Anybody know about Enneagrams??

Question

Most fascinating thing I have ever read. I am a Personality Type Four with a Five Wing. Does anybody know what I am talking about? This philosophy is over 2000 years old, Sufi, and was evenutally translated by Jesuit Priests. Great stuff. Better to understand your dark side and get a handle on what makes you tick than reading your astrology everyday (although, I do believe there is something to that also).

Answer 1

hmm... you are my dark twin (I'm a 5w4, heavy wing!) :)

While I find the MBTI a little more useful, since it first determines some broad personality traits and then constructs a personality from how those pieces work together (the ennegram instead theorizes nine basic personalities, then tries to tweak them to fit people), the ennegram is still useful and for some people describes them very well.

[For me, I'm a very solid Five and my wing is solid as well -- the 5w4 "Iconoclast" descriptions I've found describe me perfectly.]

What I like about the Ennegram is that it is not just a static descriptive personality theory (i.e., "Here is what this type is") but that part of the theory actively insinuates how each type would develop maturely in the spiritual sense (the Jesuits helped with looking at things from this angle). The directions of Integration and Disintegration actually do make sense from the theoretical point of view, and I've also seen them borne out in RL in people whose type I am sure of.

So the Ennegram, while I think it's a little contrived, is actually pretty useful in determining how a person could change in order to mature and what that would look like.

Answer 2

Mine keeps on changing. First one I got Type 5. Then Type 9, i think. I wonder why it changes. Im more into MBTI though.

Answer 3

hmmmmmm...never heard of it. tell me more!