Inside Out Questions

Inside out offers a different perspective on personality than the theories that we discussed in class (Trait, Humanist, Psychoanalytic, Social-Cognitive, & Biological). What aspects of each of those theories are present in Inside Out’s portrayal of personality? What are missing? In what ways does the movie understand personality completely differently?

Trait-The trait theory perspective is basically what Inside Out is centered around. The five traits in the movie make up and determine Riley’s personality. The fight for control the traits have shows that the amount of traits that we have in us does reflect in how joyful or sad or fearful we are by nature.

Humanist- The humanist perspective I feel is very relevant in the film. Joy is always trying to see the good in every situation to make it as positive as possible. Also, at the end when the board gets switched out and more complex memories can be formed, it shows that there is room for positive personal growth.

Psychoanalytic-Inside Out did touch on this perspective in the idea of core memories. The islands are made from younger memories that in the movie I guess Riley can remember, but in real life I don’t think most people would be able to recall just because they are from early childhood. I think it did highlight the idea though that what happens in childhood does greatly affect what we grow up to value and love.

Social-Cognitive-This perspective is very close to the trait perspective and they are both centered on in this movie. The traits respond to what is happening in Riley’s life. Each trait mixes with a situation differently and this determines her personality and behaviors. The movie really focuses on how our traits that we encompass determine our personality and actions.

Biological-This perspective is the least portrayed in the film and I think it is mostly because we accept this as facts nowadays, and that most children would not find it interesting. It is more creative and interesting to see traits come to life and how they influence Riley rather than if it was animated DNA and genes. This perspective is not really appealing to family audiences.

I think the movie sees personality and behavior more creatively than it actually is, which makes sense because its objective is to entertain. It simplifies the idea of traits and emotions and how they influence us. The idea too that emotion is the only thing that determines personality is not true. There are many other factors involved like DNA and the environment, but again they would not make for movie magic so it is really just traits.

The Trait perspective is interested in describing personality as stable and enduring. Where in the movie did you see evidence that Riley’s personality is stable and enduring?  Where in the movie did you see evidence that it is constantly evolving?

The core of Riley’s personality is stable and enduring like her valuing her family and her friends and the rest of her original islands. Also, the fact that joy is leader of her traits is a constant throughout her life, even her parents describe as always being happy. The evolution in her character is just her becoming more complex as she gets older. Joy realizes that other emotions are important for grieving and understanding, and that is when the memories start to get mixed emotions. Riley also gets new islands as she gets older and can explore more, but what stays constant are her original values and the fact that joy is prevalent in most of her memories, she is just not the only one there.

The psychoanalytic theory tries to explain where personality comes from, namely from studying the unconscious.  Where in the movie did you see examples of Riley’s unconscious, and its influence over her personality?

I think like I wrote before above that Riley’s core memories are really playing on the idea of her subconscious still influencing her. These original memories of family and hockey and friends have made her who she is and continue to be important in her development. The islands are in danger of disappearing when Riley does not have those subconscious memories anymore to keep her personality like it has been. I also think that the endless shelves of long-term memories kind of shows the subconscious because those memories even though they are way back in long term, are still there even though she may not be able to recall them. They could still influence her personality and how she acts.

How is the process of sleep and memory consolidation portrayed in this movie? 

I thought sleep was a very interesting part of the memory. Science has shown that when we go to bed some of our short term memories from the day do turn into long term memories so this was accurate. The dream side was very humorous and realistic. The moviemakers did portray relevant scenes in Riley’s life that she would be thinking about before she went to bed or that would still be on her mind. I thought it was cool that one trait stayed up during the night to react to the dreams. I never thought about how I get scared from some of my dreams and why that happens, but it is me reacting even though it is not real.

The move suggests that without her core memories, Riley can no longer be “Riley.” Do you agree with this theory? Would you still be you without any of your memories? To what extent do your memories create who you are today?

I do not agree with this theory because I think throughout her life Riley has built on those core memories. Those are initial memories that Riley has made that are of extreme importance to her, but since they are so important she has many other memories for these islands that she would not be able to just loose sight of what is of value to her. I think I would still be me without many of my memoires because my life is very uneventful. The same things have been happening to me everyday for most of my life. I honestly cannot remember anything before middle school unless someone else brings it up, and I think I am still me. If I lost all of my memories I do not think I would be the same. It would be like having amnesia. You have no idea who you are. My memories do create who I am because I constantly think about things that I have done and how I should maybe try to avoid those things or continue to do them based on what happened. They help me to evolve and learn.

The movie seems to value happiness over the other emotions, but ultimately the movie suggests that expressing sadness is a tool for eliciting empathy and receiving compassion from those around you. How does sadness actually bring people together?

The most obvious examples of sadness bringing people together are funerals or wakes. All the people who go to those are usually sad and the reason we have these is to celebrate the person’s life, but to also experience our emotions with others. Crying with someone else feels a lot better than crying alone. Talking about how much you miss someone fees a lot better than keeping it all in and constantly wondering if they will ever come back. Sadness beings people together because we want to be consoled and console the people we care about. 

Initially, Riley can seemingly only feel one emotion at a time. By the end of the movie, however, she is able to feel multiple emotions at the same time. How do you make sense of this new ability?

I think this new ability is just Riley growing up and gaining emotional intelligence. It can be seen in kids that they can only really have one emotion at a time. It is hard for them to discern that they may be angry, but also sad. I think that is why a lot of kids throw tantrums because they do not know how to express the way they feel so they just get angry. As we get older and more mature we learn how to really feel our emotions and understand situations better. This new ability of Riley’s is just her growing up and becoming more mature. It would be interesting to see if Disney thinks this change would happen at the same time in boys as in girls.

Headquarters is where all of the action takes places in Riley’s brain. What does Headquarters represent in the human brain? 

Headquarters represents the frontal lobe of the brain. The frontal lobe contains behavior and emotions, selective attention, and problem solving. All of these things are determined by the traits in the movie. They make Riley feel. They solve her problems, and they make her aware or not aware of certain things.

How does this movie portray selective attention?

I think this was really funny with the dad, who is the most obvious example of this but it is so true. When they are all around the table eating and the mom is getting the brunt of Riley’s attitude and the dad is imagining a sports game in his head, so he has no idea what is going on. This accurately portrays selective attention. It can be seen in the mom too with the Brazilian pilot, but not to the extent of the dad not even being aware of his family until the mom grabs his attention.