Understanding Enneagram

I actually had a go at this from a different direction a few days back.

DIAGRAM #1



First I began by simplifying the core of the enneagram types as I understood them. And not try to overlap qualities, but to single out the main property underlying each one, as best as I could.

What I noticed was that the three primary responses the enneagram calls "Anger, Fear, Shame" are really describing Fight-or-Flight and then Submit being the third option.

But moreso, I noticed that each of these triads has one type that is going outward and one that is going inward. For example:

type 5: inward flight (as Naranjo says "pathological detachment" from one's inner feelings. fear of feeling)
type 4: inward shame (as Naranjo says "masochistic" character. a type of melodramatic self-pity)
type 1: inward anger (a type of internalized criticism, internalized aggression. motivating self-discipline first, then other-criticism)

type 2: outward shame (feeling shame defined by how others see you. image-conscious, in the social sense.)
type 7: outward flight (distraction, aversion, "lalalala", focusing on "nicer things" as a way to escape the stressor)
type 8: outward anger (this is pretty self explanatory. hostility directed externally, in order to remove the stressor)

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I was feeling pretty good about this diagram until i noticed the types 3-6-9 foiled my symmetry. For example, why the hell is type 9 considered an "anger" type? And why is type 3 considered a "shame" type when it feels so self-confident?

Some thinking later, I realized that type 3 is motivated by shame/image and that's precisely why it wants to excel/1-up people. It's almost  a type of overcompensation. The same rings true, more or less, for types 6 and 9. Type 6 is a "fear" type but they're strangely bold and up-to-the-task. But really they're trying to gain security, so they take initiative to resolve the predictability in their environment. But that motivation is really still fear.

Then type 9 I realized is afraid of anger itself (firstly theirs, but that of others too). It will avoid the unpleasantness of their own anger and not allow it to even register on their map. angerphobic.

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So then I turned it into this:

DIAGRAM #2:




When stress/emotional-chaos causes a FIGHT response that is projected outward, a desire to Control/Dominate results.
1st Dynamic: Resolve the problem by controlling (others) into submission, and retaining self-posession/power.
2nd Dynamic: Develop a habit of liking this rush of power, and risks becoming aggressor.

When stress/emotional-chaos causes a FIGHT response that is inverted inward, a desire to self-control results; perfectionism.
1st Dynamic: “I’m gonna do it myself, and do it right” Inner discipline, control and orderliness.
2nd Dynamic: Criticism of other’s lack of self-control, orderliness and order in general.

When stress/emotional-chaos causes a FLIGHT response that is projected outward, a desire to Ignore/Distract results.
1st Dynamic: Overlook the negative, focus on positives/enthusiasm. Distract/dissipate.
2nd Dynamic: Indulge hedonistically - gluttony. Shopping sprees. “Look over it, and focus on something nicer, this tub of icecream”

When stress/emotional-chaos causes a FLIGHT response that is inverted inward, a desire to self-detach results.
1st Dynamic: Avoiding emotional entanglement and connections to others. Self-deprivation.
2nd Dynamic: Finding refuge in knowledge and logic. Scorning the heart.**
Inner hollowness. Existential questioning. Fantasies of safe connection.**

When stress/emotional-chaos causes a SUBMISSIVE response that is projected outward, a desire to Please and be Likeable results.
1st Dynamic: Striving to win good favor, be pleasant, angelic and loving. 2nd Dynamic: Shrewdly expectant of “a return”. Resentful of ungratefulness.

When stress/emotional-chaos causes a SUBMISSIVE response that is inverted inward, a desire to self-pity/hate results.
1st Dynamic: Self-Dislike, low self-esteem and unworthiness. Victim mindset.
2nd Dynamic: Desire to be unique, worthy/beautiful to oneself (and the world).

After sleeping on it, I made some edits...

Interesting spot.  4, 5, and 9 are the ego types, and by all reports 9 internalizes their anger (through the denial mechanism).  These are the 'running away' types.  They retreat from the outward reflexively. 

3, 7, and 8 are the id types, and by all reports 3s are the ones most outward about their reaction to shame by needing to be admired by others and affect others.   8s don't really internalize much, instead focusing on what they want and what opposes them outwardly.  You'll see 8s make crazy accusations of blame.  "If you weren't in my way, I wouldn't have hit you, so it's your fault" kind of reasoning.  7s focus on what could be fun, constantly ignoring the inward if at all possible.  These are the 'running toward' types.

