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Myers-Briggs® Type Theory and the Enneagram
I participated in a weekend introduction to the Enneagram, an ancient typology that dates back to early Sufi’s and popularized by Russian Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff in the early 1900s. I’ve read books, discussed it with knowledgeable colleagues, been to a one-day workshop on how Myers-Briggs® and the Enneagram work together, taken tests on the web to identify my Enneagram type, all to no avail. I continued to sort between 2 (Giver), 3 (Performer), and 9 (Mediator).
This Enneagram organization follows the narrative tradition. They don’t teach so much as they do interview people who know their Enneagram type. The audience learns from that type’s responses and from what the facilitator draws out or points out.
Everything the Two’s said resonated. I am a 2 (Giver) with a 3 (Performer) wing, the one who strives to achieve. Two’s give in order to be loved. The belief is that one must give to get. It isn’t a conscious decision; it’s just the way it is. It isn’t that Two’s have an agenda, or that their approach is “tit for tat”. Two’s genuinely want to serve others and feel needed. ENFJs make decisions based on what others want and need. It’s innate for me. Why not? Maybe it has something to do with Pat Wyman’s view of how the MBTI and the Enneagram related.
Therapist Pat Wyman presented her view of how Myers-Briggs® type and the Enneagram type work together at a Bay Area Association for Psychological Type program. She authored Three Keys to Understanding based on her empirical studies in her counseling work. MB and Enneagram being 2 of the 3 keys. The third key is dialogue with the inner child. She postulates that MB type is innate (as Carl Jung said) and that the EN type is our early adaptation to our environment. If life supports us in being who we are innately, we adopt the EN type that parallels the MB personality type. It’s a comfortable fit. We experience less angst relating to ourselves and to the world. If our childhood environment is challenging, we might gravitate to an EN type that is different in posture than our MB type.
For me, my two types work well together and reinforce each other. While the MB type is always painted in the best light, the Enneagram type points to challenges. None are all that attractive. It is a spiritual approach that shows the path to development.
I also noticed that ENFP often, but not always, gravitate to the Enneagram Type 7 (Epicure). The panel described their lives as full of possibility and displayed enthusiasm, consistent with ENFP common behavior. I saw other parallels as well.
If you search for Enneagram you’ll most likely find others’ opinions on correlations between Myers-Briggs® Types and Enneagram Types. Correlations, of course, are generalities that apply to a sample but not necessarily to an individual.
I invite you to explore the overlap of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and the Enneagram personality types. I welcome any comments you might offer.
I found this inexpensive weekend workshop at www.authenticenneagram.com. Three seasoned excellent facilitators led the program with grace and insight. I highly recommend attending if you are interested. The website has explanations of each type, columns to answer people’s questions, a test to help you identify your Enneagram type, and video clips to observe each type. There are other organizations that offer workshops. This one just happened to be convenient, timely, and affordable for me.
If I had the luxury of time and money to invest in the study, I would learn much more about the Enneagram. For now and the foreseeable future, I’ll stick with Myers-Briggs’ theory. If I studied that for the rest of my life, there would still be more to learn.
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