There are a number of personality typologies, including the Big Five, Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram. We particularly like the enneagram (meaning 9 points in Greek), and studied it in Spain many years ago – via an experiential ‘proto-analisis’ in the line of Claudio Naranjo – to establish our own enneatype and deepen our knowledge of the nine enneatypes.
It provides a powerful tool for self-knowledge and reveals our basic enneatype. Although we will likely see aspects of ourselves in all the enneatypes, we all have a dominant personality type. This dominant type develops in childhood and remains so throughout one’s life. While we of course need to avoid the dangers of categorising and labelling, and be constantly vigilant of any signs of reductionist thinking, discovering one’s own enneatype can be a true revelation. It helps us to understand ourselves better and also to understand others, especially those who are close to us and thus increase our ability to empathise.
Each type also has three subtypes or instincts – self-preservation, sexual and social – one of which is dominant in each individual and which can deeply affect how the dominant personality type manifests. There is a very significant difference, for example, between individuals with the same dominant enneatype six but with a self-preservation or sexual subtype. This means that there are 27 personality subtypes.
Each of the nine types have both unique qualities and specific shortcomings, and they also manifest in a spectrum of healthy to unhealthy forms that are related to ‘levels of development’ (Riso and Hudson) or stages or structures of consciousness (integral theory, one of the three integrative metatheories that new axial vision draws on). The enneagram is a ‘horizontal’ typology and is just one part of our psyche, which is made up of myriad components all interacting with and affecting each other. Among these components are different parts or aspects or subpersonalities, which gestalt therapy and IFS address, and also structures of consciousness, which integrative metatheory and our focus on the ‘developing self’ address. It is important to place the nine horizontal personality types of the enneagram together with the ‘vertical’ stages of consciousness and this broader context of the psyche so that we can gain a more comprehensive and accurate picture of ourselves.
Oscar Ichazo’s original modern construction of the enneagram drew on the mystical traditions of the axial religions and on axial Greek thought, Plotinus and Neo-Platonism, all important influences of the new axial vision. He pointed to nine Holy Ideas which in the ego / personality become distorted into nine ego-fixations (e.g. faith to cowardice in enneatype 6); and nine virtues that become distorted into nine passions (e.g. humility to pride in enneatype 2).
For a brief summary of each enneatype read this description and watch here.