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The height of
Meditation is perpetual orgasm. When the world falls away and all is blissful
and calm.
Our Reasons are our Excuses.
Learn
only from Experience. Trust no one else. Know stillness, don't think
about it.
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Egoic
Type Descriptions
The
LibertyCore Founder's Comments on the Enneagram and its Teachers
Below you will
find information on the personality structures of the Ego.
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Click
on a Number to Learn more about the Fixation.
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Personality Type One
By Bonnie and Don Fowke
The core of One is a striving
to do things right. This focus of attention represents a strategy to
avoid criticism and punishment for being wrong. The attention to
correctness is supported by a range of tactics which give the One its
distinguishing characteristics: perfectionistic, detail-oriented,
critical of self and others, continuously striving for improvement,
moral, honest and truthful.
Tactics supporting the drive to
get things right include comparative thinking, comparing One's own
actions and thoughts with those of others; continuous evaluation of
One's own position against that of others, which is sometimes described
as criticality -- a sharply critical view of both self and others.
Driven by "shoulds" Ones are seen to be uncompromising about standards
of behavior and contrary patterns of behavior are seen to be wrong. Ones
are rigid about standards and rigid about correctness. Frustration and
pressure leading to anger can build when correct standards exceed the
resources available to achieve them. This pressure may surface visibly
in anger which is outside a One's awareness. All these tactics are in
support of getting something done right and the need to be right.
As leaders, Ones establish a
strong ethical basis for action. They organize in ways which ensure that
thorough review of decisions is made before they are taken to minimize
the possibility of error. They operate with a style that favors a place
for everything and everything in its place, sometimes with an aesthetic
quality to the neatness which results. Ones can be loyal workers and
team players where group effort is devoted to appropriate goals and
correct action. Their focus on correctness ensures a constant search for
improvement, much in line with the drive to improve quality in modern
organizations. As both leader, co-worker and employee, the One's drive
to get things right results in loyalty, persistence, determination and
drive. While Ones value structure, order and precision, they are capable
of flexibility, sharp changes in direction, and compromise where such is
consistent with achieving a superordinate goal which is "right". The
same attention to right action can lead to agonizing over decisions
where the correct path is not clear.
This picture of One is more or
less shared by Enneagram students.
In organizations, Ones are
valued recruits. Discerning managers recognize that the One point of
view propels a natural motivation in the search for continuous
improvement. He or she will take pleasure in doing good work, and
assuring the highest quality. The One is also independent, relying on
internal judgments of performance. This orientation supports today's
management emphasis on quality circles, self directed work groups and
empowered teams. Indeed, savvy managers are learning to salt work groups
with Ones, who work well in a collegial environment and inspire
co-workers to strive for perfection in output. The One employee can be
relied upon to be responsible and to work diligently and tirelessly in
pursuit of organizational goals which are shared by the One employee.
Indeed the One will put aside
his or her own needs in striving to meet the demands of the common
objectives. This pattern of denial of own needs can lead to smoldering
resentment and outbursts of anger, apparently unrelated to the
triggering provocation. Managers who understand Enneagram dynamics will
look through the anger, coaching the One employee to identify and attend
to unmet personal needs.
As managers, Ones are rational
and reasonable. They value an environment which is just and fair, and
will take a balanced view in mediating conflicts. Highly principled, the
One manager will support a "values-based" environment, ensuring an
ethical approach to employees, customers, suppliers and other
stakeholders.
In top executive roles, Ones
are more common in scientific organizations, reflecting the affinity of
the One's perfectionism with the discipline of the scientific method.
Ones also appear as leaders in family businesses. In both cases, they
instill an organizational culture featuring ethical conduct, quality and
excellence.
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Personality Type Two
Two: The Journey Toward
Unconditional Service
By Joyce D. Piecuch
Ahh, the Two! Soft, sweet, gentle, caring
person. Twos warm the hearts of those of us who are blessed with their
friendship. Their exquisitely sensitive emotional radar seems to detect
the slightest need forming in the web of our relationship and they
quickly respond to address that need. How wonderful it is to be so
nurtured and appreciated.
Characteristically, Twos are kind, caring,
gentle, sweet, warm, and happy. For the Two, relationship is the most
important area of life. It is through relationship and bonding and
connecting that potentials are nourished, needs are met, love is
exchanged and cares are abated. They know and easily respond to the
needs of others, often before the other person is consciously aware of
having a need. By addressing that need, they build the connective
infrastructure of relationship. Emotional life is paramount, and mental
and cognitive functioning are less important, in the inner experience.
The Two's self-image and self -identity are
closely linked to connection with others. Their exquisite radar for the
wants and needs of others blinds them to their own wants and needs.
Their generous nature with others seems to be withheld from themselves.
Their attunement to emotional tone is often blocked when directed to
their own emotional needs. It is not an easy thing for Twos to recognize
their own needs - they truly believe that their denial of self-need is a
generous, selfless act of kindness toward others. There is pride in
feeling indispensable to the relationship, the institution, the world.
Twos' derive a sense of power and protection
from their personal role in relationships. Beneath the surface, a Two
can have manipulative characteristics, a kind or round-about manner,
because Two's deeper personal agenda is hidden from others and, often,
from the self.
At the core of Two, there is a feeling that
their own love and relationship needs will not be met in the natural
process of life. As a compensation, there develops a strong ,unconscious
focus on attending to the needs of others and pleasing them, with the
hope and expectation of receiving love and approval from others in
return. This pattern may have developed early in life as an emotional
survival mechanism and, as a result, may be deeply embedded in the
psychological structure. When survival depends on focusing on the needs
of others, suppressing awareness of one's own, sometimes-competing needs
supports that behavior.
The repression of one's own needs does not
make those needs go away. The suppressed needs of the Two are noticed in
the other person or projected onto them. Then the Two attempts to meet
those needs of the other in hopes that the other will reciprocate and
attend to the Two's corresponding need. When the other person meets the
unspoken need of the Two, the Two feels validated and loved. Twos accept
the help as it is offered and enjoy the attention, affection and
affirmation. However, if the other person attempts to address the
issue(s) underlying the need, Twos may feel threatened and attempt to
turn the attention away from themselves and back onto the other. There
is an underlying fear that as others see more deeply into Twos'
repressed self , Twos will appear more unworthy, undeserving, or
unlovable. In this manner, Twos avoid true intimacy. Pride in being
self-less becomes reinforced over and over again. This encourages the
maintenance of the Two's particular psychological block.
A Two can be artful in the manipulation of
another's emotions. But if Twos' conduct does not produce the hoped-for
positive payback, they may turn to accusation or confrontation until
they can get satisfaction. Their behavior can become quite aggressive
for, in their eyes, connection through unpleasant interaction is
considered better than withdrawal. Twos can manifest denial of their
negative feelings and have a great deal of difficulty in seeing or
acknowledging their shadow side.
