7 Things You Need to Know About the Enneagram
If you’ve been poking around social media or listening to podcasts in the last few years, you may have heard about the Enneagram. As a life coach committed to helping women grow into being who God made them to be, I’ve loved using this tool for self-awareness and emotional growth. But if you haven’t heard of it or have more questions than answers, keep reading as we cover 7 things you need to know about the Enneagram.
1 | What is it?
We’ll start at the beginning. The word Enneagram can be split into two: “ennea” means nine, and “gram” means map or drawing. To cut to the chase, the Enneagram is a map of nine ways of seeing (something we call lenses) and interacting with the world. The nine different perspectives can reveal why you think, feel, and behave in certain ways.
2 | Where does it come from?
The Enneagram has been handed down orally from many centuries, so there are a lot of different theories of where it comes from. For a complete history, you can read Richard Rohr’s The Enneagram: A Christian perspective. The theory I ascribe to asserts that 4th century Egyptian monastics developed the Enneagram by combining psychological and spiritual practices. The Enneagram tool was handed down orally and used by spiritual directors to help their clients find clarity on who God is and their next steps. Two South Americans, Claudio Narajano and Oscar Ischazo brought the Enneagram to the United States and began teaching students - which resulted in published books and the spread in popularity from there.
3 | How does it help us?
The Enneagram can help us thrive in our relationship with God, ourselves and others, and it does this in three ways.
Helps us cultivate self-awareness
Help us develop a unique, personal growth plan
Helps us move into relationships with compassion as we begin to understand the motivations of those we care about
4 | Foundational Triads
The Enneagram is based on some foundational triads, the most central of these are the Centers of Intelligence. Your center of intelligence is based on how you perceive information and your Enneagram type is typically determined due to an overuse of one of the intelligence centers.
Gut Center: The gut intelligence center perceives information through their gut or instincts. These types are action oriented and typically do first, and think and feel later. Types 8, 9, and 1 are in this intelligence center, and as a whole, they desire justice and struggle with anger.
Feeling Center: The feeling or heart intelligence center perceives information through their feelings. Each of these types has an intuitive radar and can pick up the feelings of others when they walk in a room, and they use this to make decisions. Types 2, 3, and 4 are in the feeling center, and as a whole, desires significance and can struggle with shame.
Thinking center: The thinking or heard center perceived information through thinking and mental analysis. These types tend to desire security, support, and safety -- and they can struggle with anxiety. Types 5, 6, and 7 are in this intelligence center
5 | The Nine Types
The Enneagram is made up of nine types or nine lens through which we see the world. Each type is both a number and has a descriptive name and can be used interchangeably.
Type 1: The Reformer
Type 2: The Helper
Type 3: The Achiever
Type 4: The Individualist
Type 5: The Investigator
Type 6: The Loyalist
Type 7: The Enthusiast
Type 8: The Challenger
Type 9: The Peacemaker
6 | How to find your type
Finding your dominant type can take some time, and be a little tricky. It’s best to slow down, get to know yourself, and enjoy the journey. As you consider identifying your dominant type, there are four things we want to pay attention to:
Core Fears | The basic fear that motivates our behavior much more than anything else
Core Desires | The basic belief that if I do this, then I will be okay.
Core Weaknesses | Also known as your core emotional struggle
The Message our hearts long to hear | Your childhood message
7 | How do you use it
It’s such a great question that I get asked all the time. The place I always start is always with identifying your type. After that, I’d start to learn more about the lines and arrows. If you look at the Enneagram map, you’ll see lines going across the map. One line is a stress arrow, and each type has a number that begin to look like when they are under stress. For instance, a type 7 starts to look a little like a type 1 under stress focusing on getting the details just right and perfecting their work. The other main arrow is a growth arrow. Each type starts to look like the healthy side to another type as they grow (for instance, a type 1 begins to take on the joy and spontaneity of a type 7)
Your made it! Seven things you should know about the Enneagram. Think of it as Enneagram 101. If you’re just getting started, then you’re in the right place. Follow along on Instagram @onefootcoach for more information on the different types and more about the Enneagram. And if you’re an old pro, I’d love to hear how the Enneagram is helping you grow spiritually and emotionally in the comments below.