How can working with the Enneagram support us in our self-reflection and relationship work? What is behind the nine types, how are they knitted and what brings them further? Learn about the opportunities and possibilities of working with the Enneagram for your own development and strength building. Get to know your personality profile better and check your behavior patterns – for your self-esteem and your communication with others.
What type are you? Working with the Enneagram
Last week I gave a face-to-face course on personality profiling. We worked in detail with the Enneagram, an ancient method for learning and personality development from the Near East.
The goal was to find out which typical personality traits we possess and how we can specifically advance them. The afternoon gave all participants a lot of input, new things were heard and old things were reflected upon.
Since the Enneagram is relatively unknown, especially in business, I will briefly introduce the main points of this personality model. Maybe this will arouse your interest to deal with this model in more depth.
The Enneagram describes nine basic personality types, each with certain character traits, behaviors, motivations and fears. It can therefore help you to better understand and accept yourself and others.
Here is a brief description of each type
- The Perfectionist: Type 1 is hard-working, disciplined, and strives for perfection and morality. However, he can also be (self-) critical and unyielding. His motivation is to avoid mistakes and create a better world.
- The Caregiver: Type 2 is kind, generous and helpful. She often advocates for others, sometimes at the expense of her own needs. Her motivation is to be loved and needed.
- The doer: Type 3 is ambitious, self-confident and focused on success and recognition. However, he can also be superficial, dishonest, and self-centered. His motivation is to be successful and to be admired.
- The artist: Type 4 is creative, emotional and in search of identity and individuality. However, she can also be melancholic, dramatic and self-pitying. Her motivation is to be unique and authentic.
- The Observer: Type 5 is analytical, reserved and curious. However, he can also be aloof, insecure and anti-social. His motivation is to gain knowledge and understanding.
- The Critic: Type 6 is reliable, loyal and seeks security and support. However, she can also be anxious, critical, and skeptical. Her motivation is to be safe and to act according to the rules.
- The Optimist: Type 7 is spontaneous, enthusiastic and in search of freedom and pleasure. However, he can also be irresponsible, impulsive and erratic. His motivation is to get new experiences and adventures.
- The Leader: Type 8 is dominant, self-confident and strives for control and independence. However, she can also be confrontational, aggressive and authoritarian. Her motivation is to have influence, power and responsibility.
- The mediator: Type 9 is peaceful, tolerant and seeks harmony and balance. However, he can also be passive, hesitant and indecisive. His motivation is to avoid conflicts and to create unity and peace in the team.
And – have you found yourself spontaneously, perhaps in a mixed form or even clearly?
Stay critical
As with all models, these ideas represent only a partial aspect of reality and should be viewed with some skepticism. Personality profiles just show a snapshot of your life, which is constantly changing of course.
The great advantage of Enneagram work is that you are not reduced on stereotype, but receive hints for further development. It is exactly this chance for change, that the work with the Enneagram and its positive and negative triggers, wants to promote.
Use in communication
The Enneagram can also be helpful in communication in various ways:
Self-reflection: by working with the Enneagram, you get to know yourself better and reflect on how you communicate and why you react in a certain way in certain situations. You can become aware of what patterns of behavior and beliefs are influencing you and how you might be able to change or expand them.
Understanding Others: By knowing other people’s Enneagram types, you can better understand why they communicate in a certain way and what their motivations and fears are. You can learn to respond to their needs and perspectives and to be respectful and empathetic toward them.
Conflict Resolution: By working with the Enneagram, you can also learn how to deal with conflict and how to resolve it in a constructive way. You will learn how to respond to the needs and concerns of others, find a common solution, and build trust and respect.
No panacea, but a helpful instrument
However, it is important to emphasize that the Enneagram is not a panacea for good communication and that there are other models and methods for improving communication. However, the Enneagram can be a valuable supplement and support for one’s own development, including the area of communication. By mirroring our own behavior and clarifying the expectations of others, a clear, reflective interaction is possible.
If you would like to learn more about this, please feel free to contact me. Additions and helpful comments – written below – are also welcome.
Cheers,
Stefanie