The Spirit's Search for Expression
If we move to the view of personality as a mechanism to further our
human evolution, we may be able to see a greater purpose behind our
daily struggle at the personal level. The Two's pattern of giving to get
is a worldly version of the Two's greater life purpose of unconditional
love expressed through service. This service transcends the personal; it
is a universal element in assisting humankind. It may take an individual
expression but it has a higher motivation.
Suppose that unconditional love
expressed through service is the greater calling for the Two. And
suppose that, in Twos' attempts early in life to meet that call, they
are dissuaded by family, friends and society. Does the call die? I don't
believe so. I believe that in the very core of the Two is a call to
deliver a very special and unique gift of love and that the call never
stops. Consequently, Twos are pulled by a desire to express this love
and every fiber of their being organizes around that principle. But due
to the external limits placed upon the Two, he or she has had to develop
indirect avenues for fulfilling his or her calling. The indirect route
to self-fulfillment becomes so internalized that Twos often lose sight
of their true self. Later self-development can bring an awareness of
personal needs, and a new understanding of how personal needs can be met
in harmony with a greater purpose. Rather than viewing Twos as
manipulating and indirectly self-serving, we might be better served to
view them as the bearer of a priceless gift who have somehow lost their
compass, yet who continue to strive, across their lifetime, to deliver
the gift of unconditional love through service.
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Personality Type
Three
Three: The Effective Person
By Jerome P. Wagner, Ph.D.
Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales
Core Value Tendency: THREES are
attracted to and value efficiency, industriousness, competence. They
want to be productive persons, seeking to make the world a more
efficient place to live in. Bringing projects to completion,
accomplishing goals, working effectively is what life is about. The
cosmos is an orderly harmonious system and THREES work to keep it
running smoothly.
Adaptive Cognitive Schema: Hope is
the principle and attitude THREES have to keep them living in the real
world. Hope believes the cosmos works effectively within and according
to its own laws. It will continue to run smoothly even when THREES are
not working. Entropy won't occur the instant THREES take time off. The
most effective way to function is in harmony with these natural,
personal, and social norms and processes.
Adaptive Emotional Schema: The state
that accompanies THREES objective paradigm is truthfulness, the
acceptance and expression of their inner self as it actually is without
covering, exaggerating, or marketing it with external images, roles, and
personas. THREES remain true to themselves and their commitments vs
assuming whatever appearance they believe will make them look successful
in the eyes of others.
Adaptive Behavioral Schemas: THREES
have a natural organizational ability, easily assessing a situation,
setting goals, and working efficiently and single mindedly toward them.
They know how to get things done. They are optimistic, enthusiastic, and
self confident. THREES are motivated and motivating. Being good
salespeople, they intuitively know how to present themselves and their
product. They can translate ideas into workable saleable systems. They
are good team people and effective managers. They are pragmatic and can
compromise to get projects on line and accomplished. They have the
ability to sense what others want and expect from them and can adapt to
fit that image thereby winning people over to their side.
Maladaptive Cognitive Schema: When
THREES exaggerate their efficient qualities, they over-identify with the
idealized self image of I am successful. To compensate for their
maladaptive belief that they are failures and will be rejected, they
become over-programmed, overly efficient, and can become workaholics.
Maladaptive Emotional Schema:
Perceiving themselves as successful entrepreneurs, THREES believe they
are above normal protocols and are not constrained by the laws and
conventions that others live by. They deceive themselves and others into
believing how successful they are. Their energy goes into their image,
their public self, the persona they think others want them to be. Over
identifying with their roles and projects, they convince themselves this
is who they really are.
Maladaptive Behavioral Schemas:
Perceiving the world as disorganized, and presenting themelves as
efficiency experts, THREES become workaholics, falling into Type A
behavior, driven to succeed and climb the ladder of status and prestige.
It's hard for THREES to stay with their own feelings, desires, and
preferences. It's important to them to look good not to feel good. Work
takes precedence over self. It's conflictual for THREES to do something
unpopular, to espouse values that get unfavorable audience response.
They are pragmatists. The end justifies the means. If it works, it's
good.
What is Avoided: Since they strive to
be successful, THREES avoid failure. They don't undertake projects
unless they sense they can complete them. Their motto is: In life there
are no failures, only learning experiences.
Defensive Maneuvers: THREES avoid
failure by identification with their successful image, role, projects.
They change appearances, careers, interests in a chameleon-like manner
to keep up with whatever image is currently popular.
Childhood Development: THREES got
approval for their achievements. Their worth derived from what they did
instead of from who they were. Performance and image were rewarded in
place of personal disclosure and emotional connections with others.
Looking good, getting ahead, being sucessful were emphasized in their
famiy. Being adaptable helped them survive. Assuming the role and
persona others wanted them to be increased their recognition, status,
and prestige.
Non-Resourcful State: When THREES are
under stress, they do more of the same, that is, they become more
efficient and organized, work more frenetically, take on more projects,
are on the go more, shake more hands, and advertise themselves more.
When this doesn't work, they turn off their smooth running machine and
stop. Doubting, numbing, neglecting themselves, avoiding
responsibilities, and resigning themselves to failure, they go from
exertion to exhaustion. They drop out and turn off. In this depressed
state, their belief is their efforts don't matter, so what's the
difference, why bother.
Resourceful State: When THREES are in
a resourceful relaxed state, they get in touch with their inner
feelings, preferences, and desires. They are honest and resist changing
themselves to manipulate others. They show their true colors. They are
loyal to themselves and to their values. They stay with what they
believe in vs switching to what is popular. They are also loyal to
others. They are trustworthy as well as competent. This combination
makes them good leaders. They cooperate with others vs compete with
them. They trust that others will get things done in their own way and
in their own time. They embrace failure as a natural part of life. This
loosens the hold of their image and helps them connect with their true
self and with others. Now able to say to themselves I am loyal, I do
what I ought to do, they believe they are acceptable as themselves. I am
therefore I am active replaces I perform and produce therefore I am O.K.
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Personality
Type Four
By Bonnie and Don Fowke
No one Enneagram scholar can escape his or
her own particular habit of attention, so each offers insight from a
particularly well honed attentional pattern. Accordingly, as an
Enneagram One I can assure you that what is presented here is correct
and right and free from error. Beyond that, it is true that various
written descriptions of type and process do reflect the bias and the
underlying theory of the writer.
Among Enneagram authors, labels differ and
there are more or less minor differences in details. Perhaps the
greatest differences lie in the concepts of what change and growth mean
for the individual. Palmer, for example, differentiates between the
study of outer aspects and inner aspects of type:
"The outer study of the system
highlights what the nine types think and feel, how they relate to one
another, and what can help them flourish and grow. This level offers
fundamental insight into ourselves and our relationships. But the
Enneagram's deeper power lies in the ways that type is linked to
aspects of human essence. Our essence is the permanent element of
being. An awareness of essence has also been called higher
consciousness, or spiritual attainment."
