Our Identity Through Emotions, An Psychological Interpretation of Inside Out (2015)
Pixar is never exhausted to explore in the premise of "what if some things has emotions?" Toys, bugs, fish, even monsters were captured on what if they have emotions and they have to deal with some obstacles in their life. Now they are working on a deeper level;
what if emotions has emotions?
Even more complicated if they want the story has to be related to its audiences - in general context. In doing so, a fine research is a must. For Pete Docter and the gang, this is not a problem as they always include some psychological aspects in their films. Remember how Up (2009) dealing with grief and how the film portrays the Kubler-Ross' "5 Stages of Grief" in a very clever way? So surely telling a story about how emotions deal with their own and other emotions aren't quite difficult for them.
With this writing as a reading companion with my review of Inside Out (in Bahasa Indonesia), I will discuss some of the plot device of the film, and explore it with psychological perspective. In doing so, I cannot avoid some plot points, thus this writing will contain much of heavy spoilers. If you haven't watch the film, bookmark this page, watch the film, then come back here for further discussion. It is a long writing, will take about 15-20 minutes to finish it. So bear with me.
We follow the story of Riley in two different levels. The real world when Riley experiences many things that affect her life, and the mind world where all those stimulation and experiences get processed and developed into memories. The story itself is a "low-stake" and more simple story about a teenager who loves her life so much, but suddenly things get shaken up when her family has to move to another city. With new school, new friends, and new situation, the growing-up Riley has to adapt into all of sudden - and it is very difficult. She got into a point of depression, clings there, and nothing and no one can do anything for her to climb up again.
So what is the Riley's main conflict? Maybe Riley's expectation was too high and when it doesn't match with the reality, she was in shock and fall into disappointment. Or maybe it is because there is something happens with the Core Memories, and when Joy and Sadness tried to fix it, they isolated from the control room. Thus, Riley isn't driven by Joy or Sadness in her life. Are those really the core problem? In my opinion, those things only the symptoms, and to identify the problem then we have to go deeper.
"I Miss Home"
"I Miss Home"
A human being always longing for feeling safe and comfort. When those are taken away from them, things will go upside down. One can feel anger, while the others deal it with depression. According to Abraham Maslow, a healthy human being need to fulfill their hierarchy of needs, with physiological and safety needs as the first two basic and important needs.
Our Riley here was already feel safe and comfort with her life back in snowy Minnesota, along with her childhood friends, her hockey team, and so on. When all of sudden her family moves to another place - plus didn't outmatch on her life in Minnesota - she's in shock and depressed. There is no comfort zone, her childhood friend easily find a new friend, and play hockey didn't feels appealing any more.
Our Riley here was already feel safe and comfort with her life back in snowy Minnesota, along with her childhood friends, her hockey team, and so on. When all of sudden her family moves to another place - plus didn't outmatch on her life in Minnesota - she's in shock and depressed. There is no comfort zone, her childhood friend easily find a new friend, and play hockey didn't feels appealing any more.
Yes, what happens in Riley can be labelled as depression. She is withdrawn from social interaction, which occurs how she interacts badly with whomever she met. She doesn't care what happens in the outside world, as she is busy with her mind; contemplating on what life should be. She cannot feel joy or even sadness any more (which is visually represented in a clever way how Joy and Sadness is currently not in the HQ). From the outside, she seems empty, but there is some internal battles inside her mind.
Then what is the cure? Time heals? Love heals? Those two can works, only if you patient enough to wait and let the others come to you. But there is another way which is more active and yet need more effort to stand up and act. In my opinion, the ending when the Sadness hit the button then made Riley (and me) cried, tells a lot.
Then what is the cure? Time heals? Love heals? Those two can works, only if you patient enough to wait and let the others come to you. But there is another way which is more active and yet need more effort to stand up and act. In my opinion, the ending when the Sadness hit the button then made Riley (and me) cried, tells a lot.
Sharing.
Identify what do you feel, being honest with it, and tell it to someone you trust. According to Folkman and Lazarus, seeking social support is one of coping strategies that can be used to overcome any psychological distress. Meet another people with the same experiences can help you a lot, as they understand your problem because they felt it as well. Thus before doing this, share what do you feel as the first step is needed, to make sure that they understand you very well.
Basic Emotions & The Console Panel
Yes of course a healthy human mind has many layers of emotions. From one theory to another, from 4 to 27 emotions model, each theory tries to label each aspect of our emotion. But for the story-wise, Pete Docter has decided to focus on 5 basic emotions; Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. For sure, 27 different characters of emotions will be too packed in a 90-minutes animation film.
From the film itself, these 5 basic emotions are quite accurate in their characterization. What are their motivations, how do they react, and also quite comprehensive to represent any vague emotions such as amazed which is in Joy or confuse which is Fear's responsibility.
