Harry's Coping Skills (long)

[jspotila at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 30801

I agree with the earlier posts on Harry's upbringing that Harry is 
remarkably well-adjusted given all the suffering and abuse he has 
endured.  I recently read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, 
and was stuck by how much of his theories on suffering apply to 
Harry.  I do not have a degree in psychology, nor have I read 
Frankl's other works, but I thought (hope!) you might be interested 
in my musings on Harry's coping skills.

Frankl wrote Man's Search for Meaning in 1946, and used his own 
experiences as an inmate in several Nazi concentration camps to 
illustrate his theories of logotherapy, or meaning therapy.  
Basically, the logotherapist tries to help the patient find meaning 
in his/her suffering, and to use that meaning to find a way out of 
neuroses/depression.  Frankl identifies three ways to find meaning in 
suffering: 1) create a work or do a deed; 2) experience something or 
encounter someone; 3) if the suffering cannot be removed, to bear it 
with dignity.  Harry uses all of these methods to cope with the 
danger and pain in his life.

1) Do a Deed - Harry does a lot of this!  There is the obvious - 
going after the stone to keep it from Voldemort; going after Ginny to 
save her from the basilisk; going after Padfoot/Sirius to save Ron, 
and then saving Buckbeak and Sirius; completing the tasks of the Tri-
Wizards tournament and escaping from resurrected Voldemort.  I would 
argue that in addition to providing lots of dramatic action, each of 
the incidents are also a response by Harry to sources or potential 
sources of pain and suffering.  We also have examples such as Harry 
tormenting Dudley with fake incantations in CoS, demanding Uncle 
Vernon's signing of the Hogsmeade form (which doesn't happen b/c of 
Aunt Marge) and forcing Uncle Vernon to allow Harry to go to the 
Quidditch Cup.  All in all, Harry is a very proactive person and is 
not afraid to take steps to improve his situation or alleviate 
suffering.

2) Encounter Someone - Harry relies on his friends a great deal.  My 
favorite example is from SS, where he and Ron spend hours during 
Christmas vacation dreaming up ways to get Draco expelled.  Harry 
relies on his tie to Ron to deal with the annoyance Draco causes.  
There are many other examples, such as his joy when Hagrid believes 
that he didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire, or his 
communications with Sirius about the Tournament.  Even after the 
trauma of witnessing Voldemort's rebirth, Harry liked it best when he 
could sit quietly with Ron and Hermione while they played chess and 
talked of other things.  Despite the abuse he suffered at home, Harry 
is quite capable of forming deep and lasting relationships, even as 
he is slow to trust in some circumstances.  All of this has been 
pointed out in other posts on this subject.

3) Suffering with Dignity - There is one source of suffering that 
Harry cannot change - the death of his parents.  Again, I would argue 
that Harry bears this pain with dignity.  We never see him 
complaining about his parents' death, although we know it pains him 
deeply.  But Harry doesn't expect anyone to feel sorry for him, and 
doesn't seem to feel very sorry for himself either.  Obviously, this 
is a grievous loss, and it clearly affects Harry.  But he never tells 
a sob story or uses the loss of his parents to gain sympathy or 
advantage.  For example, Rita Skeeter has to invent quotes from Harry 
about his parents (I think they are looking down on me . . . I cry 
about them at night) because he does not discuss the matter with her 
or anyone else.

Frankl says, "it did not really matter what we expected from life, 
but rather what life expected from us.  We needed to stop asking 
about the meaning of life, and instead think of ourselves as those 
who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly.  Our answer 
must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in 
right conduct.  Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to 
find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which 
it constantly sets for each individual."  

I am not an expert, but I don't think that Harry is an unrealistic or 
idealized portrayal of an abused child.  He is a highly unusual and 
remarkably mature child, but not an impossible one.  Frankl stresses, 
as does JKR, that it is our choices that make us who we are.  He 
writes, "in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of 
person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and 
not the result of camp influences alone.  Fundamentally, therefore, 
any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become 
of him - mentally and spiritually.  He may retain his human dignity 
even in a concentration camp. . . . It is this spiritual freedom - 
which cannot be taken away - that makes life meaningful and 
purposeful."

Harry chooses over and over again to act/live with courage, honor and 
dignity.  Even when he thinks his life is over, during his encounter 
with Aragog and during his fight with the embodied Voldemort, he 
chooses to die standing and fighting (and as we already know, is 
rescued in both events).  GoF ends on a somber but also a serene 
note.  As Hagrid says, "What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it 
when it does."

Harry's choices are inspirational, in my opinion, and are made even 
more so by the circumstances of his life.  He is able to find the 
strength within himself to take responsibility for solving life's 
problems and fulfill the tasks set before him.

Cheers,
Jennie