The Danger of the Enneagram
My journey into discovering what I always knew.
If you’ve attended a professional development session lately, gone to a mommy group, or scrolled long enough on social media, you’ve heard of the Enneagram. And if you’re like me, you were interested just enough to discover your number. Which is where the trouble starts.
The Enneagram is a tool to understand personality. Developed in the late 1960s, the Enneagram suggests there are nine personality types, three are governed by the head, three by the heart, and three by the gut. What makes this so different from most personality systems is that it focuses on your inner, personal motivations.
I think that’s why so many people respond to this framework. Instead of describing how the world sees you — think about good old Myers-Briggs: You are an Introvert or Extrovert, a Thinker or Feeler — this model focuses on how you see the world. You might be a number two on the Enneagram, the Helper, who interacts with people by offering a helping hand. A seven, the Enthusiast, sees the excitement and possibilities in any situation.
In The Road Back to You, considered one of the definitive book on the topic, Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile write, “[the Enneagram] shows you the box you’re already in and how to get out of it.” Because it’s not just about discovering your type. It’s…
