"It may not be possible just yet to know where humanity is going, but if the Enneagram accelerates our awakening, then it will have profound and far-reaching effects. If even a few hundred individuals awakened and began to live fully conscious lives, the history of the world undoubtedly would change.
"Transformation happens when our ordinary perspective shifts and we attain a new understanding of who we really are. We must remember, however, that awareness of who we really are happens–as do all moments of grace–only always now. When all is said and done, this is the wisdom of the Enneagram."
–From p. 382 of The Wisdom of the Enneagram
Don Riso and Russ Hudson, 1999
The Stages of the Work
If we were to really observe ourselves,
we would become aware of our habits.
If we were to become aware of our habits,
we would let go and relax.
If we were to let go and relax,
we would be aware of sensations.
If we were to be aware of sensations,
we would receive impressions.
If we were to receive impressions,
we would awaken to the moment.
If we were to awaken to the moment,
we would experience reality.
If we were to experience reality,
we would see that we are not our personality.
If we were to see that we are not our personality,
we would remember ourselves.
If we were to remember ourselves,
we would let go of our fear and attachments.
If we were to let go of our fear and attachments,
we would be touched by God.
If we were touched by God,
we would seek union with God.
If we were to seek union with God,
we would will what God wills.
If we were to will what God wills,
we would be transformed.
If we were transformed,
the world would be transformed.
If the world were transformed,
all would return to God.
–from The Wisdom of the Enneagram
Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Type 1. Reformer
Type 1. Reformer Diagrams Description Comments
World View: The world is an imperfect place. I work toward improvement.
Basic Desire: to be right
Basic Fear: of being condemned
[Diagram notations]
Healthy loop controlled by Basic Desire:
Need to be right -> seek truth -> do the right thing -> Need to be right
In the healthy state, the need to be right induces Type Ones to seek truth and do the right thing. When Ones are doing the right thing, the need is satisfied and a balance is reached.
In the average state, when Ones' are not working hard to seek the truth and do the right thing, the need to be right increases, which helps Ones to again work hard to seek the truth. Thus the balancing loop can help Ones to recover.
Unhealthy loop controlled by Basic Fear:
Fear of being condemned -> correct others -> do the right thing -> Fear of being condemned
In the unhealthy state, the basic fear of being condemned can cause Type Ones to correct and condemn others first as a defense, which is often not the right thing to do, which further increases Ones' basic fear. The cycle continues to build up.
Insight:
We can see from the diagram that a way to help break the control of the basic fear is to weaken the unhealthy loop. Ones can refrain from correcting others and start examining self for truth, which will help Ones to do the right thing, and reduce the fear of being condemned.
The Quick Enneagram Sorting Test Results
(QUEST Version 1.0, December 2003)
Questionnaire Date Sat Aug 4 18:26:34 2007
The following rankings are calculated from your answers to the questionnaire. If you have answered honestly and accurately, your probable personality types are listed below. (You might want to print out these results).
Please note: the QUEST does not rank the types in order of importance as factors in your overall personality. It is designed to quickly indicate your basic type only—not to indicate your wing, directions of integration or disintegration, or any other technical personality information.
Probabilities for Your Type
One of these three types
is most probably your type 2, 6, 9
These types have a lower
probability of being your type 1, 4, 7
These types have a low
probability of being your type 3, 5, 8
One of the top three types above is about 80% likely to be your basic personality type. To refine this further for yourself, read about these three types, below, to see which of the them fits you the best. In brief, the types are:
Type Descriptions
Type One: The Reformer
The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic.
Type Two: The Helper
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs. At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.
Type Three: The Achiever
The Success-Oriented, Efficient Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised, but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness. At their Best: self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be-role models who inspire others.
Type Four: The Individualist
The Sensitive, Introspective Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.
Type Five: The Investigator
The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation. At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.
Type Six: The Loyalist
The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy. Excellent "troubleshooters," they foresee problems and foster cooperation, but can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious-running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion. At their Best: internally stable and self-reliant, courageously championing themselves and others.
Type Seven: The Enthusiast
The Busy, Variety-Seeking Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.
Type Eight: The Challenger
The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.
Type Nine: The Peacemaker
The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent
Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.
(QUEST Version 1.0, December 2003)
Questionnaire Date Sat Aug 4 18:26:34 2007
The following rankings are calculated from your answers to the questionnaire. If you have answered honestly and accurately, your probable personality types are listed below. (You might want to print out these results).
Please note: the QUEST does not rank the types in order of importance as factors in your overall personality. It is designed to quickly indicate your basic type only—not to indicate your wing, directions of integration or disintegration, or any other technical personality information.
Probabilities for Your Type
One of these three types
is most probably your type 2, 6, 9
These types have a lower
probability of being your type 1, 4, 7
These types have a low
probability of being your type 3, 5, 8
One of the top three types above is about 80% likely to be your basic personality type. To refine this further for yourself, read about these three types, below, to see which of the them fits you the best. In brief, the types are:
Type Descriptions
Type One: The Reformer
The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic.
Type Two: The Helper
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs. At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.
Type Three: The Achiever
The Success-Oriented, Efficient Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised, but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness. At their Best: self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be-role models who inspire others.
Type Four: The Individualist
The Sensitive, Introspective Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.
Type Five: The Investigator
The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation. At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.
Type Six: The Loyalist
The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy. Excellent "troubleshooters," they foresee problems and foster cooperation, but can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious-running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion. At their Best: internally stable and self-reliant, courageously championing themselves and others.
Type Seven: The Enthusiast
The Busy, Variety-Seeking Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
Sevens are extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.
Type Eight: The Challenger
The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.
Type Nine: The Peacemaker
The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent
Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.
SPIRITUALITY
Personality, Essence, & Spirituality
"Naturally, it takes years of work on oneself to get to know anything real about ourselves; we may think we are finding out a great deal, through self-observation and by applying the other teachings and techniques of The Work [Gurdjieff's teaching]....What we think we have discovered about ourselves is very superficial at first, so that real self-knowledge only comes after years of patient effort. But such effort is immensely worth while in every particular, because it not only transforms us, it transforms our whole life for us; because as our level of being changes, so does our life change, too. We become different people inside, and this is reflected by the way life treats us outside.
"This is an esoteric law...and explains why it is only ourselves who can make anything really worthwhile of our lives. It is no good looking to external factors or agencies to do this for us. Such things cannot change our level of being, and so life remains just as it was before, despite whatever we may be doing or thinking. It is only when we begin to really work on ourselves, and change our habitual ways of thinking and feeling, that anything real or permanent can happen to us. For self-change is the basic pre-requisite for external change. And self-change can only come about as a result of self-knowledge and work on oneself." (Benjamin, Basic Self-Knowledge, 63-64)
Providing accurate knowledge of ourselves was the purpose of Personality Types, just as it is the purpose of the Enneagram itself. The lesson that had to be learned was the wastefulness of ego inflation. As valuable as this lesson was, there was much more to be said: the Enneagram can also guide us to spiritual dimensions by helping us move beyond personality. We have already alluded to the fact that genuine fulfillment (which is to be found primarily within a spiritual context) lies in the ability to discover our true essential nature.
"We must be willing and able to go beyond ego to reach out to something more, to experience the parts of ourselves that have nothing to do with the agendas of our personalities. At the same time, we must also be willing to experience the limitation and pain that our ego's habits are causing us.
"Self-transcendence is difficult and fearful because it entails going into unknown territory, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways foreign to our personality, contrary to our past habits, at odds with our old attitudes and identity, and free of the old wounds and defenses of our childhood. In a sense, self-transcendence is a rebirth, a true transformation, the coming into being of a new person who is learning to leave the old ways behind and strike out into a new world....
"In the last analysis, learning how to transcend the ego involves nothing less than learning how to be open to love. Only love has the power to save us from ourselves. Until we learn to truly love ourselves and others—and to accept the love of others—there can be no hope of lasting happiness or peace or redemption. It is because we do not love ourselves properly that we lose ourselves so easily in the many illusions ego sets before us." (Personality Types, 460-61)
Cataloguing the illusions that "ego sets before us" was the very stuff of the descriptions in Personality Types and on this website. It is now time to turn our attention to that other path—toward higher states that open out to us once we have seen through the veils and illusions of the ego, to that upward spiral by which we awaken to essence.
Describing "living in Essence" is much more difficult than describing Personality Types, for one fundamental reason. Most of the ego states described in Personality Types are unfree; they involve degrees of compulsion, of losing ourselves in illusions and mechanical responses. Since they are relatively fixed states ("fixations"), they are also relatively easy to describe, once you know what to look for. However, essence results in states that are marked by freedom, and as such they are dynamic and ever-evolving—not only as an expression of life but, in a true sense, as life-giving states themselves. If we can analyze the qualities of a truly free person, of someone living in a state of liberation, we will learn more about "living in essence."
"The unfolding of essence becomes the process of living. Life is no longer a string of disconnected experiences of pleasure and pain, but a flow, a stream of aliveness. One aspect manifests after another, one dimension after another, one capacity after another. There is a constant flow of understanding, insight, knowledge, and states of being." (Almaas, Essence, 178)
As we become healthier by overcoming our characteristic fears and by acting on our right desires, our ego becomes more flexible and transparent as we gradually move up the Levels of Development. To attain Level 1, the Level of Liberation, is to come into contact with our Essence, our essential self, our true nature in all of its magnificence.
The astonishing thing is that we actually get our Basic Desire when we move to the Level of Liberation (Level 1). We learn to do this by recognizing where what we seek can truly be found. We understand that our ego, try as it might, cannot fulfil our Basic Desire. For this, we must turn to our Essence—the ground of our being. Although most of us have had some profound experiences of the deep satisfactions of our Essential nature, it usually takes many such experiences to convince the ego of the ultimate bankruptcy of its project. Part of the problem is that, once we have identified with our ego-consciousness, it is difficult for us to imagine any alternative, even though it brings no relief and causes us to behave in ways that hurt ourselves and others.
Seeing the truth of this is and letting go of our ego agendas is not done once and for all, however, as if we could be liberated from the human condition. We move up and down on the Levels while gradually opening to the type in our Direction of Integration, to our Missing Piece, and to the potentials found there. Thus our liberation is gradual, although with the new state comes the awakening of new capacities. As Almaas says, "One aspect manifests after another, one dimension after another, one capacity after another." We do not move beyond human nature but beyond our delusions about ourselves and about reality. Living in Essence becomes a matter of seeing through our ego and, in so doing, of discovering and maturing our truest self. The search for Essence is not an escape from life but the reverse: a commitment on our most profound level of consciousness to participate in our own creation.
Still, if the idea of "living in Essence" sounds overly esoteric, the Enneagram can help take some of the obscurity out of it. For modern sensibilities, the goal of living in Essence may be strange and off-putting. But if we keep the Enneagram as our frame of reference, we will be less mystified if we think of living in Essence as the same as becoming a fully functioning, integrated person. The goal is not to strengthen our ego but to transcend its limitations and in so doing not only do we become increasingly healthy but we increasingly "live in Essence."
What capacities will we discover in ourselves if we work on ourselves and begin the process of "living in Essence"—whether we call it that or not?
The fact is, that the healthiest characteristics of our personalities become accessible to us as we work on ourselves. The more aware we are and the more we avail ourselves of presence, the more Essence supports the healthy manifestations of our personalities. As we become more integrated as human beings, more and more of these qualities become available, not just those of our own type.
Some of the most important healthy traits of each type are displayed on the following Enneagram. These are only some of the strengths we can learn from each other; they are particular to each type although universally accessible. Always keep in mind that many additional healthy traits exist that you will discover as you move in your own unique way beyond your ego identity.
The Enneagram of Healthy Personality
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Nine Observations about Spiritual Work
In our own explorations of this system, we have made nine observations about the process of uncovering our true nature. These nine observations do not correspond to the nine Personality Types; they are equally applicable to each, and each type will discover the truth of these points if they pursue their journey far enough. These nine observations encapsulate many of the major points we have discussed throughout this book.
Observation 1
Our true nature is Essence. Essence and personality are not separate: personality exists in, and is made out of Essence. While we have a personality, it is only a part of the totality of our true Self. Most of the time we are entranced by our personality and do not remember our Essential nature, or who we really are.
Observation 2
Work on ourselves proceeds layer by layer, from the most external forms of personality to the inner core of our Being. The automatic pattern of our personality draws us outward, but by bringing awareness to these patterns, we reverse the course. We can start peeling away the layers and uncover our true identity. Awareness (mindfulness) plus the willingness and ability to work through our psychological issues are the keys to our Work.
Observation 3
We will succeed in our Work if we are willing to know the truth about what is really occurring in us. Truth allows us to live in reality. We must tell the truth to ourselves, and where appropriate, to others. Being with the truth of our condition brings an ingredient that dissolves the structures we have been trapped in. But we must be willing to name our demons, to count the bars of our prison cell.
Observation 4
We need to be willing to observe our resistance to reality, our attachment to our self-image, and our fear. It is not in our power to transform ourselves, but we can bring awareness to these three major barriers: we can observe them and be willing to have them removed from us. It is helpful in our transformational work to pray for healing, and to seek healing with one's heart.
Observation 5
Whenever we work through a particular layer, the issues of the next layer automatically present themselves. The soul has its innate wisdom and yearns to be free. Therefore listen to your heart, your higher mind, and your body. The Self will unfold organically as we bring non-judgmental awareness to it and stay with the process. There is no finish line; the process will continue as long as we live.
Observation 6
The deeper we go with our process, the more difficult it becomes—at least for a while, and from the perspective of the personality. Initially it becomes more difficult because we uncover deeper and more intense sources of pain. This is because the closer we come to the truth, the more our ego is threatened. Later, difficulties arise because the barriers become more subtle and elusive. However, the deeper we go, the greater the rewards. We become more alive, joyful, and peaceful, and also more determined to stay on track.
Observation 7
We must be willing to be uncomfortable for a while if we wish to be released from whatever has bound us. We must remain present to whatever we find—whether it brings us sorrow or ecstasy. Remember that all negative behavior is the result of unprocessed pain. In the course of our work, we uncover difficult feelings, powerful Essential states, and many qualities of emptiness. The more we can learn to tolerate these different aspects of ourselves, the more quickly and smoothly our work will progress. The personality cannot tolerate almost anything, whereas the spirit can embrace everything.
Observation 8
We gradually learn to disidentify with the personality and to identify with our Essence, our true self. This, of course, requires that we be able to recognize our Essence and to distinguish our personality trances from it. We cannot accomplish this by judging, disliking, or trying to get rid of the personality. In fact, those very desires and attitudes are part of personality and are not characteristic of Essence. When the personality is seen in its proper context, its true function reveals itself.
Observation 9
Remember that it is our birthright and our natural state to be wise and noble, to be loving and generous, to esteem ourselves and others, to be creative and constantly renewing ourselves, to be engaged in the world in awe and wonder and in depth, to have courage and to be able to rely on ourselves, to be joyous and effortlessly accomplished, to be strong and effective, to be self-possessed and enjoy an unshakable peace of mind—and above all, to be present to the unfolding mystery of our lives.
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The Transformational Process
At the beginning of our transformational work, it is easy to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. It is also easy to begin to see the personality as an enemy that must be defeated since it is, after all, the repository and residue of so much "baggage" from our past, with all of its hurts, damage, and disappointments. When we are tempted to think this way, it is good to realize that the personality is not separate from us—in fact, it is an important and legitimate part of ourselves: the problem is simply that we mistake the part for the whole. Personality depends on our identifying with certain states, feelings, thoughts, and reactions even though whenever we do so, we experience ourselves as less than the totality of who and what we really are.
The spirituality of the Enneagram does not divide us into good (Essence) and bad (personality), but simply recognizes that when we are identified with our personalities, we forget that there is much more to us. The personality has the function of closing us down so that we can feel more defended against a threatening and uncertain world. At one time in our lives, in childhood, this response was adaptive and necessary. We had to identify with whatever qualities we found in ourselves in order to defend ourselves more efficiently and to find our place in the world.
But if we were able to stop identifying with our personality right now, who would we be? What would guide our actions? Who or what would be speaking in us? If, all of a sudden, the "autopilot" that directs many of our actions is no longer in charge, how would we be able to live?
There are no predetermined answers to these questions since we are not talking about finding a better formula or more rules to live by. We are talking about transformation—changing our state of Being—which requires being aware in the present moment. This inevitably leads to learning how to interfere with our habitual patterns, which in turn entails some degree of discomfort. But if we are willing to allow this discomfort, we can suddenly emerge from the tangle of reactions, plans, self-images, and tensions that constitute our regular life and realize that we are here. We exist. We are real. When we experience this recognition, it is like walking out of a fog bank.
Of course, learning to be more present is an art and takes practice—in fact, that's what spiritual practices are about. They help us cultivate awareness so that we can become more present to our lives and the miracles which are unfolding around us at every moment. Because the personality operates "in the dark: and depends on tension and identification, when we become present, it cannot operate in its usual automatic way and the deeper qualities of our heart, mind, and body—our Essential nature—manifest themselves. In this state, we see reality more clearly, and when we are in touch with reality, truth governs. In the land of truth, there are no contradictions, no conflicts, no hindrances, and no fears. But first, we must learn to be present.
The personality is always composed of a small fraction of the total range of our potentials. It contains imitations of the real, more expansive qualities of our Essential nature which include joy, love, peace, compassion, strength, understanding, and many other priceless qualities. Moreover, our Essence awakens us to the beauty all around us—to the gifts of nature and the miracle of other people. In every moment, there are treasures and sources of delight, if we could only open to them. In the world of personality, we are too filled with our own projects and preoccupations, worries and hopes to notice the exquisite pleasure of being alive and the astounding variety of life.
But as we expand more fully into our Essential nature, our senses are awakened—seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, intuiting. The world is more immediate and has a deeper impact on us; everything becomes more vivid and alive. We have all had moments in which a veil seems to have been removed so that the enchantment of even the smallest things touches us deeply. We experience the world once again with the innocence of a child, with all of the awe and mystery of life restored.
When we are functioning in personality, however, to varying degrees, our attention is caught up in imagination and is looking to the future or toward the past. Personality is always in some kind of reaction to the present moment. When we are functioning in Essence, we are grounded, present, and receptive to the moment. We see precisely what is necessary, and with exquisite economy, we are able to do it without unnecessary effort or resistance. We are capable, substantial, and real.
Further, because it is not what is real in us, but merely a construct in our minds, personality does not have any authority or power in itself. When we are lost in personality, it is not surprising that we often feel powerless, confused, and unsafe because we are basing our identity on an artificial construct. (If we are identified with something that is not real, then many things are going to be extremely threatening.) Our entire identity structure has been built up in our memory and imagination, whereas our true power and authority comes from our Essence, from our contact with the Divine. And yet, ironically, we fear and resist opening to that which is most real in us. When we trust in the process and give ourselves over to it, however, our authentic self comes forth. The result is real integrity, love, authenticity, creativity, understanding, guidance, joy, power, and serenity—all of the qualities we are forever demanding that personality supply.
The part of this process that is so difficult to understand is that we do not have to do anything to experience our true nature. The almost magical part is that our old personality patterns change without effort on our part in proportion to the depth of awareness that we bring to them. All we need to do is to stop identifying with the agendas of our personality. The effort is in waking up and letting go. The rest will take care of itself.
Thus, no matter how entranced in our personality we are, the amazing thing about Inner Work is that things begin to change rapidly as we bring awareness to the compulsive aspects of our personalities. The more we allow ourselves to feel the pain of our self-abandonment, the Essential qualities that we have been longing for begin to arise in us. The unfinished business of childhood begins to resolve itself in our psyches and our hearts begin to heal. When this happens, the ego matures and becomes a suitable "vessel" for further transformation. But until some degree of personality completion has taken place regarding the losses and vicissitudes of childhood, any spiritual attainment we have will be either fleeting or illusory.
Of course, the very fact of being receptive to spirituality can vastly accelerate the process of healing the deficits in our early development, provided we not use spirituality as an evasion for going through the whole healing process. And, by the same token, using the tools of psychology to heal the gaps in our development gives us the capacity to sustain spiritual states of consciousness. These two processes—the psychological and the spiritual—are therefore connected and need not be considered separate things; they are really stages in the full development of the complete human being.
From this perspective, saying that one is interested in spirituality but not psychology (or vice versa) is like saying that you want to learn to be a writer but are not interested in spelling or grammar, or that you want to be a doctor but do not care about biology. Psychology that does not address peoples' spiritual hungers is not going to lead to any complete and satisfying result. It is like climbing only half way up a mountain, or taking a dish out of the oven when it is only half-baked. We still get some benefits, but do not achieve the final goal. Psychology without spirituality is arid and ultimately meaningless, while spirituality without grounding in psychological work leads to vanity and illusions. Either way, disappointment and deception result. To be most effective, spirituality and psychology need to go hand in hand to reinforce the best in each other.
Another challenge is the common belief that to live in Essence is to have left personality entirely behind. This is not the case since both personality and essence are integral parts of each other, two sides of the same coin—the whole self.
"In the best of all possible worlds the acquired habits of personality would be available to one's essential nature and would help one to function adequately in the social context in which he or she lived, and for a realized being this undoubtedly is the case. The ordinary person, unfortunately, lacks the ability to make use of personality to carry out essential wishes. What is essential can manifest only in the simplest instinctive behavior and in primitive emotions.
