Introduction
1995. The year that JK Rowling created a global phenomenon that would lay the foundation to many new discoveries in our entertainment sector – as well as our every day lives. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is something that people hold deep in their hearts and carry with them through a large majority of their lives. In 2016 the Harry Potter franchise had an estimated worth of $25 billion. This does not include profits from the 2 latest instalments in the movie series, the 2 new books, and the global stage show – this just hinting at how large the series is and how much of an impact it has had on our society.
In summary, I seemed to discover if your Harry Potter house can actually impact your personality and identity. The four houses in the Harry Potter universe are divided and known for key traits, therefore I had a fair hunch that individuals were indeed being influenced by their selection of houses. These houses and ‘personality traits’ that are attached to them are –
- Gryffindor – courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry
- Ravenclaw – intelligence, creativity, learning and wit
- Hufflepuff – Hard workers, patient, loyal, kind, caring
- Slytherin – ambition, cunning, leadership and resourcefulness
Research
For my Digital Artefact, I decided to use the method of case study and a literature review. I studied the academic sources that already existed for my topic. Whilst this can look biased and be risky without the correct referencing, it is helpful in attaining large amounts of information such as survey’s when I would have most definitely not had the time to conduct a large scale research project and keep it all genuine. Overall, the academic and some non-academic research documents assisted me in gathering large amounts of information without the need for me to go out of my way to perform my own large-scale search. I reviewed a few sources in my digital artefact, so below I dot point a few of the sources that I explored.
- In 2015, a study created by LC Crysel and other authors, were able to link key psychological traits with those associated with the houses.
- “In the case of Harry Potter, Rowling’s organization of students into school communities or ‘‘houses’’ with particular traits may have influenced the self-views of millions of readers and provided them with fictional communities with which they identify. It seems feasible that readers would identify more with those characters who share the traits they actually possess.” — L.C. Crysel et al, Personality and Individual Differences, 83 (2015)
- Reddit user, u/N1ffler conducted a content analysis and case study on the results of 10,000 peoples Pottermore results. They then found that individuals that are ‘sorted’ into a particular house depending on the way that some individuals wanted to move in.
- Another researcher that stood out to me was Dr Darcie Dixon, upon her own research, she came to the conclusion and possible reality, that the ‘Hogwarts House’ framework could possibly be something that is helping us discovering ourselves and it is there to assist people to fulfillment in their lives.
Conclusion –
Overall, looking at the research I have been able to gather, I am able to come to a conclusion that our personality can indeed influence the Hogwarts house we are sorted into, as well as this we find ourselves almost altering our personality to fit into the house that we want. But as we see in the films, we have a choice in what house we are sorted into. At the end of the day, we all belong exactly where we decide to belong.
Bibliography
Alohomorapodcast.com. 2020. Episode 246: Hogwarts Houses – A Little Bit Phlegmatic. [online] Available at: <http://alohomorapodcast.com/episode-246-hogwarts-houses-a-little-bit-phlegmatic/>
Crysel, L., 2020. Harry Potter And The Measures Of Personality. [online] Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275528243_Harry_Potter_and_the_measures_of_personality_Extraverted_Gryffindors_agreeable_Hufflepuffs_clever_Ravenclaws_and_manipulative_Slytherins>
Dixons, D., 2020. On The Psychology Of Your Harry Potter House — Dr Darcie Dixon | Behavioural Sassonomics. [online] Dr Darcie Dixon | Behavioural Sassonomics. Available at: <https://www.drdarciedixon.com/blog/on-the-psychology-of-your-harry-potter-house>
Medium. 2020. Why Your Hogwarts House Matters. [online] Available at: <https://medium.com/@mitchellshaunparker/why-your-hogwarts-house-matters-92f0d164a39f>
Priebe, H., 2020. Why The ‘Sorting Hat’ Is Actually An Excellent Metaphor For Life In Our Twenties. [online] Thought Catalog. Available at: <https://thoughtcatalog.com/heidi-priebe/2017/02/why-the-sorting-hat-is-actually-an-excellent-metaphor-for-life-in-our-twenties/>
Smith, M., 2020. 20 Years Of Harry Potter: Britain Is A Nation Of Hufflepuffs | Yougov. [online] Yougov.co.uk. Available at: <https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2017/06/25/20th-anniversary-first-harry-potter-book-yougov-di>
AMC Blogs 