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Helen Palmer explains that the Enneagram is one of the world's oldest models for understanding how people relate to each other and to the divine. Based on nine personality types, the Enneagram allows us to identify the central motivations of our own character, and the intentions of others.
The term "Enneagram" is derived from the Greek words "ennea" (nine) and "grammos" (graph). The nine pointed star graph indicactes nine views of the human condition, each of which is grounded in one of the traditional emotional passions described in sacred tradition. The system utilizes these nine motivational factors as its fundamental way of identifying differences between people.
The 9 Types
1. The Perfectionist
2. The Giver
3. The Performer
4. The Romantic
5. The Observer
6. The Devil's Advocate
7. The Epicure
8. The Boss
9. The Mediator
Try this test to determine your personality type!
-Excerpt from Palmer, H. (1995) The Enneagram Study Guide. Berkeley, CA: HarperCollins
georgie
10 Comments
At least you get a cup of tea out the process.
Basically, there's one big fat assumption under the Enneagram which is questionable, and that's that people have something that can be qualified as an underlying motivation, and that this motivation can express itself differently in different people.
If you accept this, then you could very easily come up with something like the Enneagram empirically; concoct a set of starting motivations, try them out against people, and keep adjusting them until you get something that fits; and look at the relationships between these motivations and how they arise in people. It doesn't necessarily make the Enneagram something spiritually fundamental or magical; it's just a system through which to describe people wherein people are grouped into 9 overlapping clusters.
There are some odd things in the Enneagram which kind of hint at weirdness, though. The symmetrical shape implies some kind of imposed organisation to the classifications, presupposing that someone constructed a 'profiling architecture', rather than just recording observations, which is theoretically how 'pure science' is done. In practise, though, most scientists don't just collect data and conclude based on it; they form theories, execute tests to validate or invalidate those theories, and iteratively adapt the theory to fit the data. In this kind of science, you usually see signs of human presumption, such as symmetry, artistic parallels, and so on. Evolution is an example of this; I think the Enneagram might be, too.
Having said that, though, we do seem to be hard-wired to look for beauty in our models. I sometimes wonder if this is a sign of God, or at least a sign that beauty is also a sign of truth in the natural universe...
P.S. I'm a 6, although I hadn't heard it referred to as the Devil's Advocate previously. The term for it that I relate more closely to would be 'loyalist' or 'troubleshooter'. Although I do also have a penchant for playing the devil's advocate, interestingly.
the ff. are excerpts from wikipedia....
The nine types
According to Enneagram of Personality theory the points of the Enneagram figure indicate a number of ways in which nine principal ego-archetypal forms or types of human personality (also often called "Enneatypes") are psychologically connected.
People of each Enneatype are usually referred to after the number of the point on the Enneagram figure (Eights, Fours, Sixes etc.) that indicates their particular psychological space and 'place' of connection to the other types. They are also often given names that suggest some of their more distinctive archetypal characteristics.
Brief descriptions of the nine Enneatypes are as follows:
Ones: Reformers, Critics, Perfectionists
People of this personality type are focused on personal integrity. Ones can be wise, discerning and inspiring in their quest for the truth. They also tend to dissociate themselves from their flaws or what they believe are flaws (such as negative emotions) and can become hypocritical and hyper-critical of others, seeking the illusion of virtue to hide their own vices. The greatest fear of Ones is to be flawed and their ultimate goal is perfection.
Ego fixation: resentment
Holy idea: perfection
Passion: anger
Virtue: serenity
Stress point: Four
Security point: Seven
Twos: Helpers, Givers, Caretakers
Twos, at their best, are compassionate, thoughtful and astonishingly generous but they can also be particularly prone to clinginess and manipulation. Twos want, above all, to be loved and needed and fear being unworthy of love.
Ego fixation: flattery
Holy idea: freedom
Passion: pride
Virtue: humility
Stress point: Eight
Security point: Four
Threes: Achievers, Performers, Succeeders
Highly adaptable and changeable. Some Threes walk the world with confidence and unstinting authenticity; others wear a series of public masks, acting the way they think will bring them approval and losing track of their true self. Threes are motivated by the need to succeed and to be seen as successful.
Ego fixation: vanity
Holy idea: hope
Passion: deceit
Virtue: truthfulness
Stress point: Nine
Security point: Six
Fours: Romantics, Individualists, Artists
Fours are driven by the desire to understand themselves and find a place in the world. They often fear that they have no identity or personal significance. Fours embrace individualism and are often profoundly creative and intuitive. However, they have a habit of withdrawing to internalize, searching desperately inside themselves for something they never find and creating a spiral of depression.
Ego fixation: melancholy
Holy idea: originality
Passion: envy
Virtue: equanimity
Stress point: Two
Security point: One
Fives: Observers, Thinkers, Investigators
Fives are motivated by the desire to understand the world around them, specifically in terms of facts. Believing they are only worth what they contribute, Fives have learned to withdraw, to watch with keen eyes and speak only when they can shake the world with their observations. Sometimes they do just that. However, some Fives are known to withdraw from the world, becoming reclusive hermits and fending off social contact with abrasive cynicism. Fives fear incompetency or uselessness and want to be capable and knowledgeable above all else.
Ego fixation: stinginess
Holy idea: omniscience
Passion: avarice
Virtue: detachment
Stress point: Seven
Security point: Eight
Sixes: Loyalists, Devil's Advocates, Defenders
Sixes long for stability above all else. They exhibit unwavering loyalty and responsibility, but once betrayed, they are slow to trust again. They are particularly prone to fearful thinking and emotional anxiety as well as reactionary and paranoid behavior. Sixes tend to to react to their fears either in a phobic manner by avoiding fearful situations or by confronting them in a counterphobic manner.
Ego fixation: cowardice
Holy idea: faith
Passion: fear
Virtue: courage
Stress point: Three
Security point: Nine
Sevens: Enthusiasts, Adventurers, Sensationalists
Sevens are adventurous and busy with many activities with all the energy and enthusiasm of the Puer Aeternus. At their best they embrace life for its varied joys and wonders and truly live in the moment but, at their worst, they dash frantically from one new experience to another, too scared of disappointment to actually enjoy themselves. Sevens fear being unable to provide for themselves or to experience life in all of its richness.
Ego fixation: planning
Holy idea: work
Passion: gluttony
Virtue: sobriety
Stress point: One
Security point: Five
Eights: Leaders, Protectors, Challengers
Eights value their own strength and desire to be powerful and in control. They concern themselves with self-preservation. They are natural leaders, who can be either friendly and charitable or dictatorially manipulative, ruthless and willing to destroy anything in their way. Eights seek control over their own lives and destinies and fear being harmed or controlled by others.
Ego fixation: vengeance
Holy idea: truth
Passion: excess (lust)
Virtue: innocence
Stress point: Five
Security point: Two
Nines: Mediators, Peacemakers, Preservationists
Nines are ruled by their empathy. At their best they are perceptive, receptive, gentle, calming and at peace with the world. They also, however, tend to dissociate from conflicts and to indifferently go along with others people's wishes. They may also simply withdraw and act via inaction. They fear the conflict caused by their ability to simultaneously understand opposing points of view and seek peace of mind above all else. Nines are especially prone to dissociation and passive-aggressive behaviour.
Ego fixation: indolence
Holy idea: love
Passion: laziness (sloth)
Virtue: action
Stress point: Six
Security point: Three
So, what is your type?
I think the on line will make it more easy.
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Just make your own self assesment. Maybe the on line is better
and gives a more accurate results but it is nevertheless cheaper.
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