Harry Potter Personality Type – MBTI & Psychology
Looking into the Harry Potter personality type using the myers briggs type indicator (MBTI), and also taking a look at how Jungian psychology relates to some of his character traits and the overall story.
Harry Potter Personality & Jungian Psychology
The Harry Potter movies are filled with ancient symbolic meanings, religious mythology and archetypal characters, which the psychologist Carl Jung studied greatly.
Happy Potter has some evil within him, which is why he is able to talk to snakes. Snakes throughout Christianity, and in the history of many cultures have been symbolic for evil and many negative characteristics. The Devil himself, Lucifer is referred to as the serpent, the serpent of evil.
Individualization is the process of integrating the evil or negative within, for the evil to be accepted and acknowledged, therefore controlled, which ultimately makes us more balanced and stronger. This is perhaps where Harry gets his courage from, from the integration of his dark-side.
Harry is able to stand up to evil, because he has some evil within him. This is the integration of the persona and the shadow in Jungian psychology. For a large part of the story he is not even aware of the evil within. Self-discovery is needed, and when he does discover it, it makes him braver and stronger, this is classic archetypal story telling. Archetypal stories are outlines of stories that are embedded into our biology, this also includes personalities.
Using such deep archetypal storytelling and characters is possibly a big reason why the Harry Potter franchise has been so popular. The stories are so relatable, even if people don’t consciously and fully know why. The story and characters speaks to us at a deep unconscious level (collective unconscious). We already know these stories, they are just being shown to us again with new characters and special effects.
Harry Potter Personality Type MBTI
Introvert Sensing Feeling Perceiver (ISFP)
When Harry is faced with which Hogwarts house he will join, he is nudged towards Slytherin. However, he pleads to be placed elsewhere. Slytherin is the house of high status, yet he rejects it, this suggest his priorities are not with attaining social status, which tilts him towards being an introvert.
Generally he seems more reserved, thoughtful and quiet, rather than the impulsive, attention seeking, extroverted class clown type. The combination of (Introverted sensing perceiving) means he’s aware of his surroundings, pragmatic, and lives in the moment. However, as a perceiver, he is not as limited by traditions, is able to remain open minded, and to think outside of the box.
Sensing Perceivers are also adventure seekers, but his introverted side makes him less impulsive and thrill seeking, it always keeps him slightly reserved and low key. Because he is so reserved, people who know him will often be surprised when his adventure seeking and brave character traits are expressed.
Harry leans more to a feeling type, this is very obvious when compared to Hermione Granger, who is clearly a Thinking Judger, likely an ISTJ. Harry considers the feelings of others, not overly logical, rational or blunt with his words like Hermione.
Harry is also a very moral character, he has a strong impulse to do the right thing, and to stand up to bullies, and evil. Having ethics and a strong moral code is more common with and associated with feeling types.
