Enneagram - a valuable tool for better communication or a limiting view of personalities?, asks Sylvia Thompson
OFTEN DEEMED to be mysterious, the enneagram has become a practical tool to understanding human character used by people in their professional and private lives. With its roots in ancient Middle Eastern philosophy, the personality types described in the enneagram were revitalised in the US in the 1980s and have since spread throughout the world as a tool for better communication.
"The basic mistake we make in life is that we assume that everyone sees reality through the same lenses as we do," says Barry Ahern, a teacher of the enneagram system of describing different personalities.
The nine personality types described by the enneagram (see panel below) are grouped under different centres of intelligence. "We all receive information primarily through the head, the heart or the gut, and respond to others from there," he says.
According to Ahern, we are often unaware of what centre we inhabit at any given moment yet this influences the response from others more than the actual content of our message.
So, for instance, according to the enneagram, if your personality type has a gut/body centre (the perfectionist, the boss, the mediator), your focus will be on being in control of yourself, your environment and taking actions in practical ways.
If your personality type has a heart centre (the giver, the performer, the tragic romantic), your focus will be on success and relationships, living up to expectations of the job and of other people.
If your personality type has a head centre (the observer, the loyal sceptic and the epicure), your focus will be on information and systems with an emphasis on figuring things out in the head before acting.
Ahern is one of about 10 teachers of the enneagram system in Ireland. He leads enneagram workshops for individuals, companies, community groups, politicians and healthcare workers. The value of the enneagram, according to Ahern, is that it enables people to develop their emotional intelligence.
"The greatest predictor of success in personal relationships and work is emotional intelligence as it allows people to know themselves and manage others by accessing a range of emotions," he explains.
But isn't it limiting to define ourselves in this way? "We are all more than one personality type described by the enneagram but the different types highlight that we share a lot of attention patterns [with one type] that are very different to others," explains Ahern.
"It helps you look at what drives you to deal with the world in a particular way and it's usually a clash of mental models that gets us into trouble or causes us stress."
Psychotherapist Áine Tubridy encourages her clients to read about the enneagram as a self-awareness exercise. "Some people find it hard to identify themselves, some get angry about being boxed in while others find it invaluable," she says. "It's a great way of understanding people and I'd like to see more young people using it."
PhD student Elizabeth McNicholas learned about the enneagram with other members of her family more than 10 years ago. "It has helped us communicate better with each other. Primarily, I use it to accept who I am and to find ways of overcoming any natural unhealthy tendencies I have," she says.
Jill Aston attended an introductory workshop on the enneagram last month. "The enneagram has helped me understand myself and others better and to realise that their truths are not necessarily my truths. It's a good communication tool."
Ahern is keen to point out that we can only ever fully identify our own personality type. "It's ultimately not about your type but about what you need to learn to not be limited by your personality type," he says. "It's not for boxing people off into different categories but for learning to communicate better with people who don't have the same particular style as you do."
• Barry Ahern will lead an introductory workshop on the enneagram in the Esplanade Hotel, Bray, Co Wicklow on May 24th. Cost €125. See also www.enneagram.ie