Ennea-what?
Yes, the Enneagram. It is a personality test! And guess what... There is lots of information about the enneagrams online. Check out the links below.**
To get you started though, I will provide a quick overview the Enneagram. Sure, it sounds too simple. Only 9 types of people in the world? But stay with me for a little bit. This stuff is totally interesting.
Where did the Enneagram come from? Is
it scientific? Some
scholars have traced it back as far as 10,000 years. This oral tradition
has been thought to be intricately woven into the Kabbalah, and
most recently believed used by Sufi mystics. This sacred information
was given to the West only recently and refined by psychologists
(1960's and 70's), who synthesized it into its present form. Although
many books have been written about the Enneagram, most teachers
believe it can still only be learned through the oral tradition.
However, books can give helpful background information to augment
oral teachings. In the last few decades, the system has undergone further
change, incorporating modern psychological ideas in the writings of Naranjo,
Helen Palmer, Kathy Hurley/Theodorre Donsson, and Don Riso/Russ Hudson.
What is the Enneagram useful
for? The Enneagram is mainly a
diagnostic tool of one's emotional outlook on life. It will not cure
one's problems, but may help point out their underlying fixations. It is
also useful as a guide to how other people see the world differently. The
Enneagram has become particularly popular within the self-help and personal
growth movements, but other professions use it as well, including therapists,
teachers, psychologists, managers, and businesspeople.
How do I find my Enneagram type? There are a number of tests. The most
accurate (and cheapest) may be the Essential Enneagram Test, by David Daniels. But ultimately the best way to determine your location on the
Enneagram spectrum is to understand the system, and understand yourself.
The tests will take you only a small part of the way toward that goal.
Which Enneagram Point or type is the best to be?
No
point is better or worse than any other. Like us, they are just
different. And as you continue to explore, you find that there are
many flavors of each point, and subtypes, and on and on.
Doesn't the Enneagram just put people into boxes? Actually it's the other way around, as Riso points out: the Enneagram shows you what boxes to get out of. Most people are not aware of their own fixations, or how powerfully they affect our consciousness.
Is your
Enneagram type your whole personality? No, even though well-meaning, enthusiastic
Enneagrammers may give that impression. Tom Condon has remarked that
one's Enneagram type is analogous to one's national origin - i.e. it is part of
one's identity, while still leaving considerable room for individual variation. The Enneagram system types people into one of these nine types:
Type 1. The Perfectionist / Reformer
Type 2. The Giver / Helper
Type 3. The Performer / Achiever / Motivator / Status Seeker
Type 4. Tragic-Romantic / Individualist / Artist
Type 5. The Observer / Investigator / Thinker
Type 6. The Devil's Advocate / Loyalist / Loyal Skeptic
Type 7. The Epicure / Enthusiast / Generalist
Type 8. The Boss / Challenger / Leader
Type 9. The Mediator / Peacemaker
**Want to learn more about Enneagrams?
Check out the following websites:
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