The Psychology of Harry Potter

Psychology 1
August 22nd, 2014

The Psychology of Harry Potter
Magic, dark arts, potions, friendship and love circles are some of the many characteristics that make Harry Potter an unique and a catching phenomenon. The Psychology of Harry Potter is a collection of essays that examine and analyze the themes in the story   of “the boy who lived forever”. The purpose of Neil Mulholland, the editor, is to present a wide variety of essays that try to connect different theories and research in psychology to aspects of the people and events that have taken place in Harry's on-going story. Some of the events found in the on-going story of the boy who lived forever are also connected and compared to some issues that affect today's society. The Psychology of Harry Potter has allowed readers to become aware of the many issues and flaws presented in the seven fantasy novels written by the British author J.K Rowling. Some of the themes and issues that are exposed in the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter   are racism, evil versus good, oppression, prejudice, love, abuse of power, and lack of Socratic thinking.
The educational system at Hogwarts is criticized by many psychologists. Education at Hogwarts is filled with disturbing elements, as it is explained by Robin S. Rosenberg in his essay What Do Students Learn from Hogwarts classes? Rosenberg explains that Hogwarts promotes memorization and punishes experimentation, creativity, and critical thinking skills, creating alumni who are truly unprepared to handle calamities—defeating Voldemort (Rosenberg 5).   Lack curiosity leads to lack of scientific inquiry, Rosenberg explains that Hogwarts' educational system does not promote curiosity nor scientific inquiry amongst the soon-to-be alumni. The seven Harry Potter books are notable for the characters' reveal the lack of wonder about why the magic [students] observe and learn work as it does, explain Rosenberg (Rosennberg 6). For instance, no student seems to be...