[Type 1] Enneagram 1

[TopherRed]

So I'm an Enneagram 1; how do I mature from here on out? What's a good way to go about it? I know for a fact that I'm not all that healthy, and I'd like to become more healthy...is health and maturity the same goal? Or is there advice on health for 1s?

 

[Venom]

I'm also an enneagram 1.

Best advice for growth that I've seen (I'll summarize at the end):

Type One—More Depth by Level
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Healthy Levels

Level 1(At Their Best): Become extraordinarily wise and discerning. By accepting what is, they become transcendentally realistic, knowing the best action to take in each moment. Humane, inspiring, and hopeful: the truth will be heard.

Level 2: Conscientious with strong personal convictions: they have an intense sense of right and wrong, personal religious and moral values. Wish to be rational, reasonable, self-disciplined, mature, moderate in all things.

Level 3: Extremely principled, always want to be fair, objective, and ethical: truth and justice primary values. Sense of responsibility, personal integrity, and of having a higher purpose often make them teachers and witnesses to the truth.

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Average Levels

Level 4: Dissatisfied with reality, they become high-minded idealists, feeling that it is up to them to improve everything: crusaders, advocates, critics. Into "causes" and explaining to others how things "ought" to be.

Level 5: Afraid of making a mistake: everything must be consistent with their ideals. Become orderly and well-organized, but impersonal, puritanical, emotionally constricted, rigidly keeping their feelings and impulses in check. Often workaholics—"anal-compulsive," punctual, pedantic, and fastidious.

Level 6: Highly critical both of self and others: picky, judgmental, perfectionistic. Very opinionated about everything: correcting people and badgering them to "do the right thing"—as they see it. Impatient, never satisfied with anything unless it is done according to their prescriptions. Moralizing, scolding, abrasive, and indignantly angry.

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Unhealthy Levels

Level 7: Can be highly dogmatic, self-righteous, intolerant, and inflexible. Begin dealing in absolutes: they alone know "The Truth." Everyone else is wrong: very severe in judgments, while rationalizing own actions.

Level 8: Become obsessive about imperfection and the wrong-doing of others, although they may fall into contradictory actions, hypocritically doing the opposite of what they preach.

Level 9: Become condemnatory toward others, punitive and cruel to rid themselves of "wrong-doers." Severe depressions, nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts are likely. Generally corresponds to the Obsessive-Compulsive and Depressive personality disorders.

Source: 1 - Enneagram Type One: The Reformer

Explanations of "the level system":

A person who knows the Levels of their type can recognize where they are on the continuum of consciousness in a given moment — and how they can move toward a deeper realization of their Being. The “engine” that moves each type down the Levels is the interplay of fear and desire at each Level, starting with the Basic Fear and Basic Desire of each type.

Further explanation:

Healthy
1. Level of Liberation: Ego Transcended — Balance & Freedom
2. Level of Psychological Capacity: Ego is Identified with as the basis of a Particular Mode of Being
3 Level of Social Gift: Ego Operating in a Constructive Way, Successfully Sublimating

Average
4.Level of Fixation: Losing Contact with Presence and Awareness, the Beginning of “Sleep” — as Ego-Role assumed
5. Level of Interpersonal Conflict: Ego Controlling Environment to get its needs met — Manipulative & Defended
6. Level of Overcompensation: Ego Inflation, Aggressive defense of Ego-Identity. Demanding that others/reality support the ego-agenda

Unhealthy
7. Level of Violation: Ego willing to violate self and others to maintain itself. Abusive, Devaluing, Desperate (Serious pathology arises)
8. Level of Delusion and Compulsion: Ego-self out of Control and Out of Touch with Reality (Major Personality Disorders)
9. Level of Pathological Destructiveness: Extreme Pathology or death (Psychosis)

Also of note:

Most Prevalent Addictions:

The Reformer
Excessive use of diets, vitamins, and cleansing techniques (fasts, diet pills, enemas). Under-eating for self-control: in extreme cases anorexia and bulimia. Alcohol to relieve tension.

Most 1s are Js

Zone 1
Well, zone 1 seems to be characterized by a very interesting phenomenon - representatives of all 'J' types appear to reside in it, both extravert and introvert:

What this seems to mean is that in zone 1 each of the eight preference orders occurs, and both extraverted and introverted types gather - a kind of reconciliation of opposite MBTI types. Zone 1 demonstrates a sort of 'perfection' of distribution of type, a 'completion' phenomenon.
...
...

Do MBTI types that are 1s cluster around a single 'inferior' function, like the types in other zones do? Statistically this does not seem to be the case. What then is the 'issue' with respect to zone 1 - the theme around which MBTI family members might be clustering in this zone? . Perhaps what 1s are trying to do is synthesize opposites: in order to make the ideal real. Riso says:

Ones see themselves and the world around them as being in less than an ideal state; hence, they are unsatisfied with reality as it is (and with themselves) since the world could always be improved. (p. 78)

Basically the summary is that 1's want everything to line up with their vision. They get frustrated focusing on how they want things to be, rather than accepting how things are. They rarely can rest on their laurels, because nothing is ever good enough for them. This can all manifest in a wide variety of maladaptive behavior: being "holier than thou", "slave to perfectionism", "judging themselves by impossible moral standards", "procrastination due to impossible standards of perfectionism", "OCD", "never stopping to smell the roses"... etc...

