I meant to say “where he became centered within, rather than pulled from without by others.”

Cleverpuss is giving me a smirk…

As for cognitive behavioral therapy, here’s this below from the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists, http://www.nacbt.org/whatiscbt.htm

“Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy…
is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do.

“CBT is based on the Cognitive Model of Emotional Response.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel / act better even if the situation does not change.”

This fits very much into the Potter books. Harry, as we all know, bases too many decisions, feelings and opinions on what he experiences, thinks, or sees/hears. I feel the best exploration of CBT for Harry was in his therapeutic sessions with Remus Lupin, where he learned to overcome his fear of Dementors by thinking of something happy. The Dementors didn’t change; Harry learned to take control of his emotional reaction by producing a Patronus. He only came into full control of his thinking/acting at Shell Cottage, after Dobby’s death, ceasing to be centered, rather than pulled by others..

Remus Loopy is looking at me smugly…

What happened to stories (and indeed, real life), where young men and/or young women develop crushes for either sex? As a teenager in the 60′s (albeit a much more innocent time for a girl from a protected home environment attending a small high school), I had crushes on a male teacher and two female teachers. I ‘loved’ them. But it was a purely platonic love, a love of ideals and role-models. These people never made the slightest inappropriate overture to me or anyone else in my class. They were idols in my mind, and therefore infallible – truly an unfair position to have placed them in. But my point is, having strong feelings for a person, whether same sex or not, does not connotate “homosexual”. Going by JKR’s definition of homosexuality, I begin to question just what she truly saw DD’s “crush” to be.

Indeed, Dumbledore is the Christian ideal, a man who deals with his own “thorn in his flesh” in a way that is moral. He does not engage in activity that is sexually immoral. Have we not noticed the silence from the gay activists? Dumbledore is the classic stereotype of the English private (public) school headmaster – knowing Jo’s sense of humor (which can be sublime), but for her strange political statements of late that frankly just don’t measure up to her own text, Dumbledore is a satire.

zr

On the matter of Dumbledore, Jo candidly states the following:

An air of incredulity descends on the room as if Rowling herself still can not believe this statement. She continues: “He’s a very old single man. You have to ask: why is it so interesting? People have to examine their own attitudes. It’s a shade of character. Is it the most important thing about him? No, it’s Dumbledore for God’s sake. There are 20 things that are relavant to the story before his sexuality.” Bottom line then: he isn’t a gay character; he’s a character that just happens to be gay. Rowling concurs wholeheartedly.

Albus Dumbledore was a celibate man with a same-sex-attraction episode in his youth.

You have to love the part where she says, “Every time I open my mouth, my life becomes more complicated.” File that under “Necessity of Continued Publicity for Potter, Inc.”

..well yes, and no. I will not discuss british political history here but this link gives a very brief summation of how the eighteenth century Whigs evolved into the Liberal Party:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Whig_Party

It was the Tories who evolved into the conservatives!!! (with apologies to John for being off-topic)