A Look “Inside Out” Via Media Psychology by Lily Mich

Digging Star Wars guest writer Lily Mich

 

Children love stories. Media storytelling in its various forms is a great way to entertain a child, but how meaningful is it to them? A study conducted in 2023 seeks to discover just that. A group of children aged 4-15 were asked to watch Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out (2015) and then interviewed to test if meaningful media storytelling can be for children’s lives. Using qualitative research and media psychology, researchers were able to discover whether a story can “challenge current thinking and provide children with novel insights about life,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). Rebecca Leeuw, Addy Weijers, Anna-Maria Ahle, and Serena Daalmans’  findings are described and analyzed in their research paper How Stories in the Media Can be Meaningful in Children’s Lives. 

As Dr. Gan writes in Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media, the Church provides us with seven media keys to “educate us and equip us to use media in the right ways and for the right ends,” (Gan, pg. 18). In teaching us how to evaluate media, these media keys help us better create and critique media in the world around us. By reviewing the findings in How Stories in the Media Can Be Meaningful in Children’s Lives, the seven media keys can be applied to the 2015 film Inside Out. This research report will outline the seven media keys, their application in that film, and its impact on children.

The First Media Key: Balance

The first media key, balance, guides us to look at media from all angles, helping us to form a mindset and attitude toward media. It is applied by careful thought and research, as well as praying for the cardinal virtue of temperance. Temperance is the “‘moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods,’” (CCC 1809). Temperance helps us use a “healthy discretion” in our media usage (CCC 1809), by not limiting or over-using the media we consume. 

The article states that stories “can prompt people to take the perspectives of people unlike themselves and to expand their circle of sympathy to embrace them” (Pinker, 2011). In other words, media storytelling is a tool to broaden our knowledge of the world around us, as exhibited through the key of balance.

The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness

The second media key, attitude awareness, focuses on our roles as critics and duty to be aware of messaging in media. It is applied by searching for a media’s “underlying agenda” (Gan, pg.  47), as well as praying for the cardinal virtue of prudence. Prudence helps us to “apply moral principles to particular cases without error” and “guides the judgment of conscience,” (CCC 1806). In application to media, prudence helps us to discern the intent of a media and if the message is in line with our morals. 

From the research conducted, the children showed signs of attitude awareness in a variety of ways. When watching Inside Out, children “applied social intelligence skills while watching the film”, “found that the film helped them to ‘understand what’s going on in your head’”, and “considered the story also as ‘well thought out’” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). 

The Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person

The third media key, dignity of the human person, seeks to make man “more worthy of man” by reflecting, upholding, and enhancing human dignity (Gan, pg. 52). It is applied by praying for the cardinal virtue of justice, which consists in the “constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor,” (CCC 1807). In viewing media, we must look to see that justice is present, “respecting the rights of each and establishing… the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good,” (CCC 1807).

The article states “when a story is experienced as meaningful, often valuable insights about life are gained, for instance, concerning the value of human virtue and the importance of human connectedness,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). Meaningful stories, as recognized by adults and children alike, include values that promote the dignity of the human person.

 

The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled

The fourth media key tells us that media should be filled with truth or about God and the human person (Gan, pg, 68). In other words, media should not lie. This key is applied by praying the cardinal virtue of fortitude, which “ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good,” (CCC 1808). With fortitude, we must seek the “good”- the truth - in media and also be aware of the lies that may be present. 

The article states that “Inside Out proved to be meaningful [because of the] opportunities for experiencing moral beauty. Interviewees spontaneously indicated appreciating acts of compassion, kindness, love, and bravery,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). One such example is when a child was asked a question about a sad scene in the film. When asked, “What is bigger? That you found it beautiful or that you found it sad?”, the child answered, “I think it’s bigger that I found it beautiful,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). This realization shows the child’s response to moral beauty, which reflects truth as good media should. 

The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring

The fifth media key tells us that media should inspire us to be good, and, thus, lead us to Heaven. This key is applied by researching the “aim” of a particular piece of media, as well as applying the theological virtue of hope. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, hope is the virtue in which “we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness,” (CCC 1817). Hope can inspire us, and media should do the same. 

From the research conducted, the article states that, “when watching the film Inside Out, children felt encouraged to follow the protagonist’s development and acquire the same insights as her,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). Specifically, they “admired Joy’s perseverance,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). One child remarked, “Joy always tries and tries… so that makes me think ‘Oh you should try again’,” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). As seen through this child’s innocent and simple words, media has the profound power to inspire us in small or big ways. Children felt inspired from Inside Out, as viewers should be when interacting with different kinds of media.

The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed

The sixth media key is essentially how well-made a piece of media is. Using this key, we look to the technical standards of media, as scrutinized by critics and popular culture. This key is applied by looking at online reviews and praying for the theological virtue of faith. In faith, “‘man freely commits his entire self to God’... and seeks to know and do God’s will,” (CCC 1814). Faith is important in analyzing and creating media, looking to God for guidance and seeking His will. 

The article states that the film Inside Out is “praised for its smart, adventurous, and challenging storyline,” (Bozdech, 2015; Nashawaty, 2015). It is also “admired by critics as well and received 97 awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film (IMDb, 2016)”. From these sources, it would seem that Inside Out is a skillfully-developed film. 

The Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience

The seventh and final media key is “motivated by and relevant to experience”. This key tells us that media should be “rooted in the realities of our world” and should “reflect the human condition” (Gan 116). It is applied by looking at target audiences and praying for the theological virtue of charity. By “demanding beneficence and fraternal correction”, charity is the virtue by which we “love God above all things… and our neighbor as ourselves” (CCC 1822, 1827, 1829). 

The article states that a meaningful experience with a story is when “it leads to insights about life, feelings of moral beauty, contemplation…” (de Leeuw et al., 2023). In other words, good media (or, as the authors describe it, “meaningful media”) reflects both our human nature and the world around us. 

References:

de Leeuw, R. N., Weijers, A., Ahle, A.-M., & Daalmans, S. (2023a). How stories in the media can be    meaningful in children’s lives. Media Psychology, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2023.2247322 

Gan, E., & Pacwa, M. (2010). Infinite bandwidth: Encountering christ in the media. Emmaus Road Publishing. 

IMDb.com. (2015, June 19). Inside out. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/

Made with FlippingBook. (n.d.). Catechism of the Catholic Church. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/