The Enneagram
“One of our deepest unconscious patterns is the false belief that we already know ourselves well enough to understand why we think, feel, and act the way we do. I will argue that, in fact, we don’t; and that thinking we do know who we are is part of the problem.”
– Chestnut, Beatrice. The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge
Beatrice Chestnut further described the Enneagram in her book as follows:
“As in Western psychology, the Enneagram views the personality as a “false self” that develops to allow your (vulnerable and young) “true self” to adapt, fit in, and survive among other humans. This perspective holds that personality is a “defensive” or a “compensatory” self whose coping strategies developed to help us fulfill our needs and reduce our anxieties.
THE TERM “PERSONALITY” generally refers to the part of your character that develops to interface with the outside world.
The Enneagram describes personality types in terms of conscious patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving along with their repressed Shadow aspects. As a result, it is an excellent tool for doing the hardest part of consciousness work: realizing, owning, and accepting your blind spots.”
What is the Enneagram?
The Enneagram is an archetypal framework that offers in-depth insight to individuals, groups and collectives. Consisting of three centres of intelligence, nine main Enneagram types, 18 wings, three subtypes and Triadic styles, the Enneagram offers a rich map to personal development from an open systems perspective. It does not box in people, but rather opens a pathway to self-discovery and greater personal awareness.
The Enneagram creates self-awareness and uncovers the patterns of behaviour that sub-consciously drive and motivate us to act in certain ways. When we make these patterns and motivations conscious, we are able to transcend them and develop richer, more supportive ways of being. Working with the Enneagram empowers individuals to take responsibility for their own behaviours and growth, from a greater understanding of why they act and react the way they do.
As a framework, the Enneagram also speaks to the journey of integration and development in a profound way. It is able to uncover the uniqueness of each individual and his/her journey. It does not only reveal what holds an individual back, but also offers insights into the journey towards strength and liberation, connecting us to our strengths and higher selves.
The Enneagram is, therefore, a sense-making tool or a framework that enables the development of self-knowledge and meta-awareness.
The Enneagram has, over the past decades, proved to be one of the most powerful tools in the development and coaching environment. The use of the Enneagram not only fast-tracks insight, growth and integration, but also gives durability and magnitude to the development process over time.
Individual benefits:
Creates meta-awareness at the level of motivation.
Increases consciousness and confidence.
Enables clearing of core emotional issues.
Provides a framework for understanding functional and dysfunctional behaviours that stem from core motivations.
Increases compassion for self and others
Uncovers pathways to development and integration.
Positions individual patterns and behaviours within current and historical context.
Increases productivity and motivation.
Creates a language and sense-making framework that stretches deeper than a personality trait-based approach.
Builds leadership authenticity, potency and impact.
Team Benefits:
Reduces judgement and criticism of others while building understanding and tolerance.
Provides a framework for making sense of team conflict and challenges.
Enables the team to move beyond a pattern of blaming conflict on “personality differences.
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Repolarises teams while dismantling more traditional “fault lines” in the team.
Improves working relationships and team productivity.
Enhances business procedures.
Improves communication while also developing a new language framework for team dynamics.
Organizational Benefits:
Decreases behind-the-scenes organizational politics.
Improves change management and decreases fear of change.
Can unleash organizational creativity through greater individual integration.
Improves productivity and performance.
Creates a framework which enables greater project leadership.
Builds organizational integrity.
Enables more impactful corporate communication.
Contributes to development of talent.
Plays a role in enabling culture change.
Contact
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