Why Sheldon “regresses” between Young Sheldon & The Big Bang Theory

By the conclusion of Young Sheldon, it appears that he has made significant progress in terms of his emotional and social well-being. While he still maintains his know-it-all attitude, he is now capable of connecting with others and showing some compassion. This leaves us wondering about his character development before The Big Bang Theory.

In The Big Bang Theory pilot, we are introduced to Sheldon Cooper as a creature of strict routine. He has a designated spot on the couch that he fiercely guards, and he has a tendency to go on tangents about obscure and complex facts.

Upon further acquaintance, we uncover all of his additional peculiarities, such as his overly rigid specifications for takeout, his intolerance for even the slightest grammatical mistakes, and his delicate self-esteem (which is shattered and then restored by the arrival of a 15-year-old at Caltech).

Despite Young Sheldon’s constant struggle with his negative tendencies and frequent succumbing to them, he has become a more balanced individual during his teenage years, as observed by fans on Reddit. However, as stated on the platform, he seems to lose some of his social growth in his adult years – raising the question of what led up to this change before the time of The Big Bang Theory.

Sheldon Cooper in Big Bang Theory, soon to be Young Sheldon. — CBS

Despite having Missy, Georgie, Mary, Meemaw, and Paige in sporadic appearances to keep him in check and remind him how to be a normal, nice person, when he goes to Caltech, he is on his own.

Despite feeling like a boy genius in high school and at East Texas tech, his experience in Germany was humbling. This may have seemed beneficial, but when we encounter him in The Big Bang Theory, he struggles with his relationships with other university members, such as Leslie Winkle and Eric Gablehouser, who have no qualms about openly or sneakily mocking him.

Despite his attempts to suppress his emotions and only recognizing his deep love for his father many years later, his sorrow for George’s passing and the other factors mentioned create a difficult combination. It’s unsurprising that he withdrew from society and found solace in his routines and strict control over all aspects of his life.

“A fan wrote that after his father’s death, he did not have a strong support system to help him cope as he moved out shortly after. This fan believes that some regression was bound to occur.”

According to another speculation, the stress of losing his father and being in a new environment without his family to hold him accountable for his actions may have led CalTech Sheldon to develop more rituals as a coping mechanism for his OCD. These rituals provided him with comfort as he became increasingly isolated and regressed, with no one at his new college recognizing his prodigious abilities.