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Article

Harry Potter, Script, and the Meaning of Life

Pages 32-42
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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The seven volumes of J. K. Rowling's story of Harry Potter enjoy stunning popularity worldwide. One of the reasons is Rowling's insight into fundamental psychological processes. This article connects those processes as presented in Rowling's books to Eric Berne's theory of script, including script protocol and script apparatus, and Irvin Yalom's existentialist/humanistic theories, including the four “ultimate concerns of life” (meaninglessness, existential isolation, freedom, and death). Rowling's books are an example of how a novel can deal with processes that are the material of psychotherapy, counseling, and other methods designed to stimulate human growth and development.

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Moniek Thunnissen

Moniek Thunnissen, Ph.D., M.D., is a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (psychotherapy) who works as a psychiatrist in mental hospital GGZWNB in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. There she is director of training for medical doctors who are becoming psychiatrists and head of the program on personality disorders. She is one of the trainers of the Dutch TA Academy, which, among other programs, offers a 4-year program for psychologists and medical doctors to receive training to become clinical Certified Transactional Analysts. Moniek served from 2007–2009 as ITAA Vice President of Research and Innovation. She can be reached at A. Cuypstraat 32, 4625 AM Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands, or by email at . The author wishes to thank Robin Fryer and Trudi Newton for their comments on an earlier draft of this article.