"These gifts of the spirit appear when
awareness is shifted beyond the boundaries of thought and feeling.
They cannot be grasped by analysis or emotion because they are not of
the same order of consciousness as psychological traits. There is, of
course, a natural tendency to confuse aspects of essence with mature
psychological functioning, because to describe essence at all, we have
to name its many activities with words that describe ordinary events."
At the other end of the scale, Don Richard
Riso focuses attention on relative psychological health, "...people
fluctuate among the healthy, average and unhealthy traits that make up
the personality type." For Riso, the range of possibility lies within
the psychological realm and marks a more or less continuous spectrum
from personality disorder at one end to complete mental health at the
other. For Enneagram Four this range is the self-destructive person, the
emotionally tormented person, the alienated depressive, the
self-indulgent aesthete, the self-absorbed introvert, the imaginative
artist, the self-revealing individual, the self-aware intuitive, the
inspired creator.
Palmer's focus on higher awareness and
Riso's on psychological health are really two different paradigms. In
our work with management, we are dealing primarily with high
functioning, relatively psychologically healthy individuals. Their need
is for self awareness in aid of more personal flexibility, less tunnel
vision and a greater ability to alter behavior to fit the situation.
They also need understanding of attentional differences in a way that
enhances communication. This means listening tuned to where the other
person is coming from. It also means speaking tuned to what the other
will hear that, for example, emphasizes thought for the Enneagram Five
and feeling for the Enneagram Four. What managers need is a technology
-- a practical art -- of human nature.
Enneagram Four is rare at the top of an
organization, not many aspire to or achieve such positions. But where
they do they are spectacular. They have powerful, emotionally charged
charisma, they develop and lead value based and value-propelled
organizations, and they are entrepreneurs who strive for dramatic change
and innovation.
As Kathleen Hurly and Theodorre Donson
describe it:
"Individualists have clear values and
standards, and they attempt to refashion the world by imposing their
own design on it. They find drastic change exciting -- the kind of
change that wipes the slate clean and sets the stage for a new
beginning. With it comes hope for improving the quality of life, hope
for a better world. Individualists appreciate the new and unusual and
are often attracted to people, styles, and experiences that others
would consider offbeat."
Marcus Becker reports that Enneagram Four is
about three times as likely to be a woman as a man. Given the continued
preponderance of men in top executive positions, the scarcity of
Enneagram Four is understandable. Our work with the Young Presidents'
Organization suggests the top job in North American companies is most
likely to be held by an Enneagram Three, Eight, Seven or Five. We have
seen presidents at all stations of the Enneagram, but these four points
dominate the population. It is interesting to speculate about how the
corporate world might change as women and Enneagram Fours become more
common. Entrepreneurial creativity, drama, an emphasis on relationships
and values, and a valuing of feelings would come to shape the
organizational culture.
There would be big changes in the business
world. I can't help but think that the imaginative creativity of the
Enneagram Four is precisely what is needed to make human the pall mall
pace of technology. One Enneagram Four CEO I know, dividing up the
assets in a business split, took the art and let the other guy take the
furniture and equipment.
And if we think that this might lead to a
warm and fuzzy, feel good wishy washy culture, we need to take another
look at Enneagram Four. The Enneagram Four culture would have a "we are
special" flavor, and a competitive drive propelled by envy and a
conviction of uniqueness, with an inside track on values, and the energy
of hate. Ferocious comes to mind.
Enneagram Four also shows up in the
management consulting profession as experts in strategic planning, a
place where the yearning for a different reality focuses imagination and
analysis on creative alternatives.
In management, therefore, the goal for the
Enneagram Four is to exploit the inherent strengths that this point of
view supports, to become aware of the weaknesses it harbors, and to
develop the flexibility to shift away from unconscious and unaware
patterns of thought and feeling.
From this vantage point, the essential
aspects of Enneagram Four are the following.
Palmer describes a worldview where,
"Something is missing, Others have it. I have been abandoned."
"Melancholy is a reminder that
something is missing; it's a sweet sadness based on the perception of
loss. From the spiritual perspective, the child lost connection with
essence, or true being, when attention turned to matters of survival.
Unsupported by the original source, the child became acutely sensitive
to human abandonment and the loss of significant people. The longing
for authentic bonds of connection swamps emotional equanimity in the
pitch and roll of dramatic moods. Envy is a reminder that others seem
to enjoy the happiness the Four has been denied. A Four's search for
authentic moments of connection mimics an ongoing awareness of
essence. The search is motivated by the conviction that there is more
than ordinary life. We would not be seeking if we were complete."
Maria Beesing argues that motivation, not
behavior, defines Enneagram Four:
"There are many misconceptions about
Fours. These evolve from the erroneous theory that all Fours are
alike, and from the all-too-common mistake of using behavior instead
of motivation to identify individuals. While most Fours are intuitive
introverts, there are also many extroverts and sensates. Fours are
quiet and effervescent, shy and strident, timid and bold, creative and
powerful. There is no correct or patent image for the wholesome Four.
Rather, there is a motivational bond that is one key part of a
personality pattern woven with all the intricacies of creation and
exhibited uniquely by every Four that ever was, is, or shall be."
This motivation stems from an internal
reality:
"...a need to be perceived, and to
perceive oneself, as unique, out-of-the-ordinary, special; and a
penchant for inner-escape when the external reality is not satisfying
Four's emotional and physical needs."
"The Four feels a sense of isolation --
an aloneness stemming from the certainty that `I am different from
everyone else an no one could possibly be understand me or the depths
of my emotional feelings.'"
"The focus of the heart is `the other,'
and the need to be loved and attended to by the other is a predominant
motivation."
"They are envious of others'
relationships and material possessions. They yearn for the lost
moments of past possibilities, and crave the authentic love response
that seems to elude them in the ordinariness of everyday life."
Richard Rohr describes the Enneagram Four
dilemma:
"The specific defense mechanism of
FOURs is artificial sublimation. Feelings are not expressed directly,
but indirectly through symbols, rituals, and dramatic styling. This is
supposed to alleviate the pain of real grief and the fear of
rejection. The unredeemed FOUR is convinced that `anyone who would see
me directly the way I am couldn't bear the sight.'" "The root sin is
envy. They see immediately who has more style, more class, more taste,
more talent, more unusual ideas, more genius than they do. They see
who is simpler, more natural, more normal and `healthier' than they
are."
Enneagram Four-ness is a syndrome that
features loneliness, life as tragedy, hate, excessive intensity, too
much, too little, and sweet sadness. I asked an accomplished
professional woman about these phrases. She, a self-identified Enneagram
Four responded as follows:
About loneliness:
"A feeling of a huge empty chasm. Isolated in huge, huge empty space. In
the universe alone. It's a devastating feeling."
About life as tragedy:
"Hearing this almost sounds morbid. Life is more like a challenge. I
want to experience a variety of experience. High life. Low life. To have
a bit more. Life has ups and downs or tragedies or painful times, deaths
or separations. Part of what I consider life. It's boring without all
that."
