After you watch the clip, discuss in the comment section the type of attachment you believe Will's file identifies for him and why. What is it about Will's behavior suggests this? What about his early parenting and family life suggests that Will's early attachment was insecure? How has that followed him into his adulthood?
And, a bit of a journey into armchair psychology, but why might Will 'break' on Sean's persistent phrase, "It's not your fault?"
* The film is currently streaming on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/search/Good%20will%20Hunting?jbv=17405997&jbp=0&jbr=0) and available in most public libraries.
Because Will was physically abused by his foster father, I would classify him as insecure disorganized. Additionally, Will has trouble opening up to his therapist, which is indicative of insecure disorganized attachment. When Will finally breaks down, crying and seeking comfort in his therapist, he is coming to terms with the years of abuse he has repressed. The repeated phrase, "It's not your fault" by his therapist assures Will that there is someone who cares about him and has gone through a similar trauma. His therapist acknowledges that Will had no control over what happened to him as a child. If it wasn't known that Will was physically abused, I could see how he may be classified as anxious avoidant because he keeps people at a distance by not sharing much about his life.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the clip, I believe that Will showed signs of a disorganized attachment. In class I learned that a disorganized attachment can happen when a parent displays maltreatment, fighting, or confusing behavior. The video talked about how Will's father would physically abuses him. It also showed pictures of the abuse in his folder which is a good indicator of having this attachment. Will also talked about how he broke up with someone and people with insecure attachments can have a hard time with relationships. Lastly, Will was obviously uncomfortable with Sean getting close to him when saying "It's not your fault." Will tried to push Sean away but eventually let him in. One thing that was interesting to me is that Will talked about how his father would give him a choice of abusing him with a wrench, stick, or a belt. Will chose the wrench and I believe it shows that he was trying to prove to his father that he was tough as a way of going against him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the file listed him with attachment issues is because victims of abuse have a hard time trusting people. An inability to move forward with others because they are holding onto the guilt that the have been suffering with for years. Even based on Will's on assessment, he already knew what the file said, which means he already knew about himself. But he hadn't let go with what had happened to him. He couldn't move forward from his past. With the abuse that he suffered, caused a rift with his father which created that unfavorable attachment. As we saw in the clip, he lost his girlfriend, which shows he couldn't create even a simple attachment with someone who probably cared for him. Like I said earlier, he was holding onto that guilt. Maybe felt he did deserve what happened to him. That's why when that phrase was used over and over, he really did need to hear from someone else that it wasn't his fault for what had happened to him. That it wasn't something he needed to carry on his shoulders anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe Will character displayed an Insecure Disorganized attachment. His lack of consistent eye contact with Sean suggested to me that he didn't trust Sean yet. He wasn't ready to have someone care about him. The abuse he suffered at the hand of his father has stunted his ability to relate to others in a meaningful way. Sean self disclosed that he too had an abusive father, and diverted his father to hurting him instead of his mother. He wanted Will to open up to him. Will mentions a girlfriend that he broke up with. Once Sean started challenging him, telling him it wasn't his fault, Will tried to resist. He disagreed, then tried to push Sean away, but then his need to feel safe overwhelmed him and he allowed Sean to comfort him.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of extreme trauma, maltreatment and abuse from his parents, especially his father, from such a young age it is evident that he has an insecure attachment with his parents. Those behaviors from his family would mean his attachment pattern is disorganized-disoriented. It is also evident that he has an insecure attachment style because he had broken up with his girlfriend. Many individuals who have had an insecure attachment throughout there childhood have a hard time attaching in their later years, making relationships very trying. His insecure disorganized attachment style has clearly made his adulthood very difficult. He now has to seek professional help to understand his upbringing. His abuse as a child has made it very difficult for him to receive this help and to trust his therapist. My guess is that he finally breaks through with his therapist when the therapist says "it's not your fault" because growing up, the phrase was always "it's all YOUR fault". Hearing the opposite for the first time, repeatedly, made him really trust his therapist and helped him created that positive attachment for the first time.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the clip, Will's file identifies an insecure, disorganized attachment. He has a history of abuse, mistreatment, and neglect. He has difficulty forming attachments with people, and breaks up with his girlfriend Skylar, even though he cares about her. Probably because he cares about her.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason Will breaks down when Sean says, "It's not your fault" because children who are abused often internalize the messages that they deserve the abuse, or that they are somehow responsible. This negative sense of self manifests in adulthood as a very low opinion of yourself, feelings of inadequacy, or worthlessness. People who were abused as children often think that they are fundamentally unlovable. Having a trusted person (in this case, a therapist) say something to combat those internal messages can be extremely healing.
Will has developed the insecure attachment that is classified as disorganized/disoriented. Towards this scene at the end of the movie as well as the scene where he breaks up with Skylar we learn that he has a history of both physical and emotional abuse. He appears to be unable to form healthy connections and experience a lot of trust issues. This probably plays into the reasons he broke up with Skylar. When talking about being classified as insecurely attached in his file with Sean, he even asks "is that why I broke up with Skyler"? It's as if even he is confused about his erratic behavior. Early attachment can have such a profound effect on future relationships. I am guessing that he has developed a negative implicit memory during his childhood, as well as a negative working model of self.
