Little_Sticks
New member
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2009
- Messages
- 1,358
I've ignored enneagram for a long time. If someone can help make it clear what the enneagram theory is attempting to measure, I'd appreciate it. That said, at a glance there are so many additions to each type. For example, if someone were type 4, they could have no wing or two wings. That's 3 combinations. Now add instinctual variants and you have 3 combinations for each of those 3 combinations (9 combinations). Then add tritype and there's 9 tritype combinations for each of those previous 9 combinations, giving 81 combinations per type...
That said, how does each portion of the theory justify itself from the other portions so that they aren't being superfluous and overlapping? Just to get this started, I'll ask some questions.
Questions
Type
What constitutes an enneagram type? Is it nature or nurture or a combination that creates an enneagram type?
Wings
Why does an enneagram type relate to the two wings around it in forming a wing? Is it nature or nurture or both? Does it supplement the core type or does it compensate for the insecurities of the core type? Or is it just a choice? And if it is just a choice, then why does it have to be only the two wings around the core type?
Instinctual Variants
What does instinctual variant measure? Is it a separate motivation that stacks on top of the core type and distinguishes the behavior of the core type at the same time? Why would this be different from a wing?
Tritype
How does tritype justify itself when there are already so many of the above ways to describe a type? I understand the heart, gut, and thinking triad idea and that we all present the behavior of them all, but doesn't that kind of undermine the core type? Or is it just a way to understand our inclinations in the other triads categories?
Childhood Law of Three
And lastly, there is this http://pstypes.blogspot.com/2010/01/chilhood-scenarios-for-enneatypes-law.html, which someone posted about before. I wonder how wings and tritype and instinctual variant would relate to it. Someone's tritype could include Responsive, Active, and Neutral, which I thought was a little strange, unless this idea is only to represent how the core type emerges. But even so, considering that the relationships were described somewhat negatively (I guess maybe the enneagram is though), why would somebody keep such a nature? Say, for example, a person is Active and the parent Neutral, resulting in 4; why would the 4 continue to be Active if it never works? Might they learn to become withdrawn and more Neutral as a defensive mechanism, like a 5? Or become more Neutral, but status conscious to feel valued, like a 3? But that would have more to do with nurture in combination with how someone chooses to be and then adding in the other enneagram ideas makes it unclear what is supposed to be what. Would this make wing more like a mask? And would it help support tritype or contradict it?
Any thoughts?
That said, how does each portion of the theory justify itself from the other portions so that they aren't being superfluous and overlapping? Just to get this started, I'll ask some questions.
Questions
Type
What constitutes an enneagram type? Is it nature or nurture or a combination that creates an enneagram type?
Wings
Why does an enneagram type relate to the two wings around it in forming a wing? Is it nature or nurture or both? Does it supplement the core type or does it compensate for the insecurities of the core type? Or is it just a choice? And if it is just a choice, then why does it have to be only the two wings around the core type?
Instinctual Variants
What does instinctual variant measure? Is it a separate motivation that stacks on top of the core type and distinguishes the behavior of the core type at the same time? Why would this be different from a wing?
Tritype
How does tritype justify itself when there are already so many of the above ways to describe a type? I understand the heart, gut, and thinking triad idea and that we all present the behavior of them all, but doesn't that kind of undermine the core type? Or is it just a way to understand our inclinations in the other triads categories?
Childhood Law of Three
And lastly, there is this http://pstypes.blogspot.com/2010/01/chilhood-scenarios-for-enneatypes-law.html, which someone posted about before. I wonder how wings and tritype and instinctual variant would relate to it. Someone's tritype could include Responsive, Active, and Neutral, which I thought was a little strange, unless this idea is only to represent how the core type emerges. But even so, considering that the relationships were described somewhat negatively (I guess maybe the enneagram is though), why would somebody keep such a nature? Say, for example, a person is Active and the parent Neutral, resulting in 4; why would the 4 continue to be Active if it never works? Might they learn to become withdrawn and more Neutral as a defensive mechanism, like a 5? Or become more Neutral, but status conscious to feel valued, like a 3? But that would have more to do with nurture in combination with how someone chooses to be and then adding in the other enneagram ideas makes it unclear what is supposed to be what. Would this make wing more like a mask? And would it help support tritype or contradict it?
Any thoughts?