understanding your Enneagram type

welcome to the Enneagram personality program. this program is a basic introduction to personality as seen through the Enneagram. the Enneagram seems to have originated in ancient Greece and became a narrative tradition of human capacity within the 12th century Sufi traditions. in the last century, through the work of spiritual teacher, Gurdjieff, and philosopher, Oscar Ichazo, the system became public. finally, through the work of psychiatrist, Claudio Naranjo, it became the system that is currently used.

we suggest that you read reflectively, keeping some of the following questions in your mind:

• what do i like about this type, and how much of it do i recognize in myself?
• what do i find hard about his type? what are the reactions this kind of behavior evoke in me?
• what are my strengths?
• what do i need to watch for?

what is personality?

a fundamental basis of language is the distinction between subject (“i”) and object (“you,” “other,” “thing”). we speak this way, and consequently we perceive reality to be outside us. we conceptualize reality, and then see reality as the concept. think of what we call a river. we see it as a “thing” or object, rather than an interdependent process in nature. can you put your foot into the same river twice? in truth, no. because the river is not the same river, from moment to moment. in the same way, you are not the same you, from moment to moment.

we feel our sensations are caused from the outside — “the sound i hear is made by the bird.” when we examine our experience closely, it becomes obvious that this is not true. we create our sensations, emotions, feelings, and perceptions — not in the sense of putting something out there or wishing it into existence, but in the sense of interpreting, through the organism’s capacity. sight is created through the visual cortex, of which the eye is only the external organ. if the eye could see, blind people would have sight, since they do have eyes. in fact, “i — through seeing — make the flower red,” which is why a color-blind person sees purple where i see green. we both call it green — because we’ve learned to — but we see it vastly differently. in the same way, we create our hearing. we cannot hear a dog whistle — it vibrates air at more than 20 kilohertz, a vibration that your auditory cortex cannot interpret or perceive. again, the physical ear is just the outer hearing receptor. the sound is there, and the dog’s ear can perceive it. we also sense things differently, so that a person with a high pain threshold, or someone who has adapted themselves to pain, will perceive their pain with more acceptance than you may yours.

we want outcomes and things, rather than relationship. we believe that our feelings are caused from the outside. so, we say, “you make me angry,” when in fact: “i became angry, because of my interpretation of what you’re doing.” not everyone will be angered by what you’ve done. the anger is my reaction to something which i cannot accept, and so the responsibility is mine.

this creator of sense-perceptions, emotions, and reasoning is what we call personality. we are, through habitual thought and emotion, interpreting reality the way we are. what we perceive says more about ourselves than it says about reality, or the other. so, when we explain our partner to another, we really say more about ourselves than about them — we speak all our preferences and all our fears.

just as we all share awareness, we all have a psychology. we personalize things. we give a personal identity to our experience and then believe that we are that person. this small person on the inside and that very big threatening world on the outside. and the essential ways in which this psychologized personality will reason and get stuck in emotion are determined by the personality type. one type may be very happy with disorder, whereas another might be enraged by it. what the one can allow within their personal experience, the other cannot.

layers of knowledge

whereas most type identifiers in psychology — for instance, the Myers-Briggs, DISC and Insights — would give us the ability to identify a personality type based on behavior, the Enneagram reaches deeper. at its heart is a trimergence of three intelligences — our action (or instinctual), emotional, and intellectual intelligences. together they are known as your tritype.

the Enneagram then digs deeper into nine different patterns or types of motivation, reasoning, and emotional needs and provides information about the unconscious fears, ego drivers, stress patterns, weaknesses, and strengths of each type. unlike other personality tests, the Enneagram also provides us with a clear pattern of growth and how to attain such growth within each of the nine types.

type is quality and nature of attention

complex sets of beliefs underlie and drive our behavior. we have a motivation for doing what we do. each type has different values and qualities, and these drive its reasoning, passion, and motivation.