When I'm functioning at my highest level, I'm simply accepting "What is". Im able to live "in the moment" and just focus on "what is". For instance, a political conversation for an unhealthy 1 might become a "holier than thou" moment where they have to show why who they think should win "is the right choice!". A healthier 1 will merely focus on "who will win", regardless of who they want to win. This also works for perfectionism freak outs: Just "focus on what is" and only focus on being in the moment. Instead of freaking out about the past/future outcomes, you'll focus on just executing the present action.

The growth level theory even states that when you're acting at this level "higher than you usaully do", it will come as a shock and make you pull a double take. Indeed, when I first heard myself simply discussing a topic "as it was" rather than "as it should be", I was pleasantly shocked. That's where I got the idea....



Anyone else have topics/advice/anecdotes for 1s?

 

[TopherRed]

Babylon, I can't thank you enough; that was exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Venom]

Babylon, I can't thank you enough; that was exactly what I was looking for.

i'll give ya time to digest, but any thoughts/feedback/epiphanies?

 

[TopherRed]

The growth level theory even states that when you're acting at this level "higher than you usaully do", it will come as a shock and make you pull a double take. Indeed, when I first heard myself simply discussing a topic "as it was" rather than "as it should be", I was pleasantly shocked. That's where I got the idea....

"Accepting what is" rather than concerning myself with a bunch of negative possibilities would be extremely freeing to me--right now, I get bogged down in what I think is going to happen and I still try to change outcomes (I think I hover at Level 4-Fixation; I try to involve myself to bring things back to that "perfection of vision" when I see people doing "stupid" stuff that would ruin it). I never seem to get anything "accomplished" or changed when I think this way, and when I tighten my grip (sliding downward on the scale), things only get worse for me, and the situation usually does as well.

Any advice on how to get constantly into the "healthy" side of things, or is this a simple transition? Is it really about how our vision (of how things "should" be) doesn't matter? Should I just go with the flow and only advise when asked?

Perhaps what 1s are trying to do is synthesize opposites: in order to make the ideal real.

Not quite sure if this one applies to me, but it's something I've got to think harder about. Have you seen that manifested in yourself, or the behavior of other 1s? It's a curious phenomenon.

--Fuzzy

 

[proteanmix]

I've been meaning to post to this thread.

I'm a 1w2 so/sx and didn't know about enneagram until I saw it on this forum. I knew that since I'm a Fe-dom E2 was most typical so I read the description.

I nearly gagged. I'm soooooooooOOOOOO not a 2! I also think that's why I don't think I give off the same vibe as the other Fe-doms on the forum.

After that, I decided that I'm not going to take the enneagram tests I'm going to figure out what type I am purely based on descriptions. I got this book by Riso and Hudson and read all the descriptions. Of them all 1,6, and 8 seemed to fit, but 1 stood out the most.

Aside from the book I read a couple of years ago and the internet stuff (which I really don't pay any attention to), I don't know much about the enneagram. I'll have to refresh my memory about what parts of the E1 stood out.

 

[BlackCat]

Prot, if you want I could send you a few parts from my book on the enneagram about 1s.

 

[proteanmix]

Go for it!

 

[BlackCat]

I'll do it tomorrow, it's late and I have class at 8 in the morning. =) I like 1's, 1w2 is apparently the ideal match for a 9w8 like myself, and I'm inclined to agree based on some individuals I've met.

 

[nynesneg]

^^ Yeah I'm gonna have to go take that test again. Hadn't heard of it until this forum either. Took it yesterday and the results are: 3- seven pts, 1- six pts, 2 and 5- five pts.
Obviously I can't be 3w1. And I disagree, think 1 is dominate.

 

[wren]

Babylon, I can't thank you enough; that was exactly what I was looking for.

yeah me too that was very helpful

 

[Neutralpov]

aww

Don't let the fire die!

I would like to know more about us Enneagram 1s and 9w8. ENFJ here and Prot I totally got your postings and then found out you were a 1 and that explained A LOT. Yeah the mushy 2 ENFJ's are not similar to us 1's. I am a lot more harsh (for lack of better word?) than them I think and come across more intimating and ENTJish especially at work.

I am a 1, 2, and the 7 sometimes 1,7, then 2 last. Depends on the day I take the test but always so variant and then sx.
So I can't totally knock the ENFJ 2s cause I am probably a close 2 but I go through periods of being helper and nurturer and then when I have completed that I snap out into reformer and self-strong one. Hard to explain.

* Also side note Prot the survey thread (http://www.typologycentral.com/foru...bers-personality-type-survey-3.html#post62990) where you answered the question, of friendships:
"They also check me when I get out of control, which I appreciate. I have about 5-7 friends arranged in a concentric circle of which I'm the nucleus. Not everyone I hang out with is a friend, but I can have a good time or decent conversation with most of the people I meet."

Totally on! Has it ruined the group for you when another leader steps in?