The Enneagram Part 6

This edition is going to be my last exploration of the Enneagram — at least for a while.  I want to explore what seems to me to be the great strength of the Enneagram — the goal and focus of maturity or spiritual development.  Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert use both psychological terminology of maturity and the religious terminology of redemption in describing the process.  Rohr/Ebert identify what they term the Triple Continuum of Immature - Normal – Mature in process.  Within each of the nine types a person is somewhere along the continuum between Immature and Mature.  This is similar — in general terms — to the Integration process developed by Carl Jung.  It is a process or journey which all people can potentially travel and is to become the people that God intends us to become. 

There are attitudes/ways of being that are identified for each stage along the continuum for each type which I outline below.

The Immature Attitudes

Type 1   Know-it-all/Pharisaical/Corrosive	Type 6   Dependent/Aggressive/Cowardly
Type 2   Manipulative/Domineering/Symbiotic	Type 7   Excessive/Dilettantism/Opinionated
Type 3   Opportunistic/Deceptive/Career addicted	Type 8   Power-obsessed/Tyrannical/Violent
Type 4   Self-pitying/Decadent/Infatuated with death	Type 9   Fatalistic/Dosorirntrd/Stubborn
Type 5   Isolated/Nihilistic/Eccentric

 

The Normal Attitudes

Type 1   Perfectionist/Wavering/Scrupulous	Type 6   Duty-conscious/Careful/(Anti)-authoritarian
Type 2   Motherly/|Giving/Active	Type 7   Hyperactive/Hedonistic/Superficial
Type 3   Pragmatic/Status conscious/Role-oriented	Type 8   Controlling/Competing/Direct
Type 4   Aesthetic/Romantic/Stylish	Type 9   Conformist/’Requires little care’/Indecisive
Type 5   Analytical/Distanced/Abstract

 

The Mature Attitudes

Type 1   Critically aware/Composed/Ethically advanced	Type 6   Loyal/Courageous/Confident
Type 2   Caring/Friendly/Original	Type 7   Happy/Versatile/Sober
Type 3   Competent/Truthful/Reliable	Type 8   Generous/Strong leader/Protective
Type 4   Creative/Natural/Disciplined	Type 9   Accepting/Peaceable/Goal Oriented
Type 5   Inventive/Wise/Energetic

 

Rohr/Ebert note that ideally we go through the process of integration.  However, the journey even if consciously taken is not a direct steady path, “there are also phases in life of stagnation or relapse into the immature stage (regression and disintegration)”. We are of course going to have a mixture of mature, normal and immature attitudes at any time in our lives.  A good analogy is walking the labyrinth.  Sometimes we approach the goal but then there are turns and twists in life that seem to take us away from the centre.  However, if we stay faithful to the journey we will reach the centre — possibly not in this life but ultimately.  That is where faith and trust in God’s presence and guidance throughout our lives is our hope and assurance.  I hope this week’s journey is a fruitful — if not necessarily smooth one for you. 

The Enneagram: Part 5

“Get thee behind me Satan!”  This is Jesus cry when tempted by the disciple Peter — his rock but also his impetuous one who always acted before he thought — or perhaps he just didn’t think at this point in his life in any case.   Peter wanted Jesus to deny what he must do — go to Jerusalem and all that that entailed; ending with his crucifixion, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’

The temptation to avoid change — to want things to stay the same even if we know in our hearts that they need to change — is one of the challenges we face.  The Ego is all about not changing.  The Ego wants to maintain the status quo above all else and will do all it can to put up barriers to doing things differently even if we know that we need to change if we are to do God’s will or even do what is obviously good for us.  As Rohr and Ebert note, “all of us create in the course of our development certain ideals, whose realization we pursue.  Our self-image is determined largely by these ideals.”

It not surprizing that each of the nine Enneagram types has its own temptation just as it has its own root sin as I discussed last time.  The temptation is categorized by Richard Rohr and Andreas along with two other ways of avoiding change — avoidance and resistance.  These three mechanisms works in different ways but with the same goal — to avoid change.      

The Temptation which is identified for each type is:

Type 1   Perfection	Type 6   Security
Type 2   Helping others	Type 7   Idealism
Type 3   Efficiency	Type 8   Justice
Type 4   Authenticity	Type 9   Self-deprecation
Type 5   Knowledge

 

The Resistance (Defense) Mechanism which is identified with each type is:

Type 1   Vexation	Type 6   Inappropriate behaviour
Type 2   Supressed neediness	Type 7   Pain
Type 3   Failure	Type 8   Weakness
Type 4   Ordinariness	Type 9   Conflict
Type 5   Emptiness

                         The Avoidance Mechanism which is identified with each type is:

Type 1   Control of reactions	Type 6   Projection
Type 2   Repression	Type 7   Rationalization
Type 3   Identification	Type 8   Denial
Type 4   Artistic sublimation	Type 9   Numbing
Type 5   Withdrawal (segmentation)

 It is perhaps not surprizing that there are so many ways humankind has come up with to avoid change.  We seem to be exceedingly creative in finding ways to maintain the position which we have. 

