Snape According to Erik Erikson's Theory of Personality Part 1

[AyanEva]

No: HPFGUIDX 122018


Ok, I've been dying to share this with someone for a while, so I'm going
to post it here in a series of parts. I had to do this for a Theories
of Personality class a couple of summers ago. The assignment was to
use one of the theories that we learned and analyze a fictional
character. Keep in mind that I don't necessarily agree with the entire
theory or everything that I wrote, but I had to fit the canon to the
theory. And my prof. didn't really know much about Harry Potter, so
the beginning background stuff. Eh, whatever. 

Enjoy! You can tell me what you think, discuss it, rip it apart b/c
it's stupid, agree or disagree. I only ask that you read it and have
fun w/ it! :-D Ok, I'm on a posting frenzy now.

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Severus Snape is a Potions Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry.  He is generally described as being an extremely
unpleasant individual.  He hold grudges, has a quick temper and little
patience, and has no close relations to speak of.  Severus suffered
through a very stressful and dysfunctional family life and childhood.
 His adolescent and teen years at Hogwarts were hardly an improvement.
 Having developed few practical social skills, Severus was unable, or
unwilling, to form close friendships and his only acquaintances were
those whose academic interests were similar.  Because Hogwarts is
divided into four houses that maintain their own code of conduct and
expectations, Severus only role models were those who belonged to his
less than savory house of Slytherin.  Under his cold demeanor, Severus
Snape is extremely sensitive and constantly striving to gain
acceptance and recognition from society.  However, his maladaptive
behavior and undeveloped social skills usually incur the opposite
effect.  Much of the Severus Snape's case study was completed using
Neo-Analytical theory to explore his internal state, but there are
some Behavioral techniques that bear mentioning in relation to the
development and effect of Severus' observable behavior

The Neo-Analytical approach to personality has its origins in
psychoanalysis.  However, neo-analytical psychologists do not agree
that human sexual drive states explain all types of human behavior the
motivation behind such behavior.  More emphasis is placed on social
interactions and less emphasis is placed on the classical
psychoanalytical personality constructs of the Id, Ego, and Superego.  
	
Erik Erikson postulated the most widely studied neo-analytical theory
pertaining to the development of personality in his Life Span and
Identity Crises theory of personality.  Erikson's theory states that
personality is influenced mostly by society and culture and the
development of personality is a life-long process.  Mutuality, when a
child shapes a parent's behavior, and vice-versa, plays an important
role in Erikson's theory as well.  The Life Span and Identity Crises
theory is determine by the epigenetic principle, in which personality
develops in eight stages.   The ability to enter into and complete
each successive stage of personality development is dependent upon the
successful completion of the previous developmental stage.  Similar to
Freud's stages of development, each stage in the Life Span and
Identity Crises theory has an optimal age of occurrence.

AyanEva
(end part 1)