I LOVED the first Inside Out movie. It’s probably my favourite Pixar movie, which is a high bar (looking at you Up and of course, Toy Story for the childhood nostalgia). This second film is just as good and once again made me well up a number of times.
The sequel sees teenager Riley attending an important ice hockey camp where she’s desperate to get into the high school team next year with her two best friends. Just as this is all starting, the ‘Puberty Alarm’ goes off and Riley experiences a rollercoaster of emotions old and new over the three days. Alongside Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, we meet new characters Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Ennui. We also see Riley feel things much more intensely than she did before, mirroring the common teenage experience.
It’s worth noting that the filmmakers consulted with psychologists, as well as a group of real teenagers, which definitely shows.
So, let's delve into the psychology of Inside Out 2 - what can we learn about ourselves?
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS – GO AND WATCH THE FILM THEN COME BACK!
Our core beliefs can be significantly impacted by other people
In Inside Out 2, we are introduced to Riley’s Sense of Self, which is made up of her memories and beliefs. In real life, core beliefs are how we see ourselves, others and the world. One of Riley’s beliefs is “I’m a good person”. Core beliefs are pretty stable and often deep-seated, but during a turbulent time like adolescence, or during a traumatic experience, they can be more easily rocked. Riley’s experiences during hockey camp and the anxiety she encounters are so strong that she starts to question whether she’s a good person. Her determination to be the best and to fit in with the group lead to Riley forming a new belief of “I’m not good enough”. Just like in Riley’s case, this often comes from comparing ourselves to others, or trying to live up to other people’s expectations. When she stops doing this so much, she's able to be a lot happier.
Anxiety can be both helpful and unhelpful
Anxiety joins as the would-be new head emotion.
What sets Anxiety apart from Fear is that she worries about what could go wrong, not necessarily what is actually happening now, which is so often the case with anxiety. Anxiety, spurred on by Envy and Embarrassment just wants the best for Riley. She wants her to make the team and be accepted into this new friend group so she won’t be alone when she goes to high school, since her besties have been assigned to a different school. Everything Anxiety does is to avoid potentially hurtful situations.
But as can happen in real life, Anxiety completely takes over, turning Riley into someone she doesn’t recognise or like. This identity crisis gives Riley a full-blown panic attack. Anxiety realises that she can’t control everything and needs to loosen her hold on Riley, only stepping in where needed. At the end we see the others helping Anxiety recognise where she can be useful, e.g. avoiding failing a test by studying, and the times she needs to chill out in her massage chair with some candles.
All parts of us our valid
Similar to Anxiety, the emotion of Joy believes she knows what’s best for Riley.
Although she has come a long way since the first film, now understanding the purpose of Sadness, she still sees herself as the head emotion and wants all of Riley’s memories to be positive, suppressing any she views as negative. She also feels threatened when the new guys come in, particularly Anxiety.
However, just like Anxiety, Joy too learns that she can’t be the only influence on Riley’s Sense of Self. People are complex and contain multitudes. In describing Riley at the end of the film, Joy’s voiceover amends her bio to show that she is not perfect. And that’s okay! She’s a generally good person, who sometimes gets jealous, or doubts herself, just like we all do. Trying to suppress the “negative” parts and pretend they’re not there isn’t healthy, we need to feel and process them.
There is so much to gain from this film and I’m sure that on a second watch I’ll pick up on more things. And while I feel like it’s really geared more towards adults, I think it could be really useful in helping children and teenagers understand themselves and their emotions more. It gives such an insight into the inner workings of our mind in a fun and easy to understand way. I urge everyone to watch this movie!
If you’ve seen Inside Out 2, let me know in the comments what you think of it – I’d love to hear your views.
Until next time, take care.
Comments