numbers are typically used to define the personality, since there is no ranking between numbers. the circle is also not arbitrary — but expresses this equality. it is not better to be one type than another. adjacent types share some similarities, and at the same time, each type has its own unique qualities and unique challenges.

speaking styles

when one knows more about the different types, it becomes possible to identify the types through the way in which they speak. again, remember that each of these ways of speaking will be preferable to some, and difficult for others. when we become stronger in terms of our mindfulness, we can begin to recognize types by looking for the pattern in the other’s speech.

personal growth

our personality is not bad or wrong, but when we don’t know it well, or how to manage it, it can have very painful effects on ourselves and others. this often happens unintentionally, through a lack of understanding that different types interpret experience differently. when we become aware of the ways in which our personality may be hurtful to others, we become able to act with greater care.

the more self-aware we become, the more we may notice the differences between our own personality and other personalities. now our task becomes one of making space for both, and not seeing one as better than the other. realizing how we reason and feel, and how this is different from another, makes us more skillful at relating, and more able to love.

we also realize that others feel what they feel for a reason, just like we do. we recognize that while others may have the same needs as us, they may also have vastly different strategies for meeting these needs.

i am i, and you are you,
but if i want to get to know,
and love you,
it will mean moving beyond
my personal boundaries

trimergent intelligences

the human brain developed over millennia. what we share with our most distant predecessors — the reptiles — is a body intelligence which governs gut-instinct, movement, and survival. the reptilian brain is the oldest part of the developing brain, and learns through remembering negative experiences and the solutions to them. our fight, flight, or freeze reaction resides here. it is represented as the red part of the brain in the illustration below. everyone has a body intelligence, which allows them to sense things. this intelligence wants autonomy, and will use anger to control the situation. it therefore moves against others.

much later, the mammalian brain appeared (the green part in the illustration). humans share this brain with all other mammals. the mammalian brain is capable of feeling and knowing wellness. this is our feeling intelligence, including our dreams, our self-image, our intentions, and our needs. in humans, this feeling intelligence wants attention, and it can feel very deep shame. the feeling intelligence, therefore, moves towards others in order to satisfy its needs.

the latest development of the human brain added another layer, which we call the neocortex (the blue part in the illustration). this development gave rise to reasoning, deduction, analysis, and abstract thinking. our neocortex is where all our higher reasoning functions exist. this thinking intelligence works to create security by moving away from fear.

your tritype indicates the way the three intelligences work together in your personality. in each of the basic types, the highest score between type eight, nine and one would indicate your action type. the highest score between two, three and four, would be your feeling type. and the highest score between five, six and seven would be your thinking type.

healthy/unhealthy intelligences

each type has some very powerful and beautiful strengths. when it over-uses this strength, it becomes an overcompensation and an unhealthy form of functioning (just because i’m good with emotion, does not mean that i need to make everything emotional). when the type eight overuses its capacity to act, the excessive action becomes counterproductive. similarly, when the type two overuses its ability to empathize, it can become manipulative.

introvert/extravert

if you’ve ever wondered about your own balance of intro- and extraversion, the Enneagram makes it clear. each type has a typical form. but because we are a balance of the different types, our tritype gives us a clearer indication of the balance of introversion and extraversion in our personality.

the types that typically take reference from their internal experience (the introverted types) are types one, four and five. so, a tritype 145 would be the most introverted person. on the other hand, types eight, two and seven are typically associated with taking their references from their environment. these are the extraverted types. consequently, tritype 278 would be the strongest expression of extraversion.

the rest of us fall somewhere between those two points, and you can see where you lie by looking at your tritype. types three, six and nine are conflicted, which means they can either present as extravert or introvert. type nine typically expresses as introvert, type three as extravert, and type six as introvert in its phobic form and extravert in its counter-phobic form. we’ll look more deeply into those two forms later when we discuss type six.

if you are a 497 tritype, you are more likely to be introverted, because both the type four and type nine will have that quality. however, the introversion will be balanced by the extraverted energy of the type seven, which means that in certain situations you will be extraverted.

