What it’s all about…

Like any other personality test, the Enneagram types you according to how you respond to life situations and compares you to others. When you dig deeper, however, the Enneagram will also explain “why” you respond the way you do. The “why” is what you need to discover to truly understand who you are.

Before we go any further, realize that every type has pros and cons. We are all unique individuals. There is “no perfect/ideal” type! That’s one of the beauties of our world; we’re all different. Some people might argue that our differences have caused our world chaos. I would like to suggest that life would be so boring if we were all the same. We’d be living in a robot world! Further, if we can understand why we respond the way we do and appreciate how/why others respond, our “relating” ability improves. If that ability improves, how could we not personally improve.

Here’s the breakdown…

Before you read any more, check out the attached/below picture from www.CoCreativeJourneys.com that should help you understand the words.

There are 9 different individual types. You are categorized as a type # based on how you mostly respond to life situations. Each # has 2 lines touching your number. The lines describe how you tend to respond in times of crisis and joy. Since nobody “always” responds the same way in every situation, The Enneagram also depicts a secondary response category, which is described as your “wing”.

For example, I’m a 9w1, which means that I mostly respond as a 9 (peacemaker) but secondarily respond as a 1 (reformer/perfectionist). Also, you’ll see two lines touching my number. For me (#9), I respond more as a #6 in times of stress and a #3 in times of happiness.

You’ll also notice 3 shaded areas or triads. The blue highlighted # (8,9,1) is considered the “Gut Triad”. People in this area tend to react instinctually. The red highlighted #s (2,3,4) is considered the “Heart Triad”. These people tend to react emotionally. The red highlighted #s (5,6,7) is considered the “Head Triad”. People in this area tend to react intellectually.

Your instincts….

Also, and not depicted on the picture, the Enneagram considers 3 basic instincts that is the framework of your first situational response. Ask yourself which one you might align with the most: self-preservation, sexual or social. Again, the point is realizing where your first motivation comes from.

A self-preservation focus is on personal safety, security and comfort. For these individuals, their first response in any situation is what’s best for them, both present and future.

Individuals focused on the sexual instinct want to create and maintain deep connections through interactions and experiences. It’s not a sexual thing, but an intense relationship connection that is desired.

Social dominant people want that community feeling with others and groups. They want to experience personal value to a person or people. They want a feeling of belonging and trust in their relationships.

Yeah, I know, it seems pretty complex and overwhelming. We’ll talk about it more in the next newsletters, which might peak your interest to dive in more. One final thought to leave you with on this newsletter, the Enneagram’s focus really gets down to what “motivates” you as a person. If you can truly discover what “motivates” you, you’ll be on your way to understanding “you”.

Feel free to send me an e-mail at [email protected]

To your health and happiness,

Nate