About hate:
"I think that happens. My prejudices are sometimes unreasonable. I take
on a cause and the intensity is unreasonable. If something happens to me
in relationship I close people out: `you're out of my life!'. Hate burns
up too much of me. Cinders inside like energy. It's not hate so much as
envy. I would like to say I don't hate. Actually, envy has motivated me.
It has kept me going in career and everything."
About excessive intensity:
"I see them as two separate things, and together. Excessiveness means I
do or don't, it's all or nothing. I tunnel vision into things. A lot of
intensity until I work it out. When teaching I have intensity and the
excessive part I have to kick back on more. When I'm laid back, for
others it still may be intense. The ideas in my head are intense, they
can take over, until worked through -- then it's over."
About too much, too little:
"I do or I don't, either I want to feel or not. I either want the whole
candy bar or nothing. If you are going to tell me something don't play
games, either tell me whole thing or don't tell me. If you are playing
games with me, I become extreme with either-or thinking."
About sweet sadness:
"I can easily go into it. Oh, it's great! My image is of a most
beautiful chocolate sunday. Without some of that there haven't been any
highs. Sweet sadness is the digestion part, the processing part. I need
separation and space for it. It's wonderful, with intensity, it is
wonderful. I can burn out if I stay too long, then I disconnect."
I think it is important that we get a clear
and simple view of the underlying dynamic structure of Enneagram Four,
that we can see clearly and is stripped of excess elaboration. Then we
turn our attention to how that dynamic plays out in different
circumstances or for different uses and intentions. How does Enneagram
Four learn to be less caught in the trap and wear the clothing of Four
more loosely through life? How does Enneagram Four learn to relate to
others as they are, not how the internal program paints them? How does
Enneagram Four learn to connect with lost essence, to make a union with
the spiritual? How does Enneagram Four gain flexibility to lead
creatively and to reshape our institutions to emphasize values and
style? These are productive avenues to explore to enrich our abilities
and knowledge, rolling back as it were the frontier of knowledge of
human nature.
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Five: The Wise
Person
By Jerome P. Wagner, Ph.D.
Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales
Core Value Tendency: FIVES are
attracted to and value wisdom, knowledge, learning. They want to
understand the world and make it a more reasonable place to live in.
Having insights, learning about the nature of things, and seeing how
everything fits together is what life is all about.
Adaptive Cognitive Schema: The
objective vision that keeps FIVES aligned with their true nature and
with reality is the realization that real understanding and wisdom come
from experience, participation, being involved with people and the
world. And being known, seen, and revealed (transparent) is just as
vital as knowing, seeing, and revealing.
Adaptive Emotional Schema: The state
that accompanies the FIVES' objective paradigm is non-attachment, which
is the experience of love as flowing in and out vs being withheld from
outside and bottled up inside. The energy of life flows freely into and
out of the self. The detached person takes in just what is needed and
lets the rest go. The world is engaged and joined for the mutual
enrichment of both world and self.
Adaptive Behavioral Schemas: The
combination of an appreciation of wisdom as involvement and interaction
along with the state of non-attachment lead to the ability to both
detach and be observant and synthetically get the whole picture as well
as analytically getting to the heart or essence of the matter. FIVES
inner observer or fair witness is well developed allowing them to
dispassionately and objectively consider situations and events. They can
put together disparate pieces of information into a unified system and
distill complex situations into concise insights and pithy statements.
FIVES can move ideas and images around in their head facilely. They can
communicate clearly and succinctly. They are comfortable with solitude.
Maladaptive Cognitive Schema: When
FIVES exaggerate their intellectual qualities, they over-identify with
the idealized self image of I am wise and perceptive. To compensate for
the maladaptive belief that they don't know enough to act assuredly and
assertively and so are inadequate, and to keep themselves safe from
criticism, they try to be wise and invisible. FIVES don't want to look
foolish. They move away from involvement and up into their heads. They
believe if you don';t know what they're thinking, you can't criticize
them. And if you don't know their position, yoiu can't shoot them down.
FIVES are overly sensitive and may exaggerate or misperceive intrusions,
demands, being engulfed and taken over. They believe the world is
depriving and/or intrusive. FIVES don't want to look foolish.
Maladaptive Emotional Schema: As a
consequence of moving away from the world and attempting to live solely
from their own resources, FIVES experience the passion of avarice. They
are greedy for knowledge and information to keep them safe and
unassailable and are stingy with their ideas, feelings, time energy,
etc. Operating from a scarcity mentality, FIVES hold on to what they
have and withhold from others lest what they have be taken away from
them.
Maladaptive Behavioral Schema:
Perceiving the world as depriving and intrusive, and feeling greedy and
avaricious about this uncaring state of affairs, FIVES are inclined to
move away from the world, retreating into the sanctuary and privacy of
their minds. They tend to be loners who view life from the sidelines.
They need to understand something completely before they make a decision
and act. It is difficult for FIVES to move against people and confront
them to protect their space and ask for what they want. It's also
difficult to move toward people and express affection. FIVES are afraid
of and avoid their feelings and go instead to their ideas. It's hard for
FIVES to stay connected or be too exposed.
What is Avoided: Because they want to
appear wise and guard their privacy, FIVES avoid feeling empty or being
emptied. FIVES avoid situations where they don't know what they are
supposed to do. Knowing the guidelines, the rules of the game, what is
expected and allowed helps them enter the game. When they are afraid
they'll be taken advantage of, they stay out of the game.
Defensive Maneuvers: FIVES ward off
uncomfortable feelings and situations through isolation and
compartmentalization. To avoid feeling empty or drained, FIVES isolate
themselves in their heads away from the intrusions of their feelings and
other people. They separate or compartmentalize their thoughts from
their feelings. That's why when you ask FIVES what they're feeling, they
tell you what they're thinking. They also separate one time or period of
their life from another. With FIVES, out of sight tends to be out of
mind vs making the heart grow fonder.
Childhood Development: FIVES may have
experienced their parenting figures as being either too intrusive or too
aloof and depriving. They didn't experience their enviroment as
empathic, as coming to them when they needed something and leaving them
alone when they were playing contentedly. As a result they withdrew and
began to do everything alone. By distancing and dissociating themselves
from what was going on around them, they felt safer. To survive, FIVES
learned to keep their feelings and thoughts to themselves. The
intellectual world became more controllable and secure than the world of
feeings and the interpersonal world.
Non-Resourcful State: When FIVES are
under stress and do more of the same, they remove themselves and retreat
further into their heads. They feel inadequate and unable to influence
the situation and so withdraw. They become contemptuous of others
instead of reaching out to them. They fear pain and avoid it. They
rationalize or trivialize to avoid being assertive. They get into
planning instead of doing. They distract themselves or space out instead
of focusing, deciding and acting.
