Nine ways of seeing

Enthusiasts say the Enneagram offers a key to better relationships at home and at work

SOME PEOPLE think labelling individuals with specific personality traits is a futile exercise. However, American psychiatrist and author of The Essential Enneagram (Harper Collins 2000, 2009), Dr David Daniels, says that whether we like it or not, we all fit, more or less, into one of nine personality types, and learning which we are is not a self-limiting exercise but, in fact, a process through which we can get the best out of what we’ve got.

Daniels, who is clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford Medical School in California, US, will be in Dublin this weekend to lead a workshop on Three Centred Knowing, an approach which develops knowledge of the Enneagram’s nine personality types through the exploration of the different centres of intelligence (mental, emotional and bodily sensation) which drives them.

But first a little bit about the Enneagram. Daniels says that contrary to popular perception, the Enneagram is not something mysterious. “Enneagram simply means a nine-sided figure in Greek and the Enneagram personality system is represented by a diagram of a nine-pointed star within a circle,” he explains. “Basically, it explains nine fundamental patterns of personality – habits of the mind which allow us to organise our attention.”

Crucially though, the Enneagram personality types cannot be objectively worked out because they are derived from the individual’s inner experience of life. You can only truly identify your own personality type and this is often done by reading the nine personality descriptions and choosing the one which most accurately fits.

“It’s pretty easy to identify your personality type from this [so-called] paragraph test, but if you haven’t done any observation of your behaviour, it’s harder,” says Daniels.

In his book, The Essential Enneagram (co-written with the late Virginia Price, a psychologist who was also based in California), Daniels gives very detailed analysis of each of the nine personality types: the perfectionist, the giver, the performer, the romantic, the observer, the loyal sceptic, the epicure, the protector and the mediator.

Once you understand your core personality type, the next step is to understand the emotions – particularly the negative ones – that drive you. And, according to Enneagram enthusiasts, therein lies the key to better relationships in work and home life.

“Each personality type leads with one of three fundamental emotions – anger/rage, panic/distress or fear/anxiety,” says Daniels. According to this theory, anger or rage occurs when we experience that we aren’t being treated properly or are not getting what we want/need, which relates to the body centre of intelligence.

Distress or panic occurs when we experience the loss of connection/bond-ing which relates to the heart centre of intelligence with its focus on love and nurturing. And fear or terror occurs when we experience threat or danger which relates to the mental centre of intelligence that figures out what makes life secure.

The workshop in Dublin will encourage participants to explore whether these powerful emotions arise appropriately and in context or whether they are outdated reactions to past experiences which should be replaced by newer, less automatic ways of behaving.

“Conflict takes energy and when you’re upset or reactive, you aren’t really focused. Without emotional intelligence, business leadership and personal relationships suffer. The Enneagram gives you a path to understand yourself and others,” says Daniels.

At the workshop, he will also explain in detail the neurological basis for the Enneagram. “The imaging technology that we have now is able to show us the changes in the brain [the neuroscientists call it neuro-plasticity] that occur with certain patterns of behaviour,” he explains. The neocortex, in particular, he describes as “a pattern-recognising machine which seeks to make sense of life by searching, automatically and relentlessly, for familiar patterns in memory of previous experiences”, while also “altering memory by assimilating new experiences into the memory network”. This latter process has been found to result in new imaging patterns in the brain – offering “proof” that behavioural change has a physical impact on the brain.

Daniels says the Enneagram acknowledges individual differences and strengths, and personality traits which we all need to work on so as to improve our relationships with others.

Advanced Enneagram enthusiasts are also encouraged to follow what’s called a universal growth pattern by embracing the five As. These are awareness (being self-observing and grounded in the present moment), acceptance (being open-hearted and kind in the face of conflict), appreciation (being grateful for what you and others bring to your life), and action and adherence (being committed to the practice).

And just in case you’re wondering, Daniels identifies himself as type six – the loyal sceptic. “My underlying belief is that the world is an uncertain, unpredictable and hazardous place. Luckily for me, I picked a woman – who I’ve been married to for 50 years – who is stable, steady, loving and caring even if over the years I have sometimes doubted her.”

For more details on David Daniels's Dublin workshop on Saturday and Sunday, contact Barry Ahern on barry@enneagram.ie or tel: 01-2878514. See also Drdaviddaniels.comand enneagramworldwide.com