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The Enneagram & Character
Structure
by Peter O'Hanrahan,
January 2002
A holistic system
After 30 years of intensive development, we have gotten the Enneagram
to the point where it is a truly elegant system of nine personality
types. While there are lots of theoretical disagreements, it's
still quite remarkable just how much in agreement we are as a
community of Enneagram students and teachers, at least in terms
of the basics of the nine types. The "hard" scientific
research may be slow in coming, but our professional observations
and personal learning about type continue to grow and and be
absorbed into our shared body of knowledge. Every person has
something to contribute from their own experience. And this evocative
diagram remains an inspiring and effective framework for organizing
a wealth of information about human beings. It's particulary
good at including and correlating ideas from many sources and
placing them in the context of the nine great archetypal patterns.
It's precisely this inclusiveness and adaptability of the Enneagram
that gives the system its strength. In its simplest form, it's
only a diagram of nine lines inside a circle. We can project
pretty much anything we want to onto this grid (and then see
what works). Gurdjieff brought it to the public (from where exactly
he wasn't saying). Ichazo used it to map the nine aspects of
human consciousness (among other things). Naranjo integrated
the nine types with modern psychology (along with many noted
associates). And the rest, as they say, is history. Most of us
who studied it in Berkeley in the 1970's never imagined it would
become the worldwide phenomenon that it is today, although had
we known about its rapid spread within the Catholic community
we might have had an inkling.
Like many people, my personal encounter with the Enneagram had
tremendous impact as I recognized my own theme in life and learned
that I shared this with a whole group of others like me. I was
hooked from the beginning. (You know, where all of a sudden it
hits you: these people are talking about my life!) But my enthusiasm
for the Enneagram was also about seeing it as a holistic system
- this business of three centers: intellectual, emotional, and
physical/instinctual. It had a weird name, the early teachers
seemed "way serious" about our desperate condition
as human beings, and personality was described as a terrible
affliction. But it also had those three centers, which as a young
person immersed in holistic health and body-based therapy I found
fit beautifully with my personal and professional interests.
At that time in the Bay Area we were already developing concepts
and methods which included head, heart, and body. Here was a
system of personality types that was immediately applicable in
a holistic model.
As much as I appreciate the theory of the Enneagram, and the
wonderful ideas associated with it, I'm primarily interested
in how it can be used in very practical ways for healing, for
relationships, and for inner work. Most of my thoughts and understanding
of the system come directly from many years of working with myself,
my friends and partners, and my clients. If I've seen something
work, then I'm a believer. Things like moving to the heart point
or stress point, the power of subtypes, are very tangible for
me since I have seen it over and over again with real people.
What has impressed me over time, and I'm sure has also impressed
many of you, is that the Enneagram not only describes personality
per se, but also the deep mental, emotional, and somatic patterns
of our being that we call "character structure."
Self Awareness Work
Personality type and character structure are overlapping
terms that describe us as different individuals - not only our
personal style, but also the patterns of thinking, feeling, and
behaving that give us our identity. Usually when we talk about
someone's personality, we mean the parts of them that are visible
to us - how they present themselves to the world around them,
their likes and dislikes, and so on. Of course there is more
going on beneath the surface. Everyone has parts of themselves
that they don't show in public, parts that might be reserved
for close friends or intimates. And there are some things that
are hidden away so deeply that they rarely, if ever, are known
to the people around us or even to ourselves. Only the "tip
of the iceberg" can be seen.
Freud first described the role of the "unconscious"
in secular terms. In a somewhat parallel view, Gurdjieff described
people as being in a state of "sleep," meaning that
we go through our lives without really being aware of who we
are on the inside or why we do the things that we do. Both psychoanalysis
and the Gurdjieff work have this in common: they suggest that
we are guided (or dominated) by feelings, impulses, and forces
that we have little or no conscious awareness of, and that we
need to make strenuous efforts in order to "wake up."
This type of approach constitutes, or starts with, a "self
awareness model." These and related schools of human development,
while offering widely different methods and practices, all agree
on the importance of paying attention, seeking feedback from
others, and having an inner observer.
