IndexIntroductionContext of the FilmDefinition of the TheoryAuthor's ContextAnalysis of the Film Using the Theory of Theory RecommendationConclusionReferencesIntroductionWe are presented with many significant ideas regarding the theory of symbolic interaction (SI) in the film Inside Out. One is “the way we act, based on the fact that we attribute imperative meaning to people, things and events”. In the context of this article I will recap this beautiful film, help my reader understand the theory of symbolic interaction and how to examine the intrapersonal and interpersonal concepts of different communication theories. I hope to show in this article some recommendations from the research I have done regarding symbolic interaction theory. I will conclude with some final thoughts on what I have gleaned from the process of examining this theory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayMovie backgroundInside out starts showing shots of Riley Anderson as a child and on; she is an only child of her parents. They live in Minnesota and have a wonderful life; until Riley's father finds a new job. The little family has to move to San Francisco; their life is very different from what they lived in Minnesota; the story begins with “Joy,” which is an emotion in Riley's mind. Next we meet all the emotions that run the headquarters (inside Riley's mind). Growing up in Minnesota, Riley knew she loved all things Minnesota; hockey, cold, gloves, outdoors, his family. When she and her family decide to move, Riley is excited at first and then, throughout the film, becomes increasingly sad about the move and her memories of it. The conflict of this film is how Riley deals with his emotions in his mind. Defining the Theory Symbolic interaction theory aims to help us recognize that “people are motivated to act based on the meanings they assign to things and events. . . Language allows people to develop a sense of self and interact with others in the community.” Symbolic interaction theory was theorized by George Herbert Mead. He said: “Only selves have a mind, that is, knowledge belongs only to the self, even in the simplest expression of awareness.” There are three main points in this theory: We form meaning in our minds of what comes from and how we act towards others. This helps us form our opinion about ourselves. How we perceive ourselves inspires how we act and behave in life, as well as the language we use with each other every day. These interactions give us the meaningful symbols and the kind of language we need to use within society to stay positive in our minds. Our “self” and society have a special connection; we observe and interact with society in specific ways because we have gone through the process of interacting with others and those interactions have produced meaning for ourselves in the minds of others. This theory, in short, theorizes that the symbols around us are vital to society. communication process. Without these “symbols,” we would have no societies or nations, or anything formed as such. Symbolic interaction theory holds that everything we do in life has meaning, and that meaning turns into symbols and then into action in our lives. When Mead began studying symbolic interaction theory, he wanted to better understand the relationships between us and others. “Considering communication as symbolic interaction means recognizing beingshumans as proactive beings whose control over themselves and their surroundings derives from their ability to interact with and through symbols. Our experiences, knowledge and relationships are inevitably mediated through our symbols." In other words, everything has meaning for everything else; hence the name, symbolic interaction theory. This theory introduced us to things like our mirror self; how we see ourselves through the eyes of others, Pygmalion effect; living up to what others think we should be or not be, etc. role taking: empathy for others, self-fulfilling prophecy: a prediction of something that we make come true due to our actions and behaviors. These effects and prophecies help us understand the way we act shown through this theory. In the article Effect of Intentionally Designed Experiences on Friendship Skills of Youth: An Application of Symbolic Interaction Theory we read how an after-school program aimed to test youth and their interactions with each other as it offered youth a safe place to go after school. They tested many different interaction skills such as; Friendship skills, defined as maintaining pleasant and friendly relationships with other program participants. Cooperation skills; defined as being able to work with another, Confidence Skills: defined as being able to know you have the ability to do something, Leadership Skills; defined as the ability to take charge of different situations, and Feelings of self-esteem: synonym = self-esteem. Their hypothesis was that as young adults (11-12 years old) if a recreational activity was produced for these children, they would acquire developmental skills and it could also produce a positive social outcome. After testing their theories, they concluded that when children are close to each other and heading towards a common goal of recreational activities, they will gain greater confidence and leadership, but they will also