On The Nature of Subtypes

On The Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes
by
Susan Rhodes, revised June 1, 2006, susan@enneagramdimensions.net
The enneagram is an ancient but newly-revealed system that types and three subtype arenas, theres a total of 27 possible can be used for looking at many aspects of life. Its currently subtypes. In this article, I explore the nature of the enneagram well-known as a personality assessment tool. It depicts nine points on a circle, each of which represents a different per- subtypes. Some of the ideas that I propose are controversonality type with a distinctive core motivation (see Figure sial, because theyre based on propositions that diverge from 1). People new to the system often wonder how there can the received wisdom of the field. But I hope to make a conbe only nine core personality types when there are so many vincing case for the approach Im taking, because I think it different kinds of people. The reason is that there are many has certain advantages over the paradigm currently in use. Please note that, while my ways we can use to further define main focus in this article is on the the nine types in order to account Type 9 subtypes, I also devote quite a bit of for the great diversity of temperatime to discussing both the enneaType 8 Type 1 ment. We can, for example, see gram types and energy cenwhich of the two points on either ters. I tried an approach that was side (the wings) is most dominant. more limited in scope, but soon reWe can also look at the relationship Type 7 Type 2 alized that I needed to talk about all of each enneagram point with each three topics in order to present a coof its two connecting points. herent picture of my ideas. The reaBut I find that the most powsons for this should become clear as erful way to account for diversity Type 6 we proceed. Type 3 within each type is to look at how The article is divided into three each type operates within three parts: Background, Part I, and Type 5 arenas in life, which we may call Type 4 Part II. The Background section insubtype arenas. Whats of particutroduces the topic and provides the Figure 1. The Enneagram. lar interest is which of these arenas is context for further discussion. Part I most dominantthat is, which one focuses on current assumptions about the types, the enneamost attracts our attention. When we know both our en- gram energy centers, and the subtypes. Part II proposes an neagram type and our dominant arena, we can determine alternative view and some ideas for working with the enour enneagram subtype. Because there are nine enneagram neagram based on that view.
Background
I became interested in the enneagram as a means of looking at individual differences in motivation. As a cognitive psychologist, Id long been interested in looking at how variables like sex, age, and cultural differences affect our psychology. I was also interested in the effects of our basic disposition or character, so I studied the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to gain insight into that dimension of the psyche. Based on a Jungian approach to typology, the MBTI generates 16 personality profiles. One thing that I like about the MBTI is that these profiles are pretty value-neutral. This means that the MBTI profiles simply distinguish individuals on the basis of temperament. They arent designed to evaluate the character of the individual by reference to any particular set of moral, psychological, or spiritual standards. As a result, the MBTI system can be used in a wide range of contexts. When I first heard about the enneagram, it took me a while to see why I should study it. One reason is that the enneagram only delineated nine personality types, while the MBTI delineated 16, so the enneagram seemed to offer a less detailed breakdown. Another reason is that the enneagram seemed less objective than the MBTI. Unlike the MBTI profiles, most of the enneagram profiles seemed mildly to moderately negative in focus. Although the negative focus initially put my off, I eventually learned enough about the enneagram to appreciate its
On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page
three great assets: (a) a focus on motivation, (b) a geometric limitations. dimension, and (c) a way of combining different aspects of This approach has its uses, but its risky. And in the type that makes it possible to distinguish many more than wrong hands, it can be disastrous. As Jungian scholar James nine types. Hollis observed in an interview for What is Enlightenment? Over time, I came to realize that these advantages far magazine, the ego is a necessary formation for the creation outweighed the disadvantage of seeing the enneagram types of identity, consciousness, intentionality, and purposeall described in mostly negative terms. I realized that the types of which are pluses.1 But he says that the ego is also malthemselves were more basic than any of leable. It can be dominated by influences of the descriptions that people generated. both the inner psyche and the outer world if So I could study them directly and graduit lacks the strength and resiliency