"All this is not to say that essence is always noble and beautiful while personality is an alien crust of useless cultural barnacles. According to Gurdjieff, "as a rule a man's essence is either primitive, savage and childish, or else simply stupid." The essences of many are actually dead, though they continue to live seemingly normal lives. The development of essence to maturity, when it will embody everything that is true and real in a person's being, depends on work on oneself, and work on oneself depends on a balance between a relatively healthy essence and a personality that is not crushingly heavy.... Both are necessary for self-development, for without the acquisition of personality there will be no wish to attain higher states of consciousness, no dissatisfaction with everyday existence; and without essence there will be no basis of development." (Speeth, The Gurdjieff Work, 48-49)
As one becomes liberated from the negative aspects of personality, Essence becomes developed. Or, more aptly, the balance between Essence and personality shifts from personality to Essence until more of the self is living out of its Essence (that is, authentically, from the depths of its being). The personality remains ready to be employed as a useful and necessary tool, but only as an extension and expression of the deeper, essential self—a self that, because it is an expression of Essence, remains unfathomable to the ego mind. Without some degree of personality to express the self in ordinary daily life, we could not communicate with each other and, ultimately, our Essence would be unrecognized and remain undeveloped.
The full development and expression of the true self is what we seek, and this cannot be done in a vacuum. Because we cannot live without form, our human Essence must express itself through the forms of our personality type, just as talents must be expressed in action if talent is to be developed. A dancing master does not become so perfect a dancer that the master no longer dances. Dancing is not forsworn as evidence of having achieved perfection: on the contrary, mastery is expressed by losing the self in the dance.
If we are fortunate, we are nurtured and guided in our development toward a stable, well-integrated ego, one that is therefore "ripe" for transformation. The idea is not to return to the infantile state, but to mature as adults so that we can move ahead with the process of transformation. In the famous phrase of Jack Engler, "You have to be somebody before you can be nobody," and we must develop a whole, well-integrated personality before we can really "give it up" in the transformational process. The healthy, well-functioning human ego plays a crucial role in the process of self-realization, and so our developmental deficiencies must be healed if our transformative experiences are to have any lasting effect.
Thus, personality is as necessary to the development of the soul as Essence, and it is to be used for living in the world and for contributing to it. The aspects of personality that are more congruent with our Essence are the healthy personality states we find at Levels 1 to 3 for each type. Moreover, those personality states themselves develop to become finer expressions of our essential self as we continue to evolve. Once we have begun to integrate and to live in Essence more habitually, we become the master of our ego and are increasingly able to express ourselves freely and appropriately. Ego no longer controls us: Essence speaks through personality.
The danger is that many students begin to identify with essential states—in effect, creating a "new, improved" ego identity. For example, we can have an extraordinary spiritual experience and feel liberated from our usual sense of ourselves only to have identification cause our usual sense of self to claim the experience and make it part of our self-image. One moment we feel an abiding serenity and oneness with the universe, and the next, identification with the ego subtly slips in and we are telling ourselves how spiritually "advanced" we are. We may even start anticipating how impressed our teacher (or therapist or spouse) is going to be with our new state or new insights. Of course, by this time the experience of immediate awareness and real oneness has been lost.
"What needs to happen is to free this aspect of essence for it to become a station, to become permanently available, so that it is there when its mode of operation is needed. Therefore, all of the issues around identity and selfhood must be seen and understood, including the need for or attachments to identity. The true self exposes all misunderstanding and conflicts around identity and selfhood. Resolving the issues around the essential self eliminates all identification; or rather, identification becomes a free, conscious movement." (Almaas, Essence, 170)
Every experience of presence, of true nature, helps us see reality more objectively. It prepares us for the next movement toward liberation, so that we can move yet again in self-transcendence toward more freedom and abide more deeply in our essential self. Looked at one way, this movement is from state of consciousness to state of consciousness, yet looked at another way, the movement becomes increasingly free of all attachments to those very forms.
"Life continues to be a process of creative discovery. The process of learning, unfolding, and expansion never stops. Essence continues to unfold, new dimensions arise, new modes of experience and insight emerge, new capacities manifest....The shift of identity from personality to essence is nothing but the realization of the true self, the high self of essence.... Practical action becomes the action of the true being. There is efficiency, economy, simplicity, directness. One fully lives in the world but is constantly connected to the Beyond, the Supreme Reality." (Almaas, Essence, 179.)
The move to Essence is not an escape from ourselves but the growth of freedom from those aspects of ourselves that have made us unfree and subject to suffering. The move to Essence is a supremely positive thing—not a negation of our individuality, but the occasion in which we become deeply alive and in possession of ourselves. We hinted at some of this in Personality Types:
"Attaining the goal of a full, happy life, ripe with experiences well used, means that each of us will become a paradox—free, yet constrained by necessity; shrewd, yet innocent; open to others, yet self-reliant; strong, yet able to yield; centered on the highest values, yet able to accept imperfection; realistic about the suffering existence imposes on us, yet full of gratitude for life as it is.
"The testimony of the greatest humans who have ever lived is that the way to make the most of ourselves is by transcending ourselves. We must learn to move beyond self-centeredness to make room within ourselves for others. When you transcend yourself, the fact will be confirmed by the quality of your life. You will attain—even if only momentarily—a transparency and a radiance of being which result from living both within and beyond yourself. This is the promise and the excitement of self-understanding." (45-6)
The quality of your life is confirmation that, in the moment of presence, you have attained Essence—your deepest, truest self. The transparency and radiance that result from living in Essence is the sign that Essence is not only desirable but attainable. The state of "transparency"—of openness and unselfconsciousness—makes the essential self accessible to others. And the "radiance" that results from self-transcendence—self-possession and profound happiness—emanates the many particular qualities of love.
"Enlightenment cannot be according to any system. It has to resolve and clarify your own situation. The realization must satisfy and fulfill your heart, not the standards of some system. The liberation must be of you, you personally....The quest does not bring about improvement or perfection. It brings about a maturity, a humanity, and a wisdom." (Almaas, Essence, 181-182.)
We have seen much the same about the limitations of any system, including the limitations of the Enneagram. While Almaas says that "the quest does not bring about improvement or perfection," he means that the process is one of self-discovery—not of self-improvement. We are correcting a case of mistaken identity, not trying to "fix up" our false identity. In fact, when we discover our true nature, and recognize that we are Essence, we see that all of the noble qualities we have been seeking are already here—part of us. Just as we saw in Chapter 2, our personalities are a response to the obscuration of the Virtues and Holy Ideas. When we correct our misperceptions, these qualities are rediscovered, and manifest freely again.
Our Essence is always available because at our deepest level, it is what we are. The Enneagram reminds us again and again, that if we are on a spiritual path, we must begin to question our basic assumptions about ourselves and our identity. As awareness grows, we will open up to an expanded sense of self that includes more than the preoccupations of our personality; indeed, more than the personality can even imagine.
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The Triads and the Paths of Transformation
Each Triad has a defining set of personality issues as well as dominant Essential qualities. We can also delineate nine distinct Paths of Transformation that unlock the issues of the Triads and restore access to our Essential nature. These Paths represent internal attitudes that help to liberate us from some of the limited views of our type, but they are also markers of our progress. As we are able to experience and sustain these inner orientations, we can be reassured that we are "making progress."
The key issues of the Instinctive Triad involve resisting reality by maintaining imaginary boundaries to define the self. We create these imaginary boundaries because, once we have become estranged from our Essential nature, we lose our feeling of substantiality—of being a real, palpable presence in the world. Because we do not occupy a real space, we must construct an imaginary one and then protect it. Much of the work with this Center involves the recognition of these imaginary boundaries and their artificial nature. When we are able to do this, we being to re-experience ourselves as Presence, as something real and as spaciousness. Thus, there is no need to maintain false boundaries.
The three paths connected with the Instinctive Triad are Self-Remembering (at point Nine), Self-Surrender (at point Eight), and Acceptance (at point One). We see that when we are actually occupying our instinctive functions, we know that we are here directly—we remember that we exist right now (self-remembering). We fully experience our "is-ness," and it is not based on stories or pictures of ourselves held in the mind. We are engaged with reality, with a complete immediacy.
Supporting this are the Paths of Transformation for types Eight and One. From Eight, we experience Self-Surrender which entails a dissolving of the imaginary ego-boundaries such that we no longer experience ourselves as one object in a universe of objects. Instead, we know that our presence, the very ground of our being, is also the ground of everything else that we can perceive. Because we are at one with the universe, we no longer need to defend ourselves from it or to continue our personal struggle against it. We know that our Essential nature cannot be overcome or destroyed, and find deep purpose and confidence in being the instrument of a Higher Will.
From type One, we experience Acceptance. We accept our own inner condition, exactly as it is, without reacting to it or defending against it. We stop the inner war between the parts of ourselves that are driven by frustrated desires and the parts of ourselves that would banish or condemn those desires. We know that neither side reflects the truth of our Essential being, although they both reflect a partial truth. As we become more accepting of ourselves, we find that we are also in a more direct relationship with reality. Like type Eight, we see that the presence from which our being springs is the same presence that underlies everything around us, and that there is no need to judge or separate ourselves from any of it. This does not reduce our capacity to discern or to choose wise actions, rather, it increases that capacity infinitely.
The Feeling Triad is concerned with issues around the maintenance of a false or assumed self as a defense against the loss of our Essential identity and sense of value. At the Center of this Triad, Authenticity, connected with type Three, is the Path of Transformation that dissolves the false self-image and reveals the narcissistic nature of most of our projects and agendas. At the same time, authenticity opens the door to our true identity such that we fully experience the preciousness of who and what we are and that our identity is a "given"—we do not need to create it.
From Two, we experience proper Self-Nurturing, which certainly does not mean self-indulgence or acting out infantile cravings. Rather, self-nurturance is the ability to realistically assess our genuine needs and then to take action to address them without waiting for others to do so. Self-nurturing also entails self-regulation in the sense that we are able to soothe our own needs and states by staying in contact with our hearts. This keeps us sensitive to our authentic needs and keeps us sensitive to the needs and boundaries of others. Proper self-nurturing also prevents us from becoming dependent on the good will, positive opinions, or affection of others.
From Four, we experience Forgiveness, which is most simply the ability to let go of the events of the past and to move on with one's life. We stop clinging to old hurts and resentments, thereby opening up space in our hearts to be affected by people and events freshly, without the dense filters of emotional reactions leftover from our childhood. Rather than holding the world responsible for our frustrations, we begin to understand the forces in ourselves that perpetuate them. When we do this, we experience our lives and our identities as they truly are—that is, as a process, a flow.
The Thinking Triad is concerned with the strategies we develop to move forward in life, to protect ourselves from dangers, and to acquire the things that we need for our well being. We engage in these strategies because our egos have separated from our Essential capacity to know. At the Center of this Triad is the Path of Transformation for point Six, Courage. This is a quality that does not come from ignoring fears, rather, it arises naturally from the Essential quality of knowing—what we have been referring to as "the quiet mind." When we are receptive to the Essential quality of the quiet mind, our ego's strategies for survival and gratification are revealed as superfluous or even counterproductive. We perceive things simply and directly, without the fearful interpretations of the imagination, and we are able to act from the sense of spaciousness and possibility which the support of the quiet mind affords. We do not have to devote all of our energies to figuring out how to support and protect ourselves and our loved ones, but become attuned to a more subtle form of direction that arises from the quiet of our own awareness.
At point Five, we experience true Understanding, which should not be confused with intellectual understanding, although that can be part of the picture. Rather, understanding entails a gestalt, an immediate and complete apprehension of truth that is felt in all of the parts of oneself. Understanding in this sense is direct knowing, in which we know something through intimate contact with our experience, not through distancing ourselves as "outside observers". This kind of understanding allows us to make wise choices and supports our courage to move forward in life.
At point Seven, we experience the Gratitude that occurs when the mind is open and fully receptive to the impressions of the moment. When this takes place, we are deeply satisfied and nourished by all the contents of our immediate experience. We understand that there is no need for the mind to wander elsewhere seeking "greener pastures" because what is here and now completely supports us and fills us. We become exquisitely sensitive to every subtle sense impression so that the many hidden treasures and delights of each moment reveal themselves to us. To fully allow a color or a quality of light or a sensation to register in our consciousness is to allow ourselves to feel the ecstasy of existence. We can entertain any experience, thought, or impression without desiring more of it or feeling the need to seek something else to take its place. Further, we are aware that the supply of rich impressions is inexhaustible. Gratitude is the antithesis of "scarcity thinking"—we are secure in the knowledge that we will have whatever we need, and more. Our capacity for true spontaneity and a deep sense of joy arise to heal the ego's impulsiveness and feelings of frustration. Instead of scrambling after whatever we believe will make us feel better, gratitude enables us to savor each moment of our lives.
The Paths of Transformation
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The Nine Types & Their Essential Qualities
As we have seen, contacting our Essence is always a matter of recognizing our identifications, fears, and resistances, and bringing our attention to our experience in the here and now. As we do so, we become increasingly aware of a vast number of Essential qualities that arise perfectly to support whatever issues we are facing. Indeed, the more we move up the Levels of Development and are less encumbered by our ego identities, the more we have access to all of the Essential qualities.
Our Essential nature, however, is vast and subtle, and manifests in a multitude of ways and at a variety of levels. Here we are most concerned with the qualities of Essence that are "closer" to the surface—that is, more generally accessible to our daily awareness. These aspects arise to support our inner Work any time we remember ourselves and come back to some contact with Presence. The Enneagram delineates some of the most important of these qualities, and by describing them, we may be able to see how they constantly support our transformation. Each of the nine points can be thought of as contributing an important ingredient for our development. We may also begin to see how the personality attempts to fill in the gaps in our development by imitating them. Over time, we can develop an increased sensitivity to these states, which gradually enables us to identify with our True Nature instead of our personality.
Of course, as with everything else in this book, reading about the Essential qualities or having an intellectual understanding of them is not the same as having a direct experience of them. For that, consistent practice is needed, preferably with the support of others as we have previously mentioned. Also note that the Essential aspects described here are only a departure point and are by no means complete or definitive.
From point Eight, we experience Essential Strength. Strength is an expansive energy, and when it is manifesting we feel large, solid, capable, and alive. Not surprisingly, essential strength arises in defense of our souls—it protects our process and its integrity. It provides a foundation and ground that gives us the ability to discriminate present, real experience from projections and reactions from the past, as well as to tolerate more painful, subtle, or empty states. Without this quality, we may have profound experiences, but we will not be able to embody or sustain them in any meaningful way.
From point Nine, we experience a sense of Unity or Wholeness. We know that we are not only connected with everything else, but that we are not a "separate object." We directly experience the oneness of reality, and our essential union with all creation. Further, we understand that this unity is dynamic, alive, and ever-changing. We know love as the force that breaks through all false boundaries and identities to restore this experience of wholeness. The realization of this state brings a deep satisfaction and contentment—a profound sense of well-being. We feel at peace with reality and with our place in it. We are able to function effectively in the world while knowing that what we are is "beyond" the world.
From point One, we experience Wisdom. This quality is related to the Buddhist concept of right action. Wisdom manifests as brilliant intelligence, an ability to see exactly what is needed in the moment and to act accordingly. This intelligence is not based on any set of principles, guidelines, or rules, but rather arises spontaneously whenever it is needed. It gives us the ability to respond to situations effectively, with an economy of energy—neither too much nor too little. Further, when we are manifesting this quality, we are able to communicate our insights clearly and authoritatively. We are patient, steady, capable, and radiant.
From point Two, we experience Unconditional Love. This quality gives us a tremendous freedom from the inherent neediness of the ego. Knowing that we are connected to the very source of love, and that we cannot lose it, allows us to interact with other human beings in whatever way the moment dictates, without any concern that we will be disliked or rejected. Further, when we are truly and authentically experiencing love as part of our Essential nature, we see that love does not belong to anyone, including ourselves, and recognize that everyone around us is also a manifestation of love. We know that it is not our duty to go around "loving" everyone, but to live in the presence of love such that others may also remember that they too are in the presence of love. Further, love is a tremendously powerful force for dissolving all that is false in us. Few of our illusions about ourselves or others can stand long in the presence of real love. In this respect, we see how love represents the active or dynamic part of truth, and that they are intimately related.
From point Three, we experience Essential Value. When we are manifesting this quality of Essence, we do not need to do anything to feel valuable or worthwhile. We do not need to work at developing our self-esteem because we fully experience our intrinsic value as Being. We feel the profound pleasure and satisfaction of existing—a sense of enjoyment pervades our entire presence. This aspect predisposes us to behave benevolently toward others: experiencing our own essential value, we do not need to manipulate others or our environment in order to see ourselves in any particular light. We experience ourselves as a shining, star-like presence—a source of radiance in the world.
From point Four, we experience Equanimity. Once we open to the riches of the heart and to the inexhaustible wonder of living in truth, we are filled from moment to moment with a kaleidoscope of powerful impressions, sensations, and feelings. Equanimity gives us the capacity to contain all of these ever-changing qualities without being swept into emotional reactions about them. Because the nature of spirit is ever changing, our experience of ourselves and of life is also constantly changing. Equanimity allows the identity of the Essential self to participate in the cornucopia of experiences and inner qualities without clinging to or fearing any of them, and without regretting their passing. In this way, the sense of oneself continually deepens so that powerful experiences are fully felt but do not overwhelm the Essential identity. We are able to feel both the heights of ecstasy and the full intensity of suffering without becoming lost in either.
From point Five, we experience the Essential quality of "Direct Knowing." This quality is quite distinct from the ego's form of thinking, which is generally characterized by inner talk or inner visualization, often accompanied by a process of sorting information and "data retrieval." In direct knowing, however, the mind is silent, and open, and we are supported by the awareness that we will know whatever we need to know as we need to know it. Even the acquisition of new information, skills, or experiences will be guided by an inner knowing that does not arise from the ego's feelings of insufficiency. Direct knowing arises out of a direct experience of the pristine empty space of mind, thus, it allows us to be free of attachment to any particular perspective. We know that in different moments and situations, different perspectives may be more useful, and that our Essence will guide us to whichever perspective is most suitable. This inner clarity also allows us to be unattached to the phenomenal world, because when we are functioning in this capacity, we see all objects and events as arising and disappearing within a vast and unfathomable mystery. We see the world as a dance of exquisite gestures and movements within the shining void.
From point Six, we experience Essential Will. This quality manifests as a sense of being "imbedded" in reality—solidly supported by the ground of Being. It gives us a capacity for endurance and persistence in our Work, and an ability to confront situations without anxiety. We feel as if we are "held up" by a solid ocean of Presence that supports and guides us. Further, we do not need to fill our minds with plans and strategies, because we are directed by a silent wellspring of inner guidance that functions harmoniously with our circumstances and with our environment. It brings a sense of unshakable confidence and a clear sense of direction. The more we open to this quality, the more actively it manifests in our world, leading us exactly to the experiences we most need for our development.
From point Seven, we experience Essential Joy. When this quality manifests, we are filled with an expansive, sunny presence that lets us know that we are moving in the right direction. We feel grateful for the wonderful and mysterious gift of our lives, and experience a profound wonder and curiosity about our journey. We deeply feel the presence of our true spiritual home, and feel it calling us back. As Essential joy arises in us, we know where true value lies, and are fortified to do whatever is necessary to return to what our heart truly desires. We know what we love, and joyfully open to deeper aspects of our True nature.
The Enneagram of Essential Qualities
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Conclusion
The Enneagram guides us toward nothing less than learning how to consciously surrender the ego-self of personality to the greater Self so that we can become conscious participants in the sacred mystery of life. In reality, it entails the surrender of nothing—our personality—in order to receive the gift of everything—the life of the Spirit. But the first step on that path involves being willing to observe ourselves so that we can stop playing out the unconscious dictates of our personality.
The process of growth by whatever name it is called—living in Essence, the growth of virtue, or the movement toward integration—is evolutionary, an upward spiral that has no final state of completion since to become completely possessed of all virtues would be to become God—an impossibility. (Our call, in a religious frame of reference, is to become "like God"—to attain some degree of the virtues that God alone possesses to an absolute degree.) If some see this never-ending quest for increasing virtue (or personal strengths) as a frustrating chase after an unreachable goal, it is because they have not experienced the deep fulfillment that results from self-realization. If integration is thought of as merely collecting a set of impractical virtues as if they were merit badges being added to a collection, then of course the enterprise will be unsatisfying.
But the true situation is far from this. Acquiring the strengths of virtue brings about the enlargement of the person. By acting virtuously and by "living in Essence," the person becomes capable of living more deeply and consciously as master of the self. New depths are being opened in the integrating person. The creation of inner resources, the experience of oneself as enlarged, more potent, and creative is tremendously fulfilling. In this sense, the saying that "virtue is its own reward" has new meaning: the reward of virtue is the happiness that comes from the realization that we are living out of our essential self and that in doing so we are bringing more of ourselves into being.
Yet it will always remain true that realizing the value of self-transcendence can be found only in the individual's innermost heart. In the moment of self-transcendence, we discover that over and above liberation from the ego, self-transcendence gives us another, deeper reward by creating both the capacity and the desire for more of itself.
By integrating, we are constantly moving in the direction of increasing life. And nothing in life is more fulfilling than cooperating in the process of creation. Integrating persons become co-creators of that most vast yet intimate mystery, the human spirit. From only a psychological point of view, the capacity to be a co-creator bestows on human nature enormous dignity. But from a spiritual point of view, this capacity has a more profound meaning because to move in the direction of increasing life is to move toward Being itself. With each step we take toward Being, we also find that Being supports our quest. In the end, the quest for the self and its deepest Essence culminates in meeting the Divine.
