Through therapy, Sean tries to uncover
what makes Will behave the way he
does based on his past and present life
Psycholanalysis
Sean examines Will's unconscious
mind through therapy in order to
understand his internal conflicts
Cognitive Psychology
A hypnotist attempts to analyze Will's
behavior by accessing his memories
Defence Mechanisms
Projection
Will projects his negative view
on life onto the people he
meets. For instance, he points
out other peoples flaws, but not
his own
Denial
Will denies his abusive past whenever
he is questioned. Also, he denies he
needs any help or therapy
Displacement
Will is angry at Skylar, but hits the
wall to project his anger onto a less
threateneing target
Compensation
Will makes up for his weaknesses in other aspects
of life in terms of jobs and social relationships by
excelling in mathematics
Will is adept at anticipating failure
in relationships, so he tries to avoid them
Sublimation
Will gets into fights to release anger
in a "socially" acceptable way
Serial Killers
Will fits the profile of a serial killer: white male in his
20's, good looking, charismatic, average to above IQ
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Little social
interactions
Trouble maintaining relationships
Parental maltreatment
Deviant and disruptive behaviour
Mental Health Disorders
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Recurrent and persistent patterns of angry
moods, defiant behavior and vindictiveness
Will does not view himself
oppositional to authority figures
Will feels that his behavior
is justified because of his
past childhood abuse
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Will was abused by his alcoholic foster father
Will withdraws himself from
social settings
Will has an avoidant personality and a fear to face others
Will expresses himself
through violence and angry outbursts
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Will grew up in foster homes where the
environment is unstable, therefore no parent
actually showed their love or sympathy for
him
Rejects other's efforts to connect
and comfort him
Anger issues
Failure to reach out for
help or support
Erik Erikson's Stages of
Development
Trust vs Mistrust
Will doen't trust anyone with his feelings or
emotions. He pushes away people because he has a
fear of failing relationships. As a child, he was
abused by foster parents. He grew up with nobody
showing concern, love, or sympathy for him
Self Reliance vs Doubt
Will is careless; he doesn't go to therapy or
any job interviews. He doesn't try to reach his
full potential.
Initiative vs Guilt
Will feels guilty about what
happened with his foster dad
Industry vs
Inferiority/Identity vs
Role Confusion
Will establishes his identity
as a Southern Boston man,
however, her fails to
establish self control with
his anger issues
Intimacy vs Isolation
Will forms an intimate relationship
with Skylar. He puts her needs
before his. He is able to care deeply
for another person
Sigmund Freud's Personality
Development Theory
Genital
Will forms
relationships,
specifically an intimate
relationship with a girl
named Skylar, and
looks for a job
Oral
Will smokes often
Phallic
Will and his friends often talk about sex.
When Skylar says she would withhold
sex, Will obliges.