Last Tuesday, September 16, Part 1 of the “Even Wizards and Witches Have SOCIAL STYLEs®” blog was posted. In this blog, we began the discussion on the significant parallels between the descriptions of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Houses and the four SOCIAL STYLEs.
So far we have unveiled that Hulfflepuff = Amiable Style and Ravenclaw = Analytical Style, but what about Slytherin and Gryffindor?
A deep analysis of the sorting hat system was done by Pottermore Sorting: Sorting Hat Analysis and Meta which describes each house in-depth. Read the article here.
This blog will compare the similarities of the four SOCIAL STYLEs to the four Houses as described in the PotterMore Sorting: Sorting Hat Analysis and Meta. All descriptions, including traits and qualities of the Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses below, came from this article.
Gryffindor = Expressive
Image by Karen Roe @Flickr
Gryffindors are fiery and defined by a desire for glory. They want to be remembered for great adventures and are the most likely to leap before they look. Gryffindors like being around people. They love being around friends and hate being bored. (They may feel the need to make a little mischief to keep from being bored.) A Gryffindor never has to worry about being overlooked – they need to keep friends around them and are a more extroverted House on the whole, but they’re generally too active to be ignored. Gryffindors are passionate about their beliefs, and standing up for what they believe in (and, more pointedly, who they believe in.) Gryffindor is an individualistic House, but it cares deeply about people – it’s not cerebral in the way Ravenclaw or Slytherin. A Gryffindor’s first impulse is always to draw their wand and act. They prefer to deal with a situation directly, even if it means a fight – and they want that fight to be a fair one. They care enough about justice to get into a fight, even if that fight involves an argument with a friend. Gryffs seek external validation from others: they’re very interested in proving themselves. A Gryffindor is going to be very interested in being a hero; as Hermione has said, they may have a “saving-people-thing.” They don’t care about knowledge as much as Ravenclaws and certainly aren’t interested in knowledge for knowledge’s sake, if they want to learn something, it’s going to be something that allows them to pursue adventures – ways to get about undetected, for example. They do dislike things that they consider boring and/or useless, and would prefer to seek the unknown rather than treading the usual paths – but less out of a desire for intellectual discovery and much more because of a thirst for adventure. All descriptions of Gryffindor came from this article. Famous Gryffindors include: Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger
The Expressive Style person appears communicative, fun, exciting, warm, approachable, and competitive. The actions of these individuals typically suggest that they want others as friends – but in the role of followers or personal supporters of their aspirations rather than competitors. Expressive Style people consider power and politics important because they can enhance personal recognition and help recruit supporters for the cause. These individuals feel a strong need to defend personal positions they have taken, so co-workers are advised to use caution when challenging them. The Expressive Style person acts quickly and can change a course of action rapidly and unexpectedly. They typically show little interest in how others plan to reach agreed-upon objectives, and he or she usually has limited interest in details. They prefer to look at the end goal or the big picture. The Expressive Style person tends to take risks based on the opinions of people that he or she considers important, prominent, or successful. These individuals respond to special benefits, immediate rewards, and extra incentives for their willingness to take risks and move rapidly.
Slytherin = Driving
Image by Karen Roe @Flickr
Slytherins are curious about what appears mysterious or dangerous. They are more daring and go for experiences that Ravenclaws are too afraid to touch. Slytherins are more interventionist and more risk-oriented than Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws. They won’t fall back or be cautious: they want their wand out, ready to fight, and they’re not going to cede ground to anyone. On the other hand, they also consider Gryffindors to be needless risk-takers, perhaps a little too overt and blunt, and so they’re not going to go looking for trouble or charging directly into the fray. Slytherins fear public humiliation more than anything: a loss of dignity is worse than death. Slytherins want to be at the top and fear falling from greatness once it’s been attained. The worst thing that can happen to them is being ignored. After all, you can’t be great if no one is willing to pay attention to you! Boredom is also a large issue for them; they don’t get lost as easily in their heads as Ravenclaws do, and they’re only interested in learning for the sake of applied knowledge. If it’s not useful, Slytherins don’t want to know it. Slytherins are cunning and confrontational. Slytherin is a group-oriented House. Like Gryffindor, Slytherins are seeking individual greatness – but Slytherins look out for their own group. A Slytherin’s loyalty to the group only extends so far: they won’t cover for someone who’s overshadowing them academically, particularly when they know that’s been achieved through foul play. Despite being a group-oriented House, Slytherins are cerebral – they don’t care so much for people that they don’t know. They have no patience for incompetence in others. They enjoy elegance and refinement, along with mystery. All descriptions of Slytherin came from this article. Famous Slytherins include: Lord Voldemort, Salazar Slytherin, Severus Snape, Merlin, and the Malfoy Family.
The Driving Style person is typically more oriented toward tasks than he or she is toward relationships or people. As a result, he or she may appear uncommunicative, formal, independent, and competitive in relationships with others. These people tend to initiate clear action and focus on efficiency or productivity rather than warm interpersonal relationships with co-workers. While this group can appear as though they do not enjoy interacting with others they can also appear very pleasant and even charming – on their terms. They may appear to treat people as objects rather than individuals. Keep in mind, however, that although Driving Style people may control how they share emotions and feelings, this does not mean they don’t have them. They just prefer not to openly display them. These people appreciate the assistance that can help with achieving objectives and prefer “what” and “when” questions as opposed to “how”, “why”, or “who”. Driving Style individuals have little tolerance for actions or discussions they deem a waste of time. These individuals enjoy having power and making their own decisions. This Style of person is likely to choose alternatives with good probabilities of success, but they are not risk averse. They may occasionally select a less likely-to-succeed alternative. While the driving Style individual can accept risks, this person may be considering facts in addition to what is presented.
Do you think the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses align with the four SOCIAL STYLE’s traits and qualities? What house would you belong to? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!
Click here to view Even Wizards and Witches Have SOCIAL STYLEs® Part 1.
Click here to learn more about the Four SOCIAL STYLEs.
Watch the Pros and Cons of Each SOCIAL STYLE here.
Photography of House Crests by Karen Roe @Flickr