on the other hand, if you’re a 478, then it will be the most extraverted form of type four, because both types seven and eight are extraverted.

body or action types

each intelligence gives us strengths and challenges. although someone may be strong in the qualities of their type, they may not realize that behind the strength of the capacity lies the weakness of not knowing that they are overcompensating or overdoing what is good. so, although the body types have their strength in that intelligence (gut-knowing), they also have their weakness in the same intelligence (impulsivity).

types eight, nine and one are concerned with maintaining resistance to reality. they tend to have problems with aggression and repression. at some point in their early development each of these types felt that they could not assert their needs. this led to an underlying feeling of anger and need for autonomy. as a result, the type eight connects directly to its aggression, the type nine denies its aggression, and the type one represses and fears its own anger.

type 8 — the challenger

the powerful, dominating type

the type eight is called the challenger (different systems use different names to encapsulate the essence of each type). it is the powerful, dominating type, which is why they are often found in positions of leadership. challengers fear being controlled, seek independence, and demand autonomy. they protect themselves and those they regard as important, fiercely and intelligently. the type eight will not bow down to rules and will change them if necessary. the immature type eight is typically confrontational, argumentative, and angry. they can be demanding and bullying. they are often underestimated in terms of their resourcefulness and determination. you don’t want them as your enemy, as they can turn vengeance into an art.

maturing

as they mature, type eights become less controlling, more confident, and more principled. they make wonderful mentors and become gentle, guiding, and compassionate. here we have four leaders or public figures, who share the type eight personality. if you know a bit about them, it is easy to see how the type can present at very different levels of maturity.

from the left, they are: Gurdjieff (a spiritual teacher of the 20th century and partly responsible for bringing the Enneagram into use), Indira Gandhi, Saddam Hussein, and Donald Trump.

basic psychology

every type has a basic fear, which also drives its basic motivation. for the type eight the fear is to be harmed, controlled, or violated. this leads to their basic desire of self-protection, be it through power, acquisition, or raw anger.

type eights are motivated to protect themselves and those they care for. they want to be in control of their life, independent and self-reliant. the type eight values, or attaches to, qualities of strength, power, assertion, and independence, which also means that it represses its own vulnerability.

when threatened, this personality type will usually manipulate through domination and demand obedience. it is now expressing its unconscious passion or vice, which takes the form of lust or excess (desiring to possess and control, or excessively wanting things or experiences).

the main defense mechanism of this type is denial, which expresses as simply ignoring emotions, facts, or reality, and intimidating others to believe a different truth.

when the type eight goes into overcompensation, it is utterly unaware of its impact on people and the environment. it will also be confrontational, aggressive, and adversarial.

type 9 — the peacemaker

the easy-going, self-effacing type

the peacemaker, or type nine, is the easy-going, self-effacing personality type.

this type does not want big changes, pressure, or strong emotion to disrupt their peace. they will ignore, avoid, and sweep problems under the rug. inside them is a world of fantasy, idealization, and peace. they fear abandonment and try to ensure being included by accommodating others and situations. they can ignore their own agency and needs to the point of never becoming their own person.

indifference, avoiding choices, and procrastination are typical problems. type nines are resistant to change and may resist through passive-aggression.

maturing

the mature type nine has let go of indifference and can be a quiet strength to others. the personality is now trusting, very open, and welcoming. the type nine has become assertive and knows what it wants.

from left to right, our leaders or well-known people are Carl Jung (founder of analytical psychology), Morgan Freeman, Queen Elizabeth II, and Barack Obama.

basic psychology

for the type nine, the basic fear is of loss, separation, exclusion, or mental fragmentation. their basic desire is peace of mind and a sense of wholeness. the peacemaker is motivated by stability, harmony, and inclusion.

the type nine values peace of mind, and therefore rejects self-assertion. it sees itself as “nobody special” and easily narcotizes itself with any form of zoning out. they can be completely unaware of how their indecision or passive aggression can create difficulty for others.