1, 2, and 6 are the superego types, and they try to balance the inner and outer worlds.  For example, 1s try to externalize their inner vision of how things should be, and repress their reactions (inward) to the 'bad' things they encounter (outward).   1's repress their anger, and you can feel how tightly wound they are when in their presence.   2s are more about giving love to get love. It's interactive for them, and like 9, it's part of a denial mechanism.  2s deny shame like 9s deny anger and 7s deny anxiety.   6s react to anxiety by trying to actively track threats and fortify against them through a support network, again the inward and outward seesaw effect of the mechanism. 

Ego = inward, id = outward, superego = inward & outward.





Because their reaction to shame is to become overconfident, successful, and otherwise competent.  The core issue (base triad) is the fuel.  The reaction to that issue is the type (mechanism). 

The most important thing to understand about Enneagram mechanisms is that they're subconscious - meaning we're neither consciously aware of them, nor are they entirely unconscious, but instead operating while we are conscious and influencing us.  The entire point to the system is to show us what we're not consciously aware that we're doing.  Only then can we step back from these mechanisms and then begin to control them.

For 3s, they're not aware that they're running from shame.  They feel like they're running toward success.  It's only when they get into Enneagram that they realize they're running from shame, in much the same way that 8s don't realize they're running from lack and vulnerability by running toward lust and power, that 7s are running from anxiety and suffering by running toward pleasure and distraction.



Yes anxiety drives them to confront their fears, worries, etc, but also track potential threats.  Nobody troubleshoots like a 6, but then again, no one overthinks and complains like a 6 either.  Anxiety for a 6 isn't really 'fear', so much as a constant inability to trust that things are okay.  7s can ignore this anxiety with distractions, and 5s form a resolute barrier against it with knowledge and competence.  6s use the reactive approach, which is subconsciously focusing on the fuel.  4s and 8s are also reactive.  4s subconsciously focus on worthlessness, shame, rejection, etc.  That's why they're so consciously focused on unique, dark, and mystical concepts.  Even when their fantasy is lovely, it's serene and lonely.   8s subconsciously focus on their impulses, and engage their drive for power and lust, rather than denying (9) or repressing (1) them.  This is why so many 8s are big energy, in your face, gluttonous, bullies with huge hearts and a hero complex.


Yeah, a lot of 9s report this leads to a counter-harmony effect, when 9s finally snap at whatever is causing too much lack of harmony.  They kinda go Hulk Smash for a moment, then feel really bad about it later, and try to forget it happened.  LOL  I've heard that 3s can go counter-success when they hit their stress threshold and start rejecting people who could validate their awesomeness or offer status because they didn't in a moment when the 3 felt they should.  So, all three types in that triangle have an ambivalent capacity to go directly against their mechanism -because of- their mechanism.

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I think the most important thing to understand about Enneagram is that it is simply a collection of reactions to basic threats.  Much like everyone uses all of the cognitive functions, I believe everyone uses all of the Enneagram points.  Hudson once explained this fairly well.  It depends on where we are in life and what we are doing, as to which of these points will manifest and how intensely.  Some people tend to stay fixated in certain points.

To compare it to JCF, it would be like some people using Ti to do math, but not really use Ti much otherwise.  When they have a job that requires a lot of math, they tend to use a lot of Ti.  Eventually, it starts to spill over into other areas, and they begin using Ti to analyze things that they hadn't before.  Eventually, they might even begin to substitute Ti for other functions that might be more appropriate for tasks, such as trying to rationalize their feelings (Fi), calculate moving objects in real time (Se), or imitate genuine social interaction (Fe). 

The Enneagram points all have a place, and when used appropriately and in healthy ways, they create a whole and effective person.  This is why 9 is at the top, because its ability to mediate and internal flexibility makes it the lead for balancing the other points.    It's when one or a few of the points become fixations that people start to slide out of balance.  To compound this issue, these mechanisms can start to develop self sustaining qualities, leading to more and more lack of personal balance.  The integration paths are there to help people see how to break free from these self sustaining loops, in much the same way as the other functions are our paths to breaking free from JCF loops.  For example Fe can help if your Ti and Si start forming a self sustaining loop.  Being more active and success oriented like a 3 can help you break free of the 9 hesitation and urge to be unobtrusive. 

Just as with JCF, the goal is equal use of all aspects in appropriate measure - while acknowledging one's inherent preferences.  Doing so helps us better plot the course from where we are to our best selves.