Personality and the Enneagram

Personality is big these days. Witness the proliferation of online matchmaker sites that base compatibility on, among other things, an evaluation of personality traits. Over the years a number of ways of examining personality have surfaced, some more user-friendly than others. Leary's Interpersonal Theory and the Five Factor Model, for example, really require specialized training to use effectively. Others like the Keirsey Temperament Sorter are available "over the counter," in popular formats.

The Enneagram is one model that I've used over and over and have come to genuinely appreciate. It is based on the idea that we all have certain character flaws, some of which are predictable and can be attributed to personality type. What I mean is, we all have ways of dealing with other persons that are more or less functional. What is a strength in one context, taken to extreme in another can be damaging. The Enneagram associates these flaws with character structure which is then divided into nine subtypes.

It is a fairly nuanced approach that allows for the kind of overlap that some systems neglect. In addition, it has a strong interpersonal element which makes it especially useful for understanding how we get ourselves in situations that we'd have liked to avoid. It also shows how personality traits can function rather like "drives" that strongly motivate frequently unconscious behaviors.

There are a number of books available that discuss the Enneagram from various perspectives. The one I have used most often is Richard Rohr's Discovering the Enneagram. While Rohr's book has a decided spiritual emphasis which may appeal to some and not others, overall I think it's a very fair-minded discussion of the basic principles of the Enneagram. In any case, if you're interested in learning a bit more about yourself, this certainly a great place to start.

(Creative Commons image by Grace Commons via Flickr)