Veronica's Blog

Knowing Your Type is Not Enough

by Veronica Croft

It often amazes me how few people in the UK have heard of the Enneagram, so when I meet someone who has, I always enjoy talking to them. And sometimes this can be very illuminating. At an event I was attending recently I met someone who told me she had ‘done the Enneagram’ several years ago. Done the Enneagram? I asked her what she meant and she replied: ‘Well now I know I’m a Four I can tell people not to expect the same from me as they do from others, after all, Fours suffer such a lot and they are so sensitive and…’ She continued in similar vein for a while, telling me all about the woes of being a Four, and how they have things harder than the other types, and people just don’t understand.

Listening to her brought it home to me how many people who have dabbled a little with the Enneagram must also have got themselves stuck in negativity.

The journey begins with knowing your Enneagram type

Of course the journey begins with finding out which of the nine persoanlity types is you .... but it only begins there. If your exploration of the Enneagram goes no further than finding your type, figuring out your piece of ‘the pie’, then the Enneagram becomes just interesting information that has little impact on your life.

Worse than that, it can be used as a justification of why life continues to be less than great, and can keep you imprisoned in your negative patterns. Let’s have a look at the other eight types and some of the things they might have said if they have used the Enneagram as a way of justifying their negative stuff.

But first, a word of warning:

THIS SORT OF THING CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR LIFE!!

Ones who are stuck might say:

Okay so I’ve got this problem with perfection, but other people have such lax standards, I know I’m uptight and inhibited but that’s just the way I am, what else can you expect from a One …

Twos who are stuck might say:

Well of course I’m needy, I’m a Two but I’m such a giving person, of-course I get hurt and resentful when nothing comes back, that’s the way Two’s are…

Then there are Threes who might say:

Yes, I’m a go getter, out there doing, doing, yes, a real workaholic, well of course I don’t know who I am, I’m too busy impressing people to find out, what else can you expect from a Three?

And Fours might say:

Well you see, I’m a Four, I'm not like the rest, I’ve got so much more depth than you realise, people just don't understand, that’s why I get so melancholy, that’s why I long endlessly for what I do not have, that’s the way I am…..

And Fives who are stuck might say:

Yes, I live in my head, I know I acquire endless information I’ll never use, and I keep myself to myself, don’t want to give too much out, that’s just the way I am, after all I am a Five…

Now with Sixes it depends on the sort of Six:   

I’m the reliant type yes, that’s me… scared of the world, paralysed by the fears, I can’t seem to move… OR… yes that’s me, the self-reliant type, I challenge every fear, I don’t let anyone see what’s going on inside, … and both sorts of Sixes might say: of course I’m a safety and security person, of course I worry, after all I am a Six……

Sevens who are stuck might say:

Never mind about that, let’s have some fun, let’s drink too much, let’s do everything too much, that’s who I am, out there first, having fun, avoiding anything that might bring me down, what else can you expect, I am a Seven …

And then there’s the Eight…  

Yes, I forge ahead taking charge, crushing any weakness inside, never mind if I break a few heads on the way, I’m the powerful one, that’s me, after all I am an Eight, take it or leave it…

And Nines who are stuck might say

Well yes, I’m a peacemaker who likes to keep everything sweet, I’m the easygoing one, never mind what I want, we’ll just do what you want, that’s who I am, life hasn’t got much juice but it’s not worth the effort to find out why…..

There are many who see the Enneagram this way – that all you need to do is discover your type. And that’s all there is to the Enneagram, right? Wrong!!!

Although the Enneagram describes your personality in detail, just knowing your number changes very little.

But when you move beyond just knowing your type, into the dynamic living matrix that is the truth of the Enneagram, when you let the Enneagram come alive, then it will reveal the secrets of the exquisite mystery that is you. It offers an incredible gateway of opportunity that enables you to move out of the negative patterns of your type and create a positive future.

“The steps taken to discover one’s Self are but the first steps upon the journey of discovery of the magnificent Self. The understanding of one’s Self allows room for expansion and expansion creates happiness within the Soul.”                                                                                            The Collective

Instead of allowing your negative patterns to run your life, take a look at what the Enneagram can really do for you – point the way to getting out of what holds you back. Let the vibrant vortex of energy that is the real Enneagram help you harness your negativity and transmute it into positivity.

 Have a look at our course: The Enneagram Programme.