Enneagrams
Finding Your True Self
Mary K. Greer
Have you ever asked yourself:
What am I really like?
What makes me so difficult?
Why do I say the things I do? Why do I do the things I do?
Why are some people
so difficult?
Why do I get along with
some people, but not with
others?
What must I do to change?
What do I have to do to
become psychologically and
spiritually whole?
Mary K. Greer
Where do I find the answers?
•The Enneagram is a tool of selfexploration.
•We all have a hidden self
•The goal of life's psychological and
spiritual journey
Mary K. Greer
Why study Enneagrams?
• Teaches
– compassion
– acceptance and understanding
• Gives
– self-understanding
– insight into how you live and function in the world
• Enables us to
– break free from worn-out coping strategies
– learn alternatives to our own patterns of behavior
Mary K. Greer
History of the Enneagram
• Predates modern psychology
• Roots in Buddhism, Judaism (especially
in the Kabballah) and Eastern Orthodox
Christianity
• Used by Catholic retreat programs
Mary K. Greer
Theory of the Enneagram
• Nine pointed diagram.
• It tells us about different types of people.
• Typology is a system of classification of data
in an effort to improve understanding.
• Finding your personality "type" can explain
you to yourself and to others but your
uniqueness is not lost.
Mary K. Greer
Personality Box
• Trapped in a personality
• Resistance to being “typed”
• See your "limited" personality so you
can fulfill your potential.
Mary K. Greer
Enneagram Fundamentals
• Each point of the Enneagram
represents one personality style or type.
• Personality type
– consistent and habitual pattern of thought,
emotion, and behavior
Mary K. Greer
• Nine personality types are defined by
numbers and names.
• All personality types are equal in value.
• Lines and arrows show how a personality
type can change and relate to another type.
Mary K. Greer
Personality Types
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reformer or Perfectionist (Type 1)
Helper/Giver (Type 2)
Performer/Achiever (Type 3)
Individualist/Actor (Type 4)
Thinker/Analyst (Type 5)
Loyalist/Devil’s Advocate (Type 6)
Enthusiast/Epicure (Type 7)
Leader/Boss (Type 8)
Peacemaker/Mediator (Type 9)
Mary K. Greer
How did I become my
personality type?
• Your unique energy
• Unconscious decision made in
childhood
• Interaction of your temperament and
your relationship with caregiver
Mary K. Greer
Decisions Made by Each Type
• Reformer/Perfectionist (Type 1)
– be perfect
– do everything right
• Helper/Giver (Type 2)
– be helpful
– meet others’ needs
• Motivator/Performer (Type 3)
– always achieve and accomplish
Mary K. Greer
Decisions (cont’d.)
• Individualist/Romantic (Type 4)
– be different in a special way, then others
will value the difference
• Thinker/Observer (Type 5)
– be knowledgeable and understand
everything
• Loyalist/Questioner (Type 6)
– be faithful, loyal, and dependable
Mary K. Greer
Decisions (cont’d.)
• Enthusiast/Epicure (Type 7)
– be fun-loving and happy
– brighten other people’s day
• Leader/Boss (Type 8)
– be strong and powerful so that people will
respect you
• Peacemaker/Mediator (Type 9)
– never rock the boat
– always smooth things over
Mary K. Greer
Brief Description of the
Nine Types
• Perfectionist (Type 1) is realistic,
conscientious, and principled. They strive to
live up to their high ideals. Examples: Gandhi,
John Paul II, Martha Stewart, “Church Lady”
• Giver (Type 2) is warm, concerned, nurturing,
and sensitive to other people’s needs.
Examples: Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt,
Ann Landers, Dr. McCoy
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Descriptions (cont’d.)
• Performer (Type 3) is energetic, optimistic,
self-assured, and goal-oriented. Examples:
Bill Clinton, Barbra Streisand, Jane Pauley,
Sting
• Individualist/Romantic (Type 4) has sensitive
feelings and are warm and perceptive.
Examples: Paul Simon, Edgar Allan Poe,
Michael Jackson
Mary K. Greer
Descriptions (cont’d.)
• Observer/Thinker (Type 5) has a need for
knowledge and is introverted, curious,
analytical, and insightful. Examples: Albert
Einstein, Bill Gates, John Lennon, Stephen
King
• Loyalist/Questioner (Type 6) is responsible,
trustworthy, and value loyalty to family,
friends, groups, and causes. Examples:
Bruce Springsteen, Richard Nixon, Princess
Diana
Mary K. Greer
Descriptions (cont’d.)
• Enthusiast/Epicure (Type 7) is energetic,
lively, and optimistic. Examples: Liberace,
Robin Williams, JFK, Howard Stern
• Boss/Leader (Type 8) is direct, self-reliant,
and protective. Examples: Martin Luther King,
Saddam Hussein, Donald Trump
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Descriptions (cont’d.)
• Mediator/Peacemaker (Type 9) is
receptive, good-natured, and
supportive. They seek union with others
and the world. Examples: Abraham
Lincoln, Walt Disney, Marge Simpson
Mary K. Greer
Analyzing the Enneagram
• Wings
• Triads
– Heart – image-based-2,3,4
– Head – fear-based-5,6,7
– Gut – anger-based – 8,9,1
Mary K. Greer
Effects of Security and Stress
• Types change under stress and in
security
• Types under stress move with the arrow
• Types in security move against the
arrow
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Passions and Virtues
Type
Passion
Virtue
1 Perfectionist
Anger
Serenity
2 Giver
Pride
Humility
3 Performer
Deceit
Honesty
4 Individualist
Envy
Balance
5 Thinker
Greed
Nonattachment
6 Loyalist
Fear
Courage
7 Enthusiast
Gluttony
Sobriety
8 Boss
Lust
Innocence
9 Mediator
Sloth
Right action
Mary K. Greer
Mary K. Greer