The Psychology of Pottermore

 Source:  http://ianisourqueen.tumblr.com/post/21390380341/the-psychology-of-pottermore

I’ve had numerous asks inquiring what I think of the Pottermore sorting hat quiz, and it’s accuracy. So I opted to make a new Pottermore account and took the sorting hat quiz once again, to analyze it and show just how it sorts you accurately.

I am going to do this question by question, because each one has it’s own aspects that show some of your personality. So naturally, we will begin with question number one.

How would you like to be known in history?

To me, this is the most defining question within the entire sorting process, because how one wants to be remembered shows the deepest part of them. As individuals, we have many intricate aspects to our person, but we don’t want them all to be seen, or in any case, don’t want them all to be remembered. Answering this question truthfully reveals so much about you, and it is truly a core inquiry. It gives a base for you to work off for the rest of the quiz. The fact that it is a base, however, is the true beauty of it, as a Hogwarts house in itself is a base of a personality, not an entire one.

Once every century, the Flutterby bush produces flowers that adapt their scent to attract the unwary. If it lured you, it would smell of:
This is a question simple to interpret, as it merely pertains to an attraction of the elements. Each option applies to one of the four main elements, each of which Mrs. Rowling has connected with the Hogwarts houses. Most likely, the answer you give to this question goes in the favour of the house in which your attractive element is in tune with. If you don’t cheat on this question with that knowledge, it too, is very revealing. Nature is connected to every form of life in one way or another, and to be attracted to a specific element of it shows in which direction life pulls you.

Which of the following do you find most difficult to deal with?
The beauty of this quiz is that it is very much unlike those which fans have made, in the way that there are no obvious questions, even though they could very well be obvious if one were to look. A prime example here, as if the question were “What drives you?”, which answers apply to what house would be plain. Instead, the question pertains to what restrains you, a twist must people will disregard when answering. So, say you were driven by family and friends, the answer to the question of what is difficult for you to deal with would most likely be loneliness. It’s simple yet detailed, and shows more about your character than asking what drives you.

What are you most looking forward to learning at Hogwarts?
Think back to your grade school years (or look at them currently if you are still in them), and consider career tests you were given. A common question in these tests is “What is your favourite subject in school?” because it serves as a basis to find out where you would be best in your future education. The same serves here, because though it may seem like a simple question, what fascinates you the most is still a strong aspect of your personality. Subtle, but important regardless. Maybe grade school was onto something.

Which nightmare would frighten you most?
Much like the first question, your fear shows a very strong part of who you really are. Fear as deeply embedded, if not more so, as love. A nightmare is rarely literal, and what it displays is often much, much more psychological than one ever stops to interpret, generally because they do not wish to. Therefore, I would say this is the second most revealing question there is to this quiz, and the beauty of it is that it is much more difficult to cheat on this one than others. Hence, whether you are taking this test truthfully or trying to get in a specific house, you’ll probably still show part of your true self within it.

Forest or river?
This is my favourite question within the entire quiz, because you cannot fool it. Once again, it is very elemental, but with only two options it is much more difficult to interpret what houses they pertain to. Instead, it seems much more spiritual, whether you enjoy chaos which you must untangle, or a calm path in which you can see what is coming next. I believe I have found what two houses go with what answers, but I am going to leave that unsaid. A bit of mystery is needed for honesty in taking this quiz.

Heads or tails?
This can be interpreted in one of two ways: First, it could be a simply question much like half-empty or half-full. It could show whether you are optimistic or pessimistic, based upon your answer. On the other hand, it could also be a question of whether you like to go with the flow, or rebel. To me, it is much more the latter, and again, each answer pertains to two houses which I will not disclose. For many, this is most likely the breaking question to fully decide a house and avoiding a hat stall.

So with that, I took the test again. And lookie here, I still got the same house!

Being doubly Slytherin is very nice. However, if you take the test twice yourself and get different houses, don’t freak out. People are not secluded to one house, because personalities are not black and white. You most likely have aspects of both houses. However, if you are conservative to wishing to identify with one house, I would personally go with your first result. It is more likely you were truthful when not familiar with the questions.

xcx