When I first saw the movie “Good Will Hunting” I was impressed as a social science major. The movie provides a real world example to explain many tough social science concepts. In addition to the movie’s delve into psychology, the underlying themes of the film have much to do with the area of communication studies. These ideas can be seen through the relationship of Will (Matt Damon) and his therapist Sean (Robin Williams) through the progression of their relationship during the movie.
In “Good Will Hunting”, Will, the main character, is an physically abused orphan who works at MIT as a janitor and goes out bar hoping with his blue collar friends on the weekend. In the midst of this he hides the fact that he is a mathematical genius until he is discovered solving a near-impossible math problem on a blackboard at MIT. After a run-in with the law, a professor of mathematics from MIT, Gerald Lambeau, takes Will under his wing with the stipulation that Will attend regular therapy sessions. After scaring off several prestigious psychologists, Will meets his match in Sean, a therapist from a community college who refuses to give up on him.
In the film Sean and Will seem to develop a father-son relationship. It is found at the end of the film that both had been physically abused by father figures as children. Therefore, acting as a mentor by giving guidance, Sean begins to become the father Will never had; and Will becomes Sean’s only human relationship since the death of his wife. The central theme seems to be Will’s unwillingness to open up and talk about himself and his problems. He constantly diverts the attention from himself back onto Sean. To combat this, Sean opens up a little himself, perhaps helping to reassure Will that nothing bad will happen if he does share what he is feeling. In the end, Will’s determination to keep years of pain and abandonment inside explodes and Sean is there to soften the blow.
A deeper understanding of Will’s communication competence can be seen through his relationship with Sean. Communication competence is defined as “…achieving one’s goals in a manner that, ideally, maintains or enhances the relationship in which it occurs…” (Adler, Rosenfeld, and Proctor 22) Throughout the movie we can slowly see Will’s communication competence rise; not only in his relationship with Sean but in all of his relationships.
One factor that worked in favor of Will and Sean’s relationship was a similar cultural background (Adler, Rosenfeld, and Proctor 23). At one point in the film, Sean uses baseball to draw Will into listening to a story that has much deeper meaning. Later in the movie, Will refers to building houses as an “honorable” profession. Sean relates by noting that his father laid brick for a living. This similarity helps to bring them closer in further communications.
Another area that affects the relationship’s communication competence is the situation (Adler, Rosenfeld, and Proctor 23). In the office, Will tends to attack Sean; focusing the attention on Sean’s life, so as to avoid the spotlight being shined on his. However, in one scene, Sean brings Will to a peaceful lake to talk. Only there does Will submit to listening to Sean speak about his past and Will’s inexperience in life. It seems as if Will may have found that he could not create a scene in such a peaceful and public place, perhaps to “save face”. Therefore, in that scene, Will increased his communication competence by giving in and listening because the situation forced him to.
An area of communication competence in which Will was lacking was his constant self-monitoring (Adler, Rosenfeld, and Proctor 26). Throughout the film, Will attempts to use a “tough guy” façade to hide the true pain and fear he is feeling inside. However, once Sean has gained his trust, Will breaks down after being repeatedly told “It’s not your fault,” by Sean, in regards to the beatings he endured during childhood. It is only then that Will stops self-monitoring and explores what has really been plaguing him. We can also see him self-monitoring when he fears taking a high paying mathematical job over his current construction job. He fears the rejection of his peers for his success and therefore, does not seize the opportunity.
Furthermore, throughout most of the film Will lacks empathy which acts as a barrier to his communication with Sean (Adler, Rosenfeld, and Proctor 26). Will constantly attacks Sean with questions about his deceased wife, although he knows it is a sore subject for Sean. This lack of empathy eventually escalates to its fullest in a scene when Sean kicks Will out for bringing up the topic again. Will’s inability to see things from Sean’s point of view only hinders his progress towards becoming a better communicator.
At the close of the film, Sean becomes the only person who Will tells his reason for leaving Boston. Although Will’s communication competence remains low with others in the film, Sean was able to get him to share because he did something others had not done for Will; he provided him with a father figure. However, Sean and Will could use some improvement in their relationship. Not only does Will need to work on the issues about such as empathy. Will must learn a larger variety of communications skills and apply these to all of his relationships, not just his relationship with Sean. In addition, Sean must work on helping Will become intrigued with the subject matter.
All in all, “Good Will Hunting” was a very effective movie about communication. When searching the movie for instances of communication in relationships, one can learn a lot about a real world application of textbook concepts. The movie has taught me about sharing, ineffective communication, and the role communication plays in our relationships.
