Author's note: Outside of writing, I studied and am now working in the area of Psychology. During the third year of my psychology degree, we were given the option of writing a Psychobiography about a fictional or non-fictional character. Naturally, i immediately latched on to the idea of analysing Severus' personality from a psychological perspective. This psychobiography is the assignment i handed in for that subject. I was so excited and proud when i learnt i received top marks in my class! In my mind i thanked JK Rowling for creating such an amazing character, and from there, i loved Severus even more than i did before! I sincerely hope you enjoy the psychobiography i have written. I would love to hear what you think, especially with regard to my analysis of Severus' personality. Do you agree with me? Or disagree? I would love to know!
Disclaimer: This Psychobiography of Severus Snape's life is entirely of my own creation. Any quote, character description, or academic opinion that is not my own, has been appropriately referenced. As this is an academic paper, it is considered a violation of copyright law to copy any aspect of this piece of writing without providing full acknowledgement to its source (ie. Me). So please do not copy this piece of work onto another website or use any of these ideas without my expressed written permission. Please don’t plagiarise my hard work :) Thank you!
Please note that i needed to reference psychological literature (the analysis needed to be embedded in psychological theory) and i had a 1600 word limit. My original draft was MUCH longer- it was terribly sad that i had to cut it down. Nevertheless, i really enjoyed writing this Psychobiography of Severus' life and i hope you will enjoy reading it.
Acknowledgement of Cover artist: hayley_scott
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/severus-snape-and-lily-evans/images/21775177/title/severus-lily-fanart
Please remember to comment on my article and vote when you are done! That would be amazing! Thank you :)
The Psychobiography of Severus Snape
Character created by J.K. Rowling
'Anti-hero' of the Harry Potter book series
JK Rowling's famous children's book series arguably contains one of the most complex characters in literary history: Severus Snape. Prior to the seventh and final instalment, everyone was asking one question: Is Severus good or evil? As the reader eventually discovers, the multifaceted answer leads us to Severus' childhood.
Although many aspects of a person's past can influence who they are in the present, this psychobiography will focus on the events between the ages of 10 and 15 that contributed to Severus' adult personality. Severus was a detached and proficient spy and a cruel and hostile teacher, but beneath these facades, Severus was capable of love, loyalty and bravery. There are multiple theories that can account for an individual's adult personality, given their past. Attachment Theory proposes that the dynamic between an infant and their significant others, whether secure or insecure, will be reflected in subsequent relationships. This psychobiography will use Attachment Theory, derived from the findings of Bowlby (1969), Ainsworth (1982) and Bartholomew (1990), to explain Severus' intriguing personality.
Severus Snape was born into a violent household where he was neglected by his mother, who did not defend him from his abusive father (Rowling, 2007, p. 535). Consequently, Severus lived much of his childhood feeling unloved, unwanted and fearful. These negative views of self and others, known as internal working models, are predicted to lead to a fearful-avoidant attachment: concealing an emotional need to be connected with others for fear of being punished or rejected, both of which Severus endured at home (Haggerty, Hilsenroth & Vala-Stewart, 2009; Shaver, Collins & Clark, 1996).
To escape his home life, Severus immersed himself in his mother's dark magic books, so that by age 11, Severus knew more curses than most of the students at Hogwarts (Rowling, 2000, p. 460-461). This persistent fixation resembles the coping mechanisms used by fearful-avoidants to distract themselves from powerful feelings of worthlessness (Hazan & Shaver, 1994). Therefore, Severus' obsession with the Dark Arts kept him sane during, arguably, the most difficult years of his childhood (Massie & Szajnberg, 2006).
When Lily Evans, Severus' neighbour, befriended him at age 10, the latter exhibited poor social skills, described his life at home as "fine" and his demeanor clearly portrayed low self-esteem, indications of his fearful-avoidance (Rowling, 2007, p. 534) (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). As their friendship developed, Severus began to confide in Lily most of his feelings about home and Hogwarts, reflecting his gradual tendency towards a more secure attachment (Rowling, 2007, p. 541) (Feeney, 2003). By age 15, Severus and Lily were best friends, although she strongly opposed his fascination with dark magic (Rowling, 2007, p. 540). I believe Severus refused to relinquish his attachment to the Dark Arts because, until he befriended Lily, it was his only means of coping with his troubled childhood, a safe haven Severus could always escape to.
At Hogwarts, Severus was bullied, most commonly by James Potter, because of his obsession with dark magic (Rowling, 2003, p. 590). Lily did what Severus' mother could not: defend him. Her actions showed Severus he was loveable and that she would not neglect him and consequently, Severus' internal working models became more secure (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991; Feeney, 2003).
Unfortunately, whilst being humiliated, Severus' fearful-avoidance and consequent determination to conceal his need for Lily (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991), called her a Mudblood, a terrible name for someone with non-magical parents (Rowling, 2003, p. 571). Although Severus had fallen in love with the only person to ever respond to his needs (Hazan & Shaver, 1994), when asked to justify why Lily should forgive him, Severus could not express his love for fear of being rejected (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Therefore, Severus' tortured past ultimately prevented him from fighting for the one relationship he needed to escape insecurity (Feeney, 2003).
After Lord Voldemort, the powerful dark wizard Severus followed, murdered Lily, a guilt-ridden Severus turned spy for Albus Dumbledore to protect James and Lily Potter's son, Harry, which involved great personal sacrifice, characteristic of fearful-avoidants who have lost a loved one (Rowling, 2007, p. 545) (Haggerty et al., 2009). In forcing Dumbledore not to reveal "the best of (Severus)" (Rowling, 2007, p. 545), Severus was both protecting himself from a world he believed would reject him and denying the powerful feelings of grief and guilt surrounding Lily's death, of which, Severus would never resolve (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991; Stroebe, Schut & Stroebe, 2005).
As an adult, the fearful and avoidant aspects of Severus' personality were evident through the various roles he played which were continuously motivated by his love for Lily. As a spy, Severus' avoidance allowed him to proficiently conceal his emotions (Haggerty et al., 2009) from Legilimens ('mind readers'), the most powerful being Lord Voldemort, the wizard he was spying on (Rowling, 2003). However, Severus' emotional detachment was cruelly tested when he was forced to fulfill his role as spy by vowing to kill Dumbledore (Rowling, 2005).
Whilst making the vow, Severus' face remained unreadable; a single twitch of the hand being the sole visible evidence that he was reluctant to kill the man who had replaced Lily as his secure base; someone who valued him (Rowling, 2005, p. 41). After the murder, Severus struggled to maintain his usual detached indifference, eventually releasing his grief on Harry when he called Severus a coward (Rowling, 2005, p. 564). Therefore, beneath the detached exterior of fearful-avoidants is physiological panic and emotional turmoil (Fraley & Bonanno, 2004).
Conversely, Severus' role as a teacher frequently brought forth the more fearful aspects of his personality. Severus' cold, dark classroom (Rowling, 1997, p.101) perhaps reflected his low self-worth and loneliness (Stroebe et al., 2005) or his chronic grief for Lily (Fraley & Bonanno, 2004). Due to fearful-avoidants' inability to properly talk about and forgive themselves of their guilt (Stroebe et al., 2005), "the most unpleasant thing in the world is me because I am mean to myself" (Massie & Szajnberg, 2006, p. 483) suggests that having a bright classroom would implicate a happiness Severus felt he did not deserve (Shaver et al., 1996).
Severus' vindictiveness, hostility and cruelty towards his students (Rowling, 1997) is likely a reciprocation of the bullying he received at Hogwarts, a resentment Severus refused to forget (Haggerty et al., 2009; Schafer et al., 2004). Severus' fearful emotions were expressed most frequently around Harry because he looked identical to his father, but possessed his mother's eyes, resembling everything Severus both loved and hated about his childhood (Rowling, 2007, p.544). For example, when Harry learned of the day Severus lost Lily's friendship, Severus hurls a glass jar at his head in rage and fear that Harry would discover his hostility and coldness was a fa\u00e7ade that concealed a deep love he wanted no one to discover (Rowling, 2003, p. 572-573) (Stroebe et al., 2005). I believe this aggression may be characteristic of fearful-avoidants when their usually hidden need for others becomes vulnerable.
The final, most powerful fragment of Severus' personality is one that nobody except Dumbledore was aware of and sadly, a quality that most felt would be impossible for Severus to possess: love. Throughout Severus' life, Lily was the only person to have truly cared for him, a relationship that developed, on Severus' behalf, to an intense love and need for the person who made him feel worthy and secure (Hazan & Shaver, 1994). Prior to Dumbledore's death, an emotional Severus revealed that his Patronus, a magical force of goodness that reflects the animal most representative of one's identity and personality, was a doe, the same Patronus Lily possessed before she died (Rowling, 2007, p. 551). Severus' Patronus is a powerful symbol of the severe pain experienced by fearful-avoidants; their grief becomes chronic, consuming them to the extent where to resolve it would mean eliminating a part of their identity (Stroebe et al., 2005).
Had Severus' secure relationship with Lily endured, he may have retained the positive internal working models he developed as Lily's best friend, transcending from fearful-avoidance to a more secure attachment style (Feeney, 2003; Hazan & Shaver, 1994). Unfortunately, given Severus' guilt for calling Lily a Mudblood and Lily's betrayal in marrying James Potter (Rowling, 2007, p. 552), these secure tendencies regressed to the negative cognitions that surrounded Severus' childhood (Schafer et al., 2004). However, an alternative personality change is suggested by J.K. Rowling: although Severus remained severely insecure and hostile towards others until his death, his love for Lily promoted bravery and loyalty, saving him from being the selfish boy he was at age 11 (Anelli & Upton, 2008).
Severus' fearful-avoidance was the consequence of an abusive childhood, riddled with rejection, fear and an unfulfilled need to be loved. Ironically, the paradox that was Severus' fearful-avoidant personality, allowed him to experience the chronic, psychologically intense love and grief he felt for Lily and yet, Severus was able, due to his avoidance, to conceal these emotions and achieve redemption (Fraley & Bonanno, 2004). Ultimately, Severus' past created a vindictive, detached and hostile exterior, but also a grieving, vulnerable, guilt-ridden interior that, although hidden due to the fear that stemmed from his childhood, defined Severus' true personality. Severus never forgot his past, the love he had gained and lost, and the reason behind his every action right up to his final breath: Lily, a woman he missed because of the way she made him feel: secure. Severus' final words were spoken to Harry: "Look... at... me" (Rowling, 2007, p. 528) so that he could see Lily's eyes, the reason behind his sacrifice, one last time. In that moment, it was clear who Severus truly was: a good person who had endured a tortured past.
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