What Pixar’s Inside Out 2 Can Teach us
The second installment of Pixar’s much loved Inside Out was released in theaters last week and, while I’m no film critic, it’s fantastic! While the movie is a family-friendly kid movie, it holds tremendous value for people of all ages. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, be warned as this post will contain some spoilers.
The premise of the Inside Out movies are loosely based on Dr Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS) Model. IFS poses that all people are made up of distinct parts, with each part having its own perspective. All parts have valuable roles and good intentions to help, although sometimes a part may operate in extreme or problematic roles due to life experiences. At our core, according to IFS, is the Self. The Self is distinct from our parts in that it cannot be damaged or destroyed by life experiences, but it is the fundamental core of who we are. The primary goal of IFS therapy is to help clients lead from the Self where they can listen to, and understand their parts without becoming overwhelmed by them. I often explain it to clients by using the car metaphor: our goal is to have the Self be in control in the driver’s seat, with the parts being passengers.
Inside Out mirrors IFS’s concept of parts with emotions who operate within Riley’s mind. In the sequel we are introduced to the new protagonists Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. These new emotions show up and take control, suppressing the pre-existing characters of Joy, Anger, Sadness, Fear, and Disgust. Anxiety takes primary control of Riley at the control panel, exiling Riley’s sense of self to the back of the mind. Anxiety works tirelessly to create her own sense of self for Riley which has negative consequences. The other emotions work together to restore Riley’s sense of self so Riley can operate from the core of who she is. However, the Riley they restore acknowledges all emotions and realities within Riley’s experience, and not just the “feel good” realities. The characters create an authentic self, reflective of who Riley truly is.
The movie leads us through what happens when our self isn’t in control, and a part/emotion takes over the steering wheel without compassion for or understanding of other parts’ perspectives. However, Anxiety isn’t the villain here. In reality Riley is healthy when all of her complex parts work in harmony to serve one another from a self-led perspective. Joy is not perfect either – her refusal to acknowledge and listen to Anxiety magnifies the problem. At the end of the movie we see Anxiety begin to catastrophize, and Joy steps in to encourage Anxiety to regulate and reframe her thoughts. In response, Anxiety reminds Joy that Riley has a Spanish test coming up and she needs to study. This is Anxiety and Joy working in harmony to best serve Riley.
Ask yourself, who is at your control panel today? What do you need to restore Self to the driver’s seat? What parts of you are not being heard and valued? What parts need to be taken care of today?
We are often quick to equate feeling good to being emotionally healthy, but in reality there are no bad parts/emotions. When we embrace all parts with compassion and connectedness we are our most authentic and healthy self.
References
Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2020). Internal Family Systems therapy. The Guilford Press.
Mann, K. (Director). (2024). Inside Out 2. Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
