Good Will Hunting Sean Character Analysis

Overall, Will has had a troubling life, never feeling like he actually belonged. He was afraid to be smart and at the same time afraid to not be. The physical and mental abuse he suffered at the hands of those who are supposed to protect him, definitely scared him

The movie Good Will Hunting an American Drama Film was directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgard in 1997. This movie is about a man named Good Will Hunting who was a genius but chose not to live as a genius because of fear of past experiences and the ill treatment he received when he was in foster home. Some of the other characters in the movie were supportive and some were not supportive of him. This essay discusses Good Will’s personality traits and his interaction with the other characters in the movie. Good Will Hunting possessed the following personality traits, namely: independence, intense interest in a problem, and the need for stimulation.

His presenting self was the safeguard to his private self. Will was very much aware of his gift and his enormous potential but shunned it like some burden, or at least that's what he wanted others to believe. He often told Sean Maguire, his shrink with whom he had developed a bond, that his gift was something he didn't ask for, and he'd be perfectly fine working an honorable blue-collar job with his buddies. Despite his assertion regarding his gift as an aggravation Will's actions contradict, for he is asked why he just so happened to get a custodial job in the world's foremost institute for technology, M.I.T if he wanted nothing to do with his genius. Maguire sees behind Will's visage, he realizes Will is a wounded soul who really knows nothing about life for he hasn't experienced it, it is so much more that what he read in a book. It is hard to say what Will should have done for he had a difficult past one that most cannot relate too, or have any idea what it may be like to live it. However, If Will had been a little more open to the people who wanted to love him he would have been much happier. In his quest to never be hurt he was headed for a life where he would never be loved. His thoughts were becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy; where one's expectations of an event make that event more likely to occur (Adler, 65). Had Will been honest with himself and more willing

However, towards the end of the book we are shown the real reason why Will kept the big secret behind closed doors. This was that Will’s father was caught sleeping with his current girlfriend at the time. Furthermore, another secret was that Will was kicked out of school for getting in a fight with someone who showed video of the two together. He just couldn’t handle the negative impacts from the people around him so he’d been living elsewhere since it occurred. From this, it made me feel sorry for Will as he had a horrible experience and that if I had experienced myself I feel would come to the same conclusion, in which gave me a further connection with him.

Will is defensive towards everyone he comes in contact with. He experiences incongruence with his cockiness of being smarter than most but he doesn't feel he deserves better than living as a nobody.

Good Will Hunting is the graceful tale of a young gentleman’s struggle to find out where he belongs in the world, by first finding out who he himself is. In this film, Matt Damon takes on the role of a disturbed genius that has a keen understanding of the deepness of human character. The film is a voyage through the mind of Will Hunting as he is required to undergo psychotherapy as an alternative to serving jail time. With the assistance of a psychologist, played by Robin Williams, Will learns about himself and recognizes his individual worth in the world by comprehending what is most important to him in his own life. This motion picture serves as a source of superb example for film technique. Gus Van Sant’s directing ability joined with

After a difficult start, Sean concludes that Will's defensiveness is the result of years of physical and emotional abuse, (as well as intense isolation), and that his hostile, sarcastic, and evasive behaviors are all defense mechanisms. The two work together to break through Will's considerable barriers, using a certain type of psychotherapy, and to get at the heart of the problem, dealing with Will's complex emotions. The two begin to relate to each other more, with Sean telling Will about his past and his happiness with his now

These being: family, schools, peer relationships, mass media, and work. Throughout the film, we see the growth of character in Will. He begins in the movie as the mishap trouble maker with a brilliant mind that’s being wasted because his inner demons are holding him hostage. Through the progression of his time in therapy, we can tell that will did not have the best home life. We discover that he was a victim of child abuse, both physical and mental. Because of this, he grows up believing that he is not worth much and will not amount to anything. Family is a big part of the way we grow up to perceive ourselves and present ourselves to others. Wills family did not show him that he was good enough so he believed he wasn’t and found solace in his school work. With the help of his peer relations and school, Will was “re-socialized” and succeeded beyond what he could have ever imagined. With the help of this therapist and time, Will resolved the resentment and attachment issues he has had since he was a child and begin to form new relationships while allowing others into his mind a bit more. This change in his life was all brought on by the professor teaching him. If he hadn’t intervened with the court and suggest that in place of jail time, Will could study under him and see a therapist, will would have never gotten better and advance much further in life. With the help of peer relations and school, will became a new and improved

