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Good Will Hunting Psychological Analysis

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ENVIRONMENTAL/BIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
An Evaluation of Good Will Hunting: Environmental and Biological Factors in Personality
Development
Brittany Wagner
Kaplan University

ENVIRONMENTAL/BIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Abstract
This paper is an evaluation of the character Will Hunting from the movie Good Will Hunting. In this paper, I will discuss Will Hunting’s character’s life designs that can only be attributed to cognitive processes, biological and environmental influencers, and limited feelings of self-efficacy. It is important to note that the character played as the therapist can be evaluated as well because he was also helped by the same measures taken in therapy. However, …show more content…

For it, he developed a separate structure that told him it was suitable to use his intellect as well as his physical presence to threaten those that he saw to be angry towards him or his friends. This is what causes him to lash out at Carmine Scarpaglia and was the ammo behind his intellectual beating of Clark at the bar. Based on Albert Bandura 's concepts of observational learning and hostile behavior, it is possible that Will had created this personality constructs in reaction to his early child abuse. He observed the abuse when his foster father was not penalized for it, thereby subconsciously recalling the knowledge that overly hostile behavior is occasionally acceptable. This also demonstrates a personality that admits Julian Rotter 's "external locus of control." Although he is a tough willed person, he does not actually believe that he has any control over what happens to him. He is fearful of this fact, and as a result he hides behind his false boasting and sarcasm. The forceful outbursts and sudden anger are out-of-control reactions that Will makes because he feels they justify his feelings of loss of self-control, even though it is apparent that he can. It 's not until he meets Sean, who is observant enough to realize the behaviors and challenge them, that Will is able to look at himself objectively and redirect his focus towards productive

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