type 1 — the reformer

the rational, idealistic type

type one is the rational, idealistic type. type ones typically have strong inner critics, and struggle with confidence as a result. their behavior is usually guided by a chosen set of values or beliefs. in their immature form they are very much the evangelist on a mission. they are passionate about their convictions and believe in honesty, justice, and fairness. however, they can be blind to their own judgment and fundamentalism.

maturing

the mature type one is no longer judgmental or fundamentalist, but deeply discerning. they have integrity and understand the imperfection which is part of perfection.

our leaders here are Margaret Thatcher, Osama Bin Laden, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. when one reflects on the differences between Bin Laden and Gandhi, you also get a strong sense of the importance of maturing.

basic psychology

type ones fear being corrupt, imbalanced, or somehow defective, and strive to be good, integrous and balanced. motivated by integrity, fairness, and excellence, type ones value objectivity and moderation, rejecting indulgence and self-interest. when stressed, type ones may manipulate through correcting others, and when distressed may show angry resentment. this personality type defends through reaction-formation, which means that they present or behave in a way that is the opposite of what they’re feeling. in their immature form, they can be unaware of their strident nature or hypocrisy.

feeling types

just as the action types can overdo their impulse, the feeling types can overdo their emotions. types two, three and four are concerned with self-image, or how they are perceived by others. somewhere in their early childhood they experienced a deep sense of losing their value or identity. as a result, feeling types easily feel shame, which prompts them to work harder at providing the “right image.” fearing being worthless and ashamed, they strive to be of value.

type twos create their value through tending to the needs of others, type threes through adopting the image that is culturally designated to be successful, and type fours through an identity that is worthy because of its uniqueness.

type 2 — the helper

the caring, interpersonal type

type two is the caring, interpersonal type. they believe in reciprocity and therefore give to others what they want most themselves. they typically have difficulty identifying their own needs but are able to discern others’ needs easily. they can love you into submission, and in their immature form be experienced as intrusive or manipulative. it is difficult for them to understand that unsolicited help is not “help.”

maturing

the more mature type two lets go of manipulative love, and starts seeing the other’s real need rather than the projection of their own needs. they no longer try to fix everybody and instead start truly helping. because they now have more clarity on their own boundary, they support in a way that is deeply compassionate to the other, but also only according to the needs of the other. at the same time, their self-love increases, and they realize that they do not need to work for or earn love.

our examples are Paramahansa Yogananda (Vedanta teacher) Monica Lewinsky, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Desmond Tutu, who was instrumental in the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa.

basic psychology

type twos fear being unwanted, and desires to be loved. they offer themselves fully to the other and believe in kindness, compassion, and love. however, they are often not in contact with their own needs, and easily project those onto others. they want to be your special friend and want you to depend on them. when stressed they can manipulate by creating a co-dependence and will secretly feel pride about their value or capacity to love. what they are not aware of is the repression of their own needs, and their intent, which might be visible to others.

type 3 — the achiever

the success-oriented, pragmatic type

the type three is the success-oriented, pragmatic type. the archetypal Entrepreneur, the achiever strives to be the perfect image of success in the eyes of the other, because then they feel valued. underlying the personality is a deep fear of failure, and therefore it presents as highly comparative and competitive. the personality may use humor to amuse and distract, and it may be very difficult to get to see who they really are. the achiever is the chameleon of the personality types. it is when they start realizing that they are sought by others for what they “do,” rather than for who they are, that the achiever starts maturing.

maturing

when they mature, type threes move from only doing to being. they begin to see that they have value just because of who they are, and that they do not have to take on a persona or function. where they previously would have been vain, they are now modest and charitable, seeing people as humans rather than roles, and being more connected to feeling world.

our leaders or public figures are Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Condoleeza Rice, and Bill Clinton.