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ReplyDeleteBased on Will’s behavior and his exposure to abuse throughout childhood, I would classify his attachment as disorganized. It seems as though Will is unsure of who he is able to trust, and his stiff and somewhat uptight posture suggests that he is always on guard. This parallels the mental and physical activity a young child would display in an abusive environment. For example, their stress hormone levels would be higher than children who do not live in abusive environments, and they would be unable to differentiate between positive and negative emotions. These high stress tendencies unsurprisingly have followed Will into adulthood, and are shown through his involvement criminal activity, as well as his inability to trust that others have inherently good intentions. For example, he assumes that Sean is going to “fail him” out of his program, and he does not seem to be able to fully trust Sean until the last few moments of the scene when it seems as though he physically releases the anger and stress that had built up inside him throughout his entire life. Will probably had never heard anyone validate his emotions before, which could be part of the reason why he broke down when Sean repeated that it wasn’t his fault.
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ReplyDeleteAfter watching the clip I would classify will as disorganized attachment because of his exposure to maltreatment, fighting, or confusing behavior displayed by a parent. Sean wants to show Will his files, but Will doesn't want to see them because he knows whats in them and this makes him angry. He is defensive about the situation, his body is stiff, he resists, acts tough and his voice deepens suggesting that he wants authority and respect from Sean. Wills attachment has followed him into adulthood because it's hard for him to get close to people and in fact, he talks about recently loosing his girlfriend. Will is clearly uncomfortable when Sean (therapist) tells him "It's not your fault". I think Sean used this statement to comfort Will, make him believe in himself, connect with him and give him peace of mind that what happened to him is TRULY not his fault.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very emotional and impactful scene from Good Will Hunting that demonstrates the affects an insecure attachment can have on someone. I think Will’s file identifies that he experienced a disorganized-disoriented attachment as a child. The pictures in this files show that he was severely physically abused—Will and his therapist even discuss how they were both beat by their drunk fathers. Babies and young children who form a disorganized-disoriented attachment often experience neglect, abuse, and are generally confused by their surroundings because their caregiver does not respond to them. In addition, most people with this early form of attachment experience mental health issues later on in life and need to undergo years of counseling to be able to relate to people. I think Will broke down after Sean continuously repeated, “it’s not your fault” because he spent his entire life thinking exactly that. I have never seen the full film, but perhaps no one had ever told Will that before, and hearing it from someone he trusted broke down the front he had been putting up for so long.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this clip I believe Will is portraying a disorganize-disoriented attachment. This type of insecure attachment occurs more often with children who have grown up with abuse, maltreatment, or confusing behavior. This makes sense since Will grew up experiencing both emotional and physical abuse from his father. The fact that his father made Will choose the weapon he hurt him with must have been awfully confusing for a child growing up and also probably contributed to the idea that Will deserved the abuse, and he chose it himself. This abuse has affected Will's ability to form secure relationships with others which is mentioned when he wasn't sure why he broke up with Skylar, his girlfriend. His therapist telling him "it's not your fault" was important but seemed hard for Will to hear, because it seems often times children who experience abuse often internalize the idea that somehow they deserved it and that it was their fault.
ReplyDeleteFrom what the clip shows, Will has a very violent reaction to Sean supporting him and telling him that, "it's not your fault." From what I know about the film, Will most likely has a disorganized-disoriented attachment styles. Will shows this throughout the film by rejecting love and affection from others and not thinking that he deserves love. He also actively rejects help from people, especially Sean. This most likely stems from the experiences Will went through in his childhood. Will explains that he was very much a neglected and abused child. Will mentions how his Dad would put out cigarettes out on him. I think that Will "breaks" on Sean, because he doesn't know what else to do. Will's whole life he has shut people out to protect himself from his own feelings. Will has never had a healthy or safe to express emotions. Sean shows Will that he can vent to him and that he cares for Will, This terrifies Will. So the only thing he can to do to "protect himself" is to snap at Sean and try to scare him away. This doesn't happen with Sean, he stays strong and supports Will and that's what makes this scene so powerful
ReplyDeleteI would classify Will as having insecure attachment -- specifically disorganized. I say this because there was domestic abuse in his family as he was abused by his father. Will seems to be the type that runs away when "danger" is perceived. With regards to Will's abuse, when Sean was saying "it's not your fault" over and over, Will was at first not admitting it and implied that it was his fault. The abuse has carried into his young adulthood where he puts the problems onto himself and blames himself. Will is also afraid that he will become to emotionally attached to Sean, his therapist. He also seems to think that the abuse was his fault, due to his insecure attachment. Lastly, Will has conduct issues -- though he is amazing at math -- which sets the scene for the movie. I can assume that Will has these behavioral problems which are an outlet for Will's feelings and attachment insecurities.
ReplyDeleteUpon watching the video, it looks as though Will has an insecure attachment, more specifically a disorganized attachment. This type of attachment is often seen in children that have experienced any type of abuse. Will had an awful uprising in dealing with abuse. In this clip, we see Will trying to not listen to and deny everything that Sean is saying. Will says he knows what is in his folder and refuses to see it. He becomes very defensive and absolutely does not want to put his trust into Sean because of the attachment that Will has experienced throughout his life.
ReplyDeleteThis scene was extremely moving. Will had been physically abused by his stepfather and was insecurely attached. As a result, Will developed trust issues and a fear of abandonment. I would classify his attachment as disorganized. Will doesn't react well to Sean's attempts to connect with him; he is initially standoffish, flippant, and at one point violent as he lashes out. He is perceiving danger in the scene and wants to escape, as he mentions that he does when he recently broke up with someone. However, as Sean continues to offer understand and a sanctuary with his insistence that the abuse was not his fault, Will eventually breaks. Sean was validating Will current emotions and past experiences, and while this had initially made Will uncomfortable, he eventually couldn't handle to sign of care and broke.
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