Transcription
So I was scrolling through Instagram the other day when I stumbled across this screenshot of a Tumblr post that attempts to analyze a scene from Disney Pixar’s Inside Out. While I wholeheartedly agree with the original poster’s conclusion, I take issue with some of their broader interpretations.
These movies should be used to teach people how to healthily process their own emotions, and after you calculate the price of concessions, a day at the movie theater practically costs the same as a single therapy session; the American healthcare system makes me sad. Inside Out is essentially the cinematic equivalent of Richard C. Schwartz’s psychotherapeutic model of Internal Family Systems: every emotion you feel has its own motivations and methods for helping you navigate existence. No part is inherently bad, but our culture of toxic positivity tends to categorize certain feelings as improper or unsavory.
"I'm awful." "No!" "And annoying." "Well..." To ask whether or not characters like Disgust or Fear have their own panel of emotions is to misinterpret the metaphor. A subpersonality is not an autonomous being. They’re like cogs in clock that rely on each other to function, and if we ignore certain parts, then they can develop painful burdens that are ultimately unhealthy.
"Crying helps me slow down and obsess the weight of life's problems." While it’s factually true that Sadness and Anger sit at the center of Mom and Dad’s consoles, respectively, those observations shouldn’t be considered evidence for either of them suffering from depression or suppressed rage. Those presumptions actually stem from the culture of toxic positivity these movies seek to address; Joy’s character arc is literally learning that it’s okay not to be happy all of the time.
"Mom and Dad, the team. They came to help because of Sadness." A functioning adult lets every emotion a have seat at the table. They all have simultaneous control of the console, and though Sadness and Anger take leadership roles, each emotion still gives their own input, and the five of them determine the best course of action together as a collective.
"Way to go, gentlemen!" "That could've been a disaster." "Well, that was a disaster." Our parts typically fall into one of three categories. Managers are the protective parts. They shield us from potential pain and affect how we interact with the outside world. In the first film, this role belongs to Joy, but in the sequel, Anxiety supersedes her.
"Joy?" "Yes, Joy?" "You'll be in charge of the consol, keeping Riley happy, and I can I just say I love your dress!" "Oh, this old thing?" Exiles carry the weight of our trauma and often find themselves isolated from our other internal systems. "Now I'm in exile seeing you out." Sadness is obviously our original Exile, but the other ogs join this status in Inside Out 2.
"We are suppressed emotions!" Firefighters help deter attention away from the Exiles and, as a result, are more impulsive in nature. See Disgust, Fear, Embarrassment, Ennui, Envy, and Anger. "Just shut up!" These parts can develop co-dependent relationships with each other depending on what roles they assume. Managers and firefighters often work together as a protective unit; exiles can develop alliances with one another based on shared pain; and polarization presents itself when two parts have conflicting opinions about the proper course of action.
"And you've met sadness. She, well she...I'm not actually sure what she does." To let one emotion control your every action is to become an object in the world at the mercy of its circumstances. Every part is important, and the road to healing our inner child starts when we let those exiles express the feelings they’ve suppressed for too long.
As for the people who speculate on Riley’s sexuality, I have bad news for y’all. The only reason her emotions present with two genders is because Pixar wanted their star-studded voice cast to be comprised of both men and women; it’s not that deep, man.
"Oh, you’re one to talk!" Theory culture can be a ton of fun, but it encourages a level of hyper-literalism that’s highly detrimental to thematic analysis. Inside Out is a film that’s simultaneously complex and simple. The search for hidden meaning drives us all, but sometimes it’s best to take things as they are and work from there.
Without spoiling the entire sequel, that’s a lesson Anxiety has to internalize: worrying about the future makes it impossible to live in the present, and though you don’t have to be happy all the time, it’s okay to let yourself feel joy. We should only theorize about the really important stuff, like what did Riley read here that promoted such an intense emotional response? It’s a freaking core memory! Was this the moment she discovered the existence of fanfic, an unfortunate rite of passage undergone by every preteen girl in America? I don’t need sleep, I need answers.
This video was brought to you by my therapist, who’s been preaching this model to me for six years now. You’re the best, Hilary!