The Enneagram

The Enneagram of Personality Types

The name enneagram means “drawing of nine” and comes from two Greek words: ennea meaning “nine” and gram meaning “drawing” or “figure.” The Enneagram is a nine-pointed figure inscribed in a circle. The meaning of the symbol itself, together with the personality types organized around the nine points, convey a system of knowledge about nine distinct but interrelated personality types, or nine ways of seeing and experiencing the world.

The Enneagram of personality types is a psycho-spiritual system for mapping the nine possible personalities, like nine facets of a stone that develop through the natural growth of the human psyche.

The Enneagram of personality is a versatile and powerful personality typing system. Each personality type associated with the Enneagram represents a map of traits that highlights patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. By learning one’s type and the patterns and habits associated with that type, one can use of the Enneagram system as an effective tool for self-understanding and self-development.

Each Enneagram personality type, or style, is based on a pattern of where attention goes. By learning about what kinds of things one habitually attends to and puts energy into, one can observe oneself more accurately and develop more self-awareness. By enhancing one’s self awareness with the help of the Enneagram, one can exercise more choice about one’s functioning rather than engaging in patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior in an automatic, habitual, unconscious way.

The Enneagram symbol and the personality types associated with it have ancient roots. Traces of it can be found in the early mystical forms of many of the world’s spiritual teachings.

Today, knowledge of the Enneagram system is growing all around the world. The insights about human functioning and development are being applied in many varied areas including psychology and psychotherapy, business, the arts, health care, parenting, education, and spiritual growth.

The Enneagram system of personality types is being used in many different ways by IEA Professionals in many different places all around the world.

To learn more about the Enneagram, consider attending the IEA Global Conference that occurs every year in July. Also, check out the EVENTS listed on our website that are opportunities offered by our IEA Professional Members.