However this approach is not shared by everybody. There are religious
groups which actively discourage individual awareness or choice
and set out a system of rules and principles that are meant to
govern all aspects of human life. "Just follow the rules
and you'll stay on the right track." There are also schools
of psychology that don't depend on the awareness model, such
as behavior modification, drug treatment, and hypnotherapy. The
client is not expected to "wake up" or to (necessarily)
play a conscious role in his or her treatment. The dangers of
this style are obvious. People can be manipulated without their
knowledge, and the intentions of the priest, magician, or therapist
may not always be in the best interests of the client. But there
are benefits. These approaches often produce tangible results
and alleviate suffering in ways that the awareness methods can't
deliver. There are countless examples of people who have been
in years of analysis or similar "insight" programs
who have continued to suffer from phobias, depression, or other
symptoms. And then a new medication, a new health practice, or
a behavioral treatment brings big improvement. The point is that
self awareness work by itself is no guarantee of mental health
or a balanced personality.
The Enneagram is clearly a tool for self awareness. As you may
have experienced, it can also be a very sharp sword as it delivers
its loads of critical feedback in big doses. It strikes directly
at our sense of identity, the "who we are" in the world
and challenges the ways the think, feel, and behave. Once we
know our personality type, and what Gurdjieff would call the
"machine," with its automatic or compulsive aspects,
it's hard to go back to business as usual. Without a methodology
of personal growth or spiritual development, and a functioning
support system, self awareness by itself is of limited benefit.
In order to put the Enneagram to work we need lots of self acceptance,
we need support systems, and we need specific practices. With
this combination of resources we have the opportunity to work
not only at the level of personality but also with the deeper
layers of character structure which support and shape our personality.
Archetypal Issues:
Falling asleep vs. waking up
Mind/ego vs. Social persona vs.
body /nature essential self
What is Character Structure?
Personality, character, and character structure are all related
terms but mean somewhat different things. In the Enneagram work
we probably tend to expand the concept of personality, but in
simple terms it's the social persona, the vehicle through which
we participate in the human community. Character on the other
hand has a moral flavor to it. We talk about whether someone
has good character, or a strong character. Do they live up to
their own values? Can they withstand major setbacks in life and
still persevere? And then there's another way of using the word
when we call someone a "character," meaning a bit eccentric
or outside the norm.
Character structure is a more complex psychological term; it
may include personality, or give rise to personality, but it
seems to refer more to how people are organized on the inside.
It has to do with our internal structure, the building blocks
of our psyche, the complex patterns and relationships between
our many parts that enable us to function as a coherent human
being. It includes our sense of identity as we know ourselves,
when we say, "This is me, this is not me." Structure
has the ring of consistency or permanence, but to call it our
psychological "house might be to make it more concrete than
it is. It's rigid in some ways, flexible in others.
Wilhelm Reich M.D. was the first psychologist to speak directly
about character structure. He realized that it wasn't enough
to try to cure neurotic symptoms without understanding the bigger
context of those symptoms, the underlying causes, and their function
in the internal "energy economy" of the individual.
His book, "Character Analyis" was written in the late
1920's during his years as a Freudian psychoanalyst. In this
brilliant work he begins to explore character types and somatic
process including the role of sexual and emotional energies,
body armor, etc. Reich went on to develop a methodology that
used direct work with the body, the breath, and the emotions.
But as you might imagine, this did not go over well with many
people in the 1940's and 50's, and it wasn't until years later,
after his death, that Reich's ideas entered the mainstream and
helped provide a foundation for many of the somatic healing approaches
used today.
Whenever we take on the work of making significant changes inside
ourselves we are working with character structure. This is more
than making behavioral changes - learning to do things differently,
practicing a new skill, etc. Of course it's important to modify
our behavior, even without much self awareness, and sometimes
just because we are told to (and we trust the person telling
us). Sometimes it makes sense to "Just do it" or "Just
don't do it." We don't always need the deeper explanations.
If I am an angry Eight and I realize that my anger is pushing
people away, getting me in trouble, etc, then I can practice
keeping my mouth shut, count to ten, and express my anger in
a different direction than at its immediate "cause"
(the person who made me angry!) This will surely save me some
grief and possibly make me more effective. However, it's not
the same as getting to the root cause of my anger, or discovering
how my anger protects feelings of helplessness and vulnerability.
If I can look further inside myself, learning to express my sadness
and tolerate vulnerability, then in time I will actually become
less angry. (And I won't have to do the counting to ten routine
as much).
