At the Movies: Adult Learning Theory

The award-winning film, Good Will Hunting portrays components of Daloz’s transformative learning theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Both theories emphasize the complexity of learning, beyond the limitations of a classroom environment. Bandura’s theory is evident in several scenes, primarily those reflecting reaction from self-competency. Daloz’ theory of transformative learning, on the other hand, reflects the movie in it’s entirely.

The film portrays a character, Will Hunting, experiencing a journey of unintentional change. A chain of events lead Will to a more notable period of transformation- meeting Sean McGuire. "Transformations rarely, if ever, come about abruptly. Rather they slip into place piece by piece until they become suddenly visible, often to others first and only later to ourselves" (Daloz, 1999, p.59). As a mentor, Sean incorporates storytelling, questioning, and reflection; key components of critical reflection in the transformative learning theory. The final outcome results in change of his views, thoughts, and actions towards himself, others, and relationships.

About the Movie

The main character, Will Hunting, is a young man (early twenties) working as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Aside from low-end jobs, Will spends time in South Boston with his three closest friends going to bars, drinking, instigating fights, and getting into trouble. More interested in portraying a tough-guy, he hides his genius intelligence, and personal struggles, from his friends. One evening, while fulfilling his janitorial duties at MIT, Will notices a calculus problem posted on the blackboard in the hallway. The calculus problem was posted as a challenge, nearly impossible to solve, for Professor Lambeau’s students. Within seconds, Will solves the problem and abruptly walks away. Attempting to figure out the genius janitor, Professor Lambeau meets with Will, after a run-in with the law, and helps keep him out of trouble upon agreement Will seeks counseling.

After several failing attempts with different psychologist, Will is assigned to Sean McGuire, a therapist who’s a childhood friend of Professor Lambeau. Difficult to break, Will maintains the tough-guy appearance, subsiding personal fears and weaknesses. Not easy for Sean, he manages to break Will’s unwillingness to open up; uncovering a troubled past as an abused orphan. Once the trust was established, Sean then becomes a mentor to Will, offering guidance throughout his life. However, the relationship also helped Sean, the therapist, to reflect on his own life struggles; in turn, becoming a process of reflection and life-changing transformation for both Sean and Will.

Daloz's Theory of Transformative Learning

Daloz’s (1999) theory of transformative learning suggests adults learn through reflection of their past experiences, best exemplified through storytelling and mentors; portraying a life as a journey of transformation. Significant to our transformation, mentors "remind us that we can indeed survive the terror of the coming journey and undergo the transformation by moving through, not around, our fear" (p. 18). Although assigned as Will’s therapist, Sean extends his effort to help Will; becoming his mentor, rather than just another therapist. As a result, both Will Hunting and Sean McGuire learn from one another, experiencing meaningful transformation in their lives.

Bandura's Theory of Social Cognitive Learning
Bandura’s theory of social cognitive learning emphasizes self-efficacy, positing a "multifaceted casual structure that addresses both the development of competencies and the regulation of action" (Bandura, 1999, p. 24). Throughout the film, viewers are reminded of Will Hunting’s rough life persona; catching a glimpse of his lack of family, low-status job, run-ins with the law, and inability to let others into his life.

An example of Will’s self-efficacy is portrayed in a scene which takes place at a college bar. Will, in efforts to impress Skylar, a girl he had just met, intentionally picks a fight with the men whom also show interest in Skylar. Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2007) describe Bandura’s focus on self-efficacy as "our own estimate of how competent we feel we are likely to be in a particular environment" (p. 289). Perhaps related to his abusive upbringing, Will is apparently competent in his ability to apply physical aggression towards others.

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Resources

Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2, 21-41.

Bender, L. (Producer), & Van Sant, G. (Director). (1997). Good will hunting [Motion picture]. United States: Miramax Films.

Daloz, L. A. (1999). Mentor: Guiding the journey of adult learners (Rev. ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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