Most of the personality theories have as main objective to know the characteristics of the humans and analyze our behaviors to find disorders or difficulties to adapt to the society. Few psychological disciplines seek the improvement of the individual and his personal well-being regardless of whether they have a problem or not. However, there is a classification system which seeks the path to self-improvement.
Inner growth begins with knowing ourselves a little more and identifying those trends that prevent us from improving as a person. You know the nine personality types of the enneagram? In this Psychology-Online article, we will introduce each of these types, their qualities and their weaknesses.
Index
- The Enneagram of Personality
- The nine enneatypes
- Emotional Enneatypes
- Mental personality types
- The visceral or instinctive enneatypes
- The tests to discover the enneagram
The Enneagram of Personality.
The enneagram is a centuries-old tool. In fact, its origin is unclear and is much more remote than the beginnings of psychology. This theory affirms that there are nine types of personality, this explains our way of relating to others, our defects, strengths and
This last characteristic makes the personality eneargam a very powerful and useful theory to get to know ourselves better. Knowing our deepest fears and knowing what our ego is focused on can shed some light and explain those behaviors or decisions that we make that even we do not understand.
The ego and the essence
According to great theorists of the enneagram, the human condition has two faces: the ego and the essence. Both define two extremes of our thinking, behaviors and emotions. The ego is that unconscious part of our being in charge of looking for conflicts, it causes mental distortions that change our way of perceiving reality and is the basis of suffering personal. Instead, the essence is the natural character of the individual, without adulterating or distorting reality. When we connect with the essence we are able to live free and without filter.
As a general rule, we all act based on ego of our enneatype. Each personality has distortions and a characteristic ego and, therefore, each type will have to act differently to get rid of the thoughts and fears that bind us. The objective of personal and spiritual growth will be centered on identifying our ego and getting connected with the essence.
The nine enneatypes.
Next, we will briefly describe the nine personality types of the Enneagram or eneatypes. To do this, we will divide them into three groups:
- Emotional: types two, three and four.
- Mental: types five, six and seven.
- Visceral or instinctual: types eight, nine and one.
It is possible that we feel identified with more than one, it is something completely normal since the character is influenced by many factors and our style of behavior and thinking can resemble more than one enneatype. However, the key to discovering our personality type is to read each one of them and discover the one that resonates the most within us.
It is important to comment that, despite being numbered, none of them are better or worse than the next. They are simply ordered like this because, according to the theory, they are linked in a very specific way according to a mathematical structure, as we can see in the following image:
The emotional enneatypes.
The emotional triad is part of the need for relationshipAccording to the enneagram theory, these three personality types feel a need to love and feel loved, they care a lot about contact, and they need to relate to other people.
Type TWO: the helper
People of this type focus all their attention on others, they seek love through acts or gestures of help towards others and they usually feel a type of "pride" in feeling that someone needs them. They want to be loved and feel loved at the price that it takes. They do not focus on your needs and that can affect your personal well-being. The growth objective of a DOS will be to learn to give oneself love and stop needing external affection, acknowledge your humility and leave behind the feeling of pride.
Type THREE: the winner
"I am what i do"is a phrase that describes these people very well. Type THREE is characterized by a tendency to act like he or she thinks others want him to act. The image they project towards others is very important to them and they live by and for it. The path to well-being of the type THREE will be oriented to leave vanity behind and act according to your own feelings and emotions, ceasing to focus on what others think.
Type FOUR: the melancholic or individualistic
These people connect deeply with emotions, they have a strong unconscious need to feel loved, to be unique and special, they often develop disorders related to the Depression and they have a deep sense of inferiority. They are the most creative but in turn more melancholic and pessimistic. The psychological advice for an individual with a FOUR personality will be focused on cultivating a feeling of equality towards others, self-esteem and letting oneself be loved.
Mental personality types.
Mental personalities are those whose basic need focuses on find safetyThey need to accurately analyze the situations and people around them in order to feel safe.
Type FIVE: the researcher
Those people analytical, observer and perceptual they are usually described in personality type FIVE. Their world is in their head and they rarely share it, they have a profound difficulty in connecting with their emotions and even more so if they are strangers. The path to growth of a person with an enneatype FIVE will be directed towards breaking out of personal isolation and sharing their thoughts and emotions with others.
Type SIX: the loyalist or "the soldier"
The individuals who are defined as type SIX are those whose main value is sincerity and fidelity. They are usually extremely anxious and distrustfulThey are afraid of the unknown and of everything that can do them some kind of emotional damage. The emotional goals SIX students will find the courage within them and learn to trust their abilities.
Type SEVEN: the enthusiast
Active, lively, distracted... SEVEN are an enneatype full of energy and longing for freedom. They are people who escape from the routine making a thousand plans to distract themselves, constantly looking for new experiences and satisfactory and usually live under a mask of joy to avoid connecting with pain and reality when it is little pleasant. The psychological advice so that the SEVEN type can improve will be based on taking responsibility, emotional maturity and connection with reality.
The visceral or instinctive types.
Finally, among all the personality types of the enneagram, we find the visceral or instinctive triad. This group of personalities have a deep fixation on the need for autonomyThey need to assert themselves and defend their own territory.
Type EIGHT: the territorial or the leader
EIGHT-type personalities are characterized by strong control over their environment and by wanting to hide their weaknesses at all costs. They are persons combative, aggressive and power oriented. They seek to protect those individuals that they consider "deserving of protection" and try to impose their ideas at all costs. For an EIGHT to grow emotionally, work aimed at recovering the innocence and goodness of the inner child is recommended, accepting her weaknesses and learning to live in love.
Type NINE: The Peacemaker
People of this enneatype are individuals calm, mediators and with a tendency to avoid conflict. They need peace and harmony to reign in their environment. They do not usually confront others because they do not want to break that internal tranquility, which is why they feel uncomfortable with changes and unexpected challenges. The recommended goals for the NINE personality type will be related to showing your emotions, learning to make decisions and loving yourself while respecting your real desires.
Type ONE: the perfectionist
The first of the enneatypes is characterized by a highly focused ego. discipline, He always seeks to point out the errors in everything he sees and is unable to leave a detail without fixing. They are organized and they have a very strong conception of what is right and what is wrong. Despite their good intentions, in their quest for perfection they can hurt other people's feelings by always pointing out negative details. The psychological work of the ONE will be based on finding peace, be less self-demanding, cultivate kindness, accept yourself and others.
The tests to discover the enneagram.
It is possible that, at first glance, we do not feel identified with any of the enatypes (or we believe that we have characteristics of more than one). This is why the path to discovering the enneagram can be a bit more complicated. It is important to comment that there are subtypes within the same enneatypes and, for that same reason, there is a wide range of personalities that can be part of the same type.
There are multitudes of tests online to discover the enneagram, however, the best test will always be analyze ourselves and discovering which characteristics and unconscious fears best match and sound loudest within our minds, the best test will always be our own psyche.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to The 9 personality types of the enneagram, we recommend that you enter our category of Personality.