gain better friendships with each other because they are gaining greater awareness positive in itself. concepts. This theory has both intrapersonal (inside one's mind) and interpersonal (outside one's mind with others in society) side effects. We take the interpersonal relationships we have in life, internally; this is where theory becomes intrapersonal relationship, because we make the symbols of our life have meaning in our mind. Therefore, by influencing how we interact with society, this brings our minds outward, causing theory to become an interpersonal concept again. Pete Docter is an incredibly impressive person, he was the writer and director of the film Inside Out (2015). Author BackgroundPete Docter is a director/writer at Pixar. He has made films like Monsters Inc, Up and Inside Out, these films show the protection of a child in one way or the other. Pete Docter is committed to protecting children's rights and helping them feel they matter to everyone. In Docter's mind there is no longer the phrase "children are seen and not heard", he wants children to feel listened to and he shows this with devotion in all the films he makes. Docter is a key contributor to Pixar Entertainment. The SI is found in many of his films; he is a master storyteller. Film Analysis Using Theory Symbolic interaction theory is about what happens in our minds; Inside Out is a film about minds. Riley is an 11-year-old girl who must deal with the changes that have occurred in her life; leaving his beloved Minnesota and finding his place in the completely different culture found in San Francisco. Five "emotions" are most evident in this film: Joy: he is happy, he is lucky. It seemsfeel responsible for the rest; tries to make Riley's mind cohesive with all the different emotions. Sadness: She is the "Debbie Downer" of the group, trying to find the sad or unpleasant parts of Riley's life in her mind. Anger: It's some kind of devil in her mind. He tends to look for things that should make Riley angry or angry in his daily actions in life. Disgust: She's the snobbish girl in Riley's head. He wants to make sure that Riley doesn't have to experience any exacerbations, annoyances, or exasperations in his mind that come with living his life. Fear: This is the scared part of Riley's mind. He worries about pretty much everything. Each of these emotions humanizes what it personifies. All together emotions are what help Riley form thought in her mind. When we look back at the memories that connected in Riley's mind, we see six different islands connected to Riley's headquarters (mind). They are: Goofball: This is the island that represents Riley's ability to have fun. He created this island in his mind because of the silly interactions he had with people in his life. Personality: This island is a representation of what aspects of Riley's personality define who she is. This is the face Riley shows to society. Family: This island is a representation of what aspects of Riley's mind form the basis of her family. They are things like the family car, the trampoline, the tree where his family spends most of their time. This is the part of his mind where he interacts with his mother and father (his family). Honesty: This island represents his morality. This is how he interacts in life with his scruples, not just with his parents but with everyone. Hockey: This island represents his love for the game of hockey. Riley used to play hockey in Minnesota, she can't find a place where she fits in hockey, this is a big disappointment for her. Friendship: This island represents Riley's best friend named Meg. This island was created thanks to her friend Meg; they met in Minnesota and did everything together, hockey, ice skating, playing at the park, etc. As we move forward with the story, we see (through Riley's mind) how Riley deals with the difficulties he faced in moving to San Francisco. After the move, we see that Riley misses her old life. When we see Riley unable to cope with change, we realize that she cannot be helped even by her others (parents). What's interesting about Inside Out is that the scenes not only show Riley's headquarters but also that of her parents; each of his parents feels the same emotions, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust. However, they are all depicted differently as Riley's mom and dad are two different people. Riley was trying to process what was on her mind as she interacts with her parents at the kitchen table, she senses that everything is their fault, everything that is going so wrong for her in her life; he does it because this is what he has seen in his life. She sees her father and mother talking about the move and deduces that it's their fault that she feels this way. She doesn't see how the Pygmalion effect (meeting what her parents expect her to be and do) is occurring, and she doesn't even want to please her parents anymore. Symbolic Interaction theory helps us understand this; since we create our own meaning based on the symbols we create, this theory allows Riley to create the new symbols that swirled around in her head with her emotions (these are the unhealthy reactions she made to her parents). These new symbols he created are the reason he interacts differently with his parents; he reacts the only way he could have.