The Enneagram Series: Introducing the Enneagram
By Ambar Khawaja
You may have heard of it in passing or seen it online, but what exactly is the enneagram?
The enneagram was created in the 1920’s and is deeply rooted in psychology and philosophy. It is an incredible tool for personal growth and development, separated into 9 distinct personality types. The theory of the enneagram states that each person identifies with one core type, but inside them exists a part of each of the nine types which they can call upon when they are healthy and balanced.
In this series, I will be giving a brief introduction to each of the nine types, and will later be going in-depth on each type and how working with it can better your personal and professional life.
Let’s begin…
Type 1: The Reformer
Type 1’s are known as the reformers because they have a strong sense of “mission” to rid the world of evil and replace it with what is good and right. They often feel the need to justify their actions to others because they are afraid of making mistakes, and spend significant time thinking about the consequences of their actions. Type 1’s strive to reach perfection, often repressing their true instinctual thoughts and desires in order to align with the morals they have identified as “right”.
Basic Desire: to be good
Basic Fear: being defective and corrupt
Key Motivations: to improve everything around them, to stay true to their morals and values
Centre: body
Type 2: The Helper
The helper often goes out of their way to assist others. This type is known as the archetypal mother figure because of their deep love and selflessness. They tend to become over-involved in others’ lives and give more with the intent of receiving more in return. Type 2’s invest the most in their relationships, sometimes to the point of neglecting their own emotional needs and manipulating others into “needing” them.
Basic Desire: to feel loved
Basic Fear: being unwanted and unworthy of love
Key Motivation: to be needed, loved, and appreciated by others, to authenticate how they feel about themselves
Centre: feeling
Type 3: The Achiever
Type 3’s are known as achievers because they are capable of accomplishing great things. Type 3’s prioritise achieving their goals and feel good developing their own abilities that contribute to the world. They inspire others to pursue their own goals by exemplifying success in their own fields. However, they can lose touch with their true selves by investing all of their energy into external markers of success and praise from others.
Basic Desire: to feel valuable
Basic Fear: being worthless
Key Motivation: to be admired, distinguished from others, and affirmed for the value they bring to the world
Centre: feeling
Type 4: The Individualist
Individualists are known for seeing themselves as being different from others. They see themselves as unique and possessing special talents, and are able to see all the areas where they are interesting and flawed. Type 4’s are acutely self aware and reserved. They are often creative, but sometimes find themselves in deep moods of melancholy and self-pity, feeling isolated from the rest of the world, and sinking into depressive states. They often feel misunderstood.
Basic Desire: to have significance and identity
Basic Fear: being insignificant and having no identity
Key Motivation: expressing themselves and being creative, appreciating beauty, prioritising emotions, being validated for their uniqueness
Centre: feeling
Type 5: The Investigator
Type 5’s are known as the investigators because they want to deeply understand how the world works and are always asking questions. They are able to view the world in a unique way, but often feel distant because they are constantly stuck in their head. Type 5’s are observant and contemplative, but sometimes these in-depth explorations of their interests are a distraction from problems they are facing in their own lives.
Basic Desire: to be competent and capable
Basic Fear: being useless and incapable
Key Motivation: accumulating knowledge and understanding of their surroundings, remaining safe from the threats of the world by understanding it
Centre: thinking
Type 6: The Loyalist
Type 6’s are known as the loyalists because they are, well, the most loyal of the nine types. They will fiercely defend their beliefs and those that they love, but because they support others and heavily rely on their community, they can lose the ability to support themselves. Type 6’s strive to create a stable network based on trust in order to steer away from fear and unsteadiness. They often try to do this without coming to terms with their own insecurities, leading to them be highly reactive, bouncing between opposite extremes of feeling and behaviour.
Basic Desire: having security and support
Basic Fear: being without support and guidance
Key Motivation: to feel supported by others and have security, to fight against anxiety and insecurity
Centre: thinking
Type 7: The Enthusiast
Type 7’s are known as the enthusiasts because they approach life with a sense of adventure. They are bold, full of energy, and highly passionate. Type 7’s constantly seek out exciting and stimulating experiences and enjoy the “highs of life”. However, because of this energy, they can become exhausted, often using experiences as a distraction for the internal distress of not knowing what they want from life or how to contribute to the world.
Basic Desire: to be content and have their needs satisfied
Basic Fear: being deprived and in pain
Key Motivation: to maintain freedom, avoid missing out on experiences, keep themselves occupied, and avoid pain
Centre: thinking
Type 8: The Challenger
Type 8’s are called the challengers because they enjoy being put through their paces and putting those around them to the test. They are charismatic and able to be strong leaders because of their persuasion skills. Type 8’s embody willpower and proudly show it to the world by fighting for who and what they love but are often said to wear a suit of armour around themselves at all times to protect their emotional vulnerability. They do not want anyone to have power over them, often leading them to pushing away those they love to appear strong and independent, resulting in emotional distance from their support network.
Basic Desire: to protect and be in control of themselves
Basic Fear: being harmed and controlled by others
Key Motivation: to be self-reliant, prove their strength, dominate the environment, control their situation
Centre: body
Type 9: The Peacemaker
Peacemakers work to establish harmony in themselves and the world. They are spiritual seekers with the desire for connection, yet sometimes this leads to sacrificing their own needs by minimising problems in order to avoid conflict and becoming complacent. Type 9’s have the innate ability to bring people together and heal tension and conflict. When doing this, they fear asserting themselves, leading to them numbing out and melting into whatever situation they may find themselves in.
Basic Desire: to achieve inner-stability and “peace-of-mind”
Basic Fear: experiencing loss and separation
Key Motivation: to create harmony, avoid conflict, and preserve peace-of-mind
Centre: body
Do you see yourself in any of these types? Tune in next week, when I will be writing in-depth on types 1 & 2!