Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Enneagrams

The Enneagram (any-a-gram; ennea is Greek for nine, and gram means drawing) is a circle enclosing nine equidistant points connected by nine intersected lines. This symbol has its roots in the Middle East in ancient spiritual traditions.
As we know it today, the Enneagram is a vital link between the psyche and the spirit. It is a conceptual system, a theory of personality types that is complex and sophisticated, and yet is a sensible and easily understood tool for self-discovery. The nine points represent the ways in which the nine different personality types perceive and defend their realities.
The types are distinguished by unconscious motivations and preoccupations which produce patterns of perception, feeling, and behavior which can be gifts or obstacles to the personality. EnneaEx has over twenty four years of combined experience in Enneagram research, training, and study.


The Wisdom, Power & Gifts of the Enneagram
The wisdom of the Enneagram is that it recognizes nine very different yet inherently valid views of reality.
The power of the Enneagram is that it is a profound and comprehensive tool to harness and transform self-defeating behavior into life-enhancing personal empowerment.
The gift of the Enneagram is that through self-discovery, one can create and sustain meaningful and lasting relationships.

Perfecters like to excel in doing things well because they have high ideals. Uncomfortable with being criticized, they like to see themselves as good and right. Their strengths usually lie in their desire to be correct, conscientious, fair and honest. However, they can be limited by a tendency to be critical, judgmental and rigid. Their idealist thinking is guided by objective standards and based on principles. They are motivated by the need to be right and to avoid criticism. In relationships Ones are attracted to persons who lead good lives and value integrity and objectivity. They help others improve themselves. Intimacy develops when Ones respond more to their feelings and needs than to “shoulds.” They express affection in established ways at appropriate times and places. At work, they are generally task-oriented, methodical and hardworking. Their personality unfolds as they strive for excellence and rightness. Their sense of justice needs to be tempered by compassion.

Carers are motivated by love to help others. They like to see themselves as giving and supportive. Good listeners, they tend to be empathic, friendly and warm. However, because they are apt to be unaware of their own needs, they may find it difficult to say “No.” Their affective thinking reasons from the heart or feelings and focuses on the concerns of others. They are motivated by a need to care for and help others without being concerned about their own need to be nurtured. In relationships, Twos are drawn to persons in need whom they help in order to gain their acceptance and affection. They flatter others for their approval. Intimacy develops when Twos let their own genuine needs be met by others. They are strongly committed to relationships in which they feel wanted. Twos tend to be person - oriented, altruistic and generous in serving others. Their personality unfolds as they unselfishly fulfill the real needs of others. Their caring needs to be genuine so as to receive authentic love from others.

Achievers are motivated to succeed in efficiently reaching their goals. They like to think of themselves as worthwhile and desirable. Energetic and sociable, they are competitive and driven to get results. Obsessed with social status, they may sacrifice relationships for their career. Their enthusiasm and ability to communicate make them effective in public relations. Their practical thinking puts ideas into action by calculating the means used for achieving results. They are motivated by the need to succeed and avoid failure. They are attracted to people with prestige and to relationships in which they can perform effectively. Assertive with people, Threes like to be close to others when they are doing something or engaged in social activities. Their personality unfolds as they are productive while being loyal to others. They need to balance success with integrity.

Creators value introspection and sensitive awareness of their feelings and impulses. They see themselves as empathic and understanding. Desiring to be unique and genuine, they like to creatively express their feelings in both serious and humorous ways. The depth of their emotional experience enables Fours to appreciate art. They intuit others’ feelings as they listen to them at work or home. Their personalist thinking reasons according to what is personally meaningful to people and their feelings. In relationships, Fours, on the one hand, are drawn towards persons who appreciate them, and on the other, withdraw in the face of misunderstanding. Intimacy develops as Fours let go of past hurts and find the good in another person. Their personality unfolds as they become aware of their unique personal goodness just as they are. Their sensitive feeling needs to be balanced by rational thinking.

