The Nine Illusions
A study in the Enneagram
NB - This is only a very brief summary - wholly inadequate for a proper understanding of the Enneagram. For a fuller understanding, you need to watch the videos.
Introduction
The Enneagram is a study of the nine personality types. The word ‘Enneagram’ comes from the Greek words ‘ennea’ meaning nine, and ‘gram’ meaning drawing. It is fascinating, funny and very penetrating .
We are all a combination of these nine, though of course each of us is unique.
While it is fun and interesting, it is also quite serious, because it is actually a study of sin. The nine types are based on the seven deadly sins identified by the Catholic Church, plus two recognised by the Eastern Church. Our particular personality reflects what the Bible calls our besetting sins. Until I recognise my particular sin-type, I can’t do anything about it, so it is important to learn the truth about myself. (Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.”) The problem is that sin by its very nature is deceptive, so it’s hard to know our own sins. The Enneagram is a wonderful, gentle tool for helping us to find out. It also gives us a very good insight into what makes other people tick.
Key teachings about the Enneagram:
1. The Enneagram is a theology of sin. It is a mirror into our inner sinful motives. If you enjoy what we see, then we don’t understand it, because it is actually an exposing of our sin.
2. All of us are a combination of the types. Of course everyone is unique, but we are all a combination of two or three of the personality types. Our fingerprints are unique, yet we share blood types.
3. You can’t change what type you are.
You can only redeem it.
4. All nine are ugly when unredeemed, but wonderful when redeemed.
5. Each of the nine is based an illusion. The illusion always reads: “If only I can . . . then everything will be okay.” Each of the nine fills in something different in that space. Each is in fact a false way to avoid rejection.
6. The arrows on the Enneagram indicate the healthy and unhealthy direction for each personality to move.
How to approach the Enneagram.
Try to be open to recognizing yourself. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.”(Jn8:32)
#1 - The Perfectionist
1. The Illusion
The illusion of the#1 is: “If only I can be perfect, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
2. The Fear. #1’s are afraid of imperfection. They try very hard to be good. They work out of ‘Good Boy’ energy.
3. The Sins. The #1’s Cardinal sin is Anger. This is because they learned wrongly that to get angry was to be imperfect, so they repressed it. But inwardly they are very angry – with the world for being imperfect, and for not listening to them; and with themselves for being so full of failings. This leads to the sins of judgementalism and discontent. They are also prone to the sin of melancholy, which is often caused by anger turned inward. And they are always trying to fix everything.
4. The Country - Switzerland, where people use spirit-levels to straighten the woodpile.
5. The Animal - the mosquito - always buzzing around people and giving them no rest. Also, the yapping dog - always snapping at peoples heels.
6. The Gifts. #1’s are good people. They do things well. They have a sense of idealism, without which the world becomes very cynical. They have a keen sense of justice, and stand up for the oppressed. Above all, they offer the gift of acceptance. Because they have had to work so hard at accepting themselves, you feel very enriched when they accept you, faults and all.
7. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #1’s to move in the direction of the #4, and must avoid like a plague the #4’s sins of melancholy and self-absorption. Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #7 - joyful trust. They need to learn to laugh (especially at themselves) and must plan for joy.
8. Example from Scripture - Paul. See Phil 1-14.
9. Jesus shows the strengths and avoids the sins of The Perfectionist:
- A good man - Lk 23:27
- Intensely idealistic –“Be ye perfect” - Mt 5:48
- Highly critical of wrong-doing and hypocrisy
- Able to use anger properly - Jn 2:14
- Accepting of people - “Neither do I condemn you.” - Jn 7:53
#2 - The Care-giver
1. The Illusion
The illusion of the #2 is: “If only I can be needed, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
2. The Fear. #2’s are afraid of admitting need. As a result, they are actually very needy, but don’t admit it, so they frequently go to the fridge for comfort.
3. The Sins. The #2’s Cardinal sin is pride. You would never think so to look at them – they are such servants. But the heart of pride is to think we don’t need God, and #2’s try not to need anyone, including God. #2’s are also prone to the sin of manipulation - they can use their servanthood to put people under obligation to them. They are also prone to the sin of revenge, becoming surprisingly bitter if people don’t return their love.
4. The Country - Italy - the big Italian Mamma, always plying people with food. But Italy also produced the Mafia with its capacity for terrible revenge.