Chapter 11, from Understanding the Enneagram, Riso & Hudson, 2000
Click here for The Stages of the Work
"Naturally, it takes years of work on oneself to get to know anything real about ourselves; we may think we are finding out a great deal, through self-observation and by applying the other teachings and techniques of The Work [Gurdjieff's teaching]....What we think we have discovered about ourselves is very superficial at first, so that real self-knowledge only comes after years of patient effort. But such effort is immensely worth while in every particular, because it not only transforms us, it transforms our whole life for us; because as our level of being changes, so does our life change, too. We become different people inside, and this is reflected by the way life treats us outside.
"This is an esoteric law...and explains why it is only ourselves who can make anything really worthwhile of our lives. It is no good looking to external factors or agencies to do this for us. Such things cannot change our level of being, and so life remains just as it was before, despite whatever we may be doing or thinking. It is only when we begin to really work on ourselves, and change our habitual ways of thinking and feeling, that anything real or permanent can happen to us. For self-change is the basic pre-requisite for external change. And self-change can only come about as a result of self-knowledge and work on oneself." (Benjamin, Basic Self-Knowledge, 63-64)
Providing accurate knowledge of ourselves was the purpose of Personality Types, just as it is the purpose of the Enneagram itself. The lesson that had to be learned was the wastefulness of ego inflation. As valuable as this lesson was, there was much more to be said: the Enneagram can also guide us to spiritual dimensions by helping us move beyond personality. We have already alluded to the fact that genuine fulfillment (which is to be found primarily within a spiritual context) lies in the ability to discover our true essential nature.
"We must be willing and able to go beyond ego to reach out to something more, to experience the parts of ourselves that have nothing to do with the agendas of our personalities. At the same time, we must also be willing to experience the limitation and pain that our ego's habits are causing us.
"Self-transcendence is difficult and fearful because it entails going into unknown territory, feeling, thinking, and acting in ways foreign to our personality, contrary to our past habits, at odds with our old attitudes and identity, and free of the old wounds and defenses of our childhood. In a sense, self-transcendence is a rebirth, a true transformation, the coming into being of a new person who is learning to leave the old ways behind and strike out into a new world....
"In the last analysis, learning how to transcend the ego involves nothing less than learning how to be open to love. Only love has the power to save us from ourselves. Until we learn to truly love ourselves and others—and to accept the love of others—there can be no hope of lasting happiness or peace or redemption. It is because we do not love ourselves properly that we lose ourselves so easily in the many illusions ego sets before us." (Personality Types, 460-61)
Cataloguing the illusions that "ego sets before us" was the very stuff of the descriptions in Personality Types and on this website. It is now time to turn our attention to that other path—toward higher states that open out to us once we have seen through the veils and illusions of the ego, to that upward spiral by which we awaken to essence.
Describing "living in Essence" is much more difficult than describing Personality Types, for one fundamental reason. Most of the ego states described in Personality Types are unfree; they involve degrees of compulsion, of losing ourselves in illusions and mechanical responses. Since they are relatively fixed states ("fixations"), they are also relatively easy to describe, once you know what to look for. However, essence results in states that are marked by freedom, and as such they are dynamic and ever-evolving—not only as an expression of life but, in a true sense, as life-giving states themselves. If we can analyze the qualities of a truly free person, of someone living in a state of liberation, we will learn more about "living in essence."
"The unfolding of essence becomes the process of living. Life is no longer a string of disconnected experiences of pleasure and pain, but a flow, a stream of aliveness. One aspect manifests after another, one dimension after another, one capacity after another. There is a constant flow of understanding, insight, knowledge, and states of being." (Almaas, Essence, 178)
As we become healthier by overcoming our characteristic fears and by acting on our right desires, our ego becomes more flexible and transparent as we gradually move up the Levels of Development. To attain Level 1, the Level of Liberation, is to come into contact with our Essence, our essential self, our true nature in all of its magnificence.
The astonishing thing is that we actually get our Basic Desire when we move to the Level of Liberation (Level 1). We learn to do this by recognizing where what we seek can truly be found. We understand that our ego, try as it might, cannot fulfil our Basic Desire. For this, we must turn to our Essence—the ground of our being. Although most of us have had some profound experiences of the deep satisfactions of our Essential nature, it usually takes many such experiences to convince the ego of the ultimate bankruptcy of its project. Part of the problem is that, once we have identified with our ego-consciousness, it is difficult for us to imagine any alternative, even though it brings no relief and causes us to behave in ways that hurt ourselves and others.
Seeing the truth of this is and letting go of our ego agendas is not done once and for all, however, as if we could be liberated from the human condition. We move up and down on the Levels while gradually opening to the type in our Direction of Integration, to our Missing Piece, and to the potentials found there. Thus our liberation is gradual, although with the new state comes the awakening of new capacities. As Almaas says, "One aspect manifests after another, one dimension after another, one capacity after another." We do not move beyond human nature but beyond our delusions about ourselves and about reality. Living in Essence becomes a matter of seeing through our ego and, in so doing, of discovering and maturing our truest self. The search for Essence is not an escape from life but the reverse: a commitment on our most profound level of consciousness to participate in our own creation.
Still, if the idea of "living in Essence" sounds overly esoteric, the Enneagram can help take some of the obscurity out of it. For modern sensibilities, the goal of living in Essence may be strange and off-putting. But if we keep the Enneagram as our frame of reference, we will be less mystified if we think of living in Essence as the same as becoming a fully functioning, integrated person. The goal is not to strengthen our ego but to transcend its limitations and in so doing not only do we become increasingly healthy but we increasingly "live in Essence."
What capacities will we discover in ourselves if we work on ourselves and begin the process of "living in Essence"—whether we call it that or not?
The fact is, that the healthiest characteristics of our personalities become accessible to us as we work on ourselves. The more aware we are and the more we avail ourselves of presence, the more Essence supports the healthy manifestations of our personalities. As we become more integrated as human beings, more and more of these qualities become available, not just those of our own type.
Some of the most important healthy traits of each type are displayed on the following Enneagram. These are only some of the strengths we can learn from each other; they are particular to each type although universally accessible. Always keep in mind that many additional healthy traits exist that you will discover as you move in your own unique way beyond your ego identity.
The Enneagram of Healthy Personality
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Nine Observations about Spiritual Work
In our own explorations of this system, we have made nine observations about the process of uncovering our true nature. These nine observations do not correspond to the nine Personality Types; they are equally applicable to each, and each type will discover the truth of these points if they pursue their journey far enough. These nine observations encapsulate many of the major points we have discussed throughout this book.
Observation 1
Our true nature is Essence. Essence and personality are not separate: personality exists in, and is made out of Essence. While we have a personality, it is only a part of the totality of our true Self. Most of the time we are entranced by our personality and do not remember our Essential nature, or who we really are.
Observation 2
Work on ourselves proceeds layer by layer, from the most external forms of personality to the inner core of our Being. The automatic pattern of our personality draws us outward, but by bringing awareness to these patterns, we reverse the course. We can start peeling away the layers and uncover our true identity. Awareness (mindfulness) plus the willingness and ability to work through our psychological issues are the keys to our Work.
Observation 3
We will succeed in our Work if we are willing to know the truth about what is really occurring in us. Truth allows us to live in reality. We must tell the truth to ourselves, and where appropriate, to others. Being with the truth of our condition brings an ingredient that dissolves the structures we have been trapped in. But we must be willing to name our demons, to count the bars of our prison cell.
Observation 4
We need to be willing to observe our resistance to reality, our attachment to our self-image, and our fear. It is not in our power to transform ourselves, but we can bring awareness to these three major barriers: we can observe them and be willing to have them removed from us. It is helpful in our transformational work to pray for healing, and to seek healing with one's heart.
Observation 5
Whenever we work through a particular layer, the issues of the next layer automatically present themselves. The soul has its innate wisdom and yearns to be free. Therefore listen to your heart, your higher mind, and your body. The Self will unfold organically as we bring non-judgmental awareness to it and stay with the process. There is no finish line; the process will continue as long as we live.
Observation 6
The deeper we go with our process, the more difficult it becomes—at least for a while, and from the perspective of the personality. Initially it becomes more difficult because we uncover deeper and more intense sources of pain. This is because the closer we come to the truth, the more our ego is threatened. Later, difficulties arise because the barriers become more subtle and elusive. However, the deeper we go, the greater the rewards. We become more alive, joyful, and peaceful, and also more determined to stay on track.
Observation 7
We must be willing to be uncomfortable for a while if we wish to be released from whatever has bound us. We must remain present to whatever we find—whether it brings us sorrow or ecstasy. Remember that all negative behavior is the result of unprocessed pain. In the course of our work, we uncover difficult feelings, powerful Essential states, and many qualities of emptiness. The more we can learn to tolerate these different aspects of ourselves, the more quickly and smoothly our work will progress. The personality cannot tolerate almost anything, whereas the spirit can embrace everything.
Observation 8
We gradually learn to disidentify with the personality and to identify with our Essence, our true self. This, of course, requires that we be able to recognize our Essence and to distinguish our personality trances from it. We cannot accomplish this by judging, disliking, or trying to get rid of the personality. In fact, those very desires and attitudes are part of personality and are not characteristic of Essence. When the personality is seen in its proper context, its true function reveals itself.
Observation 9
Remember that it is our birthright and our natural state to be wise and noble, to be loving and generous, to esteem ourselves and others, to be creative and constantly renewing ourselves, to be engaged in the world in awe and wonder and in depth, to have courage and to be able to rely on ourselves, to be joyous and effortlessly accomplished, to be strong and effective, to be self-possessed and enjoy an unshakable peace of mind—and above all, to be present to the unfolding mystery of our lives.
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The Transformational Process
At the beginning of our transformational work, it is easy to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. It is also easy to begin to see the personality as an enemy that must be defeated since it is, after all, the repository and residue of so much "baggage" from our past, with all of its hurts, damage, and disappointments. When we are tempted to think this way, it is good to realize that the personality is not separate from us—in fact, it is an important and legitimate part of ourselves: the problem is simply that we mistake the part for the whole. Personality depends on our identifying with certain states, feelings, thoughts, and reactions even though whenever we do so, we experience ourselves as less than the totality of who and what we really are.
The spirituality of the Enneagram does not divide us into good (Essence) and bad (personality), but simply recognizes that when we are identified with our personalities, we forget that there is much more to us. The personality has the function of closing us down so that we can feel more defended against a threatening and uncertain world. At one time in our lives, in childhood, this response was adaptive and necessary. We had to identify with whatever qualities we found in ourselves in order to defend ourselves more efficiently and to find our place in the world.
But if we were able to stop identifying with our personality right now, who would we be? What would guide our actions? Who or what would be speaking in us? If, all of a sudden, the "autopilot" that directs many of our actions is no longer in charge, how would we be able to live?
There are no predetermined answers to these questions since we are not talking about finding a better formula or more rules to live by. We are talking about transformation—changing our state of Being—which requires being aware in the present moment. This inevitably leads to learning how to interfere with our habitual patterns, which in turn entails some degree of discomfort. But if we are willing to allow this discomfort, we can suddenly emerge from the tangle of reactions, plans, self-images, and tensions that constitute our regular life and realize that we are here. We exist. We are real. When we experience this recognition, it is like walking out of a fog bank.
Of course, learning to be more present is an art and takes practice—in fact, that's what spiritual practices are about. They help us cultivate awareness so that we can become more present to our lives and the miracles which are unfolding around us at every moment. Because the personality operates "in the dark: and depends on tension and identification, when we become present, it cannot operate in its usual automatic way and the deeper qualities of our heart, mind, and body—our Essential nature—manifest themselves. In this state, we see reality more clearly, and when we are in touch with reality, truth governs. In the land of truth, there are no contradictions, no conflicts, no hindrances, and no fears. But first, we must learn to be present.
The personality is always composed of a small fraction of the total range of our potentials. It contains imitations of the real, more expansive qualities of our Essential nature which include joy, love, peace, compassion, strength, understanding, and many other priceless qualities. Moreover, our Essence awakens us to the beauty all around us—to the gifts of nature and the miracle of other people. In every moment, there are treasures and sources of delight, if we could only open to them. In the world of personality, we are too filled with our own projects and preoccupations, worries and hopes to notice the exquisite pleasure of being alive and the astounding variety of life.
But as we expand more fully into our Essential nature, our senses are awakened—seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, intuiting. The world is more immediate and has a deeper impact on us; everything becomes more vivid and alive. We have all had moments in which a veil seems to have been removed so that the enchantment of even the smallest things touches us deeply. We experience the world once again with the innocence of a child, with all of the awe and mystery of life restored.
When we are functioning in personality, however, to varying degrees, our attention is caught up in imagination and is looking to the future or toward the past. Personality is always in some kind of reaction to the present moment. When we are functioning in Essence, we are grounded, present, and receptive to the moment. We see precisely what is necessary, and with exquisite economy, we are able to do it without unnecessary effort or resistance. We are capable, substantial, and real.
Further, because it is not what is real in us, but merely a construct in our minds, personality does not have any authority or power in itself. When we are lost in personality, it is not surprising that we often feel powerless, confused, and unsafe because we are basing our identity on an artificial construct. (If we are identified with something that is not real, then many things are going to be extremely threatening.) Our entire identity structure has been built up in our memory and imagination, whereas our true power and authority comes from our Essence, from our contact with the Divine. And yet, ironically, we fear and resist opening to that which is most real in us. When we trust in the process and give ourselves over to it, however, our authentic self comes forth. The result is real integrity, love, authenticity, creativity, understanding, guidance, joy, power, and serenity—all of the qualities we are forever demanding that personality supply.
The part of this process that is so difficult to understand is that we do not have to do anything to experience our true nature. The almost magical part is that our old personality patterns change without effort on our part in proportion to the depth of awareness that we bring to them. All we need to do is to stop identifying with the agendas of our personality. The effort is in waking up and letting go. The rest will take care of itself.
Thus, no matter how entranced in our personality we are, the amazing thing about Inner Work is that things begin to change rapidly as we bring awareness to the compulsive aspects of our personalities. The more we allow ourselves to feel the pain of our self-abandonment, the Essential qualities that we have been longing for begin to arise in us. The unfinished business of childhood begins to resolve itself in our psyches and our hearts begin to heal. When this happens, the ego matures and becomes a suitable "vessel" for further transformation. But until some degree of personality completion has taken place regarding the losses and vicissitudes of childhood, any spiritual attainment we have will be either fleeting or illusory.
Of course, the very fact of being receptive to spirituality can vastly accelerate the process of healing the deficits in our early development, provided we not use spirituality as an evasion for going through the whole healing process. And, by the same token, using the tools of psychology to heal the gaps in our development gives us the capacity to sustain spiritual states of consciousness. These two processes—the psychological and the spiritual—are therefore connected and need not be considered separate things; they are really stages in the full development of the complete human being.
From this perspective, saying that one is interested in spirituality but not psychology (or vice versa) is like saying that you want to learn to be a writer but are not interested in spelling or grammar, or that you want to be a doctor but do not care about biology. Psychology that does not address peoples' spiritual hungers is not going to lead to any complete and satisfying result. It is like climbing only half way up a mountain, or taking a dish out of the oven when it is only half-baked. We still get some benefits, but do not achieve the final goal. Psychology without spirituality is arid and ultimately meaningless, while spirituality without grounding in psychological work leads to vanity and illusions. Either way, disappointment and deception result. To be most effective, spirituality and psychology need to go hand in hand to reinforce the best in each other.
Another challenge is the common belief that to live in Essence is to have left personality entirely behind. This is not the case since both personality and essence are integral parts of each other, two sides of the same coin—the whole self.
"In the best of all possible worlds the acquired habits of personality would be available to one's essential nature and would help one to function adequately in the social context in which he or she lived, and for a realized being this undoubtedly is the case. The ordinary person, unfortunately, lacks the ability to make use of personality to carry out essential wishes. What is essential can manifest only in the simplest instinctive behavior and in primitive emotions.
"All this is not to say that essence is always noble and beautiful while personality is an alien crust of useless cultural barnacles. According to Gurdjieff, "as a rule a man's essence is either primitive, savage and childish, or else simply stupid." The essences of many are actually dead, though they continue to live seemingly normal lives. The development of essence to maturity, when it will embody everything that is true and real in a person's being, depends on work on oneself, and work on oneself depends on a balance between a relatively healthy essence and a personality that is not crushingly heavy.... Both are necessary for self-development, for without the acquisition of personality there will be no wish to attain higher states of consciousness, no dissatisfaction with everyday existence; and without essence there will be no basis of development." (Speeth, The Gurdjieff Work, 48-49)
As one becomes liberated from the negative aspects of personality, Essence becomes developed. Or, more aptly, the balance between Essence and personality shifts from personality to Essence until more of the self is living out of its Essence (that is, authentically, from the depths of its being). The personality remains ready to be employed as a useful and necessary tool, but only as an extension and expression of the deeper, essential self—a self that, because it is an expression of Essence, remains unfathomable to the ego mind. Without some degree of personality to express the self in ordinary daily life, we could not communicate with each other and, ultimately, our Essence would be unrecognized and remain undeveloped.
The full development and expression of the true self is what we seek, and this cannot be done in a vacuum. Because we cannot live without form, our human Essence must express itself through the forms of our personality type, just as talents must be expressed in action if talent is to be developed. A dancing master does not become so perfect a dancer that the master no longer dances. Dancing is not forsworn as evidence of having achieved perfection: on the contrary, mastery is expressed by losing the self in the dance.
If we are fortunate, we are nurtured and guided in our development toward a stable, well-integrated ego, one that is therefore "ripe" for transformation. The idea is not to return to the infantile state, but to mature as adults so that we can move ahead with the process of transformation. In the famous phrase of Jack Engler, "You have to be somebody before you can be nobody," and we must develop a whole, well-integrated personality before we can really "give it up" in the transformational process. The healthy, well-functioning human ego plays a crucial role in the process of self-realization, and so our developmental deficiencies must be healed if our transformative experiences are to have any lasting effect.
Thus, personality is as necessary to the development of the soul as Essence, and it is to be used for living in the world and for contributing to it. The aspects of personality that are more congruent with our Essence are the healthy personality states we find at Levels 1 to 3 for each type. Moreover, those personality states themselves develop to become finer expressions of our essential self as we continue to evolve. Once we have begun to integrate and to live in Essence more habitually, we become the master of our ego and are increasingly able to express ourselves freely and appropriately. Ego no longer controls us: Essence speaks through personality.
The danger is that many students begin to identify with essential states—in effect, creating a "new, improved" ego identity. For example, we can have an extraordinary spiritual experience and feel liberated from our usual sense of ourselves only to have identification cause our usual sense of self to claim the experience and make it part of our self-image. One moment we feel an abiding serenity and oneness with the universe, and the next, identification with the ego subtly slips in and we are telling ourselves how spiritually "advanced" we are. We may even start anticipating how impressed our teacher (or therapist or spouse) is going to be with our new state or new insights. Of course, by this time the experience of immediate awareness and real oneness has been lost.
"What needs to happen is to free this aspect of essence for it to become a station, to become permanently available, so that it is there when its mode of operation is needed. Therefore, all of the issues around identity and selfhood must be seen and understood, including the need for or attachments to identity. The true self exposes all misunderstanding and conflicts around identity and selfhood. Resolving the issues around the essential self eliminates all identification; or rather, identification becomes a free, conscious movement." (Almaas, Essence, 170)
Every experience of presence, of true nature, helps us see reality more objectively. It prepares us for the next movement toward liberation, so that we can move yet again in self-transcendence toward more freedom and abide more deeply in our essential self. Looked at one way, this movement is from state of consciousness to state of consciousness, yet looked at another way, the movement becomes increasingly free of all attachments to those very forms.
"Life continues to be a process of creative discovery. The process of learning, unfolding, and expansion never stops. Essence continues to unfold, new dimensions arise, new modes of experience and insight emerge, new capacities manifest....The shift of identity from personality to essence is nothing but the realization of the true self, the high self of essence.... Practical action becomes the action of the true being. There is efficiency, economy, simplicity, directness. One fully lives in the world but is constantly connected to the Beyond, the Supreme Reality." (Almaas, Essence, 179.)
The move to Essence is not an escape from ourselves but the growth of freedom from those aspects of ourselves that have made us unfree and subject to suffering. The move to Essence is a supremely positive thing—not a negation of our individuality, but the occasion in which we become deeply alive and in possession of ourselves. We hinted at some of this in Personality Types:
"Attaining the goal of a full, happy life, ripe with experiences well used, means that each of us will become a paradox—free, yet constrained by necessity; shrewd, yet innocent; open to others, yet self-reliant; strong, yet able to yield; centered on the highest values, yet able to accept imperfection; realistic about the suffering existence imposes on us, yet full of gratitude for life as it is.
"The testimony of the greatest humans who have ever lived is that the way to make the most of ourselves is by transcending ourselves. We must learn to move beyond self-centeredness to make room within ourselves for others. When you transcend yourself, the fact will be confirmed by the quality of your life. You will attain—even if only momentarily—a transparency and a radiance of being which result from living both within and beyond yourself. This is the promise and the excitement of self-understanding." (45-6)
The quality of your life is confirmation that, in the moment of presence, you have attained Essence—your deepest, truest self. The transparency and radiance that result from living in Essence is the sign that Essence is not only desirable but attainable. The state of "transparency"—of openness and unselfconsciousness—makes the essential self accessible to others. And the "radiance" that results from self-transcendence—self-possession and profound happiness—emanates the many particular qualities of love.
"Enlightenment cannot be according to any system. It has to resolve and clarify your own situation. The realization must satisfy and fulfill your heart, not the standards of some system. The liberation must be of you, you personally....The quest does not bring about improvement or perfection. It brings about a maturity, a humanity, and a wisdom." (Almaas, Essence, 181-182.)