Often we are confronting character structure without recognizing
that we are doing so. We naively expect (or punitively demand)
ourselves or others to break deeply worn habits of attention
and behavior when it's called to our attention, but of course
it's not as simple as it sounds. Especially when it comes to
other people's behavior that is not our particular problem, we
may not "get it." We ask, "Why can't this Three,
who I care about so much, slow down and spend time with me?"
or "Why can't my One family member learn to lighten up and
stop being so critical all the time?" or "Why does
that Eight I married have to eat and drink and party so much?"
Is it that they aren't serious, or willing, or they don't care
about us? More likely these issues are embedded in their internal
structure. And we have our own version which is hard to shift.
Each person's character structure is more than simply an accumulation
of traits and internal processes; it's an organized system with
all parts working together to carry us through our daily lives.
It's tempting to identify the bad traits or the "bad"
parts and try to eliminate them from the system. Or maybe we
can move them to a more positive direction. But it rarely works
like that. Each part of us is interconnected to all the others.
(As Reich first noted, our character involves our bodies, emotions,
and minds working together, for better and worse). As with any
system, to change one part may not be possible without changing
the surrounding parts. Or to change one part may just send the
problem somewhere else in the internal landscape. Character structure
has its own its own ecological balance, its functional integrity,
and we would do well to respect that integrity before making
too harsh a judgment or too intrusive an intervention with ourselves
or others.
Not everyone wants to work at the level of characterological
change. And that's fine. There are many ways that the Enneagram
can help people function better and get along with one another.
But those of us who are interested in working at a deeper level
have a very powerful guide in the Enneagram. If we are careful,
we can take apart at least some of the outdated or dysfunctional
parts of our internal structure and rebuild a healthier and more
effective system.
De-structuring and Re-structuring
To the degree that the Enneagram confronts us with our unconscious
habits, automatic patterns, and blind spots, it tends to have
a de-structuring effect. We are no longer are comfortable with
our former selves, we try to change our reactions and our behavior,
and we aren't necessarily sure we have yet to construct a newer,
more integrated self.
De-structuring can become destructive if it's not managed properly,
and if it's not done with enough support both from inside ourselves
and without. Even the kind of support that is offered bears considerable
scrutiny. The main technique used by cults of all kinds, including
"psychotherapeutic" cults as well as the more common
religious ones, is to subject the individual to relentless de-structuring
followed quickly by re-structuring according to the wishes and
program of the cult leader. Perhaps more common, at least in
the territory of the "New Age," is the phenomenon of
young people who have been de-structured in the name of "opening
up" or "losing their ego" but who don't have the
maturity or support to create new ways of functioning in the
world. Even meditation, which many people regard as a vitally
important methodology, can bring some people into serious crisis.
Learning to identify and manage the differences between de-structuring
and re-structuring is important. The two processes evoke different
feelings, responses, and difficulties and require different kinds
of resources to succeed. In our Enneagram community we generally
take for granted that people have access to the kinds of resources
they need to rebuild and re-structure their personalities. There
is usually compensation in terms of the increased capacity for
contact and mutual support in one's learning community, therapy
network, or spiritual group. The Enneagram work itself is de-structuring;
the connection and support is re-structuring. However, it's an
issue that deserves our continued attention.
Here are some sets of activities which are related but which
generally fall on opposite sides of the de/re-structuring equation:
· Breaking old habits - forming new habits.
· Falling in love - getting married.
· Leaving a job or career - starting a new job.
· Becoming seriously sick or injured - establishing new
health habits.
· Criticism - unconditional positive regard.
· Psychoanalytic psychotherapy - supportive therapy or
counseling.
· Growth workshops which focus on de-armoring and opening
up - growth workshops which offer new concepts and practices
for living.
(Some of these pairs can sometimes be experienced in the same
context or situation).
Major issues that drive the attention:
Fairness/Justice Issues
Security Issues Identity Issues
Meta Messages
Our character structure is communicated to people through the
language of our body, our breathing patterns, and our feeling
tones. Beyond what we actually say, or perhaps intend, there
is a mysterious "meta-message" that emanates from each
of us. It's our nonverbal expression that has the main impact
much more than the content of what we say. We speak through our
micro-movements and the positions of our bodies; we communicate
with our eyes and faces, and with the sound of our voice and
breath. And we receive this communication from others in our
bodies, which often means at an unconscious level. This is the
first human language that we learned as young children before
we had verbal speech or cognitive thought.
