# Mr. Bean as a case study **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 17, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779 "2013-07-17T19:57:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pitter\_Patter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@Pitter\_Patter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitter_Patter)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/1 "2013-07-17T19:57:45Z")
Mods, feel free to move this, but I am seeking factual answers…You’ve probably all seen the BBC Series, “Mr. Bean”. I’m curious from a psychological stand point, how would he be classified? I assume there are people like that ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/2 "2013-07-17T20:08:05Z")
Given the way he materializes from a beam of light at the beginning of the show, I always classified him as “alien”. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/3 "2013-07-17T20:10:22Z")
[Elements](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3766697.stm) of [Asperger’s](http://www.asperger-syndrome.me.uk/people.htm) Syndrome is the obvious answer. He’s also British which explains the rest. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/4 "2013-07-17T20:19:42Z")
> [@Mikemike2](#): > > Given the way he materializes from a beam of light at the beginning of the show, I always classified him as “alien”. Yes, I always took that opening to mean “there is no backstory. There’s nothing to explain. He emerged fully formed from…the sky. Yeah, that’s it.” Rowan Atkinson has said Mr. Bean is somebody who approaches the world as a nine-year-old boy. I guess an adult who behaves as a nine-year-old boy would be diagnosed as _immature_. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/5 "2013-07-17T21:12:28Z")
There’s also the element you find in Fawlty Towers, as well as thousands of TV comedies. Someone would prefer to go to ridiculous lengths and appear really stupid rather than admit they made a mistake and appear stupid. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/6 "2013-07-18T01:20:55Z")
> [@Pitter\_Patter](#): > > . . . . I assume there are people like that I am fairly confident there really aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Pitter\_Patter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@Pitter\_Patter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitter_Patter)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/7 "2013-07-18T03:01:55Z")
I hope nt. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/8 "2013-07-18T10:08:10Z")
> [@Mikemike2](#): > > Given the way he materializes from a beam of light at the beginning of the show, I always classified him as “alien”. Given the music that plays I’d always gone with “really naive angel” but yours is better. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/9 "2013-07-18T12:47:55Z")
Numerous Asbergers signs. Doesn’t plan anything, doesn’t do anything particularly much, knows enough to be dangerous (does silly things to amuse himself. like make bombs. ) , doesn’t like speaking, doesn’t care about his odd looks or act on criticism or emotion imparted onto others. Socially awkward -fears social situations due to previous bad results. There are people out there who have far less symptoms and get home visits form government workers. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/10 "2013-07-18T12:48:08Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Rowan Atkinson has said Mr. Bean is somebody who approaches the world as a nine-year-old boy. In other words, yes, there are really people like that. Most of them are nine-year-old boys. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-bean-as-a-case-study/663779/11 "2013-07-18T12:54:21Z")
There is an element of hyper-exaggeration present in Mr Bean - he is a caricature of a 9-y.o. boy. In general, 9-y.o. boys are not like that all the time (sometimes, I’ll warrant, and mostly when in a group of other 9-y.o. boys) - unlike Mr Bean.