FRIDAY: The Psychology of Harry Potter

The Psychology of Harry Potter is part of a great genre of books where cultural icons are analyzed in light of psychological or philosophical standards. This particular book is edited by a PhD who started what he calls "Harry Potter Therapy" which uses Harry Potter images when helping young people with emotional issues. The only down side to the book is that the essays were all written before the final book in the series.

The essays cover things like curiosity, teaching styles/philosophies at Hogwarts, attachment theory, and social dynamics in the magical world. I didn't buy into everything in each essay, but as a Harry fan and a psychologist (at least in my "former life"), I found the essays to be interesting and thought provoking.

So, this brings my Harry Potter series to a close. Next Monday we will be back to our regularly scheduled book blogs. See you then!