In Good Will Hunting, psychological treatment resolved issues for two individuals. Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon, suffered from what some psychologists may call post-traumatic problems or emotional detachment. Will was an orphan as a child and was transferred to and from different foster homes. In these foster homes, Will suffered from abuse like burns and stabbings. As a child, Will held the impression that his beatings were his own fault. Becoming dependent on himself, Will displayed emotional detachment because he felt that he could not trust anyone but himself and was afraid to leave his world he had created for himself where everything was systematic. In the movie, he would not allow any one person to love him or get close to him. Will never allowed other individuals to challenge his emotions for the fear of suffering emotional pain he suffered as a child. The one person in the movie who did get into the inside of the Will Hunting was his final psychologist.
Will Hunting, a mathematical genius, needed someone he could relate to on a personal level. Sean McGuire, played by Robin Williams, was this someone. Will went to other psychologists before but not one of them ever related to Will on a personal basis because their mentality was strictly based on factual information and techniques. The goal to good psychological treatment, in accordance to the movie, is building a very personal bond in which hidden emotions can be expressed. This personal bond is not strictly a doctor-patient relationship; rather, it is a relationship where both participants can confine their deepest emotions. Will was able to face the fact that his abuse he received as a child was not his fault, and his psychologist realized that there are other opportunities in the world after the loss of a loved one.