5. The Animal - the Cat - soft and cuddly, but with claws. Santa with claws!
6. The Gift - Unconditional Love. They are the Mother Theresa’s of this world. Note: Mother Theresa’s motto was, “Love , without counting the cost.”
7. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #2’s to move in the direction of the #8 (hardness and revenge.) Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #4 (Originality.) #2’s are prone to lose touch with their own needs, desires and uniqueness – something #4’s never do.
8. Example from Scripture - Martha. See Luke 10:38-42.
9. Jesus shows the strengths and avoids the sins of The Care-giver:
- Was immensely compassionate – Mt9:36
- “Came not to be served, but to serve” – Mk 10:45
- Was able to say ‘No’ – Mark 1:37
- Knew what it was to become depleted by serving
- Was able to express need and ask for help – Mk 26:38
#3 - The Achiever
1. The Illusion
The illusion of the #3 is: “If only I can be successful and look good, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
They are often physically good-looking, often with great hair!
2. The Fear. #3’s are afraid of failure, or of looking bad. Hence appearance and image are very important to them.
3. The Sins. The #3’s Cardinal sin is deceit. Outward appearance can be more important to a#3 than inward integrity. ‘The end justifies the means.’ Hence, #3’s are also prone to the sin of shallowness - they can get completely out of touch with their inner lives, and pay little attention to what is ‘below the water line.’
4. The Country - United States. Where else would an actor become President? (In the last 10 presidential elections, the taller candidate has always won.) But they have a tremendous ‘can-do’ approach to life.
5. The Animal - the Chameleon - able to change its appearance to fit its environment.
6. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #3’s to move in the direction of the
#9 (comfort and moral laziness.) Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #6 (obedience, recognizing authority above themselves.)
7. The Gifts - Leadership, influence, getting things done. And, because it doesn’t come naturally, integrity.
Billy Graham is a great example of a redeemed #3 – hugely influential, yet thoroughly integrous.
8. Example from Scripture
- Solomon. See I Kings 10:22-12:6.
9. Jesus shows the strengths and avoids the sins of the Achiever:
- Integrity -"Nor was any deceit in his mouth” - Isaiah 53:9
- ‘Charismatic’ - he drew crowds wherever he went.
- Not addicted to crowds - John 6:66
- A great achiever - “I have accomplished the work you gave me to do” – John 17:4
- Accepts rejection, humiliation and loss of physical attractiveness - Isaiah 53:2-3
#4 - The Artist
1. The Illusion
The illusion of the #4 is: “If only I can be special, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
In fact, they often are special; they have a gift for originality, and have great taste.
2. The Fear. #4’s are afraid of being ordinary. They have to be different.
3. The Sins. The #4’s Cardinal sin is envy. They cannot bear it if someone is more special than them. They are also prone to self-absorption and can be aloof. They struggle to fit in to structures, which is not a sin in itself, but can lead to deliberate writing-off of others.
4. The Country – France – “Vive la differance.”
5. The Animals: The Mustang - sleek, wild, and free;
The mourning dove – sitting in its tree telling the world how sad it all is.
6. A modern example – Vincent van Gogh - brilliantly talented and highly perceptive, but depressive, with a deep struggle to fit into society.
7. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #4’s, with their tendency to self-absorption and despair, to move in the direction of the #2 (obligation and flattery.) Better to move towards the gift of the #1 (action and idealism.)
8. The Gifts - Originality, insight and sensitivity. They challenge structures, which the world badly needs. They understand human emotion better than anyone else, and, when they apply themselves to unselfishness, can be deeply empathetic. They deal in right-brain symbolism which is often more powerful than left-brain analysis.
9. Examples from Scripture:
Joseph with his special coat, his amazing dreams, his ability to understand symbolism. But he never indulges in self-pity, and constantly serves others.
Mary, sister of Martha, who anoints Jesus’ feet and washes them with her hair – deeply symbolic and very costly.
10. Jesus shows the strengths and avoids the sins of The Artist:
Never guilty of self-absorption, he experienced emotion very deeply, and gave to the world some of its most powerful imagery: The Cross, the Bread and Wine, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, among many others.
#5 - The Observer
1. The Illusion
The illusion of the #5 is: “If only I can know/perceive, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
So they retreat into the cerebral.
2. The Fear. #5’s are afraid of emotional engagement. At funniest, they become absentminded professors; at worst, they become autistic.