Resourceful State: When FIVES are in a
resourceful relaxed state, they get in touch with their personal power
and energy. They say to themselves: "I am powerful; I can do." They move
down into their body and feelings instead of up into their head and
thoughts. They insert themselves in the situation, believing they can
change it. They move towards and against others as well as away from
them. They make contact and get engaged and learn through experience vs
vicariously. They set boundaries for themselves directly rather than by
withdrawing. They ask for what they need and let go of what they don't
need. I am therefore I think and I am connected replaces I think
therefore I am and I think in order to figure out how I'm supposed to be
and how I'm supposed to get connected.
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Doubting
Mind: The Challenge of Type Six
By Helen Palmer and David Daniels, M.D.
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Personality |
Essence Qualities |
Instinctual Sub-types |
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Mind-state: |
Doubt |
Faith |
Social: "Duty" |
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Emotional Habit: |
Fear |
Courage |
Self-survival: "Warmth" |
|
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One-to-One:"Strength and
Beauty" |
Sixes are identified by many names,
suggesting a range of opinion about the type's core structure. We have
come to prefer the name Loyal Skeptic, which reflects the two-sidedness
of the Sixes' self-presentation. On one hand tentative, loyal and
dutiful, and on the other risk-taking, skeptical and bold, they
outwardly represent the most difficult of the types to understand. Sixes
have been called The Doubter, Guardian, Over-Adventurer, Loyalist, The
Loyal Person, Devil's Advocate, Persecuted Persecutor, Trooper and
Questioner, each name representing an angle on the type.
The Dilemma
Inner doubt is is at the core of apparently contradictory outer
behavior. Doubt is a way of sorting information in which attention
naturally shifts to examine the opposite side of a question. Behavioral
vacillation is the result of a mind that questions: "Yes, but..." and
'Have you considered?" and "What about the other side?"
Areas of General Agreement About Type Six
Most authors agree that Sixes, as a mental type, have difficulty taking
action. Thinking may replace doing in a classical 'analysis paralysis'
mode of operation. Most authors also agree that fear and building
protective security are central to this habit of mind. Focused on
potential danger and harm, Sixes become vigilant and scan the
environment, often imagining worst case outcomes in trying to make life
predictable. Finding little to trust in a world perceived to be
dangerous, they naturally try to figure things out, entertain their
doubts and test for certainty. To reduce apparent threat, they either
confront or avoid what frightens them - on one hand loyally aligning
with "good" authority for protection, while on the other, being
mistrustful and challenging authority's power.
Good will is assured through warmth and
duty, but Sixes can turn feisty and oppositional when threatened. Doubts
and ambivalence about what to trust can lead to inaction,
procrastination, and incompletions, all of which can definitely
depleasure life. These inner concerns and fears get attributed
(projected) to others, leading to both implicit and explicit accusations
and blame. To others, Sixes can appear over-controlling, contradictory
and guarded. On the higher side, most would agree that they more
typically manifest great warmth, devotion, courage in the face of
difficulty, creative intelligence, and loyalty to the well-being of
others.
The Core Theme of Six
We see each type operating from a basic proposition that shapes its
motivation and behavior. Here's the fundamental proposition for Six:
The original potential for faith in self,
others and the universe was compromised by a world experienced as
threatening and unpredictable. Sixes see that it's not possible to count
on an untrustworthy environment, so it makes sense to hesitate and
question. The shift from faith to fear has also been called a fall from
grace. Separated from the eternal safety of essence, or pure being,
Sixes seek certainty - something to count on that momentarily recaptures
the enduring security of higher being. They stay out of harm's way, or
with apparent contradiction, defy security, face danger with bravado,
and create their own certainty.
The logic of 'phobic' behavior is to stay
out of harm's way, while the counter-phobic tendency is motivated by the
logic that it's better to face danger than feel fear. Sixes therefore
present a spectrum of behavior ranging from phobic avoidance of
potential harm to counter-phobic confrontation of fears. Sixes can be
alternatively meek or bold, cautious or outrageous, cowardly or
courageous. The commonality of these extremes is the attempt to gain
certainty. If either fight or flight is successful, Sixes may not even
know they are afraid. The illusion of certainty -- believing that you
know exactly what you're up against -- quells imagined fears and quiets
inner doubts.
Internally, Sixes constantly question in
order to get to certainty. They become 'proof junkies.' It's like seeing
the world with a negative spin through glasses that magnify danger.
Sixes unwittingly attribute (project) inner concerns, doubts and
aggression onto people outside of themselves which helps to 'explain,'
and therefore reduce, inner uncertainty. Ultimately, the structure of
the type rests on a paranoid base, the opposite of trust and faith in
others. In deep pathology, the Six devolves into true paranoia, where
certainty replaces doubt ("I know you're out to get me") forming, sadly,
a convincing mimic of the original state of faith.
Common Misunderstandings
Some authors and teachers have over-emphasized the compliant, dependent
and obedient aspects of Six - the phobic side - while neglecting the
challenging and aggressive counter-phobic aspect of the type. Sixes are
indeed, outwardly changeable, but this behavioral volatility comes from
the core motivation of consistently seeking certainty in an uncertain
world. In order to get to certainty, Sixes either pursue or spurn
security, challenge or avoid danger. They are therefore not security
seekers per se, but they do seek the reassurance of certainty.
Certainty runs the gamut from unshakable
spiritual faith to the opposite extreme of absolute paranoia. The doubt
experienced between these two extremes is in the service of finding
certainty. Although they are changeable, Sixes are not ambivalent like
Nines, in the sense of having choosing from among many plausible
choices. The changeability of Sixes manifests not because they have lost
a priority and are seeing all sides of a question, or because two
choices are equally weighted. Rather, the inconsistency of Six is
motivated by uncertainty and doubt that a chosen course of action can be
successful.
Hence, most Sixes demonstrate a mixture of
counter-phobic and phobic behaviors that may appear contradictory, yet
are inwardly consistent with a doubting mind seeking certainty in a
world that constantly changes. Despite these pressures, many Sixes are
quite consistent. They do not vacillate between behavioral extremes on
the gamut between faith and paranoia, nor do they present a mass of
contradictions.
Areas of Divergence
We view the central task for Six as reclaiming faith in self, others and
the universe. Faith is reclaimed by way of converting fear to courage
for action, which heals apparently contradictory external behavior and
quiets doubt. Others view the healthy Six as moving toward the heart or
security point of Nine, called "the direction of integration." Here the
Six is said to be open, receptive, peaceful, kindhearted. We believe
these positive aspects arise from reclaimed faith itself. Nor do we hold
that the stress or action point of Three shows up primarily in
disintegration.
Although it may be true that the diagram
depicts a flow of energy between the points, and that from the flow
perspective, (following the direction of the arrows), there is potential
energy available at Nine, a bottle-neck of energy at Six and less
available energy at Three, we see an advantage in focusing psychological
and spiritual healing at the Sixes' core preoccupations where the energy
is concentrated.