Observers are attentive to data, grasp and reflect on ideas, and explain situations in the light of theories. They think of themselves as knowledgeable and insightful. Their strengths lie in their logical and objective reasoning, uncontrolled by emotions. Tending to be out of contact with their feelings, they are not apt to become fully involved in the social world, or take action on their ideas. Their analytic thinking observes situations, reasons logically and explains problems in clear concepts. They are motivated by the desire to know as much as they can and avoid ignorance. Since Fives tend to be emotionally detached in relationships, they are more comfortable sharing abstract ideas and thoughts rather than personal feelings. In their work, they make good facilitators as they summarize discussions and logically explain what is going on in groups. Their detached theoretical stance enables them to plan long-range projects. Fives’ personality emerges as they acknowledge the limitations of their knowledge before the wonders of life and the universe. Their thinking needs to be balanced by feeling.

Affiliators like to relate to persons within a partnership, family, team, or community. Secure in their bond with others, they are cooperative, loyal and reliable. They think of themselves as dependable and faithful. They respect honor, tradition, duty and obedience to the group to which they belong. Their authoritative thinking is based on some form of authority–leader, group-mind, tradition, or rules. They are motivated by the need to belong to a relationship and avoid disapproval and insecurity. Insecure feelings may lead to their being indecisive and overrelying on authority. Once they are committed to a relationship, Sixes are faithful and give of themselves. However, they may find it difficult to receive from others. In their work, they are dedicated to a task or mission and collaborate with others. Their personality is actualized as they befriend their fears and develop inner authority. Their fidelity needs to be directed more to the spirit of the law than to the letter of the law.

Cheerers are outgoing and spontaneous. Usually gifted with different skills and a variety of interests, they are enthusiastic in their enjoyment of life. They are optimistic as they look to the promising possibilities of the future. With a positive self-image, they are inclined to see themselves as happy. Usually on the go and fearful of pain, they may not appreciate the value of discomfort or suffering as a challenge and opportunity for personal growth. Their positive thinking considers new and different potentialities and plans for future enjoyment. They are motivated by the need to be happy and avoid unpleasant experiences. In relationships, Sevens are attracted to persons who enjoy life. By focusing on the pleasing features of a relationship, they manage problems and feel comfortable being close to other people. Ready to see the bright side of situations, they create a positive atmosphere for people to feel good at work. Their personality emerges as they manage their impulses and deepen their appreciation of the meaning of suffering. Their anticipation of the future needs to be balanced by an appreciation of the present.

Challengers are confident and easily assert themselves in deciding and taking action. They like to think of themselves as strong and powerful. They are fearless in grappling with problems and mobilizing people to get the job done. Eights tend to regard gentleness as a weakness. Their dialectical thinking dictates opposing opinions and forcefully puts forth ideas. They are motivated by the need to be self-determining and avoid submitting to others. Usually the dominant person in relationships, they feel safe being in charge. Intimacy develops when they are willing to be vulnerable in sharing their inner feelings. At work, Eights make natural leaders and welcome difficult tasks, especially those that pertain to justice. Their personality unfolds as they come in contact with the tender side of their nature. They need to balance their caring for strength with the strength of caring.

Accepters are easygoing and stable. They get along with most people they meet. They see themselves as calm and accepting. Their patience, gentleness and simplicity make other people feel comfortable and at ease with them. Their holistic thinking grasps similarities and plays down differences to unify different ideas into an harmonious whole. They are motivated by the need to live in unity and peace among conflicting parties. As Nines identify with persons in relationships, they tend to feel close to them. Low in energy, they are not apt to control others. Their gift of mediation enables them to harmonize differences within groups and make peace among conflicting parties. However, they may gloss over problems and play down disagreements in order to avoid conflict. Their personality is enhanced as they become energized and enthused about developing their potential, and directly confront life’s problems. Their desire for peace needs to be balanced by courage in facing the hard reality of conflicts.

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