Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting

Application Paper

By, Kellie Davis

COMM 218

Mark Eurista

For this particular assignment I have chosen to focus on the film "Good Will Hunting" merely because it is a movie I have seen prior to this class and one that I am the most familiar with. When I first saw this film I enjoyed it. But after viewing it from a different perspective after all that I have learned so far in this course, has brought a deeper meaning to this film. Will Hunting had a lot of inner conflict in which affected his life in various aspects. Will may have been brilliant, but in my opinion he was a very poor communicator. His past made it very difficult for anyone to see past who he was portraying himself as. Generally, it was very difficult for anyone to get close to him.

Will had a painful childhood, causing him to bury deep all that has happened in his past. He buried it so deep in the back of his mind that he didn't even acknowledge it at all. When he was a child, he was an abandoned orphan that was abused by his foster parents. One can imagine that this wouldn't cause a high rate of self worth or self-esteem. Self-esteem is described to evaluate one's self worth. (Adler, Ronald N., Proctor II, Russell F. (2010). Looking Out/Looking In, Thirteenth Edition. Boston, MA. Wadsworth.) He was let down and left by the people in his life that were supposed to love him the most. This particular event in Will's life set the tone for the rest of his life and his relationships.

With this history of being neglected and abused, Will believes that he is alone in the world and unlovable. He does not see himself as a person that deserves the praise that the people around him want to give him; he doesn't think he is special at all. He is comfortable with the way his life is, being a poor guy from the south. The stereotype on these people is that they are looked down on, and this is what he has been used to all of his life. He fears himself as being recognized or seen for his intelligence or for who he truly is. He acts out by fighting and making poor decisions in which effect his self-concept. Self-concept is the perception you hold of yourself. (Adler, Ronald N., Proctor II, Russell F. (2010). Looking Out/Looking In, Thirteenth Edition. Boston, MA. Wadsworth.) When Will looked in the mirror, his perception of himself was a lot different than what other people saw of him.

I think it is very obvious that self- efficacy is very well lacking in Will's life. Self-efficacy is the faith one has in their abilities. "True, they can both do quick math in their heads. But Will Hunting is not an idiot savant or some kind of lovable curiosity; he's a smart man who knows he's