The movie Onward presents more than just a fantasy adventure. Behind the story of magic and the search for a father, the inner struggle of a teenager named Ian Lightfoot, who felt he was not capable enough, became the main focus. This study explored Ian Lightfoot's feelings of inferiority and the forms of compensation he showed based on Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology theory. Using a qualitative method, data were collected from scenes, dialogues, monologues, narrations, and Ian Lightfoot's journey throughout the movie.
In analyzing the data, five essential principles of Adler's individual psychology were identified: fictional finalism, the style of life, the creative self, striving for superiority, and social interest. This study also explains the forms of Ian Lightfoot's compensation toward his feelings of inferiority as they unfold throughout the movie, including stubbornness, rebellious attitude, disrespect, courage, challenging attitude, self-confidence, and collaboration.
The findings revealed that Ian Lightfoot applied all five principles in facing his inferiority. Meanwhile, the form of compensation that Ian Lightfoot showed at first tended to be unhealthy, marked by stubbornness, rebellious attitude, and disrespect toward others. Gradually, Ian Lightfoot began to show healthier compensations such as courage, challenging attitude, growing self-confidence, and a willingness to collaborate. This process demonstrated that feelings of inferiority could become a foundation for positive psychological growth when approached with awareness and the use of one's potential.
Keywords : Movie Onward, Ian Lightfoot, inferiority feelings, compensation, Adler’s individual psychology.