What is the Enneagram?

The enneagram describes nine distinctive points of view, each of which is energized by a unique core motivation. Our point of view can also be thought of as a personality type, although the teachings of the enneagram don't just tell us our personality type -- they also tell us who we are in a much deeper sense.

One of the key assumptions in enneagram work is that each individual has one and only one dominant point of view, and that this point of view is stable throughout life. While this may sound like a limitation, it's really not. Each point of view or type has such a rich and diverse set of potentials that we could spend literally lifetimes exploring it.

When we work with the enneagram, we learn not only more about ourselves, but about our relationships with other people. So it's an excellent tool for anyone interested in getting along better with family, friends, and co-workers.

The enneagram can change peoples' lives. This is why those of us who work with it are sincerely interested in making its teachings accessible to as many people as possible. This is the main reason for the existence of the Enneagram Monthly.

We hope that the brief descriptions of each type (see below) are clear enough to be understandable and interesting enough to give first-time visitors to this website an incentive to find out more about this wonderful system for gaining inner insight.

When I first heard my Enneagram type described, a whole slew of observations I had made about myself over the years suddenly fell into place. I had a short-cut conceptual system that made sense out of a lot of stuff that hadn't made much sense. That was one of the reasons that I decided, whatever this guy is teaching, I have to get involved with it and find out more about it.

— Charles T. Tart, author of Transpersonal Psychologies and Body Mind Spirit

home

what is it?

about us

The Nine Types

Type 1

A perfectionist or detail-oriented person who is most motivated by the impulse to do the "right" thing. Can be critical of self and others, with a strong sense of responsibility. Anger may be repressed, then released explosively.

Type 2

A helper with humanitarian impulses and empathy to spare. Will go the extra mile to please others but sometimes at the cost of taking care of themselves. Gives and is proud of it, but what strings are attached?

Type 3

An goal-oriented, efficient, achiever focused on being a winner. Concern with achievement and appearances can be overdone. These concerns can mean little time for friends, family or self-awareness.

Type 4

An individualist and original thinker, seeking self-expression and emotional depth. Sensitive to beauty and meaning, but prone to feelings of melancholy and the sense that "the grass is greener" on the other side of the fence.

Type 5

An observer, perceptive and capable of synthesizing information in new ways. Protective of privacy and personal resources. Tends to be emotionally detached.

Type 6

A loyalist and team-player but also vigilant to threats from the environment. Warm and engaging, but often full of contradictions due to a defensive stance. An overly-skeptical attitude can produce self-doubt and indecisiveness.

Type 7

An enthusiast with a perpetual surplus of plans and ideas, eager for experiences and/or material goods. Habitual optimism may cover a fear of boredom and pain.

Type 8

A leader's leader, motivated to master the self and the environment, capable of both domination and protectiveness. Vulnerabilities and a tender heart are hidden beneath a tough exterior.

Type 9

A peacemaker who's good at seeing all points of view but is easily distracted from own personal needs and priorities. Usually avoids direct confrontation, but can offer stubborn resistance by becoming quietly implacable.

RETURN TO TOP