Personality Sorting ( Hat v. Houses) Long

[fourfuries at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 28650

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., annieclaire12 at y... wrote:
> The sorting hat has fascinated me from the start.   
> Based on what I've gleaned from these examples, the hat considers a 
> number of factors (aspirations, personal choice, potential for 
> growth) inherent within each student.  Although the factors are 
> unique to that individual, as a whole they predispose them to a 
> particular house.  Neville and Hermione may have different traits 
and varied priorities, yet in the aggregate they each reflect the 
> Gryffindor spirit.
> 
> So I guess my question is, how much of a factor do you think family 
> history is to the sorting process?
> 
> Annie-Claire (whose only other example of a 'legacy' is Flounder in 
> Animal House)


At the encouragement of Amy Z, I here present my theory on 
Personality Sorting by Hat and Houses.  This theory relies heavily on 
my own unique analysis of the MBTI and Kiersey Temperment 
postulations, and borrows liberally from earlier posts on the subject 
on this list.  So much for disclaimers.

1.  The Hat sorts Personality, not Character

According to the referenced experts, personality traits are inherent, 
even hereditary.  They are not subject to environment or learning in 
terms of ones personality preference or leaning.  If you are 
introverted as a condition of personality, dealing with large numbers 
of people in rapid shallow encounters will be more tiresome for you 
than the same experience would be for an extrovert.  If you are of a 
judging preference in how you make your decisions, then dealing with 
people who can not make up their minds and have no respect for 
schedules will be very trying for you.

Values, on the other hand, are learned.  Values constitute character, 
something we try to build in children and ourselves through reading, 
instruction, religious indoctrination, honor codes, team spirit, 
friendships etc.  Anyone of any personality type can have good 
character or bad character, because character is a functio of our 
choices.

2.   Personality Type and Temperment as a basis for Grouping

According to Kiersey, the 16 MBTI types can be grouped to form 4 sets 
of Temperments: Guardian Artisan Rational and Idealist.  Because each 
Temperment consists of 4 related Types, there is room in each group 
for significantly different personalities, yet still allows for a 
group identification.

Applying this analysis to the Hogwarts Houses, Hufflepuff would most 
likely be the House of Guardians.  Like our loyal and hardworking 
Hufflepuffs, Kiersy's Guardians are the salt of the earth, the 
hardworking everyman, the cornerstone of civilization.  These are the 
folks that follow the rules, do their best, believe in and stick to 
the values they are taught.  They are not generally flashy or 
ostentatious in manner of dress or speech.  They are reliable. Think 
George Washington or George Bush Senior.

The next easiest to type would be Gryffindor.  If these folks are not 
idealists, I'll eat my hat.  Idealists, like the other groupings, 
come in several varieties.  Healers, Counselors, Champions, all 
requiring a fundamental courage of conviction, a basic belief not in 
external rules, but internal sense of justice, right or ideal.  
Hermione is not merely smart, and does not merely study hard.  She 
holds excellence as her obligation, and bravely pursues it inspite of 
her non-magical background.  Neville is brave to press on, knowing 
that his parents are worse than dead.  In this regard he is more like 
Harry than anyone we have seen.  And all the Weasleys are equally 
idealistic, even though they pursue slightly different ideals.  Gred 
and Forge show there bravery by constantly laughing in the face of 
danger, and taking great risks in the furtherance of that ideal.  
Percy bold seeks authority like his father and brother before him,  
gathering responsibility and risking failure.  Molly and Arthur 
steadfastly defend the weak. Think Ghandi, M.L. King and Oprah.

The difficulty in temperment casting the Hogwarts Houses comes in 
choosing wich of the two remaining houses is the Artisan, and which 
is the Rational. The Ravenclaw signature trait is "smart" whlie the 
Slytherin is "cunning".  The two traits are related.  Distinguishing 
which is which will require some examination.


Artisans are comprised of Performers, Composers, Promoters and 
crafters.  They, like the Guardians, comprise about 40% of the 
general population. Smart is an accomplishment that we sometime 
associate with artists, craftsmen, musicians and performers. The 
ability to express oneself is central to good grades in any area of 
study, which leads me to believe that Ravenclaw is the more likely 
Artisan house. Both Bill Clinton and Bush (Dubya) are Artisans.

Moreover, I cannot help but reserve to Slytherin the group that is 
most rare, and most remarkable.  The Rationals are like Idealist that 
don't believe in ideals ("there is only power, and those to afraid to 
use it").  They are therefore capable of termendous contradictions in 
their personalities and characters.  Rationals are known to love 
knowledge, but I think they love power more.  Rationals are the 
rarest of types, comprising less than 10% of the general population.  
Salazar SLytherin desired almost from the beginning to limit magical 
education to the few.  Einstein was a rational.  So was Thomas 
Jefferson. I suspect Nietzsche just wrote like one.  


3.   The Sorting Hat does not predict the future.

Based on this rough analysis, the Sorting Hat's job is to see clearly 
what a person is, not what they will become.  When the Hat tells 
Harry that he "could be great in Slytherin", all he is really saying 
is that Harry has the mental acuity and ambition to be in that 
group.  He has the intuitive talent common to both Idealists and 
Rationals, and if he was willing to set aside the strong Idealist 
urge to defend right over wrong, Slytherin contacts could launch him 
into the upper circles of the wizarding world.

Harry chooses against Slytherin because it is against his nature to 
let others change him. He fears the damage to his identity that the 
pretentious SLytherin environment might cause.  He wants to 
be "himself", not what Slytherin might make him.  If he were a true 
Rational, like Tom Riddle, he would not have been able to resist the 
temptation of greatness, no matter what changes the process worked on 
him.