3. The Sins. The #5’s Cardinal sin is avarice /stinginess (avarice for knowledge; stinginess in refusing to share themselves.) They can also be aloof and can lack empathy.
4. The Country – England (upper class) – “Stiff upper lip.”
5. The Animal - the Owl - big eyes; observe from above; fly off if you make eye-contact.
6. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #5’s, with their tendency to disengagement and inaction, to move in the direction of the #7 (shallowness, as with the English ‘Dandy’ .) Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #8 (audacious engagement.) Bonhoffer was a great example of the #5 who engaged in brave engagement.
7. Who they marry. #2’s and #5’s are often attracted to each other. The #5 likes the emotional engagement in the #2, and the #2 is attracted to the emotional stability of the#5, and think they will ‘save’ them. Each hopes the other will fill up a lack they see in themselves.
(There is no right and wrong about which numbers on the Enneagram should marry. The issue is not which number you married, but whether they are redeemed or not.)
8. The Gifts – Wisdom (they make great arbitrators, because they stay emotionally detached).
– Simplicity (Einstein just by observing and thinking comes up with a simple world-changing equation.)
9. Examples from Scripture
– Thomas (“Unless I see, I won’t believe”).
– Mary, mother of Jesus (“Kept all these things and pondered them in her heart”.)
10. Jesus shows the strengths and avoids the sins of The Observer:
- Wisdom: “They were amazed at his understanding”- Lk 2:47
- Emotional engagement: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” – Luke22:15.
- Habitual withdrawal: (25 references in Mark alone.)
#6 - The Loyal Soldier
1. The Illusion.
The illusion of the #6 is: “If only I can be loyal and obedient, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
2. The Fear. #6’s are afraid of uncertainty. They are constantly looking for an external authority.
3. The Sins. The #6’s Cardinal sin is fear (the second sin not recognized by the western church.) This can lead to unthinking obedience, which is moral laziness. They can also become fanatical and dogmatic.
4. The Countries - The German soldier in WW II. Perhaps China.
5. The two types.
i) Timid - obedient and loyal to a fault: Timothy in the Bible was this type: brought up by women, Paul has to tell him to be strong.
ii) Overcompensating. These are much harder to spot, because they look like #8’s. Peter in Scripture was an over-compensating #6 – full of bravado, but actually driven by fear.
6. The Animals:
i)Timid: the Rabbit - big ears to listen for trouble; powerful hind legs for escape.
ii)Over-compensating: the wolf-pack - unthinking conformity, with potential for structural violence.
iii) The Labrador – Loyal and obedient.
7. Who they marry. The #6 is attracted to strength in the #8, and #8’s like the submissiveness of the#6. Opposites attract. There is nothing intrinsically good or bad in any type marrying any other type, but it is particularly dangerous when a #6 gives unthinking submission to an unredeemed #8. This can lead to people wrongly staying in abusive marriages. It led to the awful events in Nazi Germany.
8. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #6’s, with their tendency to dependence or recklessness, to move in the direction of the #3 (authoritarianism). Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #9 (peaceful trust.)
9. The Gifts/ The Example of Jesus:
- Obedience - “ ...Not my will…”
- Loyalty - “…I have prayed for you Simon…”
- Responsibility - “…Behold your mother…”
- Trust - “… Into thy hands…”
#7 - The Fun-lover
1. The Illusion
The illusion of the #7 is: “If only I can be light-hearted, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
2. The Fear. #7’s are afraid of pain. They are constantly looking for ways to avoid it or palliate it.
3. The Sins. The #7’s Cardinal sin Gluttony/Intemperance – for anything that alleviates pain. Particularly vulnerable to addiction. They are also prone to shallowness. And, because they are constantly planning ways to find pleasure and to avoid pain, they can easily stoop to scheming.
4. The Country – Ireland - where a funeral is turned into a party. The aim of the national dance to keep your feet off the ground as much as possible. Yet, during ‘The Troubles’, Ireland slipped over into the vicious violence of the #8. (We are always capable of slipping into the numbers next to ours. We call these ‘The Wings.’)
5. The Animals:
Monkey/dolphin/butterfly – always playing, flitting from one thing to another and never sitting heavily anywhere.
6. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #7s, with their tendency to shallowness, to move in the direction of the #1 (rigid idealism.) Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #5 (depth.)
8. The Gift: Joy. How the world needs joy.
We all have an in-born capacity for fun, but it gets squashed out of us, and #7’teach us to be joyful again.
