The Enneagram: My biggest personal breakthrough yet

've stumbled across a book and concept of late that is intriguing and providing a greater incite into my personality and anxiety than anything else I have ever come across.

It's called the Enneagram, and has been developed by pschologists as a system for classifying and describing personality types. Personalities are divided into nine main types of which, there are three feeling, thinking and intuition. Within each of triads, there are a withdrawn, compliant and conflicting disposition. There are also combinations of these, a total of twenty seven permutations.

It's really ingenious, and is a continuation and refinement of the works for Freud, Jung and Horney. I have found my own personality to be a type "4", called "The Individualist". A Four is an withdrawn emotional type. This means, very self aware and self intrinsic. The strength of this, if I am "healthy" state, is profound creativity, an ability to fully acknowledge and harness my emotional focus as a strength to myself and others. In an "unhealthy" state, then I suffer from withdrawl, depression, self loathing and an inablity to relate to others. Now, I have had these symptoms all my life, and I'm speculating that alot of people reading this now have had too.

There are other personality types that have symptoms similar to social anxiety in an unhealthy state. Noticably, the thinking triad all suffer from anxiety to some degree, but deal with it differently depending on whether or not they are compliant, withdrawn or conflicting. I think that alot of people on this forum, from reading posts and knowing social anxiety, are Individualists, like myself.

I can't stress what an important discovery this book has been for me so far, and I am only just starting to understand it. By knowing your personality type, you can understand the natural strengths that you posess, that you can offer to others. Also, you can understand other people alot better. You can better read people, and stop feeling jealous of more outgoing types, because they have other weaknesses.

If anybody has experience with this book and system, please tell me about your experience and perspective.

The book I have is called:

"Personality Types - Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery"
by Don R. Riso and Russ Hudson.

The book is 493 pages long.

Thankyou for your time in reading this post and I hope its of use.

Hey Vincent - I have read a book called "The Enneagram" by Helen Palmer and in this there are 9 personalitly types. According to this book i am point 5 on the enneagram - 'The Observer'. I looked up some enneagram tests on the net and found this one -
http://similarminds.com
It centers more on the system that you were talking about and in this one i am also a '5' - 'The Architect' INTP.
Fives - feel ambivalent about the world consequently their mind is usually their best friend (and my worst enemy) Gifted in analysis and making sense of things, perception and invention come naturally. Their inner world can become a hideaway from the real one. That unfortunately pretty much sums me up. It is interesting reading though - and i find myself shocked at times just at the sheer acuracy of the results.
I don't concentrate on other personality types though - perhaps i should - because like you said it will give me a better understanding of people in general. Maybe it may even help me to be less afraid of 'the people'.

I have been taking these kind of tests for years and turns out I'm 5 with a 6 wing or a 4 wing. As for the other type, I am a ISTP or ISFP. It kind of hard to decide which is my true personality, since I display traits of both types.

I found the same site as redlady really interesting tests

Thanks for your feedback, its interesting to see the results. I figured that everyone would be a four type; individualist like myself. Redlady, it figures that a five is an option for SAD. Its not that different to a four really, after all there is a wing for that; the Bohemian. Then, McShy you say a Two, the helper. From this I guess you can be any type and be under the grip of SA.

Cos I am a four and my first is emotion, second intellect. I know that I need to focus on intuition, action. Got me thinking, what is action? Well, I have a mate that is the Leader type, aggressive intuitive type. He has no trouble talking to people, he is outgoing and popular,..why? Well, he never runs outa shit to talk about cos hes always doing stuff, yknow? Like, meeting people, applying for jobs, networking, acting on ideas as they occur. That is good shit to talk on. I mean, when people say "what have you been up to", well, I dread that question, cos it feels as though its been nothin except reflect on my past and the lack of action Ive had. Yknow? I always feel confident going into a social situation, well, more confident, if Ive been doing stuff, talking to people, exercising and TAKING RISKS. I figure it must be better to talk about failed ventures than whinge about life passing me by. Surely.

Im supposed to be strongly artistic from my type, well, I guess I am, I mean the way I think or something, except that I have no outlet for that. I don't know how to express it. I feel angry all the time and dismissive of risk takers, yet because of my emotional personality Im supposed to sympathise with others rather than hate. I relate better when Im living up to my potential rather than sitting on the fence and thinking, well, I don't need to live in the real world of accomplishment. The fantasy world, I am my ego, but connecting with people shatters this frail image. I guess that's why it hurts so much: hense SA, cos my ego and reality are so far seperated. Envy is my primary weakness, and self pity my antidote. I've heard that self pity is the lowest of emotions, and I think maybe its right. How many else of you use self pity as an antidote to envy or jealousy.

Im trying to see my highly emotional self as a strength rather than a weakness, as it allows a high amount of compassion. My highly introspective disposition allows me to be self renewing and reinvigorating, however I think I do that too often, every second trying to invent a new formula that will make me happy without others, I can't continue on a path for long because without socialising, depression replaces ideas.

yeah, its a journey this Enneagram, I dont think of myself as social anxious anymore, so much as thinking of myself as an Individualist, much better understanding and solutions that make sense rather than just "be positive" or whatevers

comments?