The Enneagram illuminates the particular characterological message
that we send to others. Each type has not only positive impact
but also unexpected results which at an unconscious level affect
and control our lives by creating repeating patterns in our relationships.
There is a "set-up" here, one that starts with our
best intentions and yet leads to "unintended effects"
which confuse us, betray us, and take our best laid plans off
course. We find ourselves saying, "Why is it that people
don't seem to hear what I'm saying?" or "Why are my
actions so misinterpreted?"
Gurdjieff talked about this dilemma in terms of the musical scale
and the Law of Seven: "If we grasp its full meaning the
law of octaves gives us an entirely new explanation of the whole
of life...... This law explains why there are no straight lines
in nature and also why we can neither think nor do, why everything
with us is thought, why everything happens with us and happens
usually in a way oppposed to what we want or expect. All this
is the clear and direct effect of the 'intervals,' or retardations
in the development of vibrations."
(From "In Search of the Miraculous," P.D. Ouspensky,
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich).
In what my colleague Susan Forster calls the "self perpetuating
cycle," each character type over time more or less succeeds
in creating the world that conforms to their version of reality.
This self fulfilling prophecy is very hard to get a handle on.
Not only do we select information which supports our basic premise
and point of view, and ignore or devalue information which we
find inconsistent, we also make constant, subtle suggestions
to the people around us, suggestions which they may eventually
comply with.
To use Point Six as an example (although any type would work),
we can see how Sixes find evidence that the world is dangerous
and then amplify that truth as a way of justifying their own
fear and suspicion. But of course this doesn't simply take over
their internal psychic space, it begins to affect the people
around them. When Sixes are caught in the fixation they will
speak with an ominous tone which suggests that bad things are
about to happen; they project untrustworthiness or bad motives
onto others; and they withdraw their warmth and support. With
our Six friends and colleagues, it takes constant remembering
and effort to not go into our own automatic response, whether
that's becoming doubtful, angry, or withdrawing (thereby proving
ourselves untrustworthy).
Major Emotional themes:
Anger
Fear Grief (loss of self)
Three centers and character structure
The inner triangle of the Enneagram maps the three centers
of intelligence and their functions - thinking, feeling, and
doing. It also maps the three main solutions to the dilemma of
childhood - how to construct a strategy and a personality that
will first ensure our survival and then lead us to success. (Not
that we consciously construct our personality in childhood!)
From this perspective Points Three, Six, and Nine can be said
to represent the three main character structures. All the rest
of the Enneagram types are variations on a theme, important variations
to be sure and very different in external style and behavior,
but in terms of internal structure quite similar to one of these
triangle types.
Both character structure and character defenses within the three
groups share a basic common ground. The most obvious example
of this are the central emotional themes, or the central emotional
layers, of anger, fear, or grief which underly the personalities.
Of course each of the nine types has its own emotional habit,
traditionally called the "passion" of the type. But
in a more general way these nine passions are themselves linked
to, or founded on, one of the three major emotional themes.
With the three body types we can see how anger plays a predominant
role in their character structure. It shows up differently according
to type, but in order to penetrate below the surface personality
of Eights, Nines, and Ones it is absolutely necessary to acknowledge
and pass through this anger layer. For the feeling types, often
called "image types," the major emotional layer is
grief related to the loss of self. Every person has a relationship
to grief, and everyone experiences sadness. But just below the
surface persona of the feeling types we find a layer of grief
which is always needs to be addressed in order to pursue any
kind of deep work. Even tough Threes, if and when they get through
that shield in their chest, move more quickly into lots of sad
feelings than other "tough types."
Thirdly, with the mental types, we know that fear is the primary
emotional layer. It's not that all the Sevens or counterphobic
Sixes know they are afraid. But whenever mental types go inside
themselves to find their feelings, or work with intimacy issues,
they will encounter a layer of fear which demands attention.
