Enneagram: What is it, and what benefits can it bring to my professional life?

Enneagram: What is it, and what benefits can it bring to my professional life? The Enneagram is a personality classification method used for self-awareness and personal development. It features nine main personality types. It is an ancient technique but interpreted, from the point of view of psychology, by multiple recent authors.

Many people do not know all the advantages of understanding their personality through an enneagram. For this reason, in this article, you will learn what an enneagram is and what it can bring to your professional life.

What is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram of Personality is a map of human behavior. A dynamic system that allows us to understand personality. The Enneagram of Personality broadly defines nine types of basic behaviors, nine ways of thinking, feeling, and doing.

And why nine? Because those are the basic ways of human behavior. Enneatypes are the general patterns. People are unique expressions of those patterns. We give you an example to understand: if we talk about “hair colors,” we can all say that there is blonde, brown, black, red, gray, and white hair (in general). However, we can also observe that your chestnut is not the same as your neighbor’s chestnut or your father’s gray is not the same as your uncle’s gray.

The same thing happens with the Enneagram of personality and Enneatypes, and that is that nobody is equal to anyone, even if we share common characteristic features with other people.

Each Enneatype has its basic proposition. Their way of seeing the world, their interpretation of reality. These “glasses” with which each Enneatype sees the world relate to what each one needs for their survival and satisfaction in life, and they associate with a corresponding pattern of attention.

But what is an enterotype?

The Enneagram of Personality focuses on the human being’s three intelligence centers: the Mental or Thought Center, the Emotional or Feeling Center, and the Visceral or Instinctive Center.

Every human being has such centers. All people think, feel and act, although there is a natural tendency to “filter” more through one of these centers. To be more aware of thoughts, feelings or to take action before what happens around us. Well then, these three Centers are the origin of the nine Enneatypes. In each center, a triad of Enneatypes originates.

What are the enotypes that exist?

• Enotype One: The Reformer

The idealistic type with solid principles. Type One people are ethical and conscientious, possessing a strong sense of right and wrong.

They are teachers and crusaders. They always strive to improve things but fear making mistakes. Well organized, orderly, and meticulous, they try to maintain high values, but they can be critical and perfectionists. They usually have problems with repressed anger and impatience. At its best, the healthy one is wise, insightful, realistic, and noble, as well as morally heroic.

• Enotype Two: The Helper, Enneagram

The concerned, other-oriented type. Twos are understanding, sincere, and caring; They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and giving. They want to be intimate with others and often do things for them to feel needed. They usually have trouble taking care of themselves and recognizing their own needs. At its best, the healthy Two are generous, altruistic, and have unconditional love for themself and others.

• Enotype Three: The Winner, Enneagram

The adaptable, success-oriented type. Type Threes are confident, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be very position conscious and highly motivated by personal advancement. They worry about their image and what others think of them. They usually have work addiction and competitive problems. At its best, the healthy Three is self-accepting, authentic, everything he appears to be, a role model that inspires other people.

• Enotype Four: The Individualist, Enneagram

The romantic and introspective type. Fours are self-aware, sensitive, reserved, and quiet. They are demonstrative, sincere, and emotionally personal, but they can also be whimsical and shy. They hide from others because they feel vulnerable or flawed, but they can also feel disdainful and detached from normal ways of living. They usually have complacency and self-pity issues. At their best, healthy Fours are inspired and highly creative, capable of renewing themselves and transforming their experiences.

• Enotype Five: The Investigator, Enneagram

The fiery and cerebral type. Fives are savvy, insightful, and curious. They can concentrate and focus attention on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent and innovative, they may become obsessed with their imaginary thoughts and elaborations. They detach themselves from things, but they are very nervous and vehement. They usually have problems with isolation, eccentricity, and nihilism.

At their best, the healthy Five is a visionary trailblazer, often cutting edge and capable of seeing the world in a whole new way.

• Enotype Six: The Loyal, Enneagram

Type Sixes are trustworthy, hardworking, and responsible, but they can also be defensive, evasive, and very nervous; They work to the point of stress while complaining about it. They are usually cautious and indecisive but also reactive, defiant, and rebellious. They typically have problems with insecurity and mistrust. At their best, healthy Sixes are internally stable, self-confident, independent, and courageously support the weak and incapable.

• Enotype Seven: The Enthusiast, Enneagram

The active, productive type. Seven are versatile, optimistic, and spontaneous; playful, spirited, and practical. They may also be over-encompassing, disorganized, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and stimulating experiences, but continued activity makes them stunned and exhausted. They generally have problems with superficiality and impulsiveness.

Healthy Sevens focus their gifts on worthy goals at their best, and they are cheerful, highly capable, and highly appreciative.

• Enotype Eight: The Challenger, Enneagram

The powerful and dominant type. Type Eight people are self-confident, strong, and capable of asserting themselves. Protective, resourceful, and determined, they are also proud and dominating; They think they should control their environment and often become challenging and intimidating.

They usually have trouble being intimate with others. At their best, healthy Eights manage themselves and use their strength to improve other people’s lives, become heroic, magnanimous, and sometimes historically great.

• Enotype Nine: The Peacemaker, Enneagram

An easy-going, humble person. Nines are conformist, confident, and stable. They are personable, caring, easily accommodated, and supportive, but they may also be too willing to compromise with others to keep the peace.

They want everything to go smoothly, without conflict, but they tend to be complacent and minimize anything disturbing. They usually have passivity and stubbornness problems. At their best, healthy Nine are untamed and all-embracing; they are capable of bringing people together and solving conflicts.

What is the Enneagram for?

The Enneagram of personality constitutes a way of inner work for personal growth, as many other disciplines exist.
Work with the Enneagram of Personality is based on presence and awareness. In being “awake,” to choose freely, make the wisest decisions and act accordingly. It is achieving the balance between what you feel, what you think, and how you work, an alignment of the three intelligence centers.

The Enneagram of Personality helps us understand and accept ourselves. And therefore, to understand others. It helps us to be more objective and understanding, fostering compassion and self-compassion.

Thus, the Enneagram of Personality is also an early warning system for potentially harmful behavior.

Conclusions

Now that you know what an enneagram is and what it can bring to your professional life, you can guide your behavior more efficiently to become the person you want to be.