Another provocative view considers the core
types of Three, Six and Nine to be so out of touch with their preferred
center that the center's activity is repressed. These types are then
dominated by one of the other two centers. We view this simply as the
Sixes' loss of inner trust and knowingness being replaced by doubt,
rather than another center dominating. Yet another view considers that
the types are wrapped around the core issues of their heart or security
point, and that in the instance of Type Six, there is a sell-out to the
comfort-seeking of Nine, coupled with a general avoidance of emptiness
and the chaos of non-being shared by all people. While we agree that
every type needs to 'sink into' the emptiness beneath type, here again
for us the place of reclaiming bottle-necked energies and integrating
spiritual experience with a healthy personality for Sixes lies at Six.
Finally, some authors consider Sixes as compliant or dependent. We
believe this to be quite misleading, as it does not account for
aggressive, counter-phobic Six behavior, especially the Strength and
Beauty instinctual subtype.
These and other views have profound
implications for the path of both personal and spiritual development.
Return to Top |
Personality Type
Seven
THE SECRET, SERIOUS SIDE OF SEVEN
By Kathy Hurley and Theodorre Donson
We have many Sevens in our lives. They bring
a delightful energy into a relationship or group even if, like all the
types, they can, at times, be maddening. Further, we perceive a side to
the Seven style that we don't see written about in other places, and we
decided to take this opportunity to present an alternative perspective.
Common Qualities
In the current Enneagram literature, there are many qualities that most
or all authors use to describe Sevens. The quality of enjoyment that
Sevens bring to our lives derives mainly from their love for experience
and their ability to create fun and happiness out of situations that
other types would see as merely mundane. This love of experience is both
a desire and a need, and it is intimately connected to the core of their
complusion, gluttony. Sevens want more and more of whatever brings them
happiness or gives them pleasure.
Sevens are known for their verbal abilities
- it's rare to find a representative from another type who can talk as
enthusiastically and engagingly as a Seven. Ideas tumble out of their
mouths and, with great ease, they wrap words around everything from
grand plans for changing the world to defenses for their own
shortcomings.
Their verbal abilities and ease with humor
make them natural comedians and performers. Not long ago, in our
kitchen, a Seven amused a group by doing imitations with a corkscrew -
the kind with arms that pull the cork up from the bottle. Holding it
upright and using the screw to turn the handle, he declared, "Linda
Blair!" Holding the corkscrew horizontally and making the arms flap
forward and backward, he exclaimed. "Mark Spitz!" In a spontaneous,
silly moment, he reduced us to helpless laughter.
Sevens carry all the essential elements of
entertainment inside them. Therefore, don't expect them to have
qualities opposite to their naturally enthusiastic and gregarious
nature; they're not known for being emotionally sensitive or for being
good listeners. Sevens who can bring forth these qualities when called
for have worked hard on themselves.
Another quality universally reported by
Enneagram authors is Sevens' ability/desire/need to move quickly -
whether physically, in the realm of ideas, or among the diverse
activities of their lives. Sevens like things fast-paced; they thrive on
variety and external stimulation. Their interest in many different
things often results in an encyclopedic wealth of pieces of information,
usually disconnected, but ready to be pulled out in relation to the
present topic of conversation in order to entertain and sometimes
impress. Their multiple interests can also make them seem to be people
who live solely on the surface of life and who rarely, if ever, dip into
the deep well of more serious matters.
Enneagram authors generally assess the cause
of this highly extroverted style as an anxiety about life, which Sevens
see as dangerous. What you might call their "song and dance routine" is
their attempt to distract others from making them the object of negative
reactions, as well as their attempt to distract themselves from their
own fear of life.
Divergences
The main difference in Enneagram literature in the approach to Sevens
results from how one views the three centers - head, heart and gut -
especially the head center, which Sevens prefer. Helen Palmer calls the
head center the mental center, and focuses her analysis of the Seven
style on the subleties of mentation in this type. Palmer's descriptions
of the Seven are replete with indications of the elusive and varied use
of ideas, thoughts, plans and rationalizations to defend against the
painful realities of life. Riso's approach is different. He calls the
head the doing center. Thus, his descriptions of the Seven focus more on
the many, varied, and often excessive activities that characterize
healthy, average, and unhealthy Sevens.
We offer yet a third approach based on our
research in the work of Gurdjieff's student Maurice Nicoll. Nicoll named
the centers Intellectual (thinking), Emotional (feeling), and
Instinctive-Moving (doing). Viewing each type as its own unique
composite of the three centers, we suggest that the Seven primarily uses
the thinking center, secondarily uses the doing center, and represses
the feeling center.
That means that Sevens primarily live in
their heads; that's why their minds whirl 100 mph with plans, options,
ideas, projects and humor. Their secondary or support center is the gut
or doing center. That's why Sevens are active; their minds go in many
directions and lead their activities accordingly. Thinking and doing
summarize many of the more obvious and commonly-accepted characteristics
of the Seven.
In this view, Sevens are wounded in the
feeling center. Many Sevens are surprised to hear this because they are
aware af having many feelings. However, they often defend, hide, or
supress their feelings. When Sevens have feelings for another person,
they will do something for that person rather than express feeling
directly. They have difficulty being sympathetic or empathetic in the
way more heart-centered people are. Ofter humor is their response to
another's problem. Sometimes they will find a logical solution for it;
or they can be kind for a moment and then disconnect because they're on
to the next activity.
The Secret Serious Side
The expression of the Seven we feel is missed by many is what we call
their secret serious side. Covered by humor, enthusiasm, and a
fun-loving, sunny exterior is a loyalty and idealism that is truly
noteworthy. Sevens have difficulty connecting deeply with others, but
once the connection is made, very little can break it. Within that
connected relationship, they will express their love as deep loyalty and
in a willingness to perform thoughtful acts of kindness.
Further, their active minds often lead them
to ideas that benefit many people. This quality - coupled with what we
see as a natural idealism in this type - has led one Seven we know to
establish and continue to administer a small relief agency that benefits
the people of Bangladesh, another to share the benefits of personal
growth (including the Enneagram) with literally hundreds of friends and
acquaintances on a one-to-one basis, and yet a third to become one of
the leading psychodynamic personal and family therapists in our
metropolitan area.
Because Sevens are so good at entertaining
others, they can be just as equally deficient in exposing their more
altruistic, idealistic, serious self. We have found that they often feel
relieved, pleased and honored when people acknowledge their secret
serious side. When this happens, they are supported in expressing the
best of their nature.