We have seen much the same about the limitations of any system, including the limitations of the Enneagram. While Almaas says that "the quest does not bring about improvement or perfection," he means that the process is one of self-discovery—not of self-improvement. We are correcting a case of mistaken identity, not trying to "fix up" our false identity. In fact, when we discover our true nature, and recognize that we are Essence, we see that all of the noble qualities we have been seeking are already here—part of us. Just as we saw in Chapter 2, our personalities are a response to the obscuration of the Virtues and Holy Ideas. When we correct our misperceptions, these qualities are rediscovered, and manifest freely again.
Our Essence is always available because at our deepest level, it is what we are. The Enneagram reminds us again and again, that if we are on a spiritual path, we must begin to question our basic assumptions about ourselves and our identity. As awareness grows, we will open up to an expanded sense of self that includes more than the preoccupations of our personality; indeed, more than the personality can even imagine.
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The Triads and the Paths of Transformation
Each Triad has a defining set of personality issues as well as dominant Essential qualities. We can also delineate nine distinct Paths of Transformation that unlock the issues of the Triads and restore access to our Essential nature. These Paths represent internal attitudes that help to liberate us from some of the limited views of our type, but they are also markers of our progress. As we are able to experience and sustain these inner orientations, we can be reassured that we are "making progress."
The key issues of the Instinctive Triad involve resisting reality by maintaining imaginary boundaries to define the self. We create these imaginary boundaries because, once we have become estranged from our Essential nature, we lose our feeling of substantiality—of being a real, palpable presence in the world. Because we do not occupy a real space, we must construct an imaginary one and then protect it. Much of the work with this Center involves the recognition of these imaginary boundaries and their artificial nature. When we are able to do this, we being to re-experience ourselves as Presence, as something real and as spaciousness. Thus, there is no need to maintain false boundaries.
The three paths connected with the Instinctive Triad are Self-Remembering (at point Nine), Self-Surrender (at point Eight), and Acceptance (at point One). We see that when we are actually occupying our instinctive functions, we know that we are here directly—we remember that we exist right now (self-remembering). We fully experience our "is-ness," and it is not based on stories or pictures of ourselves held in the mind. We are engaged with reality, with a complete immediacy.
Supporting this are the Paths of Transformation for types Eight and One. From Eight, we experience Self-Surrender which entails a dissolving of the imaginary ego-boundaries such that we no longer experience ourselves as one object in a universe of objects. Instead, we know that our presence, the very ground of our being, is also the ground of everything else that we can perceive. Because we are at one with the universe, we no longer need to defend ourselves from it or to continue our personal struggle against it. We know that our Essential nature cannot be overcome or destroyed, and find deep purpose and confidence in being the instrument of a Higher Will.
From type One, we experience Acceptance. We accept our own inner condition, exactly as it is, without reacting to it or defending against it. We stop the inner war between the parts of ourselves that are driven by frustrated desires and the parts of ourselves that would banish or condemn those desires. We know that neither side reflects the truth of our Essential being, although they both reflect a partial truth. As we become more accepting of ourselves, we find that we are also in a more direct relationship with reality. Like type Eight, we see that the presence from which our being springs is the same presence that underlies everything around us, and that there is no need to judge or separate ourselves from any of it. This does not reduce our capacity to discern or to choose wise actions, rather, it increases that capacity infinitely.
The Feeling Triad is concerned with issues around the maintenance of a false or assumed self as a defense against the loss of our Essential identity and sense of value. At the Center of this Triad, Authenticity, connected with type Three, is the Path of Transformation that dissolves the false self-image and reveals the narcissistic nature of most of our projects and agendas. At the same time, authenticity opens the door to our true identity such that we fully experience the preciousness of who and what we are and that our identity is a "given"—we do not need to create it.
From Two, we experience proper Self-Nurturing, which certainly does not mean self-indulgence or acting out infantile cravings. Rather, self-nurturance is the ability to realistically assess our genuine needs and then to take action to address them without waiting for others to do so. Self-nurturing also entails self-regulation in the sense that we are able to soothe our own needs and states by staying in contact with our hearts. This keeps us sensitive to our authentic needs and keeps us sensitive to the needs and boundaries of others. Proper self-nurturing also prevents us from becoming dependent on the good will, positive opinions, or affection of others.
From Four, we experience Forgiveness, which is most simply the ability to let go of the events of the past and to move on with one's life. We stop clinging to old hurts and resentments, thereby opening up space in our hearts to be affected by people and events freshly, without the dense filters of emotional reactions leftover from our childhood. Rather than holding the world responsible for our frustrations, we begin to understand the forces in ourselves that perpetuate them. When we do this, we experience our lives and our identities as they truly are—that is, as a process, a flow.
The Thinking Triad is concerned with the strategies we develop to move forward in life, to protect ourselves from dangers, and to acquire the things that we need for our well being. We engage in these strategies because our egos have separated from our Essential capacity to know. At the Center of this Triad is the Path of Transformation for point Six, Courage. This is a quality that does not come from ignoring fears, rather, it arises naturally from the Essential quality of knowing—what we have been referring to as "the quiet mind." When we are receptive to the Essential quality of the quiet mind, our ego's strategies for survival and gratification are revealed as superfluous or even counterproductive. We perceive things simply and directly, without the fearful interpretations of the imagination, and we are able to act from the sense of spaciousness and possibility which the support of the quiet mind affords. We do not have to devote all of our energies to figuring out how to support and protect ourselves and our loved ones, but become attuned to a more subtle form of direction that arises from the quiet of our own awareness.
At point Five, we experience true Understanding, which should not be confused with intellectual understanding, although that can be part of the picture. Rather, understanding entails a gestalt, an immediate and complete apprehension of truth that is felt in all of the parts of oneself. Understanding in this sense is direct knowing, in which we know something through intimate contact with our experience, not through distancing ourselves as "outside observers". This kind of understanding allows us to make wise choices and supports our courage to move forward in life.
At point Seven, we experience the Gratitude that occurs when the mind is open and fully receptive to the impressions of the moment. When this takes place, we are deeply satisfied and nourished by all the contents of our immediate experience. We understand that there is no need for the mind to wander elsewhere seeking "greener pastures" because what is here and now completely supports us and fills us. We become exquisitely sensitive to every subtle sense impression so that the many hidden treasures and delights of each moment reveal themselves to us. To fully allow a color or a quality of light or a sensation to register in our consciousness is to allow ourselves to feel the ecstasy of existence. We can entertain any experience, thought, or impression without desiring more of it or feeling the need to seek something else to take its place. Further, we are aware that the supply of rich impressions is inexhaustible. Gratitude is the antithesis of "scarcity thinking"—we are secure in the knowledge that we will have whatever we need, and more. Our capacity for true spontaneity and a deep sense of joy arise to heal the ego's impulsiveness and feelings of frustration. Instead of scrambling after whatever we believe will make us feel better, gratitude enables us to savor each moment of our lives.
The Paths of Transformation
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The Nine Types & Their Essential Qualities
As we have seen, contacting our Essence is always a matter of recognizing our identifications, fears, and resistances, and bringing our attention to our experience in the here and now. As we do so, we become increasingly aware of a vast number of Essential qualities that arise perfectly to support whatever issues we are facing. Indeed, the more we move up the Levels of Development and are less encumbered by our ego identities, the more we have access to all of the Essential qualities.
Our Essential nature, however, is vast and subtle, and manifests in a multitude of ways and at a variety of levels. Here we are most concerned with the qualities of Essence that are "closer" to the surface—that is, more generally accessible to our daily awareness. These aspects arise to support our inner Work any time we remember ourselves and come back to some contact with Presence. The Enneagram delineates some of the most important of these qualities, and by describing them, we may be able to see how they constantly support our transformation. Each of the nine points can be thought of as contributing an important ingredient for our development. We may also begin to see how the personality attempts to fill in the gaps in our development by imitating them. Over time, we can develop an increased sensitivity to these states, which gradually enables us to identify with our True Nature instead of our personality.
Of course, as with everything else in this book, reading about the Essential qualities or having an intellectual understanding of them is not the same as having a direct experience of them. For that, consistent practice is needed, preferably with the support of others as we have previously mentioned. Also note that the Essential aspects described here are only a departure point and are by no means complete or definitive.
From point Eight, we experience Essential Strength. Strength is an expansive energy, and when it is manifesting we feel large, solid, capable, and alive. Not surprisingly, essential strength arises in defense of our souls—it protects our process and its integrity. It provides a foundation and ground that gives us the ability to discriminate present, real experience from projections and reactions from the past, as well as to tolerate more painful, subtle, or empty states. Without this quality, we may have profound experiences, but we will not be able to embody or sustain them in any meaningful way.
From point Nine, we experience a sense of Unity or Wholeness. We know that we are not only connected with everything else, but that we are not a "separate object." We directly experience the oneness of reality, and our essential union with all creation. Further, we understand that this unity is dynamic, alive, and ever-changing. We know love as the force that breaks through all false boundaries and identities to restore this experience of wholeness. The realization of this state brings a deep satisfaction and contentment—a profound sense of well-being. We feel at peace with reality and with our place in it. We are able to function effectively in the world while knowing that what we are is "beyond" the world.
From point One, we experience Wisdom. This quality is related to the Buddhist concept of right action. Wisdom manifests as brilliant intelligence, an ability to see exactly what is needed in the moment and to act accordingly. This intelligence is not based on any set of principles, guidelines, or rules, but rather arises spontaneously whenever it is needed. It gives us the ability to respond to situations effectively, with an economy of energy—neither too much nor too little. Further, when we are manifesting this quality, we are able to communicate our insights clearly and authoritatively. We are patient, steady, capable, and radiant.
From point Two, we experience Unconditional Love. This quality gives us a tremendous freedom from the inherent neediness of the ego. Knowing that we are connected to the very source of love, and that we cannot lose it, allows us to interact with other human beings in whatever way the moment dictates, without any concern that we will be disliked or rejected. Further, when we are truly and authentically experiencing love as part of our Essential nature, we see that love does not belong to anyone, including ourselves, and recognize that everyone around us is also a manifestation of love. We know that it is not our duty to go around "loving" everyone, but to live in the presence of love such that others may also remember that they too are in the presence of love. Further, love is a tremendously powerful force for dissolving all that is false in us. Few of our illusions about ourselves or others can stand long in the presence of real love. In this respect, we see how love represents the active or dynamic part of truth, and that they are intimately related.
From point Three, we experience Essential Value. When we are manifesting this quality of Essence, we do not need to do anything to feel valuable or worthwhile. We do not need to work at developing our self-esteem because we fully experience our intrinsic value as Being. We feel the profound pleasure and satisfaction of existing—a sense of enjoyment pervades our entire presence. This aspect predisposes us to behave benevolently toward others: experiencing our own essential value, we do not need to manipulate others or our environment in order to see ourselves in any particular light. We experience ourselves as a shining, star-like presence—a source of radiance in the world.
From point Four, we experience Equanimity. Once we open to the riches of the heart and to the inexhaustible wonder of living in truth, we are filled from moment to moment with a kaleidoscope of powerful impressions, sensations, and feelings. Equanimity gives us the capacity to contain all of these ever-changing qualities without being swept into emotional reactions about them. Because the nature of spirit is ever changing, our experience of ourselves and of life is also constantly changing. Equanimity allows the identity of the Essential self to participate in the cornucopia of experiences and inner qualities without clinging to or fearing any of them, and without regretting their passing. In this way, the sense of oneself continually deepens so that powerful experiences are fully felt but do not overwhelm the Essential identity. We are able to feel both the heights of ecstasy and the full intensity of suffering without becoming lost in either.
From point Five, we experience the Essential quality of "Direct Knowing." This quality is quite distinct from the ego's form of thinking, which is generally characterized by inner talk or inner visualization, often accompanied by a process of sorting information and "data retrieval." In direct knowing, however, the mind is silent, and open, and we are supported by the awareness that we will know whatever we need to know as we need to know it. Even the acquisition of new information, skills, or experiences will be guided by an inner knowing that does not arise from the ego's feelings of insufficiency. Direct knowing arises out of a direct experience of the pristine empty space of mind, thus, it allows us to be free of attachment to any particular perspective. We know that in different moments and situations, different perspectives may be more useful, and that our Essence will guide us to whichever perspective is most suitable. This inner clarity also allows us to be unattached to the phenomenal world, because when we are functioning in this capacity, we see all objects and events as arising and disappearing within a vast and unfathomable mystery. We see the world as a dance of exquisite gestures and movements within the shining void.
From point Six, we experience Essential Will. This quality manifests as a sense of being "imbedded" in reality—solidly supported by the ground of Being. It gives us a capacity for endurance and persistence in our Work, and an ability to confront situations without anxiety. We feel as if we are "held up" by a solid ocean of Presence that supports and guides us. Further, we do not need to fill our minds with plans and strategies, because we are directed by a silent wellspring of inner guidance that functions harmoniously with our circumstances and with our environment. It brings a sense of unshakable confidence and a clear sense of direction. The more we open to this quality, the more actively it manifests in our world, leading us exactly to the experiences we most need for our development.
From point Seven, we experience Essential Joy. When this quality manifests, we are filled with an expansive, sunny presence that lets us know that we are moving in the right direction. We feel grateful for the wonderful and mysterious gift of our lives, and experience a profound wonder and curiosity about our journey. We deeply feel the presence of our true spiritual home, and feel it calling us back. As Essential joy arises in us, we know where true value lies, and are fortified to do whatever is necessary to return to what our heart truly desires. We know what we love, and joyfully open to deeper aspects of our True nature.
The Enneagram of Essential Qualities
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Conclusion
The Enneagram guides us toward nothing less than learning how to consciously surrender the ego-self of personality to the greater Self so that we can become conscious participants in the sacred mystery of life. In reality, it entails the surrender of nothing—our personality—in order to receive the gift of everything—the life of the Spirit. But the first step on that path involves being willing to observe ourselves so that we can stop playing out the unconscious dictates of our personality.
The process of growth by whatever name it is called—living in Essence, the growth of virtue, or the movement toward integration—is evolutionary, an upward spiral that has no final state of completion since to become completely possessed of all virtues would be to become God—an impossibility. (Our call, in a religious frame of reference, is to become "like God"—to attain some degree of the virtues that God alone possesses to an absolute degree.) If some see this never-ending quest for increasing virtue (or personal strengths) as a frustrating chase after an unreachable goal, it is because they have not experienced the deep fulfillment that results from self-realization. If integration is thought of as merely collecting a set of impractical virtues as if they were merit badges being added to a collection, then of course the enterprise will be unsatisfying.
But the true situation is far from this. Acquiring the strengths of virtue brings about the enlargement of the person. By acting virtuously and by "living in Essence," the person becomes capable of living more deeply and consciously as master of the self. New depths are being opened in the integrating person. The creation of inner resources, the experience of oneself as enlarged, more potent, and creative is tremendously fulfilling. In this sense, the saying that "virtue is its own reward" has new meaning: the reward of virtue is the happiness that comes from the realization that we are living out of our essential self and that in doing so we are bringing more of ourselves into being.
Yet it will always remain true that realizing the value of self-transcendence can be found only in the individual's innermost heart. In the moment of self-transcendence, we discover that over and above liberation from the ego, self-transcendence gives us another, deeper reward by creating both the capacity and the desire for more of itself.
By integrating, we are constantly moving in the direction of increasing life. And nothing in life is more fulfilling than cooperating in the process of creation. Integrating persons become co-creators of that most vast yet intimate mystery, the human spirit. From only a psychological point of view, the capacity to be a co-creator bestows on human nature enormous dignity. But from a spiritual point of view, this capacity has a more profound meaning because to move in the direction of increasing life is to move toward Being itself. With each step we take toward Being, we also find that Being supports our quest. In the end, the quest for the self and its deepest Essence culminates in meeting the Divine.
Chapter 11, from Understanding the Enneagram, Riso & Hudson, 2000
Click here for The Stages of the Work
Description of Types
Descriptions of types:
Each description below starts with a one-word name (e.g. Reformer, Helper, Motivator, etc.) based on the terminology of Don Riso and Russ Hudson. There is also an alternate term highlighted in red, which is a "directional descriptor" derived from the directional analysis of the Enneagram.
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1. The reformer - The aggressive ideal-seeker
"Your best teacher is your last mistake." - Ralph Nader
Reformers. The underlying motivation of the 1 is to be RIGHT, and to avoid being WRONG. Reformers are the most compulsively rational of the types, and the perfectionist is another name for this type. Average 1s are driven by their "inner critic", an inner set of standards that tends to be quite rigorous, and independent of what other people tell them. Hence, the average 1 is very self-critical, and also critical of others when they expect the same high standards of others that they have imposed on themselves. Ones get much of their energy from anger, and at best, this energy is channeled into discipline, organization, a strong work ethic and a love of fairness, justice, and truth. At worst, they become rigid in their thinking, psychologically trapped by their own rules and principles and becoming self-righteous in a way that, although logically correct, is not helpful to themselves or others.
1s like to confront problems head-on, but this proactive energy may not always be immediately apparent to others. Introverted 1s may be extremely prim and proper, even rigid, because they turn their energies inward against their own impulses and spontaneity. However, other 1s can project considerable energy, even becoming abrasive, if their passions turn toward ideals, such as social justice, that involve the world as a whole.
Famous ones: Hillary Clinton, Ralph Nader, Judith Martin (Ms Manners), Martha Stewart, Confucious, Aristotle, Queen Elizabeth II.
1s and 5s are occasionally confused for each other because they are both analytical, and both appreciate detailed, accurate, information. The scientific method is based on a mixture of type 1 and type 5 fixations. However, 1s think to ensure correctness, while 5s think to understand and intellectually conquer their environment. Fives are oriented toward ideas, while ones are oriented toward ideaLs (capital L for emphasis). Ones feel bound by rules and principles, while 5s do not.
Many 1s identify with type 8., probably because both types are driven by anger. However, 1s are guided by principles and logic, whereas 8s are driven more by willpower and a lust for power.
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2. The helper. The embracing power-seeker
Helpers focus their lives on giving and receiving love. This personality is one of the most emotionally expressive, and one of the most focused on human relationships. At their best, healthy 2s bring a special interpersonal touch to almost everything they do, empowering others with their unrivaled desire to make others feel special, important, and loved for simply being themselves. It is uncommon (though not impossible) to find a 2 in high-profile leadership positions, or in a job that emphasizes analysis at the expense of human interaction.
Highly nurturing at their best, less healthy 2s show a darker side of their personality. When unhealthy 2s help others, it is merely to make themselves feel more important. They may offer "help" that seems intrusive and manipulative to others, or may do a "favor", only to subsequently ask repayment. Average twos are often attracted toward two seemingly opposite kinds of people: toward people with power, whose agenda they can support, and towards the needy and the outcast, who most urgently need the 2's caring spirit.
Famous 2w1s: Fred Rogers ("Mr. Rogers"), Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Bill Cosby
Famous 2w3s: Kathie Lee Gifford
9s and 2s are often confused with each other (particularly female 9s and 2s) because both are dutiful types, with positive feelings for others that can be tinged with resentment at having their own feelings neglected. However, 2s are more assertive emotionally, while the 9 tends to be more emotionally detached. 9s tend to efface their egos when helping others, while 2s tend to magnify them.
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3. The motivators. The aggressive approval-seeker
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." - Dale Carnegie
Being admired is very important to 3s - they are competitive, and place great value on winning and looking good while doing it. Publicly, 3s project high self-esteem, driving relentlessly toward their career and life goals. But the average 3's craving for external approval may degenerate into superficial and image-conscious behavior, as they work hard to look impressive while neglecting genuine achievement. Despite the high self-esteem they project to others, 3s may privately feel insecure about their self-worth, being as it is so dependent on what others say about them. 3s have an unusually strong inner contradiction; they project qualities of leaders: drive, energy, and success, and yet their definition of success is unusually dependent on the values of the society they belong to. Hence, they are simultaneously leaders and followers.
Healthy 3s often have a "cool" attitude to go along with their accomplishments - they know what is "hot" and what is not, and for better or worse, this contributes to the 3's reputation for being excellent salesmen who can win over the most reluctant audience. Because they place high value on affirmation from others, they may be very adept at reading subtle cues in others, using this information to quickly tailor their message to their audience. However, unhealthy 3s are notorious for being phony and self-promoting. Extroverted 3s can be charming smooth talkers, using their networking skills to augment their image and their career, which may be closely linked. More introverted threes may instead strut their stuff through competence and skillful performance rather than showmanship.
American culture is probably a 3-ish society, with its emphasis on appearances, success, and winning. See more on cultural topics here.
Famous 3w2s: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brooke Shields, Britney Spears, Katie Couric
Famous 3w4s: Jimmy Carter, O.J. Simpson, Regis Philbin, Tom Cruise, Joe Montana, Christopher Reeves, Tony Blair
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4. The romantic. The withdrawn ideal-seeker
More than any other type, 4s seek to understand themselves. They may probe their own emotions to an unusual depth, seeking authenticity of feeling and self-expression. They don't settle for the ordinary or shallow, and are disturbed that most everyone around them does. The importance they attach to their inner feelings makes them highly individualistic and original. 4s are unusually self-aware, sensitive, and intuitive, sometimes painfully so, and often with an intense interest in emotional and spiritual growth. Because of this emotional awareness, fours can show kindness at a very deep level (especially to those in crisis), but also know how to rile people up.
The 4's inward focus gives them an intense need for authentic personal self-expression. This may include conventional art-forms such as writing, and music, or unconventional forms such as tattoos and body piercing. The 4 has a romantic streak, and their relationships often occur at unusually high intensity. At best, this can be deeply transformative to both persons. At worst, this intensity may cause a trail of broken relationships, as the 4 continually seeks the intensity of new romances.
