Origins
ennea - from Latin, meaning nine
gram - from Greek, meaning drawing or chart
The Enneagram is an ancient tool that goes back to 200 BCE, discovered in the 1970s in South America by Oscar Ichazo, and then noted psychologist Claudio Naranjo. Most of their early students were Christian religious and Christian mental health professionals who understood that the Enneagram offered supreme wisdom for learning how to grow in their faith. Eventually this Enneagram knowledge spread from the Christian community to the psychotherapeutic community in North America and worldwide. All these professionals, psychotherapists, counselors, pastors, life coaches, business coaches, and human resources department staff, have learned that the Enneagram catapults their work. It is truly a tool for anyone seeking to grow to greater spiritual and emotional maturity.
Other Personality Systems
Most other personality systems such as the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) are based on the research of the brilliant Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung (1875-1961). Myers-Briggs is an excellent system which has been used widely among the industries of health care, education, and social services. Now businesses of all types use this tool to help their employees communicate more effectively so as to bring about greater productivity in the workplace.
Since Myers-Briggs is based on behavior, it is typical that your particular personality type today may be different from what it was 10 years ago, or from what it may be 5-10 years from now. Our behavioral patterns change as we go through life.
| System | Based On | Origins | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavior | Motivations | Modern < 100 years old Carl Jung | Ancient 200 BCE Sufis, N. Africa | |
| Myers-Briggs (MBTI) | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Strengths Finder | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| DISC | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Enneagram | ✔ | ✔ | ||
Your Enneagram Type Remains Constant
With the Enneagram, your type, or your core motivational energy, stays constant throughout your life. What changes is how you choose to express that motivational energy. Typically a person will vacillate from unhealthy, average, and healthy expressions over the years.
Evolved Persons Manifest Other Type Energies
As you grow into a more evolved human being, it is appropriate and encouraged that you be comfortable with the energies of the other types. This is a sign of maturity. The Enneagram charts the movement of growth in these other areas.
- Learn your roadmap for personal and spiritual growth based on your personality
- Gain clarity in making the right life choices.
- Create a stronger bond with your partner with less friction
- Enhance workplace communication & productivity
- An aid to conflict resolution
- Teambuilding
- Coaches and therapists — the Enneagram can catapult your ability to understand and guide your clients