In closing I would like to pose the question for all of us to consider, “what is one of the ways in which you hold on to you self-image — Richard Rohr names this your ‘False Self’ — which you would need to change to come closer to the image of you that God intends you to have?”  This is, in the words of Richard Rohr, is your ‘True Self’

The Enneagram Part 4

After my diversion into the Enneagram for Hummingbird last week, I want to get back to the application for the people of God.  Again I am drawing primarily on the work of Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert — The Enneagram, A Christian Perspective. 

As I noted previously, I believe the strength of the Enneagram compared to the Myers Briggs Typology is the possibility of redemption which it offers.  As much as both systems are valuable for understanding ourselves and our world, what do we do once we have developed more fully that understanding?  Rohr and Ebert speak of root sins which accompany each type.  It is not all that popular to speak of sin in many circles today but I believe that is because of the moral implications which are attached to it.  Either people disregard sin entirely in the reductionist world of scientific atheism a la Richard Dawkins et al or believe that we should not call a spade a spade in the religious sphere and avoid looking at the log in their own eyes and rather condemn the speck in those terrible people across the street or the country or the other side of the world.  

Rohr/Ebert define sin as, “our primary emotional compulsion or mistaken attitudes.”  This perhaps is a little too much psychologizing but they define it further as ‘a separation or failure to reach a goal’ which is, to my mind’ more to the point.  Sin for me is primarily those things which separate us from God — as has been said elsewhere.  It can be moral sins but it can be in any aspect of life.  Much of sin is because of ego-based desire which puts ourselves ahead of God and God’s creation.  As Rohr/Ebert note the sins “promise advancement in life, but in reality they produce just what they are trying to prevent; loneliness, absurdity, emptiness”.  In effect it promises the world at the cost of our souls.  This mistaken attitude is the ‘false self’ which is Ego driven.  Rohr/Ebert identify a root sin for each type — these are based on the ‘seven deadly sins’ plus two additional ones — fear and deceit:

Type one — anger	Type six— fear
Type two — pride	Type seven — intemperance (gluttony)
Type three — untruth (deceit)	Type eight — shamelessness (lust)
Type four — envy	Type nine — laziness
Type five — Avarice

Being a (I hope partially) redeemed nine I can certainly identify with the root sin of nines.  I find it very easy to avoid undertaking what I want to accomplish — such as writing this.  I also find it easy to fall into the couch potato mode of operating. 

The first step in redemption is to accept ourselves.  As Rohr/Ebert note God loves us unconditionally including our dark side which we want desperately to hide form the world and as much as possible form ourselves — ultimately without success.  Those aspect of ourselves which we do not acknowledge (our shadow in Jungian terms) come back when we least expect it to bite us in the backside.  The Enneagram is not a source of redemption.  The source of redemption is from the false self is a gift of God’s grace. 

The Enneagram —Part Three b

I have been following the antics of the three hummingbirds that come to our feeder.  They each have distinct personalities and I thought it would be interesting to try and determine their Enneagram types as a practical or – not so practical application of the theory.  I have consulted with the in-house expert on The Enneagram — Lorna — in drawing my conclusions. 

There is one dominant one who is very territorial.  He (I don’t know the sex but I call him male because of his aggressiveness) will drive away the other two when they try to feed even when he doesn’t want to feed himself.  At first I thought he might be a three as this type is defined by a need to be the winner — the top-dog or top-bird in this case.  The three has the need to succeed above all else.  If he is a three of course I would not be able to reason with him and encourage him to cooperate and not be a dog–in –the manger as is my wont as a nine. Threes are reluctant to accept criticism from others.  However, on reconsideration of this assessment and in consultation with my in-house consultant, I believe that our little take no prisoners guy is probably an eight.  Eights have the need to be against.  Eights fight as a way of making contact.  When eights are in power their subordinates often feel oppressed or pushed around.  I think we will have to call our little top-bird as an unredeemed eight.

The middle hummingbird seems to be unperturbed by the antics of the top-bird.  It doesn’t take too much notice and carries on after the top-bird has had its hissy-fit.  Lorna and I concluded that this one is probably a five — I definitely defer to her on this as she is a five and it takes one to know one.  The five has a need to perceive.  Fives go through life and gather what they can get — in the hope of filling up their inner vacuum.  The majority of hummingbirds are probably five’s on this basis.  As noted by Richard Rohr/Andreas Ebert, their capacity to express their feelings can remain underdeveloped.  Redeemed fives have a quiet inner power and tenderly emotional, loving, polite, hospitable and gentle. 

Our final little hummingbird is the bottom-bird.  It is completely cowed (birded just doesn’t seem right) by the antics of the top-bird.  It arrives when things appear peaceful and yet it spends most of its time looking around nervously rather than partaking in what is in front of it.  It will sometimes sit on the bench on the deck looking forlorn and wistful as the others feed.   When it finally does feel it’s safe to drink it doesn’t spend long on the activity and flies off before it is confronted by the mean, nasty top-bird.  My consultant and I have come to the conclusion this bird is a six.  The six has the need for security.  According to Rohr/Ebert, sixes easily succumb to self-doubt which makes them look ahead, fearful and mistrustful.  Their attitude is ‘the world is dangerous; you have to be on the lookout; I don’t have enough inner authority to be up to it, so I have to look somewhere outside myself’.  We were worried initially that this poor number five would not survive but it seems to be thriving despite itself.

In any case our three little types are not likely to change so we have to accept them as they are and hope they will all continue to be the part of God’s plan for our little corner of the world.