9. Example from history – Francis of Assissi - as a young man, a great pleasure-seeker, repulsed by ugliness. The turning-point of his life was when he hugged a leper, then gave himself to ministering to the poor.
10. The Example of Jesus.
Concerned for a young couple’s party to go well, he turns an absurd amount of water into wine.
He said, “The Son of Man comes eating and drinking.”
He offered “...that my joy might be in you, and that your joy might be full.”
His favourite image for the kingdom of God was a feast/a banquet/a wedding – to him, the kingdom of God was a Party!
#8 - The Tough Guy
1. The Illusion. The illusion of the #8 is: “If only I can be strong, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
2. The Fear. #8’s are afraid of weakness. They fear it in themselves, so they scorn it in others. Actually, inside, they are scared little boys.
3. The Sins. The #8’s Cardinal sin is Lust/self-gratification – not only sexually (though that is a danger for #8’s), but for anything they want. They can rape life. They are prone to harshness and cruelty. They operate out of ‘bad boy’ energy. Perhaps the worst #8 ever was Adolf Hitler: heartlessly cruel, and ruthless in weeding out the weak and the handicapped.
4. The Country – Spain – the home of the bull-fight. Where else do you prove your manliness by running in the streets in front of raging bulls, wearing white so any blood will be seen? The very word ‘Macho’ is Spanish.
5. The Animal: The Bull or the Buffalo –aggressive, bad-tempered, and ready to attack first and think afterwards. Actually short-sighted, seeing only in black and white. (Contrary to common belief, bulls can’t see red.)
6. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #8s, with their tendency to harshness and cruelty, to move in the direction of the #5 (isolation) where, they can plot all manner of cruelty. Joseph Stalin is the most frightening example of this. Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #2 (gentleness and caring.)
7. The Gifts: Strength, authority and courage. They make good prophets, because they are genuinely aren’t scared, and don’t mind being against.
Also, once redeemed, they are wonderful protectors of the weak.
8.Examples from Scripture
Samson. He was tremendously strong and was capable of great cruelty. Numbers of times he said to his parents “Get her for me” – demanding instant gratification. Sadly, he only began to be redeemed after he had been blinded. Esau was also a #8.
9. The Example of Jesus. Children gravitated to him. He often stood up for the weak in the face of criticism. But he was capable of tremendous harshness: “He made a whip of cords and drove everyone from the temple courts.” John 2:15. In the face of his strength and ferocity, they fled from him.
#9 - The Peace-maker
1. The Illusion. The illusion of the #9 is: “If only I can avoid conflict, everything will be OK, and people won’t reject me.”
2. The Fear. #9’s are afraid of conflict. They go to considerable lengths to avoid it. They need to learn that “Peace at any price is no peace, and comes at a terrible price.” Neville Chamberlain learned this the hard way, and the world paid a terrible price.
3. The Sins. The #9’s cardinal sin is sloth/laziness. #9’s are often very busy, but their busyness is often an escape from facing the difficult things that really need to be done - especially if conflict might be involved. They can also become cynical - “nothing makes any difference, so why bother?” They lessen the importance of things so they can feel justified in doing nothing about them. Their sin is “that which we have left not done.”
4. The Countries – Latin America - “Manyana - tomorrow is another day.”
“Why put off to the next day what could be done the tomorrow?”
5. The Animals: The Sloth, which moves so slowly that moss grows on its fur. And the whale, which simply doesn’t reproduce if there is a shortage of food.
6. The Arrows. It is unhealthy for #9s, with their tendency to moral laziness/ comfort, to move in the direction of the #6 (cowardice or recklessness). Instead, they should move towards the gift of the #3 (autonomy and constructive action.)
7. The Gifts: Peace and calm. And peace-making, which sometimes means laying yourself down between warring factions. It is a costly and priestly function, which is especially the calling of the #9.
8. Example from Scripture – David. He was very brave and active as a young man. And he worked courageously and unselfishly to bring calm of mind to, and to keep peace with, Saul. But he got into trouble when he stayed home while his army was out fighting (avoiding conflict), and was hopelessly inactive in dealing with bad behavior among his children.
9. The Example of Jesus. He could sleep in a storm. He said, “My peace I give unto you.” He longed to avoid conflict
(“If it be possible let this cup pass.”) He laid down his life to make peace between us and God - “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him.” He was the greatest peace-maker the world has ever known.