necessary ally generate my own (more value-neuto maintain its integrity. tral) descriptions of the types. So from this perspective, what we need With this in mind, I began to delve isnt to destroy the ego, but to support it. more deeply into the enneagram. I saw With proper support, the ego can develop in that the negative descriptions of type arise a healthy way. It can help us function in the out of two related assumptions: (a) that world without interfering with our ability to enneagram types = personality types and be inwardly attentive to the energies of the (b) that personality is inherently unregen[higher] Self. erate. That means that, in moral terms, An integrated ego-personality helps us the personality self is sinful and in psydevelop both inner balance and outer poise. chological terms, its pathological. It can support us in finding our lifes callHow did the personality come to ing. And this, as Hollis observes, has very Figure 2. G. I. Gurdjieff. gain such a negative reputation? It wasnt little to do with ego in the selfish sense. clear to me at the outset. But after some Today, the idea of slaying the ego seems investigation, I began to understand why the enneagram pro- harsh and out of step with the times. This is because the confiles seemed to focus so much on the negative aspects of hu- sciousness of the collective is changing, and we now have man nature. ways of working with the psyche that are both more effective In some ways, the reasons for this negative focus may and less wrenching than the methods of the past. be traceable to a single person: George Gurdjieff (see FigIf we can work with the self is a gentler way, why not do ure 2). it? Why make the task of changing harder than it needs to Gurdjieff was the first person to publicly present teach- be? To ask such questions is not to criticize Gurdjieff or his ings on the enneagram. He was a spiritual teacher of some methods, but simply to observe that teachings intended for magnitude whose influence is still strong more than half a one era may not be appropriate for another. If Gurdjieff were century after his death. alive today, I doubt very much whether he would take the Gurdjieff was not a retiring mystic, but a spiritual mas- same approach he did during the early part of the twentieth ter with an iron will and magnetic personality. He had an century. He would adapt his approach to fit the times. extremely robust and provocative style of teaching. His conThe decades since Gurdjieffs death have seen some frontational style was designed to effect a radical transfor- major shifts in consciousnessnot just among the spiritual mation in those students who were willing to submit them- elite, but across a broad swatch of the public. Were now livselves to its rigors. ing in a post-Newtonian world, where were told that theres Gurdjieffs approach is based on an ancient model of order in chaos, time isnt real, and everything is interconthe relationship between a spiritual master and his disciple. nected. The actual implications of the new physics may not It assumes the presence of three elements: a true spiritual have sunk in yet, but the intuitive sense that separatism and master, a deeply committed aspirant, and the shared goal of duality are illusions is definitely in the air. Many people effecting a radical and permanent restructuring of the inner sense that were on the brink of a real shift in perspective self of the student. of a completely new way of being in the world. This new Since most teachers and students have traditionally been paradigm is holistic, inclusive, and dynamic in nature. It male, this approach is a very masculine in nature. Its based takes us beyond the old good vs. bad dualities. It helps us on a slay the dragon view of life thats quite direct and see beyond our apparent differences to the underlying unity adversarial. The ego or personality self is viewed as an en- of all life. emy of the higher good and is ruthlessly attacked in order to The transition from the old paradigm to the new is, like strip away its defenses so that the disciple might realize its all transitions, somewhat awkward and confusing. I see the
enneagram as a tool that can help us bridge the gap between the old and the new. I suspect that this is the real reason that enneagram suddenly appeared on the public scene a couple of decades ago. Whats strange to me is how such a revolutionary tool as the enneagram has become constrained by a way of thinking that is not of the present, but of the past. Of course its possible to use the enneagram to catalog our qualities, neatly dividing them into good and bad categories. But when we do this, we split ourselves in two. The bad qualities begin to seem like the ones that we actually experience in ordinary life while the good qualities recede into some elusive realm of spiritual transcendence. We reject ordinary life as gross and impure, looking for deliverance elsewhere. This kind of thinking is dualistic. It splits the psyche and makes it hard to be completely present in the moment. It can cause us to lose momentum, falling under the weight of our accumulated sense of sin.