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Personality Type
Eight
by Kent Rossman
This type is known as the Confronter
(Hurley/Donson), the Boss (Palmer) or the Leader (Riso/Hudson). Located
in the Gut, Belly or Anger triad of the 8,9,1, the Eight relates to the
world by focusing his/her instinctual energy outward. Confrontation is
one form that this energy might take. For example, if they are
confronted by someone who disagrees with their sense of the truth of a
situation, they will immediately and directly respond in a rather strong
manner that can leave some persons "shaking in their boots", so to
speak. It is often stated by friends and acquaintances that this type
can leave a "bloody trail" in his/her wake. What is interesting is that
the type Eight does not usually realize that his/her energetic response
is unusual or powerful until they see the result. This may be simply a
strange quiet coming over a room or a sobbing person that causes the
type eight to think, "Oh, I must have done it again". At another level,
this unconscious, over-abundant energetic response may lead to physical
violence either against others or the type Eight himself.
This emotional energetic drive, the so
called, passion is called Lust. This is most appropriately seen as the
outward, aggressive or assertive approach to a full and intense life
experience. The term "excessive" often applies here, although the type
eight would question that descriptor and replace it with "normal". The
form of excess is quite varied, from "heavy" use of food, stimulants,
exciting activities to long hours at work which leads to this type being
the "boss". The stimulants may be drugs or dangerous activities which
require a high energy output. The passion of Lust may even cause this
person to push beyond the limits of physical tolerance.
The type eight has a need to control his/her
environmental "space", and as a body type has an intuitive sense of the
physical space which they occupy with a fullness that goes beyond
his/her own physical outline. We know when a type eight walks into a
room; people seem to move aside to make space for them or at least
acknowledge his/her presence.
The gut triad is also called the anger
triad. The type eight has an easy time expressing anger. In fact, they
frequently use the full force of the anger to clear the air and to
induce others to state their intent honestly. Once discharged, the anger
is over. The recipients, however, frequently are tending their wounds or
recovering from the shock of the power of the outburst. This easy
expression of anger can result in great difficulty for this type. It can
even lead to some of them being killed or in prison for punishment of
violence. In the more developed Eight, they know when to stand and fight
and when to avoid unfavorable odds. They also know how to modulate the
energy better and avoid overt violence.
We always know where we stand with the type
eight. They are clear and direct and often blunt in their expression of
their truth. They have a desire for the Truth' of any situation, but it
is their own truth, which may change from day to day. This leads to the
quest for Justice which can take the form of protection of friends and
the support of the "underdog". The quest for Justice may be seen as
seeking Revenge. There is an underlying feeling that we live in a
basically hostile world in which we have to constantly do battle to make
our way through life.
The avoidance of the Eight is any feeling of
weakness or loss of control of his/her space. The projection of this
"shadow" helps explain the need to protect his/her weaker friends and
carry the aura of self-confidence that can look arrogant.
The virtue of the Eight is called Innocence.
Although this refers to a state of Being, we can approach the
understanding of this state by seeing how it would be for the Eight to
accept the inner vulnerability and shadow sense of weakness without
losing the connection to the basic driving energy that underlies his/her
vitality. There is a picture of Gurdjieff, an archetypal Eight, playing
with children at his Institute in Paris. There he was in his Innocence
with no need to channel his energy into fending off the hostile and
dangerous world. This transformation, as with all types, requires long
and compassionate work with the support of knowledgeable people.
Like all the types, there are many faces to
the Eight. With little conscious development, we see an angry, tough,
confrontive high energy person who by the outward thrust of energy
commands grudging respect. With more conscious development, we see the
highly energetic, often charismatic and strong leader who commands
loyalty and can submit to the underlying vulnerability without losing
that special vitality.
Return to Top |
Personality Type Nine
The various appelations given to NINES
express something of what authors believe to be central to the NINE
style. Here is a sampling:
| The Preservationist |
Donson & Hurley |
|
| Ego Indolent |
Ichazo |
The Negotiator |
O'Leary & Beesing |
| The Saint |
Jaxon-Baer |
The Mediator |
Palmer |
| The Program of
Non-Aggression |
Keyes |
The Peacemaker |
Riso & Hudson |
| The Floater-Harmonizer |
Linden |
The Need to Avoid |
Rohr |
The Over-Adjusted
Disposition /
"Going with the Flow" |
Naranjo |
The Peaceful Person |
Wagner |
Here is weaving together the various themes
of the NINES' narrative:
When NINES are in their essence they have
the sense that they are connected to the cosmos. The same laws that are
operative in everyone else are operable in NINES. This gives NINES their
sense of peace, harmony, integration, and oneness with all reality.
NINES have the corollary sense that the laws of the universe are warm
and loving since they have given rise to organic life. There is a
teleology to the laws of the universe; they have a purpose and direction
along with every creature in whom these laws course. There is value,
meaning, and purpose to all that is.
These divine ideas, objective principles, or
adaptive cognitive schemas are accompanied by the virtue of right
action. Action flows naturally from a sense of being loved and from the
capacity to love. Action is love that wishes to pass itself on. Action
is a property of being which wishes to realize itself and transcend
itself by connecting with Being and other beings.
When NINES lose touch with their essence,
they also lose touch with these adaptive cognitive and emotional
schemas. They lose themselves, their way, and their being gets obscured.
Their personality with its maladaptive cognitive schemas (fixations),
maladaptive emotional schemas (passions), and maladaptive behavioral
schemas (self defeating behaviors) attempts to substitute for what they
have lost.
If NINES were reared in an "average
expectable environment" (Hartmann) or with "good enough" parenting (Winnicott),
or with "unconditional positive regard" (Rogers), then presumably, they
would stay in touch with their essence.
However, because their temperament
predisposes them to be sensitive and vulnerable to being neglected or
overlooked, they sensed that their parents didn't pay enough attention
to them, had other things more important to do, perhaps didn't love them
or care about them.
This latter maladaptive belief is
particularly painful -- to believe that you aren't loved or don't
matter. To compensate for this belief, NINES adopted a less painful
paradigm which was: it doesn't matter (instead of I don't matter). NINES
developed a life style of resignation. What's the big deal. We're not
around that long, anyway. So let's settle in for the duration.
NINES' maladaptive beliefs become
crystallized in the self image of "I am settled." They settle into their
personality, settle into a comfortable life style, numb out and go on
cruise control down the highway of life. The passion of indolence (or
accidia, a psychospiritual inertia) locks their idealized self image in
place and maintains it there.
Anything antithetical or threatening to this
position is repressed or avoided, especially any kind of conflict which
would be upsetting. Various defense mechanisms are deployed to keep
anything unsettling from entering the NINES existence.
NINES fall asleep regarding what is
essential to their personal development. Just as they felt their parents
neglected and dumped them, so now they neglect and dump themselves.
They are caught in the dilemma of whether to
assert themselves and their needs and risk losing their relationships or
to submerge themselves, comply with others, and thereby lose their self.
Should they be bad boys and girls like their neighbors, the EIGHTS? Or
good girls and boys like their neighbors, the ONES. Should they be
rebellious like the Counterphobic SIXES at their stress point? Or
adaptable like the THREES at their core point? Their solution is to
decline or delay either option and rather to embrace all sides of an
issue, so as not to have to choose. No decision and procrastination are
the conflict resolution methods for NINES.