The 4's search for authenticity makes many 4s refreshingly candid, sometimes with a sense of drama and a sharp wit. However, they also have a self-indulgent streak. This self-indulgence typically turns inward, and away from practical reality, which may gets them into trouble with money, health, or other real-world issues. At worst, this may induce despair and brooding, accentuating the original problems and leading into a downward spiral that can be extremely dramatic.
Famous 4s: Calista Flockhart, Wynona Ryder, Dennis Rodman
Famous 4w3s: Peter Tchaikovsky, Michael Jackson
Famous 4w5s: Franz Kafka, Emily Dickinson, John Lennon, Bob Dylan Comparisons with other types: 4s and 9s are mistaken for each other surprisingly often. In particular, self-preservation 9s can be shy and sensitive, seemingly like 4s. However, 4s seek intensity in their emotions, while 9s avoid it. 9s in pain may look like 4s, but they deal with their pain by numbing themselves, whereas the 4 is more likely to amplify their pain, hoping to find meaning in it.
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5. The thinker The withdrawn power-seeker
"Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put on an orgy in my office and I wouldn't look up. Well, maybe once." - Isaac Asimov
5s identify more strongly with their thoughts than any other personality. To others, 5s are known for their sharp intellect, strong need for independence and privacy, and intensity of their cerebral interests. 5s are intensely interested in explaining the world and predicting what it will do next. This derives partly from scientific curiosity, and partly because they sense much of the world to be hostile and unreliable, requiring that they use their minds to defend against its threats. The 5 is the prototypical scientist "type", although not all 5s are scientists, and not all scientists are 5s. Whatever their profession, 5s bring a strong desire to investigate, observe, and understand an issue deeply and provocatively. Fives are unusually independent and self-motivated, with a strong need for privacy, and others sometimes have no idea what the five is working on until it is finished and unveiled. Some of the greatest minds in history were fives whose ideas challenged the conventional wisdom, forcing those around them to think differently.
Unfortunately, the average 5's independence often leads to social isolation, and the 5's need for intellectual control can also be off-putting to others. Many 5s develop a cynical worldview, which sharpens their perceptions but also intensifies their isolation. Their independence makes their thinking very idiosyncratic, leading to either brilliance or weirdness, or both. As with all the types, healthy 5s can transcend this pitfall of their personality, and 5s that do make this effort can become as brilliant in their social understanding as in anything else.
Famous 5s: William Rhenquist, Stephen Hawking, Francis Crick, Helen Keller, Wittgenstein, Arthur C. Clarke
Famous 5w4s: Sigmund Freud, Nikola Tesla
Famous 5w6s: Charles Darwin, Frederich Nietzsche, David Lynch, Isaac Newton
Comparisons with other types: See 1.
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6. The loyalist The embracing approval-seeker
Chris Magruder (exasperated): "There is a word for people who think everyone is conspiring against them."
C.W. Briggs (played by Woody Allen): "I know, .... perceptive!"
- From the movie Curse of the Jade Scorpion, by Woody Allen.
Average 6s place safety and trust above all else, making them among the most loyal of the Enneagram personalities. Of course, each type's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness, and the 6s capacity for loyalty can be devastating if they put their faith into something malicious or unreliable. A 6 that has been "burned" by someone they trusted can become permanently wary of others, or of their own judgment. They may react strongly to this betrayal, either retreating into fear or lashing out. 6s often seek safety in groups of like-minded, trustworthy people, and among them they can be fun-loving, playful, and very good company. But outside of such a protective environment, 6s feel less secure and more exposed, and more beholden to their fears.
The average 6 is a somewhat difficult type for many other types to understand. The 6's thoughts can range widely, often in strongly self-contradictory ways, which can lead to problems with indecision and doubt. They simultaneously like people and fear the power others have over them. They value trust, but are afraid of putting their trust into someone that will hurt them. They would like a strong authority to make them feel safe, but often question the competence of these same authorities. 6s often develop good "bull-shit detectors" because of their lifelong habit of reading between the lines of what people say. Because 6s are both analytical and people-oriented, they may have very good insights into the motivations of others. Despite their mental acuity, 6 are fearful about taking action on their own, and work better in teams where a common goal and safety in numbers makes the 6 feel protected. Although 6s do not usually consider themselves natural leaders, they can in fact be brilliant leaders when faced with an external threat or enemy (even if the "enemy" is just a looming deadline).
6s are extremely loyal to those they trust, and may fight for them more strongly than they would for themselves. Like the 2, who also orients their lives toward others, 6s can be unusually self-sacrificing, perhaps even more so because they are unlikely to have the 2's confusion between helpfulness and self-aggrandizement.
Famous 6s: Al Gore, Mel Gibson, Harry Truman, Woody Allen, Andy Rooney, George H.W. Bush (Senior)
Famous 6w5s: Richard Nixon, Adolph Hitler, Bill Gates, Alicia Silverstone
Famous 6w7s: David Letterman, Ross Perot, John McCain, James Carville (Democratic strategist), Monica Lewinsky
Comparisons with other types:
Many people find 6s rather difficult to understand. They are often confused for a great many other types, particularly 1s, 2s, and to a lesser degree 8s. The ambivalent, reactive nature of the 6 often means they can oscillate between a wide range of behaviors, from compliance to aggression to withdrawal, thus emulating a lot of other personalities at different times. A particularly hard distinction is between 1s and 6s, who can both be rule-oriented, meticulous, and prone to powerful feelings of guilt. However, 1s and 6s differ a great deal emotionally - average 1s feel anger as their driving emotion, while 6s feel anxiety, affection, and guilt. 1s also have more internalized, intellectualized, principles than 6s, whose attachments are more often interpersonal than academic. From a distance, famous 6s are also frequently confused with 2s, because both can show caring, emotional qualities and are strongly people-oriented. For example, princess Diana, a 2, is often typed as a 6, whereas Monica Lewinsky, a 6, is often typed as a 2.
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7. The Enthusiast The embracing ideal-seeker
"Seize the moment." - Theodore Roosevelt
To an unusual degree, 7s live a life of action that is based on seeking experience, pursuing plans, dreams, and visions. At best, this makes them extremely exuberant, multi-talented, diverse, curious, and experienced, with a strong appreciation for beauty, style, and aesthetic flair. At best, 7s exude a youthful spirit, viewing the world as a giant playground, but at worst, they may become childish with their need for instant gratification.
In the extreme, 7s can go crazy with activity, juggling many different activities and plans in their heads at the same time. They may seem unusually lucky, although in reality their "luck" happens because they are unusually perceptive of opportunities and quick to grab them. 7s are unusually good problem solvers in a pinch, improvising clever solutions out of whatever is at hand. Even though their work style seems rather chaotic they are often extremely prolific and productive. Their improvisational ability makes some 7s quite entertaining and comedic, but with a tendency to disappear when slower, boring tasks need to be done. 7s are also called "generalists", because they can quickly master several areas of expertise, and cross-fertilize between them. But they may also become dilletantes, slow to finish or follow through. Healthy sevens also have an egalitarian streak - spreading their own joy and stimulation to everyone around them. Less healthy sevens often seem to be in a desperate battle against boredom, leading to breakdowns if boredom should temporarily win out.
Famous 7s (no wing or both wings): Richard Feynmann, Conan O'Brien, Warren Buffet
Famous 7w6s: John F. Kennedy, Shirley Temple, Al Roker
Famous 7w8s: Howard Stern, Newt Gingrich, Madonna, Theodore Roosevelt, Jesse Ventura
Comparisons with other types: See 4.
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8. The confronter The aggressive power-seeker
"Power is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible." - From the movie Enter the Dragon, starring Bruce Lee
8s come across as the toughest of the Enneagram personalities. At work, average eights can be assertive to a fault - they like to speak their minds bluntly, make quick but forceful decisions, and respect others who do the same. They demand and need a high degree of autonomy, and when they feel controlled by authority, they often show an unmistakable defiant streak. They are often shrewd in using circumstances to their material advantage. They do not like threats to their dominance, or people who hide information from them, and may force confrontations with others to get the truth, however uncomfortable it may be. 8s like to have the final say on things, but they may also give tremendous autonomy, within certain absolute limits, to subordinates they trust, which others find very empowering. Eights may show a softer side at home, where their strength is used not to dominate, but to protect. 8s are the prototypical "father figures", (even if they are women). When eights are secure in their dominance, they may expand their caring side by becoming magnanimous and generous. However, insecure 8s are the most tyrannical, destructive, and self-serving types. Many historically great world leaders are 8s, but so are many ordinary people who project a strong sense of being their own person, refusing to be used or led by others.
While some types dislike conflict (notably 9s and 7s), eights are energized by it. This ability helps them overcome obstacles that would crush a weaker person. For better or worse, during periods of historical crisis, it is often an eight (or someone with a strong eight wing), who comes to the forefront as a political or military leader.
Famous 8s: Joseph Stalin, Henry Kissinger, Mick Jagger, King Henry VIII, Muhammad Ali, Julius Caesar, Vladimir Putin, Zhu Rongji
Famous 8w7s: Pablo Picasso, Rosie O'Donnell, Lyndon Johnson
Famous 8w9s: Sean Connery, Carl Sagan, Bruce Lee, Franklin Roosevelt
It is surprising how many 1s score as 8s on Enneagram tests. This is understandable: both 8s and 1s have a lot of core anger, and both tend to see the world in black-and-white terms. Both may set rules for others to follow. However, 1s feel guilty when they break their own rules, while the 8's feel much less bound by limits, even their own. 8s are much less prone to guilt than 1s, and more likely to delegate responsibilities, as opposed to 1s who often become overwhelmed with responsibility.
Motivators (3s) and 8s are both competitive, and both push others to get get things done. But 3s goals tend to be oriented around building their positive self-image, while 8s prefer to be respected, even if this means being disliked or even hated.
8s with 9 wings are an interesting subtype. The 9 wing considerably softens the traits of the 8, making the 8w9 much harder to recognize and understand than a pure 8. Don Riso notes that the 8w9 often holds their power "in reserve". 8w9s are often underestimated, because they can look like mild-mannered 9s one day, only to unleash their aggressive 8 side the next.
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9. The mediator The withdrawn approval-seeker
9s come across as patient people who are good listeners, adaptable and accommodating to others. 9s have an unusual ability to "go with the flow" of their surroundings, and a desire to be connected with their surroundings. This ability is both their biggest strength and weakness; at best, 9s are very accepting and supportive of others as they really are, but at worst 9s forget who they themselves are, passively agreeing with others and afraid to assert their own desires. 9s learning the Enneagram may take a long time to figure out their type because they identify more with others than with their own true selves.
The passivity of average 9s can make it hard for them to assert their needs or make decisions. 9s can have a particularly hard time making painful decisions, like firing someone, because they also see the other person's predicament, and hate to force confrontations. Average 9s may distract themselves from tough problems with soothing but trivial tasks (e.g. web-surfing, aimless chatter). 9s with an 8 wing are less likely to have this problem because the 8 wing has a lust for action and challenge, while 9s with a 1 wing are more likely to become creatures of habit, because of the 1's compulsive qualities. Inertia is in fact a chronic problem for 9s, who often find it hard to get started on things. However, this inertia can also work to their advantage, because once started 9s can make slow-but-steady progress, becoming surprisingly relentless in their pursuits. The old Aesop's fable about the slow-and-steady tortoise who beats the faster rabbit aptly describes the work habits of healthy 9s.
Famous 9s: Bill Clinton (has both wings)
Famous 9w1s: Carl Jung, Nelson Mandela, Warren Harding, Tiger Woods, Prince Charles, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Nealon, Bob Costas, cultural aura of Ancient China.
Famous 9w8s: Walter Cronkite, Ronald Reagan, Albert Einstein, Dwight Eisenhower, The Dalai Lama, cultural aura of Ancient India.
Each description below starts with a one-word name (e.g. Reformer, Helper, Motivator, etc.) based on the terminology of Don Riso and Russ Hudson. There is also an alternate term highlighted in red, which is a "directional descriptor" derived from the directional analysis of the Enneagram.
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1. The reformer - The aggressive ideal-seeker
"Your best teacher is your last mistake." - Ralph Nader
Reformers. The underlying motivation of the 1 is to be RIGHT, and to avoid being WRONG. Reformers are the most compulsively rational of the types, and the perfectionist is another name for this type. Average 1s are driven by their "inner critic", an inner set of standards that tends to be quite rigorous, and independent of what other people tell them. Hence, the average 1 is very self-critical, and also critical of others when they expect the same high standards of others that they have imposed on themselves. Ones get much of their energy from anger, and at best, this energy is channeled into discipline, organization, a strong work ethic and a love of fairness, justice, and truth. At worst, they become rigid in their thinking, psychologically trapped by their own rules and principles and becoming self-righteous in a way that, although logically correct, is not helpful to themselves or others.
1s like to confront problems head-on, but this proactive energy may not always be immediately apparent to others. Introverted 1s may be extremely prim and proper, even rigid, because they turn their energies inward against their own impulses and spontaneity. However, other 1s can project considerable energy, even becoming abrasive, if their passions turn toward ideals, such as social justice, that involve the world as a whole.
Famous ones: Hillary Clinton, Ralph Nader, Judith Martin (Ms Manners), Martha Stewart, Confucious, Aristotle, Queen Elizabeth II.
1s and 5s are occasionally confused for each other because they are both analytical, and both appreciate detailed, accurate, information. The scientific method is based on a mixture of type 1 and type 5 fixations. However, 1s think to ensure correctness, while 5s think to understand and intellectually conquer their environment. Fives are oriented toward ideas, while ones are oriented toward ideaLs (capital L for emphasis). Ones feel bound by rules and principles, while 5s do not.
Many 1s identify with type 8., probably because both types are driven by anger. However, 1s are guided by principles and logic, whereas 8s are driven more by willpower and a lust for power.
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2. The helper. The embracing power-seeker
Helpers focus their lives on giving and receiving love. This personality is one of the most emotionally expressive, and one of the most focused on human relationships. At their best, healthy 2s bring a special interpersonal touch to almost everything they do, empowering others with their unrivaled desire to make others feel special, important, and loved for simply being themselves. It is uncommon (though not impossible) to find a 2 in high-profile leadership positions, or in a job that emphasizes analysis at the expense of human interaction.
Highly nurturing at their best, less healthy 2s show a darker side of their personality. When unhealthy 2s help others, it is merely to make themselves feel more important. They may offer "help" that seems intrusive and manipulative to others, or may do a "favor", only to subsequently ask repayment. Average twos are often attracted toward two seemingly opposite kinds of people: toward people with power, whose agenda they can support, and towards the needy and the outcast, who most urgently need the 2's caring spirit.
Famous 2w1s: Fred Rogers ("Mr. Rogers"), Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Bill Cosby
Famous 2w3s: Kathie Lee Gifford
9s and 2s are often confused with each other (particularly female 9s and 2s) because both are dutiful types, with positive feelings for others that can be tinged with resentment at having their own feelings neglected. However, 2s are more assertive emotionally, while the 9 tends to be more emotionally detached. 9s tend to efface their egos when helping others, while 2s tend to magnify them.
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3. The motivators. The aggressive approval-seeker
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." - Dale Carnegie
Being admired is very important to 3s - they are competitive, and place great value on winning and looking good while doing it. Publicly, 3s project high self-esteem, driving relentlessly toward their career and life goals. But the average 3's craving for external approval may degenerate into superficial and image-conscious behavior, as they work hard to look impressive while neglecting genuine achievement. Despite the high self-esteem they project to others, 3s may privately feel insecure about their self-worth, being as it is so dependent on what others say about them. 3s have an unusually strong inner contradiction; they project qualities of leaders: drive, energy, and success, and yet their definition of success is unusually dependent on the values of the society they belong to. Hence, they are simultaneously leaders and followers.
Healthy 3s often have a "cool" attitude to go along with their accomplishments - they know what is "hot" and what is not, and for better or worse, this contributes to the 3's reputation for being excellent salesmen who can win over the most reluctant audience. Because they place high value on affirmation from others, they may be very adept at reading subtle cues in others, using this information to quickly tailor their message to their audience. However, unhealthy 3s are notorious for being phony and self-promoting. Extroverted 3s can be charming smooth talkers, using their networking skills to augment their image and their career, which may be closely linked. More introverted threes may instead strut their stuff through competence and skillful performance rather than showmanship.
American culture is probably a 3-ish society, with its emphasis on appearances, success, and winning. See more on cultural topics here.
Famous 3w2s: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brooke Shields, Britney Spears, Katie Couric
Famous 3w4s: Jimmy Carter, O.J. Simpson, Regis Philbin, Tom Cruise, Joe Montana, Christopher Reeves, Tony Blair
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4. The romantic. The withdrawn ideal-seeker
More than any other type, 4s seek to understand themselves. They may probe their own emotions to an unusual depth, seeking authenticity of feeling and self-expression. They don't settle for the ordinary or shallow, and are disturbed that most everyone around them does. The importance they attach to their inner feelings makes them highly individualistic and original. 4s are unusually self-aware, sensitive, and intuitive, sometimes painfully so, and often with an intense interest in emotional and spiritual growth. Because of this emotional awareness, fours can show kindness at a very deep level (especially to those in crisis), but also know how to rile people up.
The 4's inward focus gives them an intense need for authentic personal self-expression. This may include conventional art-forms such as writing, and music, or unconventional forms such as tattoos and body piercing. The 4 has a romantic streak, and their relationships often occur at unusually high intensity. At best, this can be deeply transformative to both persons. At worst, this intensity may cause a trail of broken relationships, as the 4 continually seeks the intensity of new romances.
The 4's search for authenticity makes many 4s refreshingly candid, sometimes with a sense of drama and a sharp wit. However, they also have a self-indulgent streak. This self-indulgence typically turns inward, and away from practical reality, which may gets them into trouble with money, health, or other real-world issues. At worst, this may induce despair and brooding, accentuating the original problems and leading into a downward spiral that can be extremely dramatic.
Famous 4s: Calista Flockhart, Wynona Ryder, Dennis Rodman
Famous 4w3s: Peter Tchaikovsky, Michael Jackson
Famous 4w5s: Franz Kafka, Emily Dickinson, John Lennon, Bob Dylan Comparisons with other types: 4s and 9s are mistaken for each other surprisingly often. In particular, self-preservation 9s can be shy and sensitive, seemingly like 4s. However, 4s seek intensity in their emotions, while 9s avoid it. 9s in pain may look like 4s, but they deal with their pain by numbing themselves, whereas the 4 is more likely to amplify their pain, hoping to find meaning in it.
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5. The thinker The withdrawn power-seeker
"Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put on an orgy in my office and I wouldn't look up. Well, maybe once." - Isaac Asimov
5s identify more strongly with their thoughts than any other personality. To others, 5s are known for their sharp intellect, strong need for independence and privacy, and intensity of their cerebral interests. 5s are intensely interested in explaining the world and predicting what it will do next. This derives partly from scientific curiosity, and partly because they sense much of the world to be hostile and unreliable, requiring that they use their minds to defend against its threats. The 5 is the prototypical scientist "type", although not all 5s are scientists, and not all scientists are 5s. Whatever their profession, 5s bring a strong desire to investigate, observe, and understand an issue deeply and provocatively. Fives are unusually independent and self-motivated, with a strong need for privacy, and others sometimes have no idea what the five is working on until it is finished and unveiled. Some of the greatest minds in history were fives whose ideas challenged the conventional wisdom, forcing those around them to think differently.
Unfortunately, the average 5's independence often leads to social isolation, and the 5's need for intellectual control can also be off-putting to others. Many 5s develop a cynical worldview, which sharpens their perceptions but also intensifies their isolation. Their independence makes their thinking very idiosyncratic, leading to either brilliance or weirdness, or both. As with all the types, healthy 5s can transcend this pitfall of their personality, and 5s that do make this effort can become as brilliant in their social understanding as in anything else.
Famous 5s: William Rhenquist, Stephen Hawking, Francis Crick, Helen Keller, Wittgenstein, Arthur C. Clarke
Famous 5w4s: Sigmund Freud, Nikola Tesla
Famous 5w6s: Charles Darwin, Frederich Nietzsche, David Lynch, Isaac Newton
Comparisons with other types: See 1.
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6. The loyalist The embracing approval-seeker
Chris Magruder (exasperated): "There is a word for people who think everyone is conspiring against them."
C.W. Briggs (played by Woody Allen): "I know, .... perceptive!"
- From the movie Curse of the Jade Scorpion, by Woody Allen.
Average 6s place safety and trust above all else, making them among the most loyal of the Enneagram personalities. Of course, each type's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness, and the 6s capacity for loyalty can be devastating if they put their faith into something malicious or unreliable. A 6 that has been "burned" by someone they trusted can become permanently wary of others, or of their own judgment. They may react strongly to this betrayal, either retreating into fear or lashing out. 6s often seek safety in groups of like-minded, trustworthy people, and among them they can be fun-loving, playful, and very good company. But outside of such a protective environment, 6s feel less secure and more exposed, and more beholden to their fears.
The average 6 is a somewhat difficult type for many other types to understand. The 6's thoughts can range widely, often in strongly self-contradictory ways, which can lead to problems with indecision and doubt. They simultaneously like people and fear the power others have over them. They value trust, but are afraid of putting their trust into someone that will hurt them. They would like a strong authority to make them feel safe, but often question the competence of these same authorities. 6s often develop good "bull-shit detectors" because of their lifelong habit of reading between the lines of what people say. Because 6s are both analytical and people-oriented, they may have very good insights into the motivations of others. Despite their mental acuity, 6 are fearful about taking action on their own, and work better in teams where a common goal and safety in numbers makes the 6 feel protected. Although 6s do not usually consider themselves natural leaders, they can in fact be brilliant leaders when faced with an external threat or enemy (even if the "enemy" is just a looming deadline).
