SOUL" AND THE SEARCH FOR PURPOSE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ACCEPTANCE PROCESS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT)

Abstract

This study evaluated Pixar’s Soul (2020) as a symbolic medium for exploring the human pursuit of purpose and meaning in life. Its primary objective was to analyze the processes of acceptance and psychological flexibility in the protagonist Joe Gardner’s journey, through the theoretical lens of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), while establishing conceptual connections with Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy and Positive Psychology. A qualitative, theoretical design was employed, combining documentary content analysis of the film with a comprehensive literature review. The analysis highlights how Joe’s trajectory illustrates the transition from psychological inflexibility, characterized by cognitive fusion with a singular life purpose (success in jazz) and experiential avoidance of failure-related emoticons - to psychological flexibility. The film serves as an evocative metaphor for core ACT processes, such as cognitive defusion (recognition that the goal itself is not synonymous with meaning) and contact with the present moment (the appreciation of everyday experiences). The findings suggest that Soul constitutes a valuable cinematherapy resource, capable of facilitating clinical reflection on the distinctions between goals and values, the inevitability of suffering, and the construction of a meaningful life, one defined not by the absence of pain, but by committed action in accordance with personal values.