The Sociology of Human Relations in The Imitation Game

Friendship is one of the most important and valuable things in our lives. It lets us measure a person. Companionship is essential for the psychological wellbeing of every person. All relationships are formed through the mutual regard of individuals with affection, trust, and respect.

The human need to foster long standing relations is a need that stems from the very basis of the human psyche. We crave having contact with others as we are by our nature social creatures and if we are deprived of such a need we will be driven to madness given enough time. Companionship is essential to the psychological well being of a human being as it provides a symbiotic relationship for both involved parties. It provides you with an emotional support beam, both through conversation and acts of emotional kindness that often leads to inspiration and insight within our own lives.

Originally, Alan Turing was a shy, solitary and awkward boy who was often bullied by his peers. A boy named Christopher came to his rescue during his early days in traditional boarding school. Months later, Christopher died and Turing was left lonely again. Alan was shaken however he assured the headmaster that he didn’t really know the dead boy very well. With Alan losing his only friend he tried to keep his friend’s memories alive, this is evident when Turing named his machine after “Christopher”.

After Turing left school he often lived in solitude and was hardly concerned with what other people did or thought. Years later after he was hired at Bletchley Park this proved to be both a detriment and a benefit. He was unable to socially communicate with the team he was working with and often came off as pretentious and stuck up, thus causing the team to resent him. This also caused the problems when he was trying to design the aforementioned “Christopher”, as Alan couldn’t build the tremendous machine without the help of his colleagues. Ultimately Joan a recently hired replacement for a fired team member was the one to suggest that he needed his team in order to succeed.

This lead to Turing doing several acts of goodwill for his team which led to them helping build “Christopher” and later defending Alan’s project as Cmdr Denniston attempted to shut it down arguing “It’s the best shot they have”. More often than not we never realise the true value of companionship until our hour of need, it is during these times that the true merit and value of someone's inner self is revealed. That is when the fruits of your companionship are revealed for what they really are. Those that are true to you will be there to lend a hand when you need it most, there to offer advice or to share a smile to brighten up your day.