Self-Conscious Emotions & Motivation

Will Hunting had a traumatic and chaotic upbringing where he had to move into various foster homes and experienced physical abuse. At a young age, he wasn't able to distinguish where the abandonment and abuse came from. Instead of attributing these to external, uncontrollable factors, he recognized the causes as internal, uncontrollable characteristics: he felt he was not good enough, worthy, or lovable as a whole person, comparing himself to what other people expected of him, and he brought himself into these situations. He felt shame and low self-esteem, which made him reclusive from broader social interactions and career aspirations. For example, Will stayed with his group of friends, his safety net, even though they didn't share common interests in math, history, or a passion for knowledge. They also worked together as construction workers, and Will was content with this condition and assumed it would last a very long time. He did not try to explore, even when opportunities to work in more formal, prestigious positions that required intelligent input were lying in front of him. In addition to the moral considerations, he perceived that these workplaces were out of his league, and he may have unconsciously worried that these places would abandon him because he wasn't good enough to meet their criteria. This tendency was also reflected in his relationship. When his girlfriend, Skylar, invited him to move to California, his immediate thought was that he wasn't worthy, and he withdrew from the relationship without assessing it objectively. 

Will & Sean Maguire

Later, with the help of Dr. Sean Maguire, Will's counselor, Will was able to correctly attribute his past to external factors, recognize his own self-worth, and take pride in what he was able to accomplish in his career. He also reflected on his relationship and felt guilty for leaving Skylar due to his misattribution, which motivated him to correct his behavior and go to California, despite his career progress in Boston.