6s are extremely loyal to those they trust, and may fight for them more strongly than they would for themselves. Like the 2, who also orients their lives toward others, 6s can be unusually self-sacrificing, perhaps even more so because they are unlikely to have the 2's confusion between helpfulness and self-aggrandizement.
Famous 6s: Al Gore, Mel Gibson, Harry Truman, Woody Allen, Andy Rooney, George H.W. Bush (Senior)
Famous 6w5s: Richard Nixon, Adolph Hitler, Bill Gates, Alicia Silverstone
Famous 6w7s: David Letterman, Ross Perot, John McCain, James Carville (Democratic strategist), Monica Lewinsky
Comparisons with other types:
Many people find 6s rather difficult to understand. They are often confused for a great many other types, particularly 1s, 2s, and to a lesser degree 8s. The ambivalent, reactive nature of the 6 often means they can oscillate between a wide range of behaviors, from compliance to aggression to withdrawal, thus emulating a lot of other personalities at different times. A particularly hard distinction is between 1s and 6s, who can both be rule-oriented, meticulous, and prone to powerful feelings of guilt. However, 1s and 6s differ a great deal emotionally - average 1s feel anger as their driving emotion, while 6s feel anxiety, affection, and guilt. 1s also have more internalized, intellectualized, principles than 6s, whose attachments are more often interpersonal than academic. From a distance, famous 6s are also frequently confused with 2s, because both can show caring, emotional qualities and are strongly people-oriented. For example, princess Diana, a 2, is often typed as a 6, whereas Monica Lewinsky, a 6, is often typed as a 2.
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7. The Enthusiast The embracing ideal-seeker
"Seize the moment." - Theodore Roosevelt
To an unusual degree, 7s live a life of action that is based on seeking experience, pursuing plans, dreams, and visions. At best, this makes them extremely exuberant, multi-talented, diverse, curious, and experienced, with a strong appreciation for beauty, style, and aesthetic flair. At best, 7s exude a youthful spirit, viewing the world as a giant playground, but at worst, they may become childish with their need for instant gratification.
In the extreme, 7s can go crazy with activity, juggling many different activities and plans in their heads at the same time. They may seem unusually lucky, although in reality their "luck" happens because they are unusually perceptive of opportunities and quick to grab them. 7s are unusually good problem solvers in a pinch, improvising clever solutions out of whatever is at hand. Even though their work style seems rather chaotic they are often extremely prolific and productive. Their improvisational ability makes some 7s quite entertaining and comedic, but with a tendency to disappear when slower, boring tasks need to be done. 7s are also called "generalists", because they can quickly master several areas of expertise, and cross-fertilize between them. But they may also become dilletantes, slow to finish or follow through. Healthy sevens also have an egalitarian streak - spreading their own joy and stimulation to everyone around them. Less healthy sevens often seem to be in a desperate battle against boredom, leading to breakdowns if boredom should temporarily win out.
Famous 7s (no wing or both wings): Richard Feynmann, Conan O'Brien, Warren Buffet
Famous 7w6s: John F. Kennedy, Shirley Temple, Al Roker
Famous 7w8s: Howard Stern, Newt Gingrich, Madonna, Theodore Roosevelt, Jesse Ventura
Comparisons with other types: See 4.
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8. The confronter The aggressive power-seeker
"Power is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible." - From the movie Enter the Dragon, starring Bruce Lee
8s come across as the toughest of the Enneagram personalities. At work, average eights can be assertive to a fault - they like to speak their minds bluntly, make quick but forceful decisions, and respect others who do the same. They demand and need a high degree of autonomy, and when they feel controlled by authority, they often show an unmistakable defiant streak. They are often shrewd in using circumstances to their material advantage. They do not like threats to their dominance, or people who hide information from them, and may force confrontations with others to get the truth, however uncomfortable it may be. 8s like to have the final say on things, but they may also give tremendous autonomy, within certain absolute limits, to subordinates they trust, which others find very empowering. Eights may show a softer side at home, where their strength is used not to dominate, but to protect. 8s are the prototypical "father figures", (even if they are women). When eights are secure in their dominance, they may expand their caring side by becoming magnanimous and generous. However, insecure 8s are the most tyrannical, destructive, and self-serving types. Many historically great world leaders are 8s, but so are many ordinary people who project a strong sense of being their own person, refusing to be used or led by others.
While some types dislike conflict (notably 9s and 7s), eights are energized by it. This ability helps them overcome obstacles that would crush a weaker person. For better or worse, during periods of historical crisis, it is often an eight (or someone with a strong eight wing), who comes to the forefront as a political or military leader.
Famous 8s: Joseph Stalin, Henry Kissinger, Mick Jagger, King Henry VIII, Muhammad Ali, Julius Caesar, Vladimir Putin, Zhu Rongji
Famous 8w7s: Pablo Picasso, Rosie O'Donnell, Lyndon Johnson
Famous 8w9s: Sean Connery, Carl Sagan, Bruce Lee, Franklin Roosevelt
It is surprising how many 1s score as 8s on Enneagram tests. This is understandable: both 8s and 1s have a lot of core anger, and both tend to see the world in black-and-white terms. Both may set rules for others to follow. However, 1s feel guilty when they break their own rules, while the 8's feel much less bound by limits, even their own. 8s are much less prone to guilt than 1s, and more likely to delegate responsibilities, as opposed to 1s who often become overwhelmed with responsibility.
Motivators (3s) and 8s are both competitive, and both push others to get get things done. But 3s goals tend to be oriented around building their positive self-image, while 8s prefer to be respected, even if this means being disliked or even hated.
8s with 9 wings are an interesting subtype. The 9 wing considerably softens the traits of the 8, making the 8w9 much harder to recognize and understand than a pure 8. Don Riso notes that the 8w9 often holds their power "in reserve". 8w9s are often underestimated, because they can look like mild-mannered 9s one day, only to unleash their aggressive 8 side the next.
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9. The mediator The withdrawn approval-seeker
9s come across as patient people who are good listeners, adaptable and accommodating to others. 9s have an unusual ability to "go with the flow" of their surroundings, and a desire to be connected with their surroundings. This ability is both their biggest strength and weakness; at best, 9s are very accepting and supportive of others as they really are, but at worst 9s forget who they themselves are, passively agreeing with others and afraid to assert their own desires. 9s learning the Enneagram may take a long time to figure out their type because they identify more with others than with their own true selves.
The passivity of average 9s can make it hard for them to assert their needs or make decisions. 9s can have a particularly hard time making painful decisions, like firing someone, because they also see the other person's predicament, and hate to force confrontations. Average 9s may distract themselves from tough problems with soothing but trivial tasks (e.g. web-surfing, aimless chatter). 9s with an 8 wing are less likely to have this problem because the 8 wing has a lust for action and challenge, while 9s with a 1 wing are more likely to become creatures of habit, because of the 1's compulsive qualities. Inertia is in fact a chronic problem for 9s, who often find it hard to get started on things. However, this inertia can also work to their advantage, because once started 9s can make slow-but-steady progress, becoming surprisingly relentless in their pursuits. The old Aesop's fable about the slow-and-steady tortoise who beats the faster rabbit aptly describes the work habits of healthy 9s.
Famous 9s: Bill Clinton (has both wings)
Famous 9w1s: Carl Jung, Nelson Mandela, Warren Harding, Tiger Woods, Prince Charles, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Nealon, Bob Costas, cultural aura of Ancient China.
Famous 9w8s: Walter Cronkite, Ronald Reagan, Albert Einstein, Dwight Eisenhower, The Dalai Lama, cultural aura of Ancient India.
I. What is the Enneagram? 1. Where did the Enneagram come from? Is it scientific? The Enneagram is one of the newest personality systems in use, and emphasizes psychological motivations. Its earliest origins are not completely clear - the circular symbol may have originated in ancient Sufi traditions, and was used by the esoteric teacher George Gurdjieff (1866-1949). However, it is most likely that neither the Sufis nor Gurdjieff taught a system of personality types. The modern version of the Enneagram personalies emerged in the 20th century, from Oscar Ichazo who was a student of Gurdjieff, but whose personality system stands apart from Gurdjieff's teachings. Ichazo taught his system to many pupils in Arica, Chile, of whom Claudio Naranjo is the most prominent. 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.
Scientific testing of the Enneagram has a long way to go. The RHETI is a widely used test and has been subject to scientific tests that showed internal consistency, but not accuracy. Other tests may be more accurate (see comparison here). The Enneagram's underlying structure is based on testable ideas about motivations and emotions (see A Directional Theory of the Enneagram).
2. 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.
3. 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 (see here for a comparison of tests). 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.
4. Don't people's personalities change all the time? I have not heard of anyone's Enneagram type changing after early childhood, though I can't rule out the possibility. Most often, what changes is one's understanding of the personality one had all along. Major life changes most often involve discovery of inner strengths, and admission of weaknesses, that one actually had all along.
5. 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.
6. What are the Enneagram Wings? The 9 types can mix like colors on a palette. However, mixtures with numerically adjacent types are particularly frequent and striking, and are called "wings". Hence, a 5's wing will either be type 4, or type 6 (or occasionally both). A 9's wing will either be type 8 or 1. It is also possible for someone not to have a strong wing, or to have elements of both wings. A small number of people I've met seem to have non-adjacent types as their wings, but this appears relatively uncommon.
7. Is one's Enneagram type inherited? Somewhat. Most twins are different Enneagram types, although many are adjacent types.
8. 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.
9. What are the self-preservation, sexual, and social instinctual variants? There are three instinctual variants which describe different social spheres where one’s attention can be directed:
self-preservationist - focused on issues of survival and personal space.
sexual - concerned with one-on-one relationships
social - concerned with group issues.
These variants are independent of one’s Enneagram type. Any type can be any variant, and vice versa, giving 27 combinations. For example, while 9s seek harmony, peace, and reduction of conflict, self-preservation 9s seek it through solitary means (hobbies, nature, and daily routine), while sexual 9s pursue these goals through one-on-one interactions, and social 9s may seek harmony through group activities.
Scientific testing of the Enneagram has a long way to go. The RHETI is a widely used test and has been subject to scientific tests that showed internal consistency, but not accuracy. Other tests may be more accurate (see comparison here). The Enneagram's underlying structure is based on testable ideas about motivations and emotions (see A Directional Theory of the Enneagram).
2. 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.
3. 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 (see here for a comparison of tests). 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.
4. Don't people's personalities change all the time? I have not heard of anyone's Enneagram type changing after early childhood, though I can't rule out the possibility. Most often, what changes is one's understanding of the personality one had all along. Major life changes most often involve discovery of inner strengths, and admission of weaknesses, that one actually had all along.
5. 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.
6. What are the Enneagram Wings? The 9 types can mix like colors on a palette. However, mixtures with numerically adjacent types are particularly frequent and striking, and are called "wings". Hence, a 5's wing will either be type 4, or type 6 (or occasionally both). A 9's wing will either be type 8 or 1. It is also possible for someone not to have a strong wing, or to have elements of both wings. A small number of people I've met seem to have non-adjacent types as their wings, but this appears relatively uncommon.
7. Is one's Enneagram type inherited? Somewhat. Most twins are different Enneagram types, although many are adjacent types.
8. 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.
9. What are the self-preservation, sexual, and social instinctual variants? There are three instinctual variants which describe different social spheres where one’s attention can be directed:
self-preservationist - focused on issues of survival and personal space.
sexual - concerned with one-on-one relationships
social - concerned with group issues.
These variants are independent of one’s Enneagram type. Any type can be any variant, and vice versa, giving 27 combinations. For example, while 9s seek harmony, peace, and reduction of conflict, self-preservation 9s seek it through solitary means (hobbies, nature, and daily routine), while sexual 9s pursue these goals through one-on-one interactions, and social 9s may seek harmony through group activities.
FAMOUS PERSONALITIES
Could Einstein be a self-preservation 9w8?
audio clip of Einstein (427 kb)
"I simply enjoy giving more than receiving in every respect, do not take myself or the doings of the masses seriously, am not ashamed of my weaknesses and vices, and naturally take things as they come with equanimity and humor. Many people are like this, and I really cannot understand why I have been made into a kind of idol." - Albert Einstein, in Einstein, a Life by Denis Brian, p. 389.
"...we know from daily life that we exist for other people - first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent." - Einstein, in Einstein, A Life, p. 196
"I feel so much a part of every living thing that I am not in the least concerned with where the individual begins and ends." - Einstein, spoken to Heidi Born, wife of physicist Max Born Einstein, A Life, p. 159.
An agreeable, childlike demeanor:
It may seem heretical to question whether Einstein, that epitome of scientists, is actually a 5, the epitome of scientist personality types. Einstein was clearly an introvert and a shy person, like many 5s, but the other withdrawn types 4 and 9 can appear shy as well, particularly self-preservation subtypes. Many who knew Einstein were most struck not by his intellect, but his cheerfulness, child-like demeanor, agreeable good-humor, playfulness, plain-spokenness, and absent-mindedness. Close friends, neighbors, children, and complete strangers universally noted these qualities in him. These qualities, for better or worse, are often seen in healthy 9s, but it is rare for even a healthy 5 to be so widely seen in this way, for so long, and by so many people, and I challenge anyone to give me an example. One contemporary journalist said:
"...Einstein is a jolly fellow in company. He enjoys a good joke and readily breaks into peals of rollicking, childish laughter, which momentarily change his eyes into those of a child. His remarkable simplicity is so charming that one feels like hugging him or squeezing his hand or slapping him on the back..." (a jounalist quoted in "Einstein, a Life", p. 151)
This is just one of many such reports. The writer Upton Sinclair noted:
"I report him as the kindest, gentlest, sweetest of men. He had a keen wit and a delightful sense of humor and his tongue could be sharp - but only for the evils of the world." (ibid, p. 215)
A family friend, Thomas Bucky, recollected:
"With Einstein, there was always humor. Almost everything was turned to be funny. The face was always smiling ..." (ibid, p. 290)
The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (a social 5), once spoke to Einstein for two hours. Afterward he judged Einstein to be:
"Cheerful, sure of himself, and agreeable ... very pleasant. He understands as much about psychology as I do about physics." (ibid, p. 157).
Stories about Einstein's neglectfulness and absent-mindedness are legion in his biographies (e.g. forgetting his own address, failing to notice a broken vase in his house for 3 years, etc.). Both 5s and 9s can seem absent-minded, for different reasons, so this point does not decide the issue on its own, but just adds another wrinkle to our view of Einstein.
What 4 wing?
One might argue that Einstein's gentle qualities came from having a strong 4 wing. However, Einstein's emotionality lacked the drama of most 4s, and I can find almost no specific evidence of a 4 wing in Einstein. His emotionality seems to have been more positive than 4s, or 5w4s, who are more likely to explore both positive and negative extremes of the emotional spectrum. It is notable that other 5w4s, like Freud, had strong introspective tendencies which they used to great advantage, while Einstein did not, and wrote that introspection was not particularly important to him.
Comparison with other 5s:
Einstein lacked the intellectual combativeness of some prominent 5s. For example, Freud (a social 5) fought mightily with dissenters, and had titanic disagreements with professional collaborators such as Jung and Adler. Einstein, by contrast, seems to have maintained relatively serene friendships, both personal and professional, throughout his life, despite having prominent critics and disbelievers (e.g. Nikola Tesla). Of course, Einstein's profession, physics, is based more on empirical verification than Freud's arena, and hence Einstein had less need to assert personal authority to prove his point. But Einstein's interests in later life expanded into the political sphere when he became interested in world peace and Zionism. Even in this more politically charged arena, he still coexisted amiably with an wide range of people.
Unification and World Peace:
Science is an intellectual pursuit, which attracts many 5s. But science is also about explaining nature, which draws many 9s. Einstein's Theory of Relativity is particularly notable for its pervasive unifying principles: it weaves time and space together, and equates mass with energy (E=mc2). But Einstein didn't stop there - he spent the last decades of his life searching for a grand unified theory of physics, as well as world peace; both were attempts to resolve conflict in the world. Today many physicists are seeking a grand unified theory of physics, but Einstein was one of the first to see it as an important goal, possibly because his personality was already oriented in that direction.
Couldn't Einstein be an extremely healthy 5w4, who overcame the cynicism of the average 5 and the inner emotional turmoil of the average 4? Perhaps, but Einstein did have some unhealthy qualities, including his absent-mindedness, and benign neglect of his first wife and their two children. I find it hard to believe that any 5 can be both healthy enough to transcend the average 5's cynicism and acquire an upbeat and soothing 9-like effect on others, while also deteriorating so much as to reject the 5's alertness and adopt a 9-like absent-mindedness, neglect, and forgetfulness. It seems simpler to suppose that Einstein was simply a 9.
Every-man appeal - an 8 wing:
Finally, I think Einstein has more of the 8 wing than the 1 wing. The 9w8 expresses more of the plain-spoken, straight-shooting, "homey", yet passionate quality in Einstein's conversations and writings, unlike the 9w1 which is often less spontaneous and more cautious. 9w8s are not usually considered intellectual, and it may be hard to imagine a 9w8 as genius. However, Einstein was considered a thick-headed youth - he did not show the early brilliance of his 5 contemporary Freud, a brilliant student even as a boy. This was part of Einstein's charm - that such an "ordinary" person could also have done such great work. It is notable that Einstein came from a Jewish heritage (as did Freud) that emphasized intellectuality and learning, which may also have influenced the expression of his personality.
Caveat: I am a self-preservation 9w1, similar to the 9w8 type I'm arguing for Einstein. Many people have biases regarding their own type, and I cannot rule out such a bias in my own view.
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George W. Bush
There is more disagreement in the Enneagram community about George W. Bush than anyone else on this page. Condon views George W. as a 7w8. Riso and Hudson view him as 9w8. A lot of people believe he is a counterphobic 6. I've also heard arguments for 3, and even 2. Why does this matter? Well, Bush's personality may be why he is in office - for more, click here.
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Bill Clinton - 9->3 (on the integration line between 9 and 3)
"America may find people who do this job better than I have, but you will never find anybody who loved doing it any more."
- Bill Clinton, reflecting on his own presidency
We all know that Bill Clinton has a highly flexible personality, but which one? Tom Condon views Clinton as a 9 with both wings. Riso views him as a 3w2. My opinion is that Clinton belongs on the integration line between 9 and 3, not squarely in either type. In fact, analyzing Clinton brings out the major flaw in the Enneagram: it encourages a one-dimensional view of personality, reducing it to a single number, which in Clinton's case is an obvious mistake. Tom Condon has a very good essay explaining Clinton's 9 side.
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Madonna ... a female Howard Stern? (7w8)
audio clip of Madonna, complaining to Sandra Bernhard (516kb)
"When I was a child, I always thought that the world was mine, that it was a stomping ground for me, full of opportunities. I always had the attitude that I was going to go out into the world and do all the things I wanted to do, whatever that was."
- Madonna, a Biography by J. Taraborrelli, p. 10
"Do we want an R or X rating? (pause) X!!! for eXtra fun!!!"
- from "Truth or Dare", a documentary of the Blond Ambition tour
"It's a great feeling to be powerful. I've been striving for it all my life. I think that's the quest of every human being: power."
"I'm tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay."
- Madonna, Unauthorized, a biography by Christopher Andersen
Is she a 3? Madonna has reinvented herself many times, going from "material girl" to "spiritual girl", which seems consistent with the chameleon-like qualities of 3s. The problem with this interpretation is that Madonna did not follow anyone else's definitions of success or fashion, as far as I could tell. She defined herself, often in defiance of others, and other people had to deal with it, whether they liked it or not. Madonna's various re-inventions are more about exploring boundaries (7-ish), controlling her own destiny (8-ish), and defying authority (8-ish or 6-ish) than about being successful per se. In fact, several of her exploits (e.g. repeated attempts to act in movies) have been reliably, almost comically, unsuccessful. Madonna's early flamboyance was much more "in your face" than most 3s, particularly female 3s - for example, Britney Spears bares her navel like Madonna, but is otherwise quite conservative compared to the 1980's Madonna. Madonna may reinvent herself every few years, but average-to-unhealthy 3s reinvent themselves whenever someone new enters the room, and Madonna doesn't do that. Some have argued that a strong 4 wing could make a 3 more provocative and outlandish. Perhaps, but a strong four wing would also lend an introspective, self-aware, mysterious quality that seems to be the very antithesis of Madonna.
Is she a 2? Although portrayed as a flirt and a "boy toy", Madonna does not seem to pull heartstrings in a 2ish way. Her early relationships were not so much about emotional intimacy as about sex, fun, mutual exploitation, and domination. She comes across as far too independent-minded, even as a teenager, compared to other 2s. Of course, 2s want love, and Madonna indeed wanted the love of billions. But one must ask, "loved for what?" Average 2s want to be loved for their emotional importance to others - they want to be indispensable, someone you can't imagine living without. Madonna wanted to be loved in spite of her shocking personna, more like Howard Stern (a 7w8) than any other 2 I know of. The 2's desire for love, albeit intrusive at times, also carries a personal touch that is missing in Madonna.
