Honest Enneagram

1. The Enneagram: A Map of Human Personality

"The Enneagram is a system that breaks people up into nine distinct personality types. Each type has a unique fear, motivation, and set of behavior patterns based on those motivations."

A comprehensive framework. The Enneagram is a powerful tool for self-discovery and personal growth. It provides insights into core motivations, fears, and behavioral patterns that shape our personalities. By understanding these elements, individuals can gain clarity on their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth.

Beyond surface-level traits. Unlike other personality systems that focus primarily on observable behaviors, the Enneagram delves deeper into the underlying drivers of human behavior. It explores the why behind our actions, helping us understand our unconscious patterns and defense mechanisms.

A path to self-awareness. The Enneagram serves as a mirror, reflecting both our positive qualities and our blind spots. This awareness is the first step toward personal growth and more fulfilling relationships.

2. Honoring Your Strength: The Foundation of Self-Acceptance

"In order to have an honest relationship with yourself, you must first support that with not only self-acceptance but also self-delight."

Cultivating self-compassion. Recognizing and appreciating your strengths is crucial for building a foundation of self-acceptance. This positive self-regard creates a safe space for personal growth and change.

Breaking the self-criticism cycle. Many people focus solely on their flaws, creating a negative self-image that hinders growth. By intentionally acknowledging your positive qualities, you create a more balanced and realistic self-perception.

Empowering personal growth. When you honor your strengths, you build confidence in your ability to face challenges and make positive changes. This self-assurance becomes a powerful motivator for continued personal development.

3. Opening Your Eyes to Blind Spots: Embracing Self-Awareness

"The more we can look into our darkness, the easier it is for us to deal with it."

Confronting uncomfortable truths. Examining your blind spots requires courage, but it's essential for genuine growth. These are the unconscious patterns and behaviors that often hold us back or create problems in our lives.

From awareness to action. Recognizing your blind spots is the first step; the next is developing strategies to address them. This might involve seeking feedback from others, journaling, or working with a therapist or coach.

Growth through discomfort. Embracing your blind spots often means facing uncomfortable emotions or truths about yourself. However, this discomfort is a sign of growth and an opportunity for profound personal transformation.

4. Noting Your Support Plan: Tailoring Growth to Your Type

"Get intimate with the motivations of your type so that you can truly know why you want the things you want, and develop a plan to achieve them that takes YOU into consideration."

Personalized growth strategies. Understanding your Enneagram type allows you to create a support plan tailored to your specific needs and motivations. This increases the likelihood of success in your personal growth journey.

Leveraging strengths, addressing weaknesses. A well-crafted support plan builds on your natural strengths while providing strategies to work on your growth areas. This balanced approach leads to more sustainable and meaningful change.

Accountability and consistency. Having a clear support plan helps maintain focus and motivation in your personal growth efforts. It provides a roadmap for consistent action and a way to measure progress over time.

5. Exploring Your Relationships: Understanding Your Impact

"Start exploring what you bring to the table, both positively and negatively, in the relationships in your life."

Self-awareness in interactions. Understanding how your Enneagram type influences your relationships can lead to more harmonious and fulfilling connections. It helps you recognize patterns in how you relate to others.

Improving communication. By recognizing your tendencies in relationships, you can make conscious efforts to communicate more effectively. This might involve being more direct, more empathetic, or more open, depending on your type.

Balancing needs. Exploring your relationships through the lens of the Enneagram helps you understand both your needs and the needs of others. This awareness can lead to more balanced and mutually satisfying relationships.

6. Softening Your Path: Gentle Steps Toward Growth

"Personal growth isn't about discipline; it's about understanding and making micro-shifts to be closer to who you want to be."

Embracing gradual change. Growth doesn't happen overnight. By focusing on small, consistent steps, you can create lasting change without overwhelming yourself.

Self-compassion in action. Softening your path means treating yourself with kindness during the growth process. It involves acknowledging setbacks without harsh self-judgment and celebrating small victories.

Sustainable transformation. Gentle, consistent effort often leads to more sustainable change than dramatic, short-lived attempts at transformation. This approach allows for integration of new habits and mindsets over time.

7. Turning That Into Something Beautiful: Creativity as Self-Expression

"We are all creative and we all need to create."

Expanding self-expression. Creativity isn't limited to traditional artistic pursuits. It can be any form of self-expression that allows you to explore and share your inner world.

Healing through creation. Engaging in creative activities can be a powerful tool for processing emotions, reducing stress, and gaining new perspectives on life challenges.

Connecting with essence. Creative expression often helps individuals connect with their true selves, beyond the constraints of their Enneagram type patterns. It can be a path to accessing and expressing your essence.

8. The Nine Enneagram Types: Unique Motivations and Fears

"Each type has a unique fear, motivation, and set of behavior patterns based on those motivations."

Diverse personality patterns. The Enneagram describes nine distinct personality types, each with its own core motivations, fears, and behavioral tendencies. Understanding these can provide profound insights into human behavior.

• Type One: The Perfectionist
• Type Two: The Helper
• Type Three: The Achiever
• Type Four: The Individualist
• Type Five: The Investigator
• Type Six: The Loyalist
• Type Seven: The Enthusiast
• Type Eight: The Challenger
• Type Nine: The Peacemaker

Beyond stereotypes. While each type has general characteristics, it's important to remember that individuals are complex and unique. The Enneagram provides a framework for understanding, not a rigid box to fit into.

9. Levels of Health: From Unhealthy to Healthy Expressions

"We may experience a range of health in a given day."

Spectrum of expression. Each Enneagram type can manifest in healthy, average, or unhealthy ways. Understanding these levels helps individuals recognize their current state and work towards healthier expressions of their type.

Dynamic nature of personality. The levels of health concept illustrates that personality is not static. People can move between levels based on various factors, including stress, personal growth work, and life circumstances.

Growth potential. By understanding the healthy expressions of their type, individuals have a clear vision of their growth potential. This can serve as motivation and guidance in personal development efforts.

10. Wings and Lines: Accessing Different Aspects of Personality

"Wings" in the Enneagram refers to the two types on either side of your dominant type, meaning that we have access to much of what drives and motivates the adjacent types."

Personality nuances. Wings and lines add depth and complexity to the basic Enneagram types. They explain why two people of the same type might appear quite different.

Growth opportunities. Understanding wings and lines provides additional paths for personal growth. Individuals can consciously access the positive qualities of their wings and connected types.

Stress and security patterns. The lines of the Enneagram illustrate how each type tends to behave under stress or in times of security. This knowledge can help individuals manage stress more effectively and cultivate conditions for growth.

11. Subtypes: Instinctual Variants Within Each Type

"Each Enneagram type has three distinct instinctual variants that we call 'subtypes.'"

Deeper personality distinctions. Subtypes add another layer of nuance to the Enneagram, explaining why people of the same type can have different priorities and behaviors.

Instinctual drives. The three subtypes – self-preservation, social, and sexual (one-to-one) – reflect basic human instincts and how they interact with our Enneagram type.

Balanced development. Understanding subtypes can help individuals recognize which instinctual areas they naturally prioritize and which might need more attention for balanced personal growth.

Last updated: August 11, 2024