after killing someone?
  • Pierce2DanielPierce2Daniel
    Posts: 4,412
    There's a very good essay waiting to be written by someone here.....
  • patbpatb
    Posts: 4,617
    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/11-signs-dating-a-sociopath_n_3780417
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,344
    Pierce2Daniel wrote: »
    There's a very good essay waiting to be written by someone here.....

    You're as well qualified as anyone to do it, @Pierce2Daniel.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    In the novels and films Bond is far from being a sociopath. He is often selfless in his actions to save others. Yes he can be cold and ruthless, but that is self preservation to maintain his sanity.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,231
    In the HARE Psychopathy Test way back in my college days, I gave Bond a score of 30/40. The test takes everything from promiscuity to violent actions into account.

    Anyone who scores over 30 is considered to have severe pyschopathic traits. Bond is on the borderline, it seems.

    You have to be a bit on the darker side to be able to do the job that Bond does, after all. Other professions that deal with ethics and morals, such as CEOs, lawyers, and sales often have a large number of people who score around the same.

    If Sociopathy is considered to be less severe than pyschopathy, then it would be fair to say that Bond certainly has many elements of a sociopath to his personality. That being said, as the test shows, he's not full blown. He's just juggling the necessary dark elements of his lifestyle.

    Anyone can take the test and apply whatever logic they want to Bond to see for themselves. I was quite harsh on him with certain answers whereas others may be more lenient, depending on their interpretation.

    Though I can't imagine him scoring below 25.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    But his violent actions are only part of survival or saving lives. He promiscuity is due to living life on the edge and the woman is never mistreated or mislead. Again the opposite of sociopath or psychopath who wouldn't care. He risks his life constantly for his country/ the greater good....again the opposite.
  • patbpatb
    Posts: 4,617
    "He risks his life constantly for his country/ the greater good....again the opposite."

    I was thinking of the scorpion scene in SF? No country, no greater good. He loves the risk. If he was fired, would he continue taking risks for other reasons? Is his job a convenient justification for the risks that he would be taking anyway? If his country asked him to take a desk job (for his country or the greater good) would he take it?
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    Technically he would be, but the character brought so much more to the table in the movie series.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited January 2018 Posts: 8,231
    suavejmf wrote: »
    But his violent actions are only part of survival or saving lives. He promiscuity is due to living life on the edge and the woman is never mistreated or mislead. Again the opposite of sociopath or psychopath who wouldn't care. He risks his life constantly for his country/ the greater good....again the opposite.

    There is more to sociopathy than not caring about others. Full blown pyschopaths often treat people extremely well - if they have something they want or it serves a purpose for them. Bond treating the women badly or well is not a factor - it's the fact that he is having such a large amount of sex with so many different people that's the issue for physciatrists.

    Bond indulges in the pleasures of life because of his dangerous lifestyle, pleasures that include women, alcohol and his other vices. Someone who lives a life on the edge makes the most of the better things in life. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have the issues outlined above.

    To say that he has sociopathic tendencies does not take away anything from the good he does - the two factors simply go hand in hand; he does such a good job because of it. He is a risk taker - as @patb pointed out above, Bond would likely be in a risk taking job even if he weren't in MI6.

    We all know that a regular joe could not do Bond's job - this is one of the many reasons why.

    Obviously it varies from version to version of the character (Connery, Dalton and Craig are on the darker end of the scale) but for anyone who thinks Bond genuinely doesn't have these kind of issues, take a look at his reaction to the moment where the airport bomber in CR explodes off camera. A great moment all the same, right?
  • TooManySomethingsTooManySomethings
    Posts: 103
    Surely Frank Castle is a psychopath?
  • RevelatorRevelator
    edited February 2018 Posts: 2,921
    Evaluating fantasy figures by everyday standards is a booby trap. Bond sleeps with lots of women because he represents a male fantasy that very few men get to indulge in real life. The same goes for his life of luxury and frequently-used license to kill. Fantasies are not guides to everyday life but escapes from it--judging them by psychiatric standards that were developed to judge everyday behavior doesn't work. Bond has a great deal of freedom to indulge himself in his fantasy world, but only when he massively over-indulges should we be concerned, and the demands of his job usually prevent that.
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    DOUBLE O-NO James Bond films slammed as ‘racist and sexist’ by young people watching them for the first time with Sean Connery’s spy labelled ‘basically a rapist’

    Millennials have hit out at the James Bond films, saying they are 'racist and sexist' and take issue with the 'inappropriate content'

    SENSITIVE millennials watching James Bond for the first time have branded Ian Fleming’s suave spy “sexist,” and “racist,” with Sean Connery’s 007 dubbed “basically a rapist”.

    The world famous books and films featuring the iconic spy which is now a global franchise with 26 films over 56 years have been slammed by some young people who have watched the exploits of the suave spy for the first time.

    More at:

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5433697/james-bond-films-slammed-as-racist-and-sexist-by-young-people-watching-them-for-the-first-time-with-sean-connerys-spy-labelled-basically-a-rapist/
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,231
    Revelator wrote: »
    Evaluating fantasy figures by everyday standards is a booby trap. Bond sleeps with lots of women because he represents a male fantasy that very few men get to indulge in real life. The same goes for his life of luxury and frequently-used license to kill. Fantasies are not guides to everyday life but escapes from it--judging them by psychiatric standards that were developed to judge everyday behavior doesn't work. Bond has a great deal of freedom to indulge himself in his fantasy world, but only when he massively over-indulges should we be concerned, and the demands of his job usually prevent that.

    That's a fair point, especially of the films. Bond was always devised as the ultimate realisation of an escapist male fantasy - stop the megalomaniac, save the world, get the girl, do it all with style - so it is important to probably remember that.

    It is quite a fun topic to debate all the same, I think. The same goes for Bruce Wayne/Batman, though that one is a bit more obvious.
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