Enneagram - An Overview

In my previous post, I shared about my discovery of the Enneagram. Just to review, the Enneagram is a tool that helps you unlock and understand yourself better. Ian Cron, co-author of the book "The Road Back To You," says this: "By challenging us to bravely explore who we really are, the Enneagram helps us recognize and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior and to become our most authentic selves."

Fransican priest, Richard Rohr, explains the Enneagram like this: "The Enneagram is not just a personality typing system. Yes, there are tests and quizzes that help you identify your primary Enneagram type, but that is often just the first step. This tool is meant to help you over a life-long journey." He goes on to explain, "While self-discovery is important, it is not the Enneagram’s final objective. The Enneagram’s purpose is to help us uncover the traps that keep us from living fully and freely as our True Self so that we will use our unique, authentic gifts for the good of others and the world."

Heavy stuff, huh?

It would seem that way, especially when you consider that the first time you ever see the Enneagram it looks quite simple. It's really just a circle with numbers and arrows. Some people think it looks mystical, ancient or even demonic, because it looks like a pentagram. In fact, the Enneagram is quite literally a 9-sided polygon (enneagram).  As you dive into the meaning of the numbers and arrows you discover that the Enneagram accomplishes what Cron and Rohr describe by introducing the student to nine human archetypes or as I like to think: nine different ways that we interact with the world around us.

But, it's much more than just nine numbers. Each point on the Enneagram is associated with a personality type. The number has a corresponding title which describes the role that number type plays out in life. (i.e. looking at the graphic above, it's easy to see that a Type 1 on the Enneagram is titled "The Perfectionist or The Reformer"). Depending on the source of your study, you can also discover that each number on the Enneagram also contains a basic fear, a basic desire, a virtue and a vice. Do I have your interest piqued yet? Wait, there is even more...

Each number on the Enneagram is also related to the numbers on each side. Those are called wings. (For example, looking again at our graphic. The Perfectionist/Type 1 either has a 9-wing or a 2-wing). I'll get into this eventually, but for now it's important to know that very few people are dead center. The truth is we probably lean from our number to one of our two neighboring wings.

If that isn't enough, each number has two more corresponding points. On the graphic above, this is depicted as arrows pointing to and from the type you identify with. These arrows indicate where you go in stress and security. If we keep with the example of The Perfectionist/Type 1, you will see an arrow that comes from Type 7 and an arrow pointing to Type 4. What this means is that when a Type 1/Perfectionist is stressed, they begin behaving like an unhealthy Type 4 and when a Type 1/Perfectionist is seeing secure growth, they will begin to behave like a healthy Type 7.

Lastly, the Enneagram types are split into three triads. Types 2, 3 and 4 live in the Feeling/Heart Triad. Types 5, 6, and 7 live in the Thinking/Head Triad. Types 8, 9 and 1 live in the Reacting/Gut Triad.

This is way more than some of you need to know as an introduction, but my point is that the Enneagram is way more than just a number. Finally, the more you study these connections, the more you will understand how the Enneagram does not tell you what you ARE, but what you ARE NOT. It describes the masks you use to interact with the world. It exposes your phoniness and the ways you bury who you really are. It is a tool on your path to self-discovery.

In the next post I want to share how a simple one-day conference not only convinced me of the power of self-discovery, but how it started to undo me personally. Any guesses as to what number/type I am? Let me know in the comments below.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

The Enneagram

The Who C.S.I. Miami

"Hey Fletch. Do you and Kendra want to go to an Enneagram conference this weekend?"

Little did I know what this simple request would create in my life. For several months, our adult children had been taking their own journey around the Enneagram with their church and school communities. Kendra and I each arrived at the this "tool of spiritual folklore" that helps  you discover human archetypes and character structure. All of this led to us agreeing to attend a day-long conference that focused on 'Knowing Your Number' and learning how the Enneagram helps you relate to yourself, to others and to God.

For me, it began a helpful, insightful (and sometimes painful) path of self-discovery that comes through studying the Enneagram, which has been described as an ancient body of wisdom that identifies nine core personality types and describes how each sees and interacts with the world. 