The film also portrays in a clever way how these emotions take over our behavior in present. We are shown by this savvy console panel to control each ticks and movement of character's body to react on something. But pay attention on that console panel, as it shown upgraded year by year. You can see how the console panel only made of one single button when Riley just born, indicating that a baby isn't able to express emotions in a structured way. Usually they are just laugh, smile, and cry - represented very well by Joy and Sadness. But when Riley can overcome her "down period", we are shown that the control panel has been upgraded to a very complicated way. This console panel definitely a brilliant symbol of how our mind works and develop through years - and also significant experiences in life.
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| Mom's Console Panel |
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| Dad's Console Panel |
It is interesting how Pete Docter suggest an idea that we can look at our episodic memories with a different perspective, depends on which emotion we want to use as our point of view. How a single episodic memory can be remembered as a happy moment, and a sad moment in the same time. We see many times that how the Joy's memory ball turns blue when Sadness tries to touch it. And we learn that apparently, it's a chunk memory that undeliberately Joy decides to focus on the happy side - thus cut out the non-happy part.
But see how the ball are changing its colors; from one solid color, into a mixed colors after Riley learn a lot from her runaway experience. This symbolism tells a lot that a single moment-turns-to-memory of a child is tends to one dimensional. Meaning that how they look at their single moment is simply judged by one single emotion. Either it is only Joy, or Sadness, or Fear, or Anger, or Disgust only.
After a significant experience, Riley learns that one episodic memory isn't only contained by one single emotion. A hug, which we saw on the film is the sad and guilty hug for her parents, also contained of happiness and gratitude hug (shows by Riley's exhales) - stimulated by her parents's love and care despite she tried to runaway from home. Thus, this visualization taught the audiences a lot, about how we want to view our moment and experience. Being cautious or excited in a new place? Being terribly sad or getting ready to move on when we lost our phone? Our happy and meaningful life depends on how we view each experience in a constructive way.
Constructive Emotions
Not all the negative emotions are destructive. The film clearly suggest this idea with how finally the Sadness is taking over Riley for a while in the end, instead of Joy. Yes when you have that moment of reconciliation with your parents which you runaway from, surely you don't want to get all joyful and smile and excited. Showing regret, guilty, and even tears are the exact normal reaction to situation like that. Thus Joy, which tends to become the chief in Riley's emotions, realize that it is okay for sadness to take control for a while.
Pete Docter's idea to give Sadness a significant role in the film will taught a lot about society. Remember when you were a kid, when you cried and just everybody in the room tried to telling you to stop crying? Or for you boys, oh boy how the society taught you that boys shouldn't cry? Inside Out suggest an idea that it is totally okay to be sad - for a moment. It is important, not only for being honest with your feeling, but also to take time to feel your current feeling fully. If not, all of us don't want one of emotion get "explode" after she/her buried down - like Sadness' urge to touch all the memory ball and made them blue. It reveals that she should come up in a while, but Joy never stop to isolate her.
This is what I called of being honest with your feeling. Remember when Fear, Disgust, and Anger panicked and don't how to react when Joy and Sadness isn't around in the family dinner? They tried pretend to be like Joy, and it doesn't worked out. I am strict with labeling thus I will say that there are no positive or negative emotions. Every emotion is treasure and they are there to take care of you, to tell you how to react properly. Yes, including Sadness.
Sadness also taught us about how to deal when your friend around you feel sad. In the film, we are shown that it's difficult for Joy to cheer up Bing Bong when he feel sad and about to cry. Of course, because Joy is very active and always try many things to make Bing Bong get over his sadness and feel better.
But Sadness listens.
She sat next to him, and paraphrase Bing Bong's feeling. Paraphrasing isn't encouraging others to cry - like what Joy thought. Paraphrasing is acknowledging other's feeling, make sure you understand what the other feels - and more importantly, to help that person to identify their feeling. Because when people having their emotional breakdown, they tends fail to identify what feeling do they feel, while they only focus on what happens before their eyes. Thus listening and paraphrasing helps others to feel better on what they have been through, by to let them know that they're not alone.
Memories Shapes Personality
Another interesting thing that we saw on Inside Out is that how they portrayed those five emotions in a different age and maturity. On Riley's mom, all the emotions portrays the same outfit and characterization; eyeglasses, brown long hair and calm all the way. While from dad's point of view, all of them with moustaches and football-lover. The point is, they have the same character through years of their own experiences. Their life span experiences made a solid distinguishable personality and identity. Thus, our episodic memories which stated by particular emotions, constructed our identity.
