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THE ENNEAGRAM - USEFUL? OR ESOTERIC NONSENSE? DANIEL J SIEGEL´S VIEW


I love the Enneagram - as a tool for self-analysis. Others think that it is based on folklore (which - kind of - it is: its origin seems to be a collective self-exploration process).



A diagram of the influence factors (Daniel Siegel)
Influence factors on the Enneagram Type

One of the surprising things: in my Ayahuasca experiences, the self-analysis had a "flavor" that was close to the Enneagram. Maybe there is a reason - the Ayahuasca researcher Claudio Naranjo also re-introduced the Enneagram to the West.


Enneagram Tests


There are zillions of self-tests on the web.


And lots of misunderstandings, based on superficial analysis and (self-) attribution. For example, as a "Two" I might be seduced to think that "giving" is alway a good thing. But hey - it can be destructive if coming with entitlement, expectation etc.


I would therefore instead advise to read Don Richard Riso. It´s long, it one can start with what one supposes is one´s own type (see below). It gives the light and the shadow of each type in utter precision.


That´s why I liked it when I found that the extremely well known Daniel J Siegel (the "father of interpersonal neurobiology") was equally impressed, and even had developed his own version.


Factors determining the Enneagram Type


Dan Siegel thinks that the Enneagram types are based on 3 factors, one them being genetic:


  • Inherited temperament

  • Attachment style

  • Social interaction


Each of these is associated with further factors. The diagram gives an overview.


The 9 Enneagram Types as described by Daniel J Siegel


  • Type 1: Focuses on right and wrong, mistakes and errors.

  • Type 2: Focuses on the needs and desires of other people.

  • Type 3: Focuses on tasks, goals and achievements.

  • Type 4: Focuses on what is missing and longed for.

  • Type 5: Focuses on potential intrusions and demands of others, especially in terms of time, space and knowledge.

  • Type 6: Focuses on potential dangers and worst-case scenarios and how to deal with them.

  • Type 7: Focuses on positive or pleasant possibilities and opportunities, with an emphasis on planning.

  • Type 8: Focuses on injustices and the need for control or enforcement.

  • Type 9: Focuses on maintaining harmony in one's physical and social environment.


Resources


Books


Don Richard Riso, Personality Types

It´s the most thorough and most differentiated book of them all, I find). It can be eerily to the point.


Very different and more esoteric than Riso.  She studied with Naranjo and Almaas (The Diamond Approach) - he too wrote about the Enneagram


Daniel J Siegel, The Mindful Therapist.

Here, he describes his own version of the Enneagram


AI:


www.notebooklm.google. (summarise Siegel)

claude.ai (create mermaid script from notebookLM summary)

www.mermaidchart.com (create mermaid diagram from script)



A thought on...

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