The Enneagram, too

 I was thinking this morning about how I ended last night's post, explaining what my stance is going to be toward the MBTI and Socionics. I said (basically) that I will look toward the practitioners and devotees of the MBTI for allies in the vast U.S. market, and toward the Socionists with a humble acknowledgement that in terms of type theory I will be leaning heavily on their work.

When I said that I had my eyes fixed on the two systems derived from Jung's work. But it would be foolish of me not to look for help from some within the Enneagram community as well. In terms of influence in the U.S. I would say it is comparable to that of the MBTI, and its system focuses less on how people's minds work and more on how their soul is. (My "from the hip" shot at a pithy comparison.)

I only have about 15 minutes left to finish this post so I am going to let myself off the hook for writing a skimpy piece on the Enneagram today, and will just say that I am going to elaborate later on where the connecting points are between it and my vision.

"Enneagram" means a nine-pointed diagram. Its model is based on a star shape with each point of the star connecting to two other points across the diagram. Here are the type names (this system has a huge advantage over the Jungian systems, in that there is not a myriad-- well, a lot, anyway-- of lists of type names):

1. The Reformer

2. The Helper

3. The Achiever

4. The Individualist

5. The Investigator

6. The Loyalist

7. The Enthusiast

8. The Challenger

9. The Peacemaker

Here is some information on the history of the Enneagram system. Right off the bat you can see why it appeals to Christian teachers, pastors, and laypeople, and many within the vast demographic of people who identify themselves as "spiritual, but not religious": it is identified as a "modern synthesis of a number of ancient wisdom traditions". Jung's beliefs came from his personal observations, organized in harmony with philosophical principles within the "Western tradition".

A great convergence is underway in human society-- the science of "the West" moved into mysticism with Jung and others like him. And the Enneagram pulls "wisdom" (read: spiritual wisdom) into something like a scientific model.

More to come.

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