The enigmatic Enneagram

By Roz Brown

      Let me start by saying the Enneagram isn't easy to write about. Not because this "personality profiling system" is complicated or difficult to grasp, but rather because it is shrouded in mystery, and draws such charged criticism from so many quarters. When a basic Internet query turns up prominent Catholics, Anglicans and Mormons calling it dangerous, immoral and rooted in the occult, something is going on. Especially when you consider that this personality-typing system is ranked just behind the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which is relatively mainstream. Much of the controversy lies in the association of the Enneagram with the philosopher Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff.

      Gurdjieff was also creator of The Fourth Way, a spiritual practice devoted to asking the questions central to life: Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life, and of human life in particular? To advance what he called "self-remembering," Gurdjieff incorporated an all-encompassing symbol called the Enneagram, which stood for the hieroglyphic of the universe.

      "Ennea" is Greek for nine and "gram" means a figure or something drawn. The Enneagram then is a nine-pointed star representing nine personality patterns. These distinct personality types are generalized as follows:

1. The Reformer wants to get it right and wants to help others do the same.

2. The Helper's importance is derived from helping others.

3. The Achiever is willing to work hard to succeed.

4. The Individualist spends time examining what makes him or her unique.

5. The Investigator seeks wisdom in order to be master of his or her universe.

6. The Loyalist is loyal to his or her group, but worries about who else can be trusted.

7. The Enthusiast is always making plans and seeking the best of possibilities.

8. The Challenger protects his or her own by exercising power and dominion.

9. The Peacemaker seeks harmony by making sure everyone is heard.

      So, where is the mystery when the Enneagram seems to be just another tool to understand our personality, much like astrology or numerology?

      For one thing, Gurdjieff died in 1949, and the Enneagram was not introduced until the 1960s. We know, however, that Gurdjieff studied Tibetan, Indian and Christian mysticism, and is said to have learned of the Enneagram in Afghanistan . From that point, a Chilean named Oscar Ichazo carried on Gurdjieff's insights into the meaning of life and developed the theory of the nine personality types. Ichazo taught the system to psychologist Claudio Naranjo, who introduced the now familiar Westernized version in the 1960s.

      There are, however, claims that the Enneagram diagram goes back to at least the 5th century BC. Some say the earliest roots can be traced to Babylon or somewhere in the Middle East . Others say the Sufis were the first to identify the nine points of energy, calling what is now known as the Enneagram, the "Face of God."

      Historical authenticity aside, how is this personality-typing system used and to what end? Gurdjieff believed that we all begin to act in rote, defensive manners because we lose connection to our underlying essence. Enneagram teachers say this tool provides understanding of ourselves and others to create a richer life that fosters not only compassion, but also better communication and effectiveness.

      Oscar Ichazo said, "The moment we know our type, we have observed ourselves in reality." Or as David Daniels, a psychiatrist and the author of the Stanford Enneagram Discovery Inventory and Guide (Mindgarden, 1998) puts it, "Embedded in each type is our basic belief about the world and how we live in it-not just the aspect of our underlying essence that has been most damaged, but also the corresponding path of healing. If you are fully developed, you can incorporate all nine types or points of view, rather than skewing toward just one."

      In other words, it's neither good nor bad to be a one, a four or a nine. It's just helpful to figure out what type you resonate with most-to determine your dominant energy and examine it. "Enneagram studies help us realize how our personal passions and compulsions operate, not just in ourselves but also in others," says Helen Palmer, a well-known psychic and author of The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and the Others in Your Life (Harper, San Francisco, 1988). "Once we move toward this understanding, it furthers our capacity for empathy, which can give rise to improved relationships."

      You can determine your personality type by taking a profiling test contained in most books about the Enneagram or at websites devoted to the topic. Your core type is modified, to a lesser or greater degree, by the Enneagram types directly on either side. These are called the "wings" of your type. So, if you determine that you're a number two, known as the helper, your wings are one and three-the reformer and the achiever. The wings modify your personality type and, in some cases, are more predominant at different stages of your life.

      Obviously Enneagram theory is intuitive rather than science-based, leaving the door wide open to skeptics. Still, after a lengthy discourse as to what is likely "false" about the Enneagram, the main author at Skeptics.com concludes, "I'll grant you that the Enneagram is probably more insightful than dozens of other types of therapies available in today's marketplace."

      So, if you thought Enneagram personality typing was just a fun Saturday afternoon sort of diversion that might clear out some behavioral cobwebs, you're partly right. But it may also be a powerful way to learn more about yourself, heal your past, understand your relationships and advance your personal journey.

Resources, local and beyond

. The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and the Others in Your Life by Helen Palmer (Harper, San Francisco, 1988)

. The Essential Enneagram: The Definitive Personality Test and Self-Discovery Guide by David Daniels and Virginia Price (Harper San Francisco , 2000)

. The Literary Enneagram: Characters from the Inside Out by Judith Searle (Metamorphous Press, 2001)

. The Nine Ways of Working: How to Use the Enneagram to Discover Your Natural Strengths and Work More Effectively by Michael J. Goldberg(Marlowe & Co, 1999)

. www.authenticenneagram.com

. www.enneagramcentral.com

. www.enneagraminstitute.com

. www.internationalenneagram.org

. www.similarminds.com