Inside Out 2: Pixar’s Take on IFS

Pixar's Inside Out 2 explores the intricacies of mixed emotions and maps on well with the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model.

In this sequel, new emotions—Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui—emerge and challenge the original emotions: Joy, Fear, Anger, and Disgust.

The new emotions deem the originals obsolete and banish them from headquarters.

Embarrassment, Anxiety, Envy, and Ennui take over the control board of Riley’s system.

This scenario may resonate with many of us who have experienced one dominant feeling attempting to overshadow others. The film underscores a crucial lesson: all emotions, old and new, are essential to our humanity. Attempting to suppress or eliminate parts of ourselves only denies the full spectrum of our emotional experience and the complexity of our lives.

Ask yourself:

“When have I ever felt just one way about something?”

In Riley's inner world, the original emotions must return before the new ones can fundamentally change her.

Inside Out 2 powerfully illustrates how we can hold and navigate multiple, sometimes conflicting feelings at once, reflecting the nuanced reality of our emotional experiences. All the emotions from Inside Out 2 show us how our internal world is more complex than a single feeling or response and that it's entirely normal to have mixed feelings about any given situation.

Sometimes it can be helpful to remind ourselves that there is room for every one inside.