Click on one of the numbers to explore a visual tribute to that type. We add a new type every month as we countdown to the conference.
Click on one of the numbers to explore a visual tribute to that type. We add a new type every month as we countdown to the conference.
The Enneagram describes nine different types of people. This isn't just yet another system for labelling people or putting them into different categories of behaviour. The Enneagram describes what goes on beneath the surface. It tells us why people behave the way they do. It gives people's behaviour context and meaning. It lets us see the world through the eyes of another person.
According to the Enneagram, there are nine fundamental motivations and we have all nine in us. But each of us has a primary motivation -- one of these motivations is stronger than the rest. In that sense, there are nine types of people, each one having a different primary motivation.
People of the same type have the same basic motivation, but they express it differently through their behaviour according to their background, upbringing and situation. There is a great deal of diversity in each type, therefore individuals are unique.
The most recent evidence suggests that we are born with our type, although our personality develops and is usually "set" by age five. Our personality type stays the same throughout our lives (our behaviour changes over time, but the underlying motivation stays the same).
Personality type transcends ethnicity, age, socio-economic status and gender.
No type is better than any other; each type has positive and negative qualities.
Traditionally, the Enneagram doesn't use labels to name the types. If we were to call one of these types "the Performer" most people would immediately form some kind impression without knowing anything about that type. Labels lead to stereotypes and prejudging of others. Instead, the Enneagram uses numbers. (Type One, Type Two, etc.) Numbers don't carry the same kind of meaning as a label. However, it's important to point out that the numbers don't rank or order the types. It's not better to be a type Three than a Two because Three is a larger number. Nor is it better to be a One or a Nine because they're the first and last numbers. The number is just the type's position around the Enneagram circle. In a way the Enneagram is like an organization chart. It shows the nine types and the the lines that connect them show some relationship between the types.
Note, however, that many teachers do have pet names for each types, as it is often easier to learn the types that way. But remember, any individual, or any personality type, is much more than the one or two traits expressed in a label.