Throughout the movie, Sean applied this psychological theory called attachment theory in his professional relationship with Will and used it to help Will develop the potential to form relationships with others and relate to his growing environment. It supported Sean’s methods he used to relate to his patient, Will, handle his needs, convey his demands, and mold Will’s vision for the world. Through Sean’s interaction with Will, he was able to balance his feelings out despite the fact that Will unintentionally caused him to backlash against him for mentioning his wife. It was able to redefine his value imposition which is by definition “counselors directly attenpting to define a client’s values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors” (Shallcross,

One of the key reasons why Sean was able to teach Will to open up was to by first opening up himself. Sean was not afraid to show his faults and allowed Will to challenge him on certain, albeit emotionally-charged, occasions. Instead of completely shunning the challenges as the other psychologists in the movie, Sean actually faced those statements and answered them sincerely whilst accepting that he was not perfect. In other words, he showed Will it was okay to be vulnerable to his emotions and to accept his imperfections. He was able to show Will that he cared, as with many other patients who suffered abuse as a child, Will seemed to have blamed himself for what happened until Sean gently, but firmly challenged Will to accept it. By the end of the plot, Will was ready to start taking risks and learning to live life more

The movie Good Will Hunting shows a dramatic relationship between a teacher and student and also relationship's between fellow teachers. The film helps you grow with the characters in order to anticipate and acknowledge the ways in which they interact with one another. It also incorporated the way that egos develop and arise due to relationships and how they can interact with the daily lives of people.

Will Hunting also uses the defense mechanism of being extremely smart and by reading people and exploiting their weaknesses to shift their focus away from him. This would be a characteristic of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder avoidance state, where he is dealing with it throughout the movie, which causes him to stay withdrawn from people and society (NCBI). Will uses manipulation to change the subjects and focus’ of others from himself. He is also sarcastic when he talks. Such examples include the several psychologists who he visited before he found Sean. He would read their books before he met with them to decipher the way they worked. Then, when he worked with the psychologists, he would exploit their weakness and what they were uncomfortable with and push it right into their faces. He would also use sarcasm to make a point that he thought all of these psychologist meetings were useless to him and pointless.

Will primarily displays insecure-avoidant attachment style, but there are exceptions. Will seems quite securely attached to his friends, especially Chuck. He trusts them to back him up, as shown in the fight early in the film and Will is also able to be somewhat vulnerable with Chuck, qualities indicative of secure attachment. I noticed that as the therapy sessions proceeded, Sean begins to speak to Will much like Will and his friends speak to each other. This includes use of a lot of curse words and playful insults (directed at Will and at himself). When Sean does this, Will often seems to let his guard down and relax. For example, in the third shown session, on the topic of Skylar, Sean says, “only way you’re finding out that one is by givin’ it a shot… you certainly won’t learn from an old fucker like me and even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell a pissant like you” (Bender & Sant, 1997). Will’s body language after this is very relaxed and open, he leans back in his seat and puts his hands behind his head. Will confirms the existence of this friend-like bond in the fifth shown session when, in response to Sean trying to kick him out early, he becomes upset and says, “I thought we were friends” (Bender & Sant, 1997). At the end of the film, they also exchange information, intending to keep in touch with each other, offering

In his last therapy session, Will reveals to Sean that he was beaten as a child. As a result, he has a tough time believing that he is capable of achievement in life. Children who endure such hardships can feel unworthy and not have a desire to succeed in life. Will also has a tough time accepting love. When Skylar, his girlfriend asks him to go to California with her, he chokes her. Shortly after, he breaks up with her. This most likely resembles Cluster C avoidant personality disorder. Avoidant personality disorder occurs when people have feelings of insufficiency and are extremely sensitive to rejection. Connors wrote, “Specifically, individuals with an avoidant attachment style who have been rebuffed by caregivers in childhood will be defensively constricted and unable to love in adulthood” (475). Will did not feel like he was capable of being loved and feared being rejected, so he ended things with Skylar. It wasn’t until he was court ordered to see a psychiatrist that he began to value himself.

The movie really relates the main idea of the story and that is what psychologists call intimacy. The two characters of Will and Sean are the central focus of the movie. Skylark, Chuckie and his friends help in the bigger scope but the relationship between the psychologist Sean and Will is what really counts in this tale.