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U.C. Back 2 Business Alumni
Monthly Gathering
Saturday July 28, 2012

An Introduction to the Enneagram

By
Margaret Rahn, MBA, MA

The Enneagram
-Ennea (Greek meaning 9)
-Gram (Greek meaning figure or drawing)

Circle

Hexadd Triangle

History of the Enneagram

Sourced in esoteric traditions -- Kabbalah, Sufi
and Christian: 4th – 12th century A.D.
– An early monastery method of study to
understand personality and spiritual growth
– The symbol dates back ~2,500 years; passed on
largely by monasteries


- ~1915 Introduced to modern thinking by George
Gurdjieff; a Greek Armenian (1866-1949).
 Studied in monasteries in Egypt, Afghanistan, Greece,
Persia, India, & Tibet.
 Taught in Russia, France and the U.S.

- 1950’s-1960’s Oscar Ichazo of Bolivia studied in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Middle East.
 Developed the template used by psychologists today.
Taught in Africa, Chile.

- 1977 Psychologist Don Riso engaged the
Enneagram with Perry’s work on the human
emotional/psychological stages of
development towards adulthood.
- Continued use and development in
psychology, education, spiritual direction and
organization development.

Why study the Enneagram?
It serves as a reflective tool to grow in self awareness
and understanding, and thus, leads to an enhanced
understanding of one’s way of engaging & responding
in relationships. It is based on how we sense, or take
in, & respond to our world through three centers of
intelligence: the heart, the mind & the body.

The Intelligence Centers
of the Enneagram

Heart
Intelligence Centered in the Emotions
Type Two Provider-Giver-Helper
• Feeling based.
• Empathic.
• Driven by instinctual response to help others to ensure relationship
• Need to be needed. Setting personal boundaries can be difficult.
• Instinctively understand/ read/ anticipate the needs of others.
• Tends to lack conscious awareness of own needs
• A “give to get” manipulation style.

Pooh Character:
Kanga (mother Focus of Attention (FOA):
of Roo)
“Will others like me? Am I needed?”

Heart
Type Three Doer-Achiever
– Image of success; will change to project an
image according to the needs of the group.
– Competitive; goal focused.
– Intolerant of others who allow feelings to get in the way of doing
– Thrive on being busy. Believe that they are loved for doing, not for
being.
– Motivated to perform by love (Kousnes & Posner;
recognition/acknowledgement)
– Look to the outside world for validation.
– Concerned that if they stop doing, they might have to feel.
Pooh
Character: Focus of Attention (FOA):
Gopher “How can I gain the
respect & esteem of others?”

Heart
Type Four Idealist-Romantic
– Melancholy; depression; strong inner critic;
compares self to others  grass is always greener
– Motivated by authenticity. Creative. Dislike of the ordinary; wants to
be extraordinary.
– Special depth of feelings; a sense of longing. Expresses dramatically;
“Delightful!” “Horrific!”
– Sense of being different. Artistic. Appreciation for beauty; art, nature,
fashion, etc.
– Original Source; values alone time. Growth comes from a balanced
emotional life.
Pooh Focus of Attention (FOA):
Character:
“Can “Can I express myself?”
Eeyore

Mind
Intelligence Centered in the Analytical Mind
Type Five Sage-Observer
– Knowledge in depth; knowledge for the
sake of knowledge
– First reaction is to review an experience mentally. Detached.
– Inwardly focused (vs. outwardly like 2’s). Conserves energy.
– Being serious is valued by 5’s. Wants to understand all facets of things.
– Avoids emotions. Energy is in the head. Always observing self.
– Has strong feelings but does not express them; takes time & space to
assess & feelings
– Willing to share info; an information resource center.

“
Character: Will my resources, time,
Owl & energy be demanded?”

Mind
• Type Six Questioner-Loyal Skeptic
– Goes to worst case scenario in problem situations.
– Instinctively scans for information in all situations.
– First instinct is to not trust. Fear based.
– Often are not in touch with their feelings.
– Question everything; Shore up the ship; Contingency planner.
– Two types: the phobic who retreats, or, the counter phobic who
moves against.
– Organized & Delivers the goods.