There are other important characterological similarities within
the three groups. Each Enneagram type has a specific defense
mechanism which uses (and misuses) the energy and funtioning
of the lead center. For example, the body types all have defenses
which depend upon a "holding" and redirecting of instinctual
energy. Emotional activity and visible emotional expression are
reduced. Mental perception is also reduced in certain areas -
the areas most charged with upset or anxiety. Yet the activity
of the instinctual center continues on as the main engine of
the system. It may continue in a distorted way, but it's not
diminished. Denial for Eights, reaction formation for Ones, and
narcotization for Nines are all forms of creating a defensive
buffer or "screening out" operation which depends on
repetitive patterns. The natural rhythmicity of the belly center
lends itself to these repeating patterns, which is why the body
types can be considered "obsessive" character types.
By contrast, Points Two, Three, and Four are using their abundant
emotional energy to run their defense mechanisms. Repression,
identification, and introjection are operations of the emotional
center. Emotional energy is not reduced, but rather redirected
in an attempt to earn external approval and create value. Because
the emotional energy builds up and then spills out into the environment,
often in unconcious ways, these types are considered "hysterical"
character types.
Taking one more jump around the Enneagram, we find the mental
types using their intellectual center not only to figure out
their path in life but also to form their own defense system.
The isolation of Fives, the projection of Sixes, and the rationalization
of Sevens all depend on mental energy to ward off feelings and
instincts. Energy is literally withdrawn from the emotional center
and instinctual center and concentrated in the mind. It's as
though they can only have feelings and bodies after the mind
is in control, and by that point it may be hard to get back to
those other centers. This style of reacting to fear by staying
detached, or upwardly displaced can be described as "paranoid/schizoid"
structure, a very unflattering term which only is fair in describing
neurotic process and not people as a whole.
Here are some charts that provide an overview of the characterological
patterns of the types according to the lead center.
Body-based character structure - Points 8, 9, & 1
Priority: instinctual needs and instinctual rhythms
in daily life, issues of fairness or justice.
Benefit: grounded, common sense approach, taking care
of basic needs. Good at "just doing" things. Not much
thought required for the simple tasks of daily life. Close to
nature.
Psychological style: obsessive process - using repeating
patterns of thinking and doing to stabilize/capture attention
in daily life.
Basic defense: A concentration of energy in the belly
center enables layers of physical and mental "insulation"
which are used to screen out unwanted feelings or information
from the inside or the outside. Personal wants and needs are
replaced by "shoulds." Variations of style: comfortable
(9), righteous (1), or dominating (8).
Key phrase: screening and buffering (principled inattention)
Primary emotional layer: anger (being against the way
things are).
Life challenge: "waking up" and maintaining
self awareness instead of falling asleep in control patterns,
excessive materialism, or low level comfort, .
Emotion-based character structure - Points 2, 3, & 4
Priority: relational needs for contact and approval, establishing
personal identity.
Benefit: flexibility and skill in relationship, attunement
to achieving social success, access to the vast potential of
the human heart.
Psychological Style: hysterical process - building up
emotional energy and then discharging it into the environment.
Basic defense: Emotional perception and empathy enable
the creation of an "image self" in order to gain recognition
and approval from others to overcome internal feelings of deficiency.
Personal wants and needs are replaced by meeting the expectations
of others. Variations of style: helpful (2), successful (3),
or authentic (4).
Key phrase: substitution of value. (Value is not in me,
but I can find value in the approval and eyes of others).
Primary emotional layer: sadness (related to the loss
of self).
Life challenge: balancing dependence and autonomy; integrating
social persona with the inner self.
Mental-based character structure - Points 5, 6, & 7
Priority: ideas and concepts, issues of security
Benefit: heightened individual consciousness, discrimination
and analysis, intellectual progress, effective plans and strategies.
Psychological Style: paranoid/schizoid process - withdrawing
from contact in order to figure things out.
Basic defense: A concentration of energy in the mental
center makes it possible to detach from feelings and the body
while living in the mind. Fear of life is met by thinking, explaining,
and rationalizing. Personal wants and needs are intellectualized
or simply not felt. Variations of style: hoarding (5), agreement
seeking (6), or re-framing (7).
Key phrase: detachment/upward displacement.
Primary emotional layer: fearfulness (often not experienced
directly).
Life challenge: integrating the mind with the body and
emotions.
© Peter O'Hanrahan 2002