What is the Enneagram?

Enneagram origins

The Enneagram (the name is from two Greek words – ‘ennea’, meaning nine and ‘grammos’, meaning something written or drawn) has its origins in oral traditions, which span centuries and offer profound insights into the ways personality can affect and direct us without our conscious awareness.

The Enneagram describes nine distinct personality types simply numbered 1-9, each one driven, subconsciously, by the need to avoid an emotion perceived at a primal level to be life threatening.

Values

Why is it that with some people you ‘click’ and connect instantly – quite literally within seconds of first meeting them – whilst with others you may have known for years the conversation and connection is always just a little bit harder?

We would suggest that our ease of connection is hugely influenced by the values we hold and how compatible these are with the values of others. Our values drive and inspire us, they underpin all our decisions and choices. They make us ‘tick’. There is a strong connection between core values and personality types – our first book,‘The Enneagram Encountered’ explains this connection.

The three centres

The nine personality types described by the Enneagram reside in three centres, each centre with three types within it, being driven by the need to avoid one particular feeling.

The three personality types within each centre respond to this need in very different ways, but they have certain things in common because they are sponsored by the same fundamental avoidance: the emotion they are avoiding drives their personality and the behaviours that arise from it.

How is the Enneagram different from other personality descriptors?

The Enneagram is very different from any personality system which relies solely on questionnaires, processing of scores and a final, cut and dried outcome. Whilst that type of personality descriptor can be of value and delivers swift, clear results, this approach goes much deeper than the surface behaviours and involves a more thorough understanding of ‘why’ rather than ‘what’ we do. There are Enneagram questionnaires designed to help you type yourself; we suggest that these are useful only up to a point – it is not easy to get under the surface using questionnaires alone.