We spent a good portion of our Saturday being led through each of the 9 types by a trained Enneagram guide. Life changing? More than you know. It's been over a month and I continue to be blown away by the uncanny accuracy of this simple tool. I've been challenged to bravely consider and explore who I really am and the personality (or mask) I choose to wear.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
When we were in college most of our closest friends took the Myers-Briggs test. For those of my readers familiar with that test, you will understand what I mean when I say that for the past 30 years we've used those 4 letters to help us explain who we are and how we relate to others. If you are wondering, I test as an ENTP (Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving). On the silly Star Wars chart, I relate mostly to R2-D2. Truthfully, the MBTI was a great tool over the years, but nothing too deep. It was just a label to share with others and more than anything it helped us recognize that Kendra is an introvert and I am an extrovert, but it really ended there for us.

“The first step toward finding God, Who is Truth, is to discover the truth about myself: and if I have been in error, this first step to truth is the discovery of my error.”

— Thomas Merton

Over the years, I've also taken a variety of other personality indicators, but NOTHING has been more accurate or helpful as my recent study of the Enneagram to actually help me recognize and overcome unhealthy patterns of behavior or to work on becoming a more authentic version of myself.

I've always been intrigued by the psychology of decision making and why people choose behaviors that are either addictive and destructive. As I've dug into my study of the Enneagram, I've been told: The Enneagram will find you. That's the case with me. I feel like I've been given a window into my past and a better explanation for why I make the decisions in life that both harm and help me. The MTBI, DISC assessment, and Strength Finders did not offer this uncanny insight. So, what is it?

Initially, the Enneagram can become a bit addictive, especially when you begin to uncover aspects of your life you've chosen to ignore and realize where you park stuff in the shadows that you don’t want to face in real life.

Slowly, I've begun to discover the repetitive patterns in my life that I have used to respond to stress. To put it into familiar terminology, I am on the first steps of self-discovery. If you know anything about me, you will know that I don't want to get too deep. Let's keep everything up here on the surface people! No one gets hurt if you dig too deep. Right? If you don't know that about me, that's because I would never tell you! Ha Ha!

My favorite thing about the Enneagram is that it doesn't just reveal the messy corners of life, but it reveals that you have both a beautiful side and a dark shadow side to your personality. The strength of your personality can also be loaded with coping mechanisms. The Enneagram also provides suggestions on how to move to the healthy side of your personality.

Thankfully, there are several new resources available to students like me who want to learn more. From podcasts, to books, to websites, to newly written songs, it is easy to dive in and begin the process of self-discovery.

“The Enneagram is a tool that awakens our compassion for people just as they are, not the people we wish they would become so our lives would become easier.”

— Ian Cron, The Road Back To You

In the next few weeks, I plan on writing through what I've learned and how I think the Enneagram can help us live more clearly in light of the gospel. I plan on writing openly and transparently about what I've learned about myself and how every point in life has led me to this point. I also hope to share how the Enneagram has revealed to me why we should provide heaps of grace to others who process and deal with the world differently. Good stuff coming! I promise!

Lastly, there are many Christians who read my blog who don't have any idea what I'm talking about, but they've googled what the Enneagram is and have turned me off because they think the Enneagram looks mystical (or like a demonic pentagram). Because it dives into the psychology of the human mind, others have written it off because it goes "outside of scripture" to provide help. That's okay! I don't fault you. I would have done the same, but as God continues to reveal to me who I am through His word, the Enneagram serves as one of the tools that helps pry open some of the parts I've hammered closed. Hang in there with me, maybe you'll find some help you didn't know that you needed.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

The Fletchifesto Complete

For the past two years, I have been slowly blogging my way through my favorite life-quotes. This whole thing actually began when I had them graphically designed into my personal manifesto that I call: The Fletchifesto. I had it made into a poster for my office so I read it everyday. I also created some personal postcards that I enjoy handing out to different people I meet.

It has been great to blog through what I think is important and what I believe in. I tried to podcast through these points and I might get back to doing that too (I still have a few ideas up my sleeve of how to have fun with the Fletchifesto - we'll see what develops).

Now that I'm done, I wanted to create one place where they were all easily found. If you are interested in reading back through any of them again, you can pick and choose through the list below. They are listed in reverse order from wh

Below is the compilation of all the quotes and links to their individual blog post in one location