Arguments for 7: The average-to-unhealthy 7 is the most prone to excess and sensationalism, while the average-to-unhealthy 8 is the most domineering and confrontational. Both types often challenge established norms, and both seem to fit Madonna's 1980s mixture of sex appeal and shock appeal. Many of us have forgotten how shocking Madonna's lyrics, videos, navel, and cone bras were, because those things have become more common, partly thanks to Madonna herself. Even 3s like Elvis, living up to a "rebel" image, did not push so far beyond what others around him were doing. Madonna's concerts were once banned in major cities like Detroit and her videos censored by MTV - she was denounced by the Catholic church and the nation of Italy (Madonna is ethnically half-Italian). Religious, political, and cultural authorities all felt threatened by her, and in the movie-documentary "Truth or Dare", she seems to walk around with worldly bemusement at the whirlwind of notoriety around her. This seems consistent with the 7's sense of adventure, and the 8's sense of defiance.
Howard Stern, a male 7w8, used shock appeal to an even greater degree than Madonna, was similarly censored by major institutions, and seems similarly bemused by all the notoriety surrounding him. Madonna's recent works are more low-key, private, and serious, which seems consistent with a 7 moving toward 5.
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Bruce Lee (8)
"From boyhood to adolescence, I presented myself as a trouble-maker and was greatly disapproved of by my elders. I was extremely mischievious, aggressive, hot-tempered, and fierce. Not only my "opponents" of more or less my age stayed out of my way, but even the adults sometimes gave in to my temper. I never knew what it was that made me so pugnacious. The first thought that came into my mind whenever I met somebody I disliked was "Challenge him!". Challenge him with what? The only concrete thing that I could think of were my fists."
Bruce Lee, quoted in a Taiwanese newspaper, ca. 1972
I could say more, but the above quote speaks for itself. Bruce Lee died of a brain edema shortly after speaking this quote. At his death, he was only 32 years old, and had made only 4 movies as an adult, but in his short life he had become synonymous with martial arts and Gong Fu. His influence is seen even today, in movies like The Matrix, and Charlie's Angels, just to name a few.
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George W. Bush - hiding in plain sight.
"Bush detests being challenged, whether by reporters or political leaders. He is unyielding in his convictions, to the exclusion of all else. ... Ask his critics to explain how Bush operates, and the phrase they come up with most often is 'my way or the highway,'"
- Anne Kornblut, Boston Globe, May 4, 2003.
"There is a sly, watchful quality in Eights with a Nine wing - as if they are daring others to underestimate them. ... They can seen friendly and agreeable, while secretly sizing people up and assessing their character."
- Don Riso and Russ Hudson, Personality Types
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During the year 2000 campaign, Al Gore had huge advantages over Bush: greater experience and intelligence, a spotless, scandal-free personal record, a good economy, and voters who agreed with Democrats on the issues they said mattered most. Past candidates with these advantages won by landslide margins, so why didn't Gore? I believe the answer lies in the psychology of the candidates:
1. Hiding in plain sight.
Bush has an unusual ability to hide in plain sight - to give a widespread impression that he is compassionate and interested in unity, while openly pushing policies that are in fact quite divisive. For example, he touts his "compassionate conservatism" and role as a "uniter", while simultaneously pushing a wide range of policies that have deeply polarized the electorate. Strangely enough, more of the public seems aware of the happy slogans, than of their ultimate effects.
It is paradoxical that Bush, whom many people judged at first to be dumb but harmless, has become one of the most notorious presidents in modern memory, easily the most divisive figure since Nixon. Enneagrammers have an unusally wide range of "diagnoses" of Bush - including types 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. However, I've written that Bush's behavior could be best explained as an 8w9 who shows his 9 wing publicly, but reverts to an aggressive 8 stance in his final decisions. He may also have acquired a 6-ish influence from his father, and from the Republican Party's cultural aura.
Bush's affable and likeable, albeit confused, public personna may be due to his 9 wing, while his unilateralist final decisions, and black-and-white worldview, show the dominant type 8 stance. This combination of psychological motives may explain why Bush has been so widely underestimated by friends and foes alike, and how he can pursue such confrontational policies while remaining personally popular. I quoted one line from Riso's Personality Types at the top of this page. Here is another interesting quote about the 8w9 personality:
"... unhealthy Eights with a Nine-wing can be destructive without remorse, combining ruthlessness with indifference. They can get into a strangely dissociated frame of mind, acting in a depersonalized way, as if they were some sort of cosmic force which swatted people aside, crushing them without personal feelings entering the picture." - Don Riso and Russ Hudson, Personality Types revised edition, 1996.
It seems to me that Bush's war with Iraq, and the way he has gone about it, are consistent with the above quote. Bush's psychological profile suggests that it is easy, but dangerous, to underestimate him. Here are some other reasons not to underestimate Bush:
2. George W. Bush is not as dumb as he looks:
As a Democrat, I'd love to believe George W. is an imbecile. His command of the spoken word is horrible, and language disabilities may run in his family (his father's syntax is often odd, and his brother Neil is dyslexic). However, when students dug up his old SAT scores, they got a surprise. His score (1206) was well above the national average, putting him in the 86-88% percentile range. Not a genius, but higher than expected. And the SAT doesn't measure people skills, street smarts, and gut instincts, arguably Bush's strongest skills, and those most needed for political success. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times (and a moderate Democrat) notes:
"Contrary to the critics' caricatures, Mr. Bush is intelligent, with an awesome memory, great management skill and a tremendous emotional I.Q. But he is also one of the least intellectually curious people I've ever interviewed, one of the least inclined to play with an idea and hold it to the light."
3. George W. Bush is not as nice as he looks.
Recently, a writer named Mark Crispin Miller set out to write a humorous book about Bush's verbal malaproprisms. However, his analysis of Bush's speeches revealed something very serious:
"(George W.) Bush's boiling anger is--as of this writing--still known only to insiders and to the readers of his best biographies." - Mark Crispin Miller, The Bush Dyslexicon, p. 50.
"Bush is almost always clear when he's speaking cruelly. For example, when the subject is the punitive infliction of great pain, there is no problem with his syntax, grammar, or vocabulary, even if he happens to be lying. ... On the other hand, our president is extraordinarily tongue-tied when he's trying, off the cuff, to sound a note of idealism, magnanimity or -- especially -- compassion." -Miller, p. 52-53
"... our president is not an imbecile but an operator just as canny as he is hard-hearted -- which is to say that he's extraordinarily shrewd. To smirk at his alleged stupidity is, therefore, not just to miss the point, but to do this unelected president a giant favor since, as Shakespeare's Prince Hal reminds us--and as Bush himself has often said--it suits a politician to have everybody thinking he's a dunce, especially if he wants to do things his way." - Miller, p. 2-3.
Anne Kornblut of the Boston Globe has made similar observations:
"...Bush's ire is more than an interesting impulse. It reflects a driving force behind his presidency. Bush detests being challenged, whether by reporters or political leaders. He is unyielding in his convictions, to the exclusion of all else. He is principled. But he is also stubborn, a trait that has become a guiding force of his governing style, a management tool, and perhaps even a new chapter in American history." - Boston Globe, May 4, 2003
"Ask his critics to explain how Bush operates, and the phrase they come up with most often is 'my way or the highway,'" - ibid.
4. Shows 9 wing in public; final decisions reflect 8 style
George W. Bush's outward behavior often looks quite 9-ish, and perhaps also 2-ish. He relaxes and disarms others with an easy-going, jocular demeanor, and frequently looks a little goofy or confused. His year 2000 campaign slogans reflected many values of average 9s (e.g. "uniter, not a divider"), and also 2s (“compassionate”). But underneath these happy slogans was an explosive temper that he didn’t learn to control until age 40, and an inherently divisive agenda that included massive tax cuts for the wealthy, drilling for oil in Alaska, and a confrontational approach to almost all international affairs, including of course the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush's final decisions show a great zeal for acting alone in the world, breaking established rules, punishing enemies, and defying foes and allies alike.
Despite Bush’s inclusive-sounding slogans, unification and compassion are rarely his first instincts. His major decisions as president are almost completely unilateralist: he has dissolved treaties with Europe and Russia, sneered at the International Criminal Court, mocked the United Nations as "irrelevant", and so on. And I haven't even gotten to the war Iraq yet. Even if history proves George W. to have made some correct decisions, his high-handed style has made it harder for Americans to obtain needed cooperation from other countries.
It is often argued that Bush’s behavior is merely a reaxtion to 9/11, or is hard-line advisors. But well-informed editorials, such as this fascinating one written 6 months before 9/11, are eerily consistent with what we know about Bush today, suggesting that 9/11 did not change Bush's personality but merely made it more globally known. And although Bush does have many hard-line advisors, he also has moderate ones, and in fact has many of the same advisors as his father, yet makes vastly different decisions.
Making Reagan seem moderate?
As an 8 with a considerable 9 wing, Bush has many similarities with Ronald Reagan, a 9 with an 8 wing. Both presented a sunny face to the public, while fighting enemies they labeled "evil". But while Reagan was tough on the Soviets, he was largely disengaged from almost everything else, particularly domestic policy where he famously napped or doodled during cabinet meetings. In contrast, Bush eagerly pushes a wide range of domestic issues that Reagan never dared touch. While Reagan hated to fire staff members, Bush sacked his entire economic team in Nov. 2002 and has never looked back. Whereas Reagan was a closet moderate (just look at his Supreme court nominees), George W. Bush is much more of a hardliner, and much less likely to compromise with his opposition. Not only has Bush been busy pushing far beyond what Reagan did, he is also likely to repeal some of Reagan's more moderate policies (e.g. the minimum corporate tax, which Reagan advocated after finding that some large corporations pay almost zero tax).
5. Opportunism
Opportunism is a crucial, often overlooked key to Bush's success. When his earlier business ventures failed, other people lost money, not him. When he succeeded, he made hefty profits. In 1988, he invested $606,000 of other people's money into the Texas Ranger's baseball team, then sold his share later at a $14.9 million profit to himself. This was not an accident, and is part of a lifelong pattern of shrewdly using circumstance to his advantage.
In 1994, George W. beat the incumbent Texas governor Ann Richards and became the only two-term governor in Texas history. Again, his opponents underestimated him and lost. The fact that the Texas governorship is a constitutionally weak office was often used to criticize George W. as weak. But actually this underscores his proactive side - he cajoled and persuaded other politicians personally (most notably Bob Bullock), without relying on institutionalized levers of power that a more compliant type would prefer.
In academics, sports, and business, George W. has been mediocre compared to his accomplished father. But George W. is more street smart, better able at sizing up others and using situations to his own advantage, and quicker to confront people he doesn't like. Bush's father was often denigrated as a "wimp" - for all his faults, the son doesn't seem to have that one.
6. What's next?
In the Feb. 2001 Enneagram Monthly I predicted George W. Bush would have an aggressive presidency that would represent "an ideological shift in the country, but also risks carrying this shift too far." My view was controversial at the time, but Bush's subsequent behavior has confirmed my early suspicions even more than I'd imagined.
My original article also pointed to a historical pattern: Every 20th century American president who was an 8, or had an 8 wing, served more than 4 years in office. This pattern suggests that Bush in 2000 was harder to beat than most Democrats realized, and will be formidable in 2004 as well. Whether you love or hate Bush, past history suggests that we're likely to see even more of him unless the Democrats can pull off something extraordinary in the 2004 election. Bush's gut inclinations have already slowly but inexorably changed the shape of America, of the world, and of America's place in the world, for better or worse.
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Al Gore - tragically self-defeating?
Bush and Gore are both contradictory people. George W. Bush's aggressive actions contradict the peaceful self-image he presented of himself during his electoral campaign. Al Gore is also a contradictory person, but his contradictions may be more internal.
Al Gore is usually viewed as an Enneagram 1 because of his stiff posture and obsession with details, but having a 1 wing myself, I had to question this. As a Democrat, I agree with many of Gore's positions, but was bothered by his tendency to buckle under political pressure (1s are more known for fanatical stubbornness). I also had other doubts: where was his righteous anger? Why was he so uncomfortable expressing strong viewpoints? (average political 1s, once they form their opinions, are more often vocal to a fault, and quite comfortable with strong viewpoints). I eventually came to believe Gore is a 6 who was influenced by a type 1 father, and also expressing some of the less healthy qualities of his personality.
1. Gore's stiff posture
There is no denying that Gore looks comically stiff. Many political 1s throughout history were a little stiff, especially those with 9 wings. Woodrow Wilson and George Washington were two historical examples of 1w9s. These men had wooden demeanors, like Gore, but were also incredibly resolute and tough-minded, sticking to their principles under incredible pressure. In contrast, Gore has often faded away under assault, even when he actually is right. It seems that Gore wanted to be liked more than he wanted to take a tough stance, which is the opposite of the 1's tendency.
2. Gore's flexible thinking
1 politicians are often known for a relentless, righteous sense of purpose. Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Hillary Clinton, and Ralph Nader all show this quality in abundance, sometimes to their own detriment. However, Gore's past history shows a lot more wavering than is typical for 1s, on issues like gun control, abortion, and even his signature issue, the environment. After writing a book that passionately urged environmental reform, Gore seemed to retreat from his advocacy, occasionally relaxing pollution controls when it was politically expedient. Gore did not push Clinton to raise auto fuel efficiency standards, something even the environmentally confused Ronald Reagan did. It is astounding that the much more astute Gore missed the opportunity of a lifetime to do the same. Given Gore's lifelong interest in these issues, his compromises are puzzling, all the more so if you think Gore is a 1. Because of these compromises, environmental groups were actually rather slow to endorse Gore in 2000, even though his opponent was arguably an impending environmental disaster.
3. Quasi-paranoia?
Gore isn't paranoid, but has a sharp eye for security issues, crises, and danger, reflected in his most passionate interests in Congress: arms control, the environment, and global warming. When campaigning, Gore stridently warned America of the dangers of Bush's policies (tax cuts, Alaskan oil drilling, risking Social Security, etc.) but was more vague when describing the benefits of a Gore presidency ("lock boxes" for everyone?). Like many 6s, Gore had a hard time articulating his message unless he was defending or attacking something outside himself. His slogan championing the "people vs. the powerful" is yet another example of this trait.
4. Where's the righteous indignation?
Gore is easily tagged an exaggerator, normally a difficult label to attach to average 1s, who fight back hard when criticized. If you've ever argued with an average entrenched 1, you know how futile it can be to prove him/her wrong, whereas even Gore's supporters believe he bends the truth. Other 1s like Hillary Clinton and Ralph Nader are far more provocative than Al Gore, but neither has been labeled a habitual exaggerator, despite considerable effort by their enemies.
Although Gore has frequently been caught in mild exaggerations, I would argue it is not the exaggerations (which all politicians make) but Gore's response to criticism that is crucial. Often when attacked, Gore mysteriously fails to defend or clarify himself, lending weight to critics who are often distorting the truth much more than Gore himself. For example, Gore famously said he took the initiative drafting legislation that "created the internet". Gore did in fact sponsor legislation that made it legal to conduct business over the web, directly sparking the explosive growth of the internet in the years that followed. Gore didn't invent the internet, but he did help make the internet what it is today. That truly is revolutionary, yet Gore never bothered to remind everyone of this. It seems to me that even one outraged statement in his own defense would have saved his reputation, but without it, Gore's proud achievement turned into a joke for his enemies to use against him.
5. Both phobic and counterphobic traits
Remember the three presidential debates? Gore was oddly meek in the first debate, strangely pugnacious in the second, and somewhere in the middle for the third. While average 1s can be a bit stubborn and slow to adapt to outside feedback, Gore's behavior could be consistent with an oscillation between phobic and counterphobic dcbate styles. Gore is also known to read almost everything the media says about him, and may have over-reacted to public opinion. This suggests an insecurity about what others think about him, a bigger issue for average 6s than average 1s.
6. Gore's father may have been a 1.
Gore's father was Senator Al Gore Sr., a stern, moralizing person whom Lyndon Johnson criticized for being "self-righteous". According to biographies of the son, the father set relentlessly high standards for both himself and his son. In 1970, the father's high principles cost him his job as Senator, and many biographers believe he then transferred his frustrated political goals to his son. This may explain why Gore does often talk about 1-ish beliefs, without being a 1 himself, and why Gore keeps running for president when his relatively narrow range of interests is not suited to the job. It is notable that Gore's father had a life-long dream of becoming vice president. The son may have been the vehicle for his father's ambitions.
Final thoughts:
So, did Gore's personality cause him to lose the election? Probably not by itself. Most personality types are represented among the U.S. presidents, and any healthy type can be a good leader. However, for all his intelligence, Gore lost mainly because voters were not sure what he stood for. Gore's personality may have made it hard for him to be stubbornly strong-minded, whereas George W. Bush, with his black-and-white view of the world, did not face this particular obstacle. For all his inexperience and fuzzy intellect, George W. Bush excited Republicans much more than Gore animated Democrats. I believe these apparent paradoxes are due to the personalities of the two candidates. Without taking psychology into account, it is otherwise very difficult to explain why the year 2000 election was as close as it was, given Gore's otherwise massive advantages.
audio clip of Einstein (427 kb)
"I simply enjoy giving more than receiving in every respect, do not take myself or the doings of the masses seriously, am not ashamed of my weaknesses and vices, and naturally take things as they come with equanimity and humor. Many people are like this, and I really cannot understand why I have been made into a kind of idol." - Albert Einstein, in Einstein, a Life by Denis Brian, p. 389.
"...we know from daily life that we exist for other people - first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent." - Einstein, in Einstein, A Life, p. 196
"I feel so much a part of every living thing that I am not in the least concerned with where the individual begins and ends." - Einstein, spoken to Heidi Born, wife of physicist Max Born Einstein, A Life, p. 159.
An agreeable, childlike demeanor:
It may seem heretical to question whether Einstein, that epitome of scientists, is actually a 5, the epitome of scientist personality types. Einstein was clearly an introvert and a shy person, like many 5s, but the other withdrawn types 4 and 9 can appear shy as well, particularly self-preservation subtypes. Many who knew Einstein were most struck not by his intellect, but his cheerfulness, child-like demeanor, agreeable good-humor, playfulness, plain-spokenness, and absent-mindedness. Close friends, neighbors, children, and complete strangers universally noted these qualities in him. These qualities, for better or worse, are often seen in healthy 9s, but it is rare for even a healthy 5 to be so widely seen in this way, for so long, and by so many people, and I challenge anyone to give me an example. One contemporary journalist said:
"...Einstein is a jolly fellow in company. He enjoys a good joke and readily breaks into peals of rollicking, childish laughter, which momentarily change his eyes into those of a child. His remarkable simplicity is so charming that one feels like hugging him or squeezing his hand or slapping him on the back..." (a jounalist quoted in "Einstein, a Life", p. 151)
This is just one of many such reports. The writer Upton Sinclair noted:
"I report him as the kindest, gentlest, sweetest of men. He had a keen wit and a delightful sense of humor and his tongue could be sharp - but only for the evils of the world." (ibid, p. 215)
A family friend, Thomas Bucky, recollected:
"With Einstein, there was always humor. Almost everything was turned to be funny. The face was always smiling ..." (ibid, p. 290)
The founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (a social 5), once spoke to Einstein for two hours. Afterward he judged Einstein to be:
"Cheerful, sure of himself, and agreeable ... very pleasant. He understands as much about psychology as I do about physics." (ibid, p. 157).
Stories about Einstein's neglectfulness and absent-mindedness are legion in his biographies (e.g. forgetting his own address, failing to notice a broken vase in his house for 3 years, etc.). Both 5s and 9s can seem absent-minded, for different reasons, so this point does not decide the issue on its own, but just adds another wrinkle to our view of Einstein.
What 4 wing?
One might argue that Einstein's gentle qualities came from having a strong 4 wing. However, Einstein's emotionality lacked the drama of most 4s, and I can find almost no specific evidence of a 4 wing in Einstein. His emotionality seems to have been more positive than 4s, or 5w4s, who are more likely to explore both positive and negative extremes of the emotional spectrum. It is notable that other 5w4s, like Freud, had strong introspective tendencies which they used to great advantage, while Einstein did not, and wrote that introspection was not particularly important to him.
Comparison with other 5s:
Einstein lacked the intellectual combativeness of some prominent 5s. For example, Freud (a social 5) fought mightily with dissenters, and had titanic disagreements with professional collaborators such as Jung and Adler. Einstein, by contrast, seems to have maintained relatively serene friendships, both personal and professional, throughout his life, despite having prominent critics and disbelievers (e.g. Nikola Tesla). Of course, Einstein's profession, physics, is based more on empirical verification than Freud's arena, and hence Einstein had less need to assert personal authority to prove his point. But Einstein's interests in later life expanded into the political sphere when he became interested in world peace and Zionism. Even in this more politically charged arena, he still coexisted amiably with an wide range of people.
Unification and World Peace:
Science is an intellectual pursuit, which attracts many 5s. But science is also about explaining nature, which draws many 9s. Einstein's Theory of Relativity is particularly notable for its pervasive unifying principles: it weaves time and space together, and equates mass with energy (E=mc2). But Einstein didn't stop there - he spent the last decades of his life searching for a grand unified theory of physics, as well as world peace; both were attempts to resolve conflict in the world. Today many physicists are seeking a grand unified theory of physics, but Einstein was one of the first to see it as an important goal, possibly because his personality was already oriented in that direction.
Couldn't Einstein be an extremely healthy 5w4, who overcame the cynicism of the average 5 and the inner emotional turmoil of the average 4? Perhaps, but Einstein did have some unhealthy qualities, including his absent-mindedness, and benign neglect of his first wife and their two children. I find it hard to believe that any 5 can be both healthy enough to transcend the average 5's cynicism and acquire an upbeat and soothing 9-like effect on others, while also deteriorating so much as to reject the 5's alertness and adopt a 9-like absent-mindedness, neglect, and forgetfulness. It seems simpler to suppose that Einstein was simply a 9.