NINES wrongly believe that to wake up is to
find out they are unimportant, unloved, uncared for, adrift, and rageful.
Merging with others is their personality's attempt to compensate for
their sense of separation.
In fact when they wake up, they discover
themselves, not enmeshed in ersatz intimate relationships, but
intimately suffused with love. They were loved and loving all along.
There seems to be substantial convergence in
various authors descriptions of NINES. Differences appear in the
theories of childhood development. While Palmer, Rohr, Linden, and
Wagner report that NINES felt overlooked and in the background, Riso
writes that NINES positively identified with both parents or parent
figures. Jaxon-Baer theorizes NINES were traumatized in the birth canal.
While there is considerable agreement about
the pathology of the NINE, there are some creative variations about the
health and virtue of the NINE: action (Ichazo), right action (Palmer),
decisive action (Rohr), right action (Jaxon-Baer), patience (Riso), and
diligence (O'Leary).
Ichazo and Palmer might take exception to my
demeaning higher states of mind (divine ideas) and heart (virtues) by
calling them adaptive cognitive and emotional schemas. They are, I
believe, and more as well. I also don't know if there is validation to
my assertion that the NINES' style predisposes them toward certain areas
of vulnerability, viz., being neglected, not attended to, uncared about,
etc.
According to Ichazo and the Arica Training,
Enneagram type Nine is said to be the over non-conformist who lacks the
psycho catalyzer of Holy Love, love that runs the cosmos. The Nine does
not recognize that he or she conforms to cosmic laws and so must become
a seeker, hoping to find how s/he fits into the cosmic purpose. Nines
feel they haven't gotten their share of love. They are out of touch with
their essence and so look outside themselves because they are afraid
there is nothing inside. They are neglectful and indolent with their
inner self. They can often see other fixations well, but don'w see or
understand their own. The nickname for this fixation is ego-indolent. It
could also be called over-discontent.
Naranjo says he doesn't understand Ichazo's
statement that in indolence the "trap" is being too much of a seeker.
For Naranjo, the opposite is true: type Nine is "not enough of a seeker,
despite the subjective sense of being so and despite manifestations of
displaced seeking such as erudition, traveling, or collecting
antiquities." pg 150
For Naranjo, the root of all pathologies,
expressed by the central position of style Nine, is the "forgetting of
self." The substitutes for authentic being for Nines are "over-creaturization,"
a search for being in the realm of creature comforts and
survival-related practicalities. "I eat therefore I am." Nines also
pursue being through belonging. Through symbiotic living, the Nine can
say: "I am you, therefore I exist."
Childhood Dynamics
According to Riso, Nines positively
identified with both parents or with other parent figures. Nines had
close supportive relationships with their parents (at least in early
childhood). That's how they learned to identify with other people. Nines
live through other people.
According to Rohr, Nines report that in
their childhood they were overlooked or swamped. They were ignored or
rejected if they expressed their own opinion.
According to Palmer Nines felt overlooked
when they were young. They remember that their point of view was seldom
heard and that other people's needs were more important than their own.
Nines are caught in the dilemma of whether to conform or rebel. Their
solution is to decline either option and attempt to embrace all sides of
a question, so as not to have to choose.
According to Jaxon-Baer, Nines were
traumatized in the birth canal. They feel pressure and want to fight
against it. Experiencing pressure causes them to become rigid and
passive/aggressive. As children, Nines were in the background. They may
have felt overshadowed by their siblings.
According to Linen, Nines had the impression
that their parents' interests were more important than theirs. They felt
disregarded and not valued.
There is a sense in Nines of unresolved
rage: to comply or to do your own thing presents a no-win dilemma.
Compliance produces rage. Nines go unconscious and space out. Nines fear
that if they express their anger, they will kill someone.
Virtue
According to Riso, the virtue of the Nine is
Patience, a hopeful, eager watchfulness.
According to O'Leary the virtue for the
Nines is Diligence. As Nine's discover God's love for them, new energies
are awakened within them as they come to see their real worth as persons
and discover yearning or self-development. Once they are convinced of
the worth of their unique selves, the seek to acquire skills so that in
gratitude to God's love they seek to make some contribution to the
world. Love shows itself in actions of service. Nines become transformed
from indolent spectators to patient, methodical workers.
According to Rohr, the gift or fruit of the
spirit of the Nine is Decisive Action vs. hesitating and
procrastination.
For Palmer the virute of the Nine is right
action, taking the initiative toward the essential features of life.
According to Jaxon-Baer the virtue is right
action which involves bringing the feeling of holy love into focus and
keeping it on course by staying present and conscious in each
moment-to-moment reality.
Nines have gone to sleep to the essential
issues in their lives. Their anger doesn't get expressed. When Nines are
compliant, it enrages them. When they are non-compliant, it terrifies
them. They are trapped between being good boys and girls (Ones) and bad
boys and girls (Eights) between the non-adapting of the counter-phobic
Six and the adaptability of the Three.
Self narcoticization. Habit, routine, on
automatic, going unconscious. Gurdjieff's machine-like existence.
Nines lack boundaries between their internal
and external worlds. They merge with others and lose self definition.
They are present oriented. They sort toward union and away from
conflict. They have an external frame of reference and tend to be
kinesthetic. Their primary issues are anger turned inward and a denial
of the essential self. They distract themselves. Everything has value.
Difficulty discriminating and forming hierarchies.
Names for Type Nine
- Jaxon Baer: The Saint
- O'Leary: The Negotiator
- Palmer: The Mediator
- Riso: The Peacemaker
- Wagner: The Peaceful Person
- Donson/Hurley: The Preservationist
- Rohr: The Need to Avoid
- Naranjo: The Over-Adjusted Disposition
"Going with the Stream"
- Keyes: The Program of Non-Aggression
- Linden: The Floater-Harmonizer
Passion
Laziness, indolence, sloth, accidia,
psychospiritual inertia. Laziness of the psyche, loss of interiority.
One who has not learned to love himself or herself as a consequence of
love deprivation. Defensive evasion of interiority. Seeking outside self
for solutions. Distracting interest in the workings of external things.
Psychological Inertia, over-adaptation09, resignation, generosity,
ordinariness, robotic habit-Boundedness, distractibility.
Riso: sloth of self remembering. Lack of
energy put into self-awareness or self-remembering.
Palmer: Do I agree or disagree? habit,
essential, inessential, accumulation, containment of energy, inertia and
depression, anger that went to sleep.
Fear of separation from the other. Basic
desire: to find union with the other.
Defense mechanisms:
- repression, dissociation, denial (Riso)
- narcoticization, deflection, confluence (Naranjo)
- narcosis, addictions (Rohr)
The Nine's illusion is that happiness is
attained by shrugging off responsibility and maintaining a calm,
easygoing exterior. (Donson/Hurley)
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Stop seeking constant
gratification.
Philosophy
is a laborious ordeal.
Don't
believe everything you think.
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