[Traditional Enneagram] Bad Enneatyping practices.

[Kullervo]

I am reluctant to Enneatype people on the forum unless I know them well, but for people who do want to, I've concluded that there is a right and wrong way to go about it.

What concerns me is that many posters here base their judgements on the stereotypical type descriptions they read (I get the feeling from Riso-Hudson mainly). The problem with this is that these descriptions are, well, stereotypes, and a minority of people in any given type will closely match them. As one's MBTI and instinctual stacking - as well as variables like gender and culture - will colour the way an Enneatype is expressed; it seems ludicrous to assume that all people with a given type will obey a stereotype.

To me, the fundamental behaviours somebody must identify with to be given an Enneatype are:

The Worldview
The Core Fear
The feedback loops
(A few of) The levels of health

For the hell of it let's start with E1. (material from 9Types and The Enneagram Institute)

World View: The world is an imperfect place. I work toward improvement.
Basic Fear: of being condemned
Feedback Loops:

(read the descriptions of them, too)
Levels of Health:

Type One—More Depth by Level
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.

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.

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.

In my view, if you strongly identify with the above, you're likely to be a 1, and I'll go further: the above is actually all that matters. Whether you are a religious zealot or not should have no bearing on anything. But I am sure discerning people can see a problem here: how are you supposed to assess these things if you don't know the person in question? They're pretty personal. I mean it's not as if I would talk about my core fears and desire in life to random strangers on the net. Stereotypes come in because people feel they have to fill in the missing pieces somehow.

I suggest members stop Enneatyping newbies and anybody we don't know well, even if they ask. Working off "vibes" just isn't the right way to go about this.

Constructive comments are welcome...

 

[Evee]

Can you post the other feedback loops.

 

[Kullervo]

Can you post the other feedback loops.

Nahhh, I'm too lazy. Here's the link to the 1 page though, and you can find the other ones from there.... Type 1 -- Enneagram Personality Dynamics

 

[Evee]

Nahhh, I'm too lazy. Here's the link to the 1 page though, and you can find the other ones from there.... Type 1 -- Enneagram Personality Dynamics

Just as well.. thanks.

 

[senza tema]

The main problem with this is that you can identify your own patterns in more than one type ... and may often pick the one that's more obvious to you but may not actually strike at the heart of the issue.

For example, while I'm a core 4, I superficially identify with the 5 loop more and did in fact mistype at 5 for a long time. Similarly, my ex identifies with the 4 loop but that stuff is a smokescreen designed to conceal the neurosis of his real core type, which is 7.

This, like any other typing method else, requires a fairly high level of self-awareness, or awareness of whoever you're typing.

 

[Kullervo]

The main problem with this is that you can identify your own patterns in more than one type ... and may often pick the one that's more obvious to you but may not actually strike at the heart of the issue.

I realise that nobody purely expresses the patterns of one type; this is when wings and the integration point become useful.

For example, while I'm a core 4, I superficially identify with the 5 loop more and did in fact mistype at 5 for a long time. Similarly, my ex identifies with the 4 loop but that stuff is a smokescreen designed to conceal the neurosis of his real core type, which is 7.

Uh oh. I don't relate to the 5 loop at all. There are aspects of the 3 and 6 loops that I identify with, but thoughts like this ----> "Something's missing. Others have it. I'm different from them because I don't" are just...you have no idea how badly I get wracked with that...

This, like any other typing method else, requires a fairly high level of self-awareness, or awareness of whoever you're typing.

In which case, surely you generally agree with what I've said in the OP?