New Series: Enneagram 101

What is the Enneagram?

Today we begin a series on the Enneagram, a tool I have used for over twenty years for personal growth and self improvement.

My goal for this series is that by the end you will have a general understanding of the Enneagram as a tool to help you clarify your calling and better live out the adventure that awaits you. (Full disclosure, I don’t know how long the series will go, but likely somewhere between 7-12 posts over the coming two weeks.)

It’s unreasonable to think that you could receive a full understanding of how to fully use the tool in this format.

It has historically been experienced best through a one-on-one coaching relationship.

That said, I believe we can get to a place where you understand it well. You may decide to move forward on your own after this series to learn more about.

Below are some important things to know before we dive in.

1. You can trust me, to a point. :) I’ve used and lived with this tool for two decades. I’ve read many books on it, received training and coaching on it and have been in monthly Enneagram discussion groups for years. That said, I am not formally trained or sanctioned by any specific training institution.

2. Like everything else in the world, there are differences in opinion around certain aspects of where the Enneagram came from, how to best use it, what it really means, etc. I will do my best to point those out when it seems important, but I will default to my personal biases along the way.

3. Remember this is just a tool! It isn’t perfect. It’s not magic. It’s not science. It’s a tool that has evolved over centuries based on patterns in human behavior. The George E.P. Box quote is important to remember as we study this: “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” He was speaking as a statistician, but it applies to this fully. It’s useful, not perfect.

4. The Enneagram is different that other personality assessments in two key ways.

   1. It looks at your motives, not your actions. The tool is anchored in the belief that we are all working to compensate for a specific early-formed weakness, wound or insecurity. The tool helps us see what that is to give us the gift of self-awareness as to why we are the way we are.

   2. The tool expects you to change. While your primary “type” won’t change, the tool exists to show you how to “move around the enneagram” and become a more well-rounded, intentional person. The goal is not to know what number you are so that you can use that as an excuse for your behavior. The goal is to know your type so that you can grow into a better, more nuanced and empathic human person.

5. Most of the free online assessments are untrustworthy, in my opinion. For centuries this work was done without assessments. I have found one assessment that I feel is mostly accurate, but it is rather expensive. I am going to see if I can get a reduced rate for those of you who want to do it, but trust me when I say that you can figure this out as we go. Assessments often put a label on you before you’re ready. It’s ok to go through this whole series and not have a strong conviction about what your type is. It’s ok to take your time.

6. Forget some of what you know. If you’ve been through an Enneagram assessment before, try to approach this with an open mind. You may find that you were mistyped before. I say this because it happened to me. I was typed as a “4” and lived that way for 12 years before I saw that I was actually a “7” with a different personality than most other 7s. Just be open to learning more about who you are as we go. Approach this series with curiosity, even if you are an armchair ennea-expert.

7. Do not type others. As you learn this, avoid the urge to type others in your life. Of course, you will think of people in your life as we learn about each of the nine types, but don’t read an article and go to your spouse and say something like, “You’re an eight, that’s why we fight” or whatever. Focus on you. Invite others in if you think it will help them, but this is for you not them.

Where did the Enneagram come from?

The modern Enneagram that is most commonly used today came from the work of Oscar Ichazo in the 1960s, but the concepts and truths behind it evolved from various ancient sources including Sufism, Buddhism, Greek philosophy, and both Jewish and Christian mystic traditions.

This is an area people enjoy arguing about, but the above is my best understanding of it. Our purpose here is quite pragmatic — how we can use this tool to help us grow. With that in mind, the origins are interesting, but less important than how it can serve us today.

Some basic vocabulary before we get started:

Like anything, the tool has it’s own language. Here are some of the basics:

1. Type. There are nine types, each representing the primary way a person interacts with the world. While people often give these types names, I try to simply use the numbers as I talk about them. Labeling the types can be nice shorthand, but it also creates issues for some. “Type” can be used as a noun or a verb - you can “type” yourself and also have a “type.”

2. Wings. The Enneagram is a continuum, which means you are likely to have some of the type on either side of you as part of your default setting. (Also, remember that it is a circle, so 1 follows 9.) A 3 with a 4 wing looks similar, but different, than a 3 with a 2 wing, for instance. You will often see this abbreviated with a “w” between the numbers. If someone says they are a 7w8, they are a seven type with an eight wing. Your wing MUST be adjacent to your type. You cannot be a 6 with a 9 wing, for instance. This is a common mistake people make. Also, some people are so squarely in the center of their type that the language of a “wing” isn’t helpful to them at all. You may not have a wing, per se.

3. Subtypes. Subtypes are incredibly important, but often overlooked. This is partially because they increase the complexity of the model by three times. There are only three subtypes, but everybody has one. The subtypes are 1:1 subtype (this used to be called “sexual” but has been changed recently because of obvious confusion around it), social subtype, and self-preservation subtype. Since a person can have any of the three subtypes and any of the nine types, there are actually 27 potential true types. It’s a lot. But hang with me! We got this. I promise. :)

4. Centers. The nine types are divided into three “centers.” This is simply about where the type resides in your person. The centers never change; they are..

   1. The “gut” or “body” center types are 8-9-1

   2. The “heart” center types are 2-3-4

   3. The “mind” center types are 5-6-7

5. Lines or Pathways. On the Enneagram model there are lines or pathways connecting each type to two non-adjacent types. Traditionally, one line was called “integration” — the pathway to growth. The other line was called “disintegration” — the pathway of stress. I think about the pathways a little differently these days, which I will explain later. For now, just think of them as two other types that you have “access to” when needed.

This concludes class for today, kids.

Review your notes at home tonight and we will have a pop quiz in the morning.

Tomorrow we will begin our study in earnest by looking at the three centers. You ought to be able to start making more personal applications then.

Looking forward to the journey.

- Joe (7w6, self-preservation)