Pooh
Character:
Piglet Focus of Attention (FOA):
“What could go wrong here?
Whom can I trust?
Am I making the best decisions?”

Mind
Type Seven Adventurer-Epicure
– Energetic. Optimistic; there is always a positive scenario.
– Options. Adventure. Never bored.
– Pleasure; positive; happy, exuberant.
– Intellectual; active mind.
– In project management she is a creative, innovative imagineer & fully
invested at start up. By mid-project she has already moved onto the
next adventure.

Pooh
Character:
Tigger
Focus of Attention (FOA):
What is exciting?
Do I feel constrained?
Can I avoid pain?”

Body
Intelligence Centered in the Gut Responses
• Type Eight Protector-Defender
– Justice/fairness. Will take on a fight.
– Action w/o regard of consequences. “I just have to take action.”
– Courageous. Having known vulnerability, will move to offense as the
best defense.
– Persistent. Voracious appetite. Passionate.
– Direct/authoritative. Like to do it their way.
– Intense. Their strength and aggression can be daunting.
– Challenge is to combine assertion & control with interdependency &
cooperation.
Character: “Is everything under control in an
Gorilla effective & just way?”

Body
• Type NineMediator-Moderator
– Gateway to heaven; sees all points of view.
– Harmony; focus on keeping the peace and maintaining
calm/equilibrium
– Merging; core issue is self worth. Self-forgetting.
– Inertia; has to be coaxed to give to self. Energy is in the body. Energy is
slow & deliberate.
– Avoids conflict passive aggressive; stubborn.
– Strong awareness of the environment, people and places.
Pooh
Character: Focus of Attention (FOA):
Pooh
“Is everyone being heard?
Including me?”

Body

• Type One Judge-Perfectionist
– Black & white thinking. Comparing mind.
– Critical voice; self critical; deeply rooted internal critic. Anger. Self
judging.
– Perfection; precise; high standards. Procrastination because working
so hard to make it right.
– Focus on what’s wrong &, at all costs avoids being wrong. Perfect is
not enough.
– Conscientious; responsible; detail oriented.
– Caring. Passionate.
Pooh
Focus of Attention (FOA):
Character:
Rabbit “What is right or wrong,
correct or incorrect?”

You and Your Personality Style
via the Enneagram
Enneagram Typing Cards
To help you identify your Ennegram type:
1. Read the side of the card with the image & the identifying phrases.
2. Divide the cards into three piles that best describe you as:
a) “Yes.”
b) “No.”
c) “Maybe.”
3. Turn the cards over. Read the key characteristics and brief description of
each type.
4. Divide the cards into two piles:
a) “Yes.”
b) “No.”
5. Discard the “No.” pile.
6. From the “Yes” pile, pick the top three cards that best describe you and
place in an order from “Most” to “Least.”

The Enneagram
So what?
• The Goal = To Grow in Awareness of Our
Habits of Personality

• The How = Self Observation

• The Call = Balance of the Intelligence Centers
of Heart, Mind, and Body

• The goal is to grow in awareness of our habits. In our
interpersonal exchanges we engage with habitual responses.
Effective communication though, requires a large repertoire in
order to provide for the varying needs of different situations.
The more ambidextrous we become or the more fluid in skill
in all the personality styles, the more fully we will be able to
express our true selves in our personal and professional
relationships.
• So, always, observe yourself. Grow your awareness of your
ways of being in relationships. “If you are not observing
yourself you are operating in automatic.” Choice is created by
simply taking a pause, observing yourself and asking, “Is my
normal way of reacting going to help in this situation? Or,
given choice, how might I better choose to respond?”

