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The Psychological Depth of Good Will Hunting

Shorya Sehgal

Good Will Hunting revolves around the interaction of two rebellious characters, Sean Maguire and Will Hunting, who, to a certain extent, help each other to conform slightly. Will is a brilliant but troubled, young adult. He suffers from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), inferiority complex, defence mechanisms and attachment disorder. A mathematical genius, Will had a complete disrespect for authority and for his own considerable talents. As the story progressed, I was able to see Will’s personal growth as he developed an extremely strong relationship with his therapist, Sean. Sean had fought his own battles in life which had made him tough. This significantly helped Will and Sean to connect to each other on a deep, emotional level.

What struck me the most in the movie is how coherently Will's journey is tied together. His transition from an inexpressive, troubled young guy to a mature and responsible one is shown very exquisitely. By the end, he was able to become conscious of his own feelings, he stopped running away from his emotions and started accepting situations the way they were. His gradual maturity in handling relationships is depicted very articulately. The movie does a great job in depicting Will’s initial troubles and his period of growth into a sensible, young guy and thus, I believe that this transition is portrayed very beautifully. 

Will suffered from a large number of issues. I was able to initially assume that Will has had a rough childhood and upbringing. Will exhibited a lot of behavioural and impulse problems, and it became very clear that he had an inhospitable home environment as a child. He was disturbed, rude and did not know how to deal with a large number of significant situations. As the film progressed, Will’s extremely troubled nature had been well depicted in the film and a large reason of this was the troubled environment around him while he was growing up.

Another issue which is well illustrated in the film was the challenge that men, especially young men, have in opening up and talking about their feelings and expressing themselves. Will was so hesitant to talk about his emotions in the beginning. This could also stem from the fact that it is generally tough for men to display a lot of emotions, not because they can’t, but because they are not expected to. Hence, Will seemed very uncomfortable and inarticulate while describing his emotions, which gradually and very beautifully, changed with due course in the movie.
However, as Will started being aware of his emotions, I could see him disarm and open up to his therapist during conversations.

Will also suffered from a fear of intimacy, although he was not able to realize this until he had become in a somewhat “committed relationship” with a woman. In wanting to be with someone who is “perfect,” which is obviously impossible, he created a barrier between himself and every other woman, never letting her get too close to him. This fear of intimacy could be connected to the fact that he wasn’t able to trust people easily, which made it tougher for him to deeply connect to people.

In the beginning, Will got in jail for striking an officer, when the police laid one provision upon Will's release -- he must seek psychological counseling. Will was so adamant on not getting any therapy that he toyed with a series of them, and even pretended to be hypnotized to prove that he was way ahead of their game. This showed how Will used his words and actions as a defense mechanism to run away from situations. This was also when Will's caretaker hooked him up Sean, which is when his life started to change.

By the end, finally, once Will saw his old pictures and could no longer deny all the emotions he had bottled up, the tears came out and the healing process began for him.
Hence, the movie is able to tie up Will’s emotions and his subsequent journey in a very fine manner. Unlike other movies and shows which tend to exaggerate behaviours while talking about disorders, Good Will Hunting immaculately describes Will’s behavioural patterns, his journey of suffering and his healing process. There was no exaggeration at any level and the movie is a pioneer in advertising the fact that people with disorders can heal and that therapy can work wonders.
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