Teaching Styles / Sorting Hat

[Tonks]

No: HPFGUIDX 157895

> Marion
> I do indeed wonder how many students at Hogwarts have problems 
with Snape. My guess would be: very, very few. In fact, I think that 
Neville is probably the only one who fears him. 
> 
> And, to take this discussion in yet another direction, Neville's 
fear of Snape is totally *irrational*. What is Snape going to do? 
Insult him to death? (snip)

Neville is afraid of McGonegal and Snape, i.e.; he's afraid of 
authority figures who demand that he *uses magic*.
(Snip)
> So Neville enters Hogwarts and he goes all "oh, don't try to teach 
*me* anything, I'm such a squib, I'll just sit here in the corner, 
minding my own business. No use teaching a near-squib".


Tonks:
I disagree with the assumption that Neville acts the way that he 
does around the teachers because he thinks of himself as a near 
Squib.  I guess that is a possibility, and poor Neville has very 
poor self esteem because of his overbearing Grandmother.  He is a 
gentle soul who needs love. He was just a baby like Harry when his 
parents were taken from him. He did not get the love that a young 
child needs.  In some ways Grandma is worse that Aunt Petunia, or at 
least as bad.  Neville is scared of adults.  He does not expect them 
to be warm and nurturing.  He expects them to be punitive.  It is 
called "eliciting behavior".  He acts in ways that he has come to 
act in reaction to punitive treatment and this behavior on his part 
causes the adults who might have that type of streak in them to 
react in a punitive way towards him.  It is a learned behavior.  As 
Neville goes along in school he starts to grow out of it.  Because 
of his friends and the sense of belonging and acceptance that he 
gets from them he gains confidence. And he is also learning by 
watching the behavior of other children towards the same teachers.  
They become a role model for him, which is something that an only 
child does not get in his own home.

Tonks_op