Ennea-what?
Enneagram. Enne? Enn-enneeuhgram? Annagram? Ennea-what?
When I explain to people what I do, I get one of two responses.
"OH! I love the Enneagram!"
"Ennea-what?"
So, let's define it!
What is The Enneagram?
The Enneagram (eh-nee-ya-gram) is a psychologically sound personality assessment that defines 9 distinctly different, yet integrated personality types. Moreover, The Enneagram defines our core motivations - the internal motivation that drives everything we do. In Leyman's terms, it doesn't just tell us WHAT we do (although this is important too), but WHY we do it.
With hundreds of years of research supporting this model, The Enneagram was officially created in the 1960's by Oscar Ichazo, a Bolivian philosopher, who connected the personality types to The Enneagram symbol. Later, in the 1970's, Claudio Naranjo, a Chilean psychiatrist, applied modern psychology, and developed the Enneagram we now know and use. The model continues to expand as new data and research becomes available.
The Enneagram is not...
A tool we use to form judgments of others. In fact, when understood correctly, it should do just the opposite! As we learn the motivations of ourselves and others, knowledge of The Enneagram should actually remove judgment and build compassion.
A box. Our personalities are complex mixtures of nature, nurture, life experience, attachment, etc. The Enneagram is not meant to put you in a box, but rather to help us identify our motivations and the behaviors that occur with them.
Why should I learn The Enneagram?
This tool builds deep self-awareness and understanding of others. When we develop this knowledge, it allows us to be better leaders, employees, partners, parents, and community members. It improves our ability to communicate clearly, provide feedback, and identify how to support others.
Even a basic understanding of The Enneagram can positively impact all of the important areas of your life!