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Psychosocial Assessment on Good Will Hunting Essays

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Psychosocial Assessment of Good Will Hunting

December 06, 2011

Identifying Information
Will Hunting is a 20 year-old Caucasian male of Irish decent. He turned 21 before the time he was terminated from therapy. He was always casually dressed in slacks, or jeans and t-shirt or short sleeves shirt like most youths or teenagers. Although he had few clothes as evidenced by the fact that he wore the same two or three outfits to all his therapy sessions, his clothes were always clean.
Referral Source
He was referred to therapy by the juvenile court system.
Presenting Problem
Will Hunting had anger issues and was very oppositional to authority figures. He also had abandonment issues. He was arrested for fighting and beating up another …show more content…

They drank and picked fights together which resulted in his arrest and incarceration. However, his friends wanted the best for him as evidenced by his friend Chuckie’s statement to him that he owed it to him to make something of his life. Will’s friends also bought him a car to assist him with his commute to work.
Will’s girlfriend, Skylar, had a good influence on him. Initially, Will was unwilling to establish a lasting relationship with her but eventually decided to join her in California.
Client’s Strength
Will Hunting is very smart. He was described as genius as evidenced by his ability to solve very difficult mathematical problem that even the students and professor Lambeau at MIT could not solve. As a result, the professor recommended him for a job that would provide him challenge. The professor described Will as having a gift of good memory. Professor Lambeau even asked Will whether he had photographic memory. Will could solve difficult math and science problems in under an hour. Will was able to analyze a painting that his therapist had done and he concluded that it meant that his therapist was suppressing his feelings about the death of his wife. He is very loyal to his friends. Will also has good survival instinct.
Psychological Defenses Used
Will uses anger, denial, and sarcasm as defense mechanisms to push people away from him. He told people that he did not have a problem and that they were the ones with the problem. He used

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