The Enneagram

The Enneagram is a psychological profiling system that characterizes 9 distinct primary personality types. Each primary personality type is modified to some degree by a secondary type that is one of the adjacent types to the primary.

For example, a type 2 could have either a 1-wing or a 3-wing. Depending on which of these wings is dominant, the type 2 would be known as a 2 with a 1 wing or a 2 with a 3 wing. The secondary type can be strong or weak. This creates the potential for a large number of variations even within one primary type when degree of influence of one or more wings can vary from 1 to 99 percent.

The nine primary types each have a name that characterizes the pure essence of the type. For example:

1. Reformer
2. Helper
3. Motivator
4. Individualist
5. Investigator
6. Loyalist
7. Enthusiast
8. Leader
9. Peacemaker

Each primary type has 9 different levels of development ranging from self-actualization (1) down to complete disintegration (9). When a person is moving toward growth and self-actualization they move in their direction of integration. When this happens the type begins to display some of the healthy characteristics of the type in the direction of integration. For example, when a type 9 is moving to growth, characteristics of a healthy type 3 may become apparent.

There is also a direction of disintegration. When a type is deteriorating and moving away from growth toward extreme neuroticism or psychosis, tendencies of an unhealthy type in the direction of disintegration may become apparent. For example, a type 9 will begin to show behavior of an unhealthy type 6 when moving toward disintegration and away from integration.

The Enneagram theory has a long, rich history of development extending back into ancient Greece and including Jewish mystics and Jesuits. The direction of integration corresponds to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in that the act of moving toward growth and integration is analogous to moving toward self-actualization.