Why not instead use the enneagram to cultivate a sense of inner wholeness and integrity? To see how seeming limitations (our individual points of view) can instead be viewed as areas of specialization when seen from the perspective of wholeness? If we look at each point of view as an area of specialization, then the enneagram subtypes become key to understanding the many faces of type. They also give clues we can use to discover our dharma or purpose in life. Ill talk more about this later. To recap, I see the enneagram in its ability to help us see our true worth and relate to one another in an intelligent way. Realizing who and what we really are is the challenge for the coming era. Focusing on what is false about us doesnt really help us see what is real. And its seeing the real that gives us the courage to leap into the unknown. My intention in writing this article is to share a vision of the enneagram that I find both inspiring and evocative. This is what I talk about in Part II of the paper.
Part I: The Received Wisdom

Before leaping into new territory, I have to spend a little time talking about how we came to inherit the current vision of the enneagram, particularly how it came to have such a negative focus. So this section is about what Im calling the received wisdom in the field. Ill talk about the received wisdom regarding the nature of the enneagram itself, the types, the energy centers, and the subtypes.
are two of his enneagrams are now the best known: (a) the enneagram of the emotional passions and (b) the enneagram of the cognitive fixations. One reason for the focus on these two particular enneagrams may be that they are the ones of most interest to one of Ichazos most influential students, Dr. Claudio Naranjo. In the 1970s, Naranjo was a student of Oscar Ichazo. However, within a decade, he became an influential teacher of the enneagram in his own right. Many of the people who became later become prominent in the enneagram community started out as Naranjos students. Naranjo also wrote several books on the enneagram. All of them focus primarily on the deficiency motivations (core neuroses) associated with each enneagram type. Figure 3 summarizes the categories he developed for characterizing the different types of psychological imbalance that can be mapped to each enneagram type. Naranjo goes into great depth in Character and Neurosis and his other books to describe the personality disorders associated with each point. But he provides little or no description of the balanced personality. I didnt understand why until it dawned on me that, unlike James Hollis, Naranjo does not seem to believe that its actually possible for the personality self to become balanced. This is evident from many passages in his books.3 His philosophical perspective (which seem akin to that of both Gurdjieff and Ichazo) is that personality is inherently
The Received Wisdom about the Enneagram & the Types

If you ask someone to describe the enneagram, youll get different answers depending on who you ask. Basically, there are two major views of the enneagram. In one view, its a map of a life process. In the other, its a map of the human psyche.2 Gurdjieff taught his students a process-oriented version of the enneagram, and its this enneagram that Fourth Way (Gurdjieff) students consider the real enneagram. Arica founder Oscar Ichazo later adapted Gurdjieffs process-oriented enneagram to look at differences in human temperament or personality. Nowadays, its Ichazos version of the enneagram thats the most well-known. Actually, Ichazo didnt just teach one enneagram, but many. Which enneagram he taught depended one what aspect of human nature he wanted to emphasize. But there
9 - over-adaptative
8 - anti-social / sadistic 1 - obsessivecompulsive
7 - hedonistic/ narcissistic
Personality Disorders by Enneagram Type
2 - histrionic
6 - anxious
3 - Type A overachieving 5 - schizoid/ withdrawn
4 - depressivemasochistic
Figure 3. Naranjos Character (Personality) Disorders by Enneagram Type.