basic psychology

type threes fear being worthless or not valued, and therefore adopt behavior that will make them popular amongst others. they’re deeply motivated by success and admiration and tend to serve values like self-development and desirability. they do well in the corporate world because they can work so hard to attain the right status or image. when threatened or stressed, they may adapt their image and cut corners to achieve outcomes. they can become very deceptive towards themselves and others and may be completely out of contact with their own feelings.

type 4 — the individualist

the sensitive, introspective type

type four is the sensitive, introspective type. they are often very creative but can have difficult relationships with others. their emotional intensity makes them very dramatic, and they can want intimacy and push it away at the same time. the immature type four feels itself very much as a victim of circumstance, and they typically report difficult childhoods. they feel misunderstood, too deep for others, and unconventional. they may retreat into fantasy and unproductivity, and experience sad and dark moods, with spells of self-indulgence. in despair, they may commit suicide.

maturing

when individualists mature, they let go of their need for uniqueness and realize their common humanity. they are capable of deep self-revelation, have deep self-awareness, and find their uniqueness in simply living. in their mature form they typically have an area of expertise and will be deeply creative in fulfilling this role.

our figures are Amy Winehouse, the composer Chopin, Leonard Cohen, and Frida Kahlo.

basic psychology

the type four fears having no identity or personal significance, and therefore compensates by wanting to express itself uniquely. it is deeply motivated by its own inner experience and beauty, valuing creativity, self-expression, and introspection. when stressed they manipulate through being temperamental and hyper-sensitive. they feel deeply envious of those whom they believe to be better at achieving what they want, and easily identify with failure, sorrow, and feelings of lacking.

thinking types

as we’ve seen with the other two intelligences, the thinking types have their strengths in thinking, and also their overcompensations and reactions. instead of anger or shame underlying their intelligence, the thinking types feel strong anxiety and a need for support, safety, and guidance. somewhere in their childhood, they suffered disconnection or deep insecurity, and this led to a disconnection with trusting their own inner guidance. they therefore tend to engage in actions and reasoning which they believe will enhance their safety and security.

the type five does this through finding security in knowledge, type sixes in anticipation or foresight, and type sevens in being preoccupied in the world and reframing difficult experiences to avoid negative emotions.

type 5 — the investigator

the intense, cerebral type

type five is the intense, cerebral type of the Enneagram. they spend more time watching the world, or learning about it, than participating in it. they form many understandings and mental models, which help them feel in control of reality. type fives are typically highly independent, and because of their fear of not being enough or having enough, may live with reduced physical needs. they are also private and dislike intrusion and surprise. they may see themselves as superior to others due to their intellectual understanding, and when unhealthy, may become deeply isolated.

maturing

maturing type fives let go of an exclusively cerebral approach to life and begin opening up to their emotions and those of others. they become more spontaneous and participative without losing their capacity to see patterns and trends. they are typically experts in their field.

famous type fives include people like Albert Einstein, Eckhart Tolle, Bill Gates, and Julian Assange.

basic psychology

type fives fear being overwhelmed or incapable, and therefore try to be competent through knowledge and preparation. they are deeply motivated by knowledge and protecting their feelings and level of energy. when stressed they may manipulate through preoccupation and detachment, not taking emotions or others’ needs into account. their defense — isolation — does not only refer to physical isolation, but their ability to isolate and become preoccupied only with the intellectual aspects of experience.

type 6 — the loyalist

the committed, security-oriented type

the type six is our committed, security-oriented type. they typically seek confirmation from outside themselves. this can be in the form of a person, institution, or a belief system. the more support they experience from others, the more secure they feel. the loyalist has a complex relationship with authority and, as much as it needs confirmation from others, can be deeply doubtful of authoritarians and bosses. when triggered, they can be powerfully blaming, because they believe that if they can prove you wrong, they must be right. because their source of guidance and self-worth are typically externalized, they can also have a sense of persecution and paranoia.

