 Learning which of the nine
Enneagram personality types describes you best can lead to many positive
effects in your life.
Eliminating Self-defeating Behavior
The nine types are associated with the symbol to the left: a nine-pointed star in a circle
around which the types are arranged clockwise. In describing nine personality types each based in a different motivation, the Enneagram becomes a key to emotional education.
Motivation is difficult to perceive, especially in ourselves.
Often our motives are unconscious to us, and their effects
remain unrecognized as well. All motivational states are unique combinations of
thought and feeling. By revealing motivation, the Enneagram reveals the patterns
of thought and feeling that lead to our actions. Then it gives practical insight for
interacting
with others more creatively and less habitually. It also provides clarity and direction for
the inner work we need to do to achieve our goals and live from our inner
strength. These benefits improve communication and interpersonal relationships while reducing
stress.
Revealing Patterns of Thinking, Feeling and Action
The nine personality types of the Enneagram are expressed in people with
infinite diversity because of the myriad of individual factors that go into the
making of each person. However, because each of the Enneagram's nine personality
types is an
unconscious point of view, they describe patterns. They uncover nine
pre-determined sets of issues that people pay attention to while simultaneously ignoring or
dismissing other issues that, from an objective point of view, are equally
important. They also describe nine typical patterns of responding to these
issues.
In other words, the Enneagram shows us our personal freedom is more restricted than
it appears at first glance and what to do about it. While it is easy to blame others or external
circumstances for our feeling of being limited, the truth is that we play a much
larger role in holding ourselves back than we would like to think.
Living life from comfortable but unhelpful patterns results in blind alleys and
dead ends. By giving new and powerful information that comes with a bird's
eye view of the patterns that control your life, the Enneagram puts you
more in charge of your future than ever before. You are able to make
choices that affect the very structure of the way you live.
Personality Types and Communication
Each of the nine types contains two common elements: a consistent motivating
force and an unrecognized gift at the core of the personality. The result in our
day-to-day experience is that each of the nine types holds a unique set of
values and standards. This is how we make judgments regarding what is
constructive versus what is destructive in our lives. These criteria give rise
to specific needs and desires, and eventually they evolve into a language system
that makes sense to us but is easily misunderstood by others.
Each Enneagram type has its own set of needs and desires that
are expressed in its own language system. The Enneagram reveals
these aspects of your inner self by naming your type. Then you have the
specific knowledge you need to alter your communication, management and
motivational types for greater effectiveness.
Emotional Education
In our society we educate the mind; we train and
discipline the body. But we leave emotional education to chance. Emotional
confusion causes stress in our relationships both at home and in the workplace.
Unconscious emotions rule our lives and make other people and relationships a
mystery. Unruly or compelling emotions drive us to do things not in our own best
interest. The
Enneagram is about educating the emotions!
However, most people believe the emotions can't be educated; they
simply are. Emotion is the irrational side of human beings that is a mystery. Some people
even believe the emotions shouldn't be educated.
They see emotions as the naturally expressive side of human nature that needs to
be left free.
However, emotional education is what people today are
crying out for, even if they don't identify it in the same words.
The nine personality types of the Enneagram reveal the self-harming
emotional states that create confusion and chaos in our own hearts and spread
into our relationships. Like a mirror, the Enneagram reflects back to us with
unwavering clarity the specific reasons we experience difficulties in our
relationships both personal and work-related.
By using this information as an initial insight, Kathy and
Theodorre then detail the specific steps you can take to undo self-defeating behavior and discover greater effectiveness, productivity and
happiness. Their
unique presentation of the Enneagram symbol, with the star bursting out of the
circle and the swan (a symbol of healing) superimposed, expresses their
presentation of the Enneagram as a part of a system of healing. The result of
this healing is actualizing human beings' potential to be positive, creative and free.
Achieving Satisfaction and Success
When you understand the unique needs, desires and
language types of the other people in your family, communities and workplace,
you will know what they need from you so that you can be heard. Greater personal
satisfaction resulting in more cooperation and team work are the consequence.
Personality struggles move to the periphery while the focus
moves to succeeding at the task at hand. For all these reasons, the Enneagram is
becoming the system of choice for people who want to experience greater
fulfillment, inner peace and growth in relationships both at home and in the
workplace. And when the Enneagram is presented as a tool for uncovering our full
human potential as in Hurley/Donson
Breakthrough Enneagram® Seminars, its simplicity and
profundity immediately add to the quality of life that all people long for.
Do you want to learn more
about the Enneagram? Choose one of these four ways:
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