flawed. While its flaws can be exposed and its limitations can be transcended (via spiritual work), the ego-personality self can never become a fully integrated and functional part of the psyche. If this were true, it would be rather discouraging news, since most of us spend a lot of our waking hours functioning at the level of the ego-personality. Even spiritual masters cant stay in meditation all the timethey still spend a lot of time functioning in ordinary consciousness. I dont think that the ego-personality is by nature distorted or wrong-headed. Its simply limited. In order to function properly, it has to know its own limits and look beyond itself (to the larger psyche) for support and guidance. It doesnt have to disappear, it just has to come into alignment with a deeper inner purpose. If this kind of alignment is possible, then the personality healed of its wounds and stable in its foundation might become the very vehicle by which to create a better life. I find the idea that the personality self can be integrated into the larger psyche tremendously encouraging. It provides a real impetus to do the work that makes this kind of integration possible. But what kind of work is this? Is it the same for all of us? I doubt it. I think the kind of work we need to do must depend on the kind of person we are. And the kind of person we are is revealed by our enneagram type. However, its awfully hard to find an enneagram author who focuses solely on the opportunities for integration at each enneagram point of view. Kathleen Hurley and Ted Dobson characterize the enneagram as a way of describing
nine compulsive ways of dealing with the world.4 Sandra Maitri speaks of humanity as imprisoned in the labyrinth of our own ego structures.5 Don Riso and Russ Hudson say that the basic fear of each type is what set[s] in motion the mechanism of personality.6 They describe the personality self as a collection of conditioned reactions, fears, and beliefs that develops as the result of early loss and conditioning.7 Descriptions like these are common. They imply that our enneagram type depends entirely on the nature of the conditioning received in childhood. This may be true, but its not a foregone conclusion. Its just as possible that type is innate (pre-personality). If type is innate, then the motivation it provides is not really personal, but comes from the deeper (or higher) psyche. This is a bit scary to contemplate, but its exciting, too. I tend to regard enneagram type as innate. My training as a cognitive psychologist tells me that although early conditioning is extremely powerful, it cant actually create basic psychic structures such as the personality. It can only affect the functionality of such structures. The idea that type might be pre-personality doesnt seem to be discussed much in the enneagram community (at least not in print). But A. H. Almaas surprised an audience at the 2005 International Enneagram Association by casually mentioning that he sees type as innate. He said that this is why type is with us for lifewhy it doesnt go away in response to the work we do on ourselves. If our enneagram type is actually innate, then it has to be something more than an ego defense mechanism. From a systems perspective, it has to serve some purpose in sustaining the larger system that gives rise to it. Its this real purpose of the enneagram and the enneagram types that interests me, not its ability to provide what Naranjo calls an organizing map for...[a] set of [character] pathologies.8
The Received Wisdom about the Energy Centers

Like the enneagram types, the energy centers are a central concept in enneagram studies. Theyre particularly relevant to an understanding of the enneagr m subtype behaviors. Gurdjieffs concept of the energy centers. There are various ways that Gurdjieff characterized the energy centers within human beings. One way was to divide each of the three centers into three sections or levels (the intelligent, the motivational, and the mechanical), and each of these levels into two polarities (negative and positive). I
Physical center
Emotional center
Mental center
Figure 4. Gurdjieffs Three Energy Centers (at Three Levels and Two Polarities).
Higher emotional center
Higher mental center
Physical center
Emotional center
Mental center
(Lower) physical center
Lower emotional center
Lower mental center
Figure 5. Gurdjieffs Three Centers (Showing the Three Sub-centers of the Physical Center).
Figure 6. Gurdjieffs Two-tiered Version of the Three Centers.
used the colors in Figure 4 to depict these six qualities of each center. Another way was to characterize the physical center as having three centers of its own: an instinctive or instinctual center (in lavender), a sexual center (in orange), and a moving center (in yellow). See Figure 5. A third way was to characterize the centers as higher and lower manifestations of the energy in question. In this case, the physical center is said to have only a lower form while the emotional and mental centers are said to have both a higher and lower form (see Figure 6). The lower centers are those that we use to function in everyday life. The higher centers are those that only become active as the
9 8 1
result of inner work. There are several other potential variations on this theme. This is because Gurdjieff was a moving target; he like to take his students by surprise, so he presented his teachings in different ways at different times. However, the scheme shown in Figure 6 is the one on which most modern enneagram theorists base their ideas, as well see below.9
The Energy Centers of the Personality Enneagram. Theres no indication that Gurdjieff ever taught anything akin to the personality enneagram developed by Oscar Ichazo. Gurdjieffs enneagram was strictly process-oriented. So Gurdjieff never created an illustration like Figure 7. However, fifty years later, when Oscar Ichazo and his successors began using Gurdjieffs process-oriented enneagram as a tool for looking at personality types, they combined Gurdjieffs theory of the centers with the personality enneagram to develop a theory of personality thats intimately intertwined with Gurdjieffs theory on the centers.10 Out of this perspective has come the idea that there are nine personality types, each of which belongs to a certain center. What this means is that each center is dominant for three of the nine enneagram types. The three points that make up each center are called a triad:
Body Center
7
Head Center
6
Heart Center
3
Figure 7. The Three Enneagram Energy Centers.