type six typifies our fight/flight/freeze reactions. they typically present as either phobic or counter-phobic. counter-phobic type sixes do not display anxiety and present more like daredevils. their strategy for dealing with fear is to directly challenge it and grow their strength in that area. adrenalin junkies who engage in dangerous forms of sport are often counterphobic type sixes.

maturing

maturing type sixes build a deeper relationship with themselves and stop believing that they need others in order to be secure. their intuition replaces their doubt, and they become self-reliant and courageous.

famous sixes include Jiddu Krishnamurti, Tom Hanks, Malcolm X, and Sigmund Freud. Stalin and Hitler were both probably counter-phobic type sixes.

basic psychology

type sixes fear being without support, and therefore create relationships of belonging and loyalty. they value trust, cooperation, and commitment. when reactive, they may test others’ loyalty and trust. deep anxiety arises when they feel without support. their defense is one we all know pretty well, namely projection: seeing our own feelings or beliefs in others.

type 7 — the enthusiast

the busy, fun-loving type

type seven is the busy, fun-loving type. they bring enthusiasm and energy to their environment. the enthusiast feels they have not always been nurtured, and now give nurturance to themselves. they are powerfully versatile, but can have great difficulty following through on details, because they’ve already moved onto the next big thing. at their worst, they can be deeply self-referencing and unable to listen to others. at the same time, they fear desperately being alone or being stuck in pain.

maturing

the maturing enthusiast learns to be with all experience. they no longer run away from negative experiences, instead discovering their richness. they become deeply grateful of their immediate experience.

our public figures are Steven Spielberg, Jacob Zuma, Richard Branson, and the Dalai Lama.

basic psychology

type sevens fear being deprived or trapped in difficulty and will do anything to satisfy their needs and distract themselves from negativity. freedom is their credo, and they value optimism, happiness, and being entertained. they are often unaware of their gluttony around having more experiences and will reframe negative experience so that it sounds more positive.

who am i? : tritype

we are all a mix of all the lines of the Enneagram, but if we want to work with ourselves and the limitations of our personality, it is helpful to work with all three intelligences. if you are aware of your tritype, you can imagine these three intelligences functioning together to make up your personality. so, if i’m an 837, my motivation will be governed by type eight, which is also be the way my action intelligence functions. my emotional intelligence functions like that of type three, and my thinking intelligence, mainly like type seven. each tritype is also an archetype, as it describes the kind of role i would be good at, in a work environment as well as relationship.

archetypes

here is a list of the possible archetypes and their names.

related content

Enneagram type 1

reformer, perfectionist, judge, crusader, critic perfectionists, responsible, and fixated on improvement, type ones are looking to make things better...

Enneagram type 2

helper, giver, caretaker, nurturer, advisor, type twos measure their worth by how helpful they are to others...

Enneagram type 3

achiever, performer, motivator, producer, type threes need to be validated in order to feel worthy...

Enneagram type 4

individualist, artist, romantic, mystic, over-analyzer, type fours tend to build their identities around their perception of themselves as being somehow different or unique...

Enneagram type 5

investigator, observer, thinker, sage, thinkers, who tend to withdraw and observe; people of this personality type essentially fear that they don't have enough inner strength to face life...

Enneagram type 6

loyalist, devil’s advocate, sceptic, guardian, rebel, conflicted between trust and distrust, type sixes essentially feel insecure...

Enneagram type 7

enthusiast, epicure, entertainer, optimist, adventurer, pleasure seekers and planners, in search of distraction, type sevens are essentially concerned that their lives be an exciting adventure...

Enneagram type 8

challenger, solution master, maverick, protector, taking charge because they don't want to be controlled, people of this personality type are essentially unwilling to be controlled...

Enneagram type 9

peacemaker, mediator, naturalist, accomodator, type nines essentially feel a need for peace and harmony...

Enneagram archetypes

there are 27 tritypes — patterns in which the different intelligences work together. these patterns are helpful for understanding what kind of work you would be happy in...