Every-man appeal - an 8 wing:
Finally, I think Einstein has more of the 8 wing than the 1 wing. The 9w8 expresses more of the plain-spoken, straight-shooting, "homey", yet passionate quality in Einstein's conversations and writings, unlike the 9w1 which is often less spontaneous and more cautious. 9w8s are not usually considered intellectual, and it may be hard to imagine a 9w8 as genius. However, Einstein was considered a thick-headed youth - he did not show the early brilliance of his 5 contemporary Freud, a brilliant student even as a boy. This was part of Einstein's charm - that such an "ordinary" person could also have done such great work. It is notable that Einstein came from a Jewish heritage (as did Freud) that emphasized intellectuality and learning, which may also have influenced the expression of his personality.
Caveat: I am a self-preservation 9w1, similar to the 9w8 type I'm arguing for Einstein. Many people have biases regarding their own type, and I cannot rule out such a bias in my own view.
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George W. Bush
There is more disagreement in the Enneagram community about George W. Bush than anyone else on this page. Condon views George W. as a 7w8. Riso and Hudson view him as 9w8. A lot of people believe he is a counterphobic 6. I've also heard arguments for 3, and even 2. Why does this matter? Well, Bush's personality may be why he is in office - for more, click here.
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Bill Clinton - 9->3 (on the integration line between 9 and 3)
"America may find people who do this job better than I have, but you will never find anybody who loved doing it any more."
- Bill Clinton, reflecting on his own presidency
We all know that Bill Clinton has a highly flexible personality, but which one? Tom Condon views Clinton as a 9 with both wings. Riso views him as a 3w2. My opinion is that Clinton belongs on the integration line between 9 and 3, not squarely in either type. In fact, analyzing Clinton brings out the major flaw in the Enneagram: it encourages a one-dimensional view of personality, reducing it to a single number, which in Clinton's case is an obvious mistake. Tom Condon has a very good essay explaining Clinton's 9 side.
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Madonna ... a female Howard Stern? (7w8)
audio clip of Madonna, complaining to Sandra Bernhard (516kb)
"When I was a child, I always thought that the world was mine, that it was a stomping ground for me, full of opportunities. I always had the attitude that I was going to go out into the world and do all the things I wanted to do, whatever that was."
- Madonna, a Biography by J. Taraborrelli, p. 10
"Do we want an R or X rating? (pause) X!!! for eXtra fun!!!"
- from "Truth or Dare", a documentary of the Blond Ambition tour
"It's a great feeling to be powerful. I've been striving for it all my life. I think that's the quest of every human being: power."
"I'm tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay."
- Madonna, Unauthorized, a biography by Christopher Andersen
Is she a 3? Madonna has reinvented herself many times, going from "material girl" to "spiritual girl", which seems consistent with the chameleon-like qualities of 3s. The problem with this interpretation is that Madonna did not follow anyone else's definitions of success or fashion, as far as I could tell. She defined herself, often in defiance of others, and other people had to deal with it, whether they liked it or not. Madonna's various re-inventions are more about exploring boundaries (7-ish), controlling her own destiny (8-ish), and defying authority (8-ish or 6-ish) than about being successful per se. In fact, several of her exploits (e.g. repeated attempts to act in movies) have been reliably, almost comically, unsuccessful. Madonna's early flamboyance was much more "in your face" than most 3s, particularly female 3s - for example, Britney Spears bares her navel like Madonna, but is otherwise quite conservative compared to the 1980's Madonna. Madonna may reinvent herself every few years, but average-to-unhealthy 3s reinvent themselves whenever someone new enters the room, and Madonna doesn't do that. Some have argued that a strong 4 wing could make a 3 more provocative and outlandish. Perhaps, but a strong four wing would also lend an introspective, self-aware, mysterious quality that seems to be the very antithesis of Madonna.
Is she a 2? Although portrayed as a flirt and a "boy toy", Madonna does not seem to pull heartstrings in a 2ish way. Her early relationships were not so much about emotional intimacy as about sex, fun, mutual exploitation, and domination. She comes across as far too independent-minded, even as a teenager, compared to other 2s. Of course, 2s want love, and Madonna indeed wanted the love of billions. But one must ask, "loved for what?" Average 2s want to be loved for their emotional importance to others - they want to be indispensable, someone you can't imagine living without. Madonna wanted to be loved in spite of her shocking personna, more like Howard Stern (a 7w8) than any other 2 I know of. The 2's desire for love, albeit intrusive at times, also carries a personal touch that is missing in Madonna.
Arguments for 7: The average-to-unhealthy 7 is the most prone to excess and sensationalism, while the average-to-unhealthy 8 is the most domineering and confrontational. Both types often challenge established norms, and both seem to fit Madonna's 1980s mixture of sex appeal and shock appeal. Many of us have forgotten how shocking Madonna's lyrics, videos, navel, and cone bras were, because those things have become more common, partly thanks to Madonna herself. Even 3s like Elvis, living up to a "rebel" image, did not push so far beyond what others around him were doing. Madonna's concerts were once banned in major cities like Detroit and her videos censored by MTV - she was denounced by the Catholic church and the nation of Italy (Madonna is ethnically half-Italian). Religious, political, and cultural authorities all felt threatened by her, and in the movie-documentary "Truth or Dare", she seems to walk around with worldly bemusement at the whirlwind of notoriety around her. This seems consistent with the 7's sense of adventure, and the 8's sense of defiance.
Howard Stern, a male 7w8, used shock appeal to an even greater degree than Madonna, was similarly censored by major institutions, and seems similarly bemused by all the notoriety surrounding him. Madonna's recent works are more low-key, private, and serious, which seems consistent with a 7 moving toward 5.
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Bruce Lee (8)
"From boyhood to adolescence, I presented myself as a trouble-maker and was greatly disapproved of by my elders. I was extremely mischievious, aggressive, hot-tempered, and fierce. Not only my "opponents" of more or less my age stayed out of my way, but even the adults sometimes gave in to my temper. I never knew what it was that made me so pugnacious. The first thought that came into my mind whenever I met somebody I disliked was "Challenge him!". Challenge him with what? The only concrete thing that I could think of were my fists."
Bruce Lee, quoted in a Taiwanese newspaper, ca. 1972
I could say more, but the above quote speaks for itself. Bruce Lee died of a brain edema shortly after speaking this quote. At his death, he was only 32 years old, and had made only 4 movies as an adult, but in his short life he had become synonymous with martial arts and Gong Fu. His influence is seen even today, in movies like The Matrix, and Charlie's Angels, just to name a few.
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George W. Bush - hiding in plain sight.
"Bush detests being challenged, whether by reporters or political leaders. He is unyielding in his convictions, to the exclusion of all else. ... Ask his critics to explain how Bush operates, and the phrase they come up with most often is 'my way or the highway,'"
- Anne Kornblut, Boston Globe, May 4, 2003.
"There is a sly, watchful quality in Eights with a Nine wing - as if they are daring others to underestimate them. ... They can seen friendly and agreeable, while secretly sizing people up and assessing their character."
- Don Riso and Russ Hudson, Personality Types
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During the year 2000 campaign, Al Gore had huge advantages over Bush: greater experience and intelligence, a spotless, scandal-free personal record, a good economy, and voters who agreed with Democrats on the issues they said mattered most. Past candidates with these advantages won by landslide margins, so why didn't Gore? I believe the answer lies in the psychology of the candidates:
1. Hiding in plain sight.
Bush has an unusual ability to hide in plain sight - to give a widespread impression that he is compassionate and interested in unity, while openly pushing policies that are in fact quite divisive. For example, he touts his "compassionate conservatism" and role as a "uniter", while simultaneously pushing a wide range of policies that have deeply polarized the electorate. Strangely enough, more of the public seems aware of the happy slogans, than of their ultimate effects.
It is paradoxical that Bush, whom many people judged at first to be dumb but harmless, has become one of the most notorious presidents in modern memory, easily the most divisive figure since Nixon. Enneagrammers have an unusally wide range of "diagnoses" of Bush - including types 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. However, I've written that Bush's behavior could be best explained as an 8w9 who shows his 9 wing publicly, but reverts to an aggressive 8 stance in his final decisions. He may also have acquired a 6-ish influence from his father, and from the Republican Party's cultural aura.
Bush's affable and likeable, albeit confused, public personna may be due to his 9 wing, while his unilateralist final decisions, and black-and-white worldview, show the dominant type 8 stance. This combination of psychological motives may explain why Bush has been so widely underestimated by friends and foes alike, and how he can pursue such confrontational policies while remaining personally popular. I quoted one line from Riso's Personality Types at the top of this page. Here is another interesting quote about the 8w9 personality:
"... unhealthy Eights with a Nine-wing can be destructive without remorse, combining ruthlessness with indifference. They can get into a strangely dissociated frame of mind, acting in a depersonalized way, as if they were some sort of cosmic force which swatted people aside, crushing them without personal feelings entering the picture." - Don Riso and Russ Hudson, Personality Types revised edition, 1996.
It seems to me that Bush's war with Iraq, and the way he has gone about it, are consistent with the above quote. Bush's psychological profile suggests that it is easy, but dangerous, to underestimate him. Here are some other reasons not to underestimate Bush:
2. George W. Bush is not as dumb as he looks:
As a Democrat, I'd love to believe George W. is an imbecile. His command of the spoken word is horrible, and language disabilities may run in his family (his father's syntax is often odd, and his brother Neil is dyslexic). However, when students dug up his old SAT scores, they got a surprise. His score (1206) was well above the national average, putting him in the 86-88% percentile range. Not a genius, but higher than expected. And the SAT doesn't measure people skills, street smarts, and gut instincts, arguably Bush's strongest skills, and those most needed for political success. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times (and a moderate Democrat) notes:
"Contrary to the critics' caricatures, Mr. Bush is intelligent, with an awesome memory, great management skill and a tremendous emotional I.Q. But he is also one of the least intellectually curious people I've ever interviewed, one of the least inclined to play with an idea and hold it to the light."
3. George W. Bush is not as nice as he looks.
Recently, a writer named Mark Crispin Miller set out to write a humorous book about Bush's verbal malaproprisms. However, his analysis of Bush's speeches revealed something very serious:
"(George W.) Bush's boiling anger is--as of this writing--still known only to insiders and to the readers of his best biographies." - Mark Crispin Miller, The Bush Dyslexicon, p. 50.
"Bush is almost always clear when he's speaking cruelly. For example, when the subject is the punitive infliction of great pain, there is no problem with his syntax, grammar, or vocabulary, even if he happens to be lying. ... On the other hand, our president is extraordinarily tongue-tied when he's trying, off the cuff, to sound a note of idealism, magnanimity or -- especially -- compassion." -Miller, p. 52-53
"... our president is not an imbecile but an operator just as canny as he is hard-hearted -- which is to say that he's extraordinarily shrewd. To smirk at his alleged stupidity is, therefore, not just to miss the point, but to do this unelected president a giant favor since, as Shakespeare's Prince Hal reminds us--and as Bush himself has often said--it suits a politician to have everybody thinking he's a dunce, especially if he wants to do things his way." - Miller, p. 2-3.
Anne Kornblut of the Boston Globe has made similar observations:
"...Bush's ire is more than an interesting impulse. It reflects a driving force behind his presidency. Bush detests being challenged, whether by reporters or political leaders. He is unyielding in his convictions, to the exclusion of all else. He is principled. But he is also stubborn, a trait that has become a guiding force of his governing style, a management tool, and perhaps even a new chapter in American history." - Boston Globe, May 4, 2003
"Ask his critics to explain how Bush operates, and the phrase they come up with most often is 'my way or the highway,'" - ibid.
4. Shows 9 wing in public; final decisions reflect 8 style
George W. Bush's outward behavior often looks quite 9-ish, and perhaps also 2-ish. He relaxes and disarms others with an easy-going, jocular demeanor, and frequently looks a little goofy or confused. His year 2000 campaign slogans reflected many values of average 9s (e.g. "uniter, not a divider"), and also 2s (“compassionate”). But underneath these happy slogans was an explosive temper that he didn’t learn to control until age 40, and an inherently divisive agenda that included massive tax cuts for the wealthy, drilling for oil in Alaska, and a confrontational approach to almost all international affairs, including of course the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush's final decisions show a great zeal for acting alone in the world, breaking established rules, punishing enemies, and defying foes and allies alike.
Despite Bush’s inclusive-sounding slogans, unification and compassion are rarely his first instincts. His major decisions as president are almost completely unilateralist: he has dissolved treaties with Europe and Russia, sneered at the International Criminal Court, mocked the United Nations as "irrelevant", and so on. And I haven't even gotten to the war Iraq yet. Even if history proves George W. to have made some correct decisions, his high-handed style has made it harder for Americans to obtain needed cooperation from other countries.
It is often argued that Bush’s behavior is merely a reaxtion to 9/11, or is hard-line advisors. But well-informed editorials, such as this fascinating one written 6 months before 9/11, are eerily consistent with what we know about Bush today, suggesting that 9/11 did not change Bush's personality but merely made it more globally known. And although Bush does have many hard-line advisors, he also has moderate ones, and in fact has many of the same advisors as his father, yet makes vastly different decisions.
Making Reagan seem moderate?
As an 8 with a considerable 9 wing, Bush has many similarities with Ronald Reagan, a 9 with an 8 wing. Both presented a sunny face to the public, while fighting enemies they labeled "evil". But while Reagan was tough on the Soviets, he was largely disengaged from almost everything else, particularly domestic policy where he famously napped or doodled during cabinet meetings. In contrast, Bush eagerly pushes a wide range of domestic issues that Reagan never dared touch. While Reagan hated to fire staff members, Bush sacked his entire economic team in Nov. 2002 and has never looked back. Whereas Reagan was a closet moderate (just look at his Supreme court nominees), George W. Bush is much more of a hardliner, and much less likely to compromise with his opposition. Not only has Bush been busy pushing far beyond what Reagan did, he is also likely to repeal some of Reagan's more moderate policies (e.g. the minimum corporate tax, which Reagan advocated after finding that some large corporations pay almost zero tax).
5. Opportunism
Opportunism is a crucial, often overlooked key to Bush's success. When his earlier business ventures failed, other people lost money, not him. When he succeeded, he made hefty profits. In 1988, he invested $606,000 of other people's money into the Texas Ranger's baseball team, then sold his share later at a $14.9 million profit to himself. This was not an accident, and is part of a lifelong pattern of shrewdly using circumstance to his advantage.
In 1994, George W. beat the incumbent Texas governor Ann Richards and became the only two-term governor in Texas history. Again, his opponents underestimated him and lost. The fact that the Texas governorship is a constitutionally weak office was often used to criticize George W. as weak. But actually this underscores his proactive side - he cajoled and persuaded other politicians personally (most notably Bob Bullock), without relying on institutionalized levers of power that a more compliant type would prefer.
In academics, sports, and business, George W. has been mediocre compared to his accomplished father. But George W. is more street smart, better able at sizing up others and using situations to his own advantage, and quicker to confront people he doesn't like. Bush's father was often denigrated as a "wimp" - for all his faults, the son doesn't seem to have that one.
6. What's next?
In the Feb. 2001 Enneagram Monthly I predicted George W. Bush would have an aggressive presidency that would represent "an ideological shift in the country, but also risks carrying this shift too far." My view was controversial at the time, but Bush's subsequent behavior has confirmed my early suspicions even more than I'd imagined.
My original article also pointed to a historical pattern: Every 20th century American president who was an 8, or had an 8 wing, served more than 4 years in office. This pattern suggests that Bush in 2000 was harder to beat than most Democrats realized, and will be formidable in 2004 as well. Whether you love or hate Bush, past history suggests that we're likely to see even more of him unless the Democrats can pull off something extraordinary in the 2004 election. Bush's gut inclinations have already slowly but inexorably changed the shape of America, of the world, and of America's place in the world, for better or worse.
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Al Gore - tragically self-defeating?
Bush and Gore are both contradictory people. George W. Bush's aggressive actions contradict the peaceful self-image he presented of himself during his electoral campaign. Al Gore is also a contradictory person, but his contradictions may be more internal.
Al Gore is usually viewed as an Enneagram 1 because of his stiff posture and obsession with details, but having a 1 wing myself, I had to question this. As a Democrat, I agree with many of Gore's positions, but was bothered by his tendency to buckle under political pressure (1s are more known for fanatical stubbornness). I also had other doubts: where was his righteous anger? Why was he so uncomfortable expressing strong viewpoints? (average political 1s, once they form their opinions, are more often vocal to a fault, and quite comfortable with strong viewpoints). I eventually came to believe Gore is a 6 who was influenced by a type 1 father, and also expressing some of the less healthy qualities of his personality.
1. Gore's stiff posture
There is no denying that Gore looks comically stiff. Many political 1s throughout history were a little stiff, especially those with 9 wings. Woodrow Wilson and George Washington were two historical examples of 1w9s. These men had wooden demeanors, like Gore, but were also incredibly resolute and tough-minded, sticking to their principles under incredible pressure. In contrast, Gore has often faded away under assault, even when he actually is right. It seems that Gore wanted to be liked more than he wanted to take a tough stance, which is the opposite of the 1's tendency.
2. Gore's flexible thinking
1 politicians are often known for a relentless, righteous sense of purpose. Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Hillary Clinton, and Ralph Nader all show this quality in abundance, sometimes to their own detriment. However, Gore's past history shows a lot more wavering than is typical for 1s, on issues like gun control, abortion, and even his signature issue, the environment. After writing a book that passionately urged environmental reform, Gore seemed to retreat from his advocacy, occasionally relaxing pollution controls when it was politically expedient. Gore did not push Clinton to raise auto fuel efficiency standards, something even the environmentally confused Ronald Reagan did. It is astounding that the much more astute Gore missed the opportunity of a lifetime to do the same. Given Gore's lifelong interest in these issues, his compromises are puzzling, all the more so if you think Gore is a 1. Because of these compromises, environmental groups were actually rather slow to endorse Gore in 2000, even though his opponent was arguably an impending environmental disaster.
3. Quasi-paranoia?
Gore isn't paranoid, but has a sharp eye for security issues, crises, and danger, reflected in his most passionate interests in Congress: arms control, the environment, and global warming. When campaigning, Gore stridently warned America of the dangers of Bush's policies (tax cuts, Alaskan oil drilling, risking Social Security, etc.) but was more vague when describing the benefits of a Gore presidency ("lock boxes" for everyone?). Like many 6s, Gore had a hard time articulating his message unless he was defending or attacking something outside himself. His slogan championing the "people vs. the powerful" is yet another example of this trait.
4. Where's the righteous indignation?
Gore is easily tagged an exaggerator, normally a difficult label to attach to average 1s, who fight back hard when criticized. If you've ever argued with an average entrenched 1, you know how futile it can be to prove him/her wrong, whereas even Gore's supporters believe he bends the truth. Other 1s like Hillary Clinton and Ralph Nader are far more provocative than Al Gore, but neither has been labeled a habitual exaggerator, despite considerable effort by their enemies.
Although Gore has frequently been caught in mild exaggerations, I would argue it is not the exaggerations (which all politicians make) but Gore's response to criticism that is crucial. Often when attacked, Gore mysteriously fails to defend or clarify himself, lending weight to critics who are often distorting the truth much more than Gore himself. For example, Gore famously said he took the initiative drafting legislation that "created the internet". Gore did in fact sponsor legislation that made it legal to conduct business over the web, directly sparking the explosive growth of the internet in the years that followed. Gore didn't invent the internet, but he did help make the internet what it is today. That truly is revolutionary, yet Gore never bothered to remind everyone of this. It seems to me that even one outraged statement in his own defense would have saved his reputation, but without it, Gore's proud achievement turned into a joke for his enemies to use against him.
5. Both phobic and counterphobic traits
Remember the three presidential debates? Gore was oddly meek in the first debate, strangely pugnacious in the second, and somewhere in the middle for the third. While average 1s can be a bit stubborn and slow to adapt to outside feedback, Gore's behavior could be consistent with an oscillation between phobic and counterphobic dcbate styles. Gore is also known to read almost everything the media says about him, and may have over-reacted to public opinion. This suggests an insecurity about what others think about him, a bigger issue for average 6s than average 1s.
6. Gore's father may have been a 1.
Gore's father was Senator Al Gore Sr., a stern, moralizing person whom Lyndon Johnson criticized for being "self-righteous". According to biographies of the son, the father set relentlessly high standards for both himself and his son. In 1970, the father's high principles cost him his job as Senator, and many biographers believe he then transferred his frustrated political goals to his son. This may explain why Gore does often talk about 1-ish beliefs, without being a 1 himself, and why Gore keeps running for president when his relatively narrow range of interests is not suited to the job. It is notable that Gore's father had a life-long dream of becoming vice president. The son may have been the vehicle for his father's ambitions.
Final thoughts:
So, did Gore's personality cause him to lose the election? Probably not by itself. Most personality types are represented among the U.S. presidents, and any healthy type can be a good leader. However, for all his intelligence, Gore lost mainly because voters were not sure what he stood for. Gore's personality may have made it hard for him to be stubbornly strong-minded, whereas George W. Bush, with his black-and-white view of the world, did not face this particular obstacle. For all his inexperience and fuzzy intellect, George W. Bush excited Republicans much more than Gore animated Democrats. I believe these apparent paradoxes are due to the personalities of the two candidates. Without taking psychology into account, it is otherwise very difficult to explain why the year 2000 election was as close as it was, given Gore's otherwise massive advantages.
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