• Often we fall into a habit of responding from only one
emotional center and we find ourselves being driven by the
reeling obsessive thoughts of the mind, the emotional leaps
and plummets of our heart, or our immediate primal gut
responses of fight or flight.
• The call is to always strive for balance. How do we achieve
balance? By self observation and asking, “What’s going on in
the mind?” “What’s going on in the heart?” and, “What’s
going on in the body?” The invitation is to notice where you
are; if your response is only analytical, in the mind, and the
situation and relationship requires sensitivity, be intentional in
that moment to consider how your heart and body
intelligence can inform this exchange. If your heart has taken
over your engagement with extreme emotion, take a break
and re-gather yourself by incorporating body and mind
intelligence. If body wants to haul off and hit someone, first,
breathe. Then, breathe again so to purposefully create a
moment where you can re-member your heart and mind.

• By growing towards a balanced response that involves all
intelligence centers we reorient ourselves to respond more
fully from a harmony of heart, mind and body. That’s what is
wanted from others, our full presence. Being fully present to
others in relationship, professional and personal, is the
essence, form and the fulcrum of relationship.
• Awareness of one’s habits, self observation, and an
intentional practice of choice in the ways we express
ourselves, is the invitation of the Enneagram. Thank you for
spending this time with me to pause and look at ourselves
through the lens of the Enneagram.

All Good,
Margaret

Sources for learning more about the
Enneagram…
• Personal Coaching:
– Margaret Rahn, MBA, MA; Certified Enneagram
Coach 513-600-1037 mmrahn@yahoo.com

– Deanna Martin, MA; Certified Enneagram Coach
www.goconscious.com/home/staff/deanna_martin.html

Enneagram…
Books:
• Essential Enneagram: The Definitive Personality Test and Self-
Discovery Guide -- Revised & Updated by David Daniels and Virginia
Price (May 26, 2009).
• The Enneagram in Love and Work: Understanding Your Intimate and
Business Relationships by Helen Palmer(Dec 15, 1995)
• The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and
Andreas Ebbert(Sep 1, 2001)
• The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to
Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by
Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson(Jun 15, 1999)
Teachers and authors: David Burke, Thomas Condon, David Daniels,
Andreas Ebert, Russ Hudson, Andrea Issacs, Claudio Naranjo,
Deborah Ooten, Helen Palmer, Don Riso, Richard Rohr, Terry
Seracino and Mario Sikora.

Enneagram…
Sites:
• Conscious Living Center:
www.goconscious.com/home/consciousness_ascending.html
• The International Enneagram Association:
www.internationalenneagram.org
• The Enneagram Institute: www.enneagraminstitute.com
• Enneagram & Winnie the Pooh Characters:
http://blog.theenneagraminbusiness.com/2009/12/fun-pooh-and-
enneagram.html

Enneagram…
Local Events:
• Enneagram Panel Day in the Narrative Tradition.
Moderated by Deborah Ooten, PhD
For beginners who may not be sure of their type, & for long
standing practitioners; all levels of experience are invited.
Saturday, Sept 15. 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m.
Location: Type 3 10-10:30
William Howard Taft National Historic Site Type 6 10:35-11:05
2038 Auburn Ave. Type 9 11:10-11:40
Lunch 11:45-12:15
Cincinnati,OH 45219 Type 1 12:20-12:50
Type 4 12:55-1:25
Type 2 1:30-2:00
For more info: Beth Ohara
Type 8 2:05-2:35
513.621.3600 Type 5 2:40-3:10
beth.ohara@goconscious.com Type 7 3:15-3:45

Enneagram…
Conference:
The Enneagram & Grace: Nine Journeys to Divine Presence
Date(s): September 29-30, 2012
Led by Richard Rohr, OFM & Russ Hudson
Location: Northern Kentucky Convention Center
Time: 10:00 am-5:30 pm
Co-Sponsored by Consciousness in Action, The Enneagram Institute of Central Ohio and
The Enneagram Institute of Colorado

http://www.goconscious.com/home/events/parms/1/event/the_enneagram_grace_nine_journeys_to_divine_presence.html

Questions? Call 513-554-3070

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