Good Will Hunting Identity Essay Essay

The individuation theorists Erik Erikson and James Marcia were crucial contri besidesors to the psychological interpretation of a persons personality and social development. Erik Erikson is most famously known for his theories on the adolescent search for identicalness and his ideas regarding a persons self-discovery. James Marcia expanded get along on Eriksons concepts through his proposal of the four identity operator statuses, which include moratorium, foreclosure, diffusion, and achievement, as well as the four humans crises. As psychology is become more and more developed in our modern society, it has become more socially acceptable to criticize or expose the issues psychology entails, particularly human identity, which often times can be the most controversial topic. In the blockbuster film, Good volition Hunting, the main character Will has natural brilliance capabilities but struggles to understand his place in the world due to a dramatic past and his tough exterior a s an orphan from South Boston. Although it is disputable that Will appreciated his natural endowment but preferred to live his life as it was before recognition, Will Hunting draw and quartered the theories of identity through his consanguinity with Skylar and his guidance from Sean.Even though Will enjoyed his life of literature and education behind closed doors, it was indeterminable whether Will was content with his life or ardent to leave his comfort zone in Southie to challenge his intellect at the beginning of the film. For example, while working as a janitor at MIT Will solves a problem that the current students at the institute had yet to conquer, however Will would not admit to the professors that he had solved it. This shows that Will lacks aspects of self- acceptedization because once the professors assimilate he is the genius, Will mocks the therapy sittings and mathematical lessons that the professors organized in order to help him reach his full potential.In addi tion to that, Wills best friends depict the epitome of city kids who balance blue collar subscriber lines with nighttime bar reunions and it is evident that because this is the only life Will has ever known, he is hesitant to top out the life he is stereotypically supposed to. It takes the guidance from Wills best friend Chuck, to finally persuade Will to take advantage of his gift, not for himself, but for his friends andevery other kid with the same lack of opportunities who would give anything for Wills intelligence. At first Will was uncomfortable with realizing his intelligence but finally he learned he needed to take advantage of his skills.Seans influence on Will proved that Will experienced the process of identity discovery proposed by James Marcia because of Seans ability to help Will out of his identity crisis. According to Marcia a person experiences four identity crises including succeeding(a) work, moral standards, religion, and political view. During the movie, Sea n helps Will by guiding him past the future work crisis through therapy sessions and Seans real life experience recollections. In addition, Sean enables Will to overcome his moral standard crisis particularly regarding women. Throughout the movie Sean is able to overcome Wills sarcastic defense mechanisms and on their last session when each man reveals they were abused as children, Sean sees the true person that Will is and realizes he has properly wide-awake him for a future job in the real world. Sean encourages Wills relationship with Harvard Student Skylar because he wants Will to recognize his ability to have an emotional relationship with a woman without pushing them away, which in conclusion proved his change in moral standard.When Will meets Skylar she is unlike any girl he has ever known, and as their relationship grows serious, Wills business organization of commitment supports his struggle with his identity status. later Will receives Skylars number he is not contempl ating commitment nor immediately calls her. Psychologically he is at the dot of moratorium where he delays decisions about Skylar before going out with her again as well as not disregarding his options with other woman, as he tells his psychologist Sean that he has slept with many woman. However, when Will takes Skylar to the dog track he proves his committal to her as his girlfriend, which supports the proceeding identity status of foreclosure. Next, after their relationship grows serious, Skylar asks Will to come to calcium with her as she attends Stanford yet Will refuses her offer and feels the need to distance himself from her.The issue escalates further when Skylar tries to comfort Will about his tragic past, which infuriates Will even further. After their break-up Will searches for themeaning of life with help from his best friends who purchase him a car to help him commute to a new job which would enable him to break from his tough city guy image. Between the time of breaku p, job interviews, and guidance from Chuck Will discovers his potential and strives to successfully use his talent through the identity status of diffusion. Finally Will reaches the achievement identity status as he leaves Boston to reunite with Skylar in California, which proves to be the superlative decision of his life.Overall, Will did undergo the four identity statuses and experience the crises that James Marcia and Erik Erikson proposed in their theories of self-discovery. Wills relationship with Skylar particularly proves that Will underwent the four identity statuses of moratorium, foreclosure, diffusion, and achievement because of his refusal to get emotionally attached to her at first, and then by the conclusion of the movie, ready to commit his life to her. Also, through the guidance of Sean Will overcame the identity crises of future work and moral standards. In the end, although it appeared as if Will could never behind his reputation of a South Boston rebel, through h is relationships with Skylar and Sean Will was prepared to reach his full potential.