But inside Riley's mind, seems like they doesn't have one fine character. Each of them express them self - behaviour and outfit - as each of their own solid emotion. And we are shown that how each of them taking over the control panel disorderly. These emotions are powerful, and each of them are screaming wanted to be heard.
These things tells a lot about how children is in a tremendous progress of developing an identity, and they're struggling enough to depends on their basic emotions. Which is on one side, it's easy because they only have to label a moment with one emotion only. But on the other side, that moment also can be viewed as something else which more constructive. Which is scientifically correct since a front part of our brain called prefrontal-cortex, which responsible for dealing with reasoning, hasn't been fully developed until we reach 25 years old.
Five Stages of Grief
And finally, this is a theme that seems to be the basic foundation of the story, as how the film intended to focus more on Riley's depression. But depression is one stage of what Kubler-Ross said about "The Grief Process". First of all, grief is something you can feel when you lost something or someone significant in your life. Not only the death of loved ones, but also as simple as losing your iPhone. Kubler-Ross suggest that at least we experience 5 stages of grief, starts with Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining, and Acceptance. When we can overcome each of stage very well, then a meaningful life is granted, and we can see the world in a new perspective way. This is a them that the director/write Pete Docter uses as a main them in Up (2009) but in a stronger way.
In Inside Out, we can see this stages of grief as their plot device very clearly in Riley progress throughout the film. Her lost of a comfort zone as the core problem that stimulate her grieving process. She shocked how the new house doesn't meet her expectation, she was anxious and in anger in one family diner, then the film give a lot of portion of depression. While in the end, that hug with her parents shows bargaining, and how she back on hockey again shows acceptance. Thus, her console panel is upgraded meaning that she learns a lot about her experience.
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So yes, our emotions and how we control and cultivate it, constructs our identity. Of course, how you react to certain circumstances will develop your defense mechanism. If it benefits you, your mind will remember it - with a glassy ball - and repeat it if you shall meet the same circumstances. Thus, you are developing your personality through your action and reaction. It's like how Riley made her Personality Islands filled with mixed emotions.
Overall, Inside Out isn't only an entertaining film. It's also educates us - the viewers - how to view our emotions. More importantly, how to control and use it productively. While we can understand ourself, it may helps us to understand others too. Pete Docter said that the film mainly targeted for parents, to help them to understand their children behavior - which taken from his own experience with his daughter. And the purpose of this writing is to give a better interpretation of the film Inside Out, while there are some another aspects that I can't discuss it here. But if you have any ideas or another interpretation, please leave any comments below.
These things tells a lot about how children is in a tremendous progress of developing an identity, and they're struggling enough to depends on their basic emotions. Which is on one side, it's easy because they only have to label a moment with one emotion only. But on the other side, that moment also can be viewed as something else which more constructive. Which is scientifically correct since a front part of our brain called prefrontal-cortex, which responsible for dealing with reasoning, hasn't been fully developed until we reach 25 years old.
Five Stages of Grief
And finally, this is a theme that seems to be the basic foundation of the story, as how the film intended to focus more on Riley's depression. But depression is one stage of what Kubler-Ross said about "The Grief Process". First of all, grief is something you can feel when you lost something or someone significant in your life. Not only the death of loved ones, but also as simple as losing your iPhone. Kubler-Ross suggest that at least we experience 5 stages of grief, starts with Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining, and Acceptance. When we can overcome each of stage very well, then a meaningful life is granted, and we can see the world in a new perspective way. This is a them that the director/write Pete Docter uses as a main them in Up (2009) but in a stronger way.
In Inside Out, we can see this stages of grief as their plot device very clearly in Riley progress throughout the film. Her lost of a comfort zone as the core problem that stimulate her grieving process. She shocked how the new house doesn't meet her expectation, she was anxious and in anger in one family diner, then the film give a lot of portion of depression. While in the end, that hug with her parents shows bargaining, and how she back on hockey again shows acceptance. Thus, her console panel is upgraded meaning that she learns a lot about her experience.
------
So yes, our emotions and how we control and cultivate it, constructs our identity. Of course, how you react to certain circumstances will develop your defense mechanism. If it benefits you, your mind will remember it - with a glassy ball - and repeat it if you shall meet the same circumstances. Thus, you are developing your personality through your action and reaction. It's like how Riley made her Personality Islands filled with mixed emotions.
Overall, Inside Out isn't only an entertaining film. It's also educates us - the viewers - how to view our emotions. More importantly, how to control and use it productively. While we can understand ourself, it may helps us to understand others too. Pete Docter said that the film mainly targeted for parents, to help them to understand their children behavior - which taken from his own experience with his daughter. And the purpose of this writing is to give a better interpretation of the film Inside Out, while there are some another aspects that I can't discuss it here. But if you have any ideas or another interpretation, please leave any comments below.
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