Points 8 9 1: The Body Center Triad. The energy of these points is natural, unassuming, and unselfconscious. People whose home base is at Points 8, 9,
Body Center Head Center Heart Center Body Center Head Center 7 Heart Center Body Center Head Center 6 Heart Center
Body Center Head Center Heart Center

9 8
Body Center Head Center 1 Heart Center Body Center 2 Head Center Heart Center Body Center 3 Head Center Heart Center
4
(Holy Virtues)
(Holy Ideas)
(subtype behaviors)

(passions)
Lower mental center

(fixations)
Body Center 5 Head Center Heart Center
Body Center Head Center Heart Center
Figure 8. The Three Energy Centers at Each Enneagram Point.
Figure 9. The Two-tiered Model of the Enneagram Energy Centers.
or 1 have the potential to be particularly attuned to the wisdom of the body (to be aware of their gut instincts) and to the natural rhythms of life. Points 2 3 4: The Heart Center Triad. The energy of these points is feminine, emotional, and interpersonal. People whose home base is at Point 2, 3, or 4 have the potential to be particularly attuned to the emotional states of others and the feeling dimension of life. Points 5 6 7: The Head Center Triad. The energy of these points is masculine, linear, and detached. People whose home base is at Point 5, 6, or 7 have the potential to be particularly aware of ideas and the mental dimension of life.
At the same time that each point belongs to a given center, each of these centers is paradoxically said to be within each of us (as shown in Figure 8). However, the center thats home to our enneagram type tends to exert more influence than the other two centers. So if my type is Two, Three, or Four, for example, although Im subject to the influence of all three centers, the heart center is likely to be more influential than the other two centers. How Gurdjieffs Centers Show Up at Each Enneagram Point. As I mentioned above, Gurdjieff sometimes emphasized the difference between ordinary perception and subtle (expanded) perception by talking about the energy centers as having higher and lower aspects. However, as shown in Figure 6, he only attributed higher
aspects to two of the centers: the mental center and the emotional center.11 When Oscar Ichazo and his successors developed the personality enneagram, they favored this version of Gurdjieffs teachings as the cornerstone of their work. They devised ways to characterize the properties of each point by reference to five energy centers: the mental or head center (higher and lower), the emotional or heart center (higher and lower), and the physical or body center.12 For the head (mental) center at each point, the lower aspect was termed a cognitive fixation and the higher aspect, a Holy Idea. For the heart (emotional) center at each point, the lower aspect was termed a passion and the higher aspect, a virtue.13 The body (physical) center at each point was conceived to have only one level of functioning, which is equivalent to the lower aspect of the other two centers. However, the body center was conceived to have three sub-centers, and its these sub-centers that describe the three areas of life in which the body center can be involved. The first area is self-care and personal comfort. The second area is sexuality, transformation and intimacy. The third area is social participation and political organization. For a given individual, one of these arenas of activity is assumed to be more compelling than the other two. This dominant arena is what determines a persons subtype. I discuss these in more detail below, but for now its sufficient to note that the three colored circles in the Figure 9 are the subtype arenas and that these circles
appetite satisfaction anxiety possession/ surrender suggestibility
union heat/jealousy friendship
participation inadaptibility
family
Self-preservation subtype
me-first
Sexual subtype
aggression/ seduction masculinity/ famininity competition/hate
sacrifice
Social subtype
ambition
warmth refuge
security daultlessness
strength/ beauty confidence
duty totems shame
prestige
Figure 10. Traditional Labels for the 27 Subtypes.
roughly correspond to the three colored circles in the earlier Figures (5 and 6) that describe Gurdjieffs physical center. (I say roughly, because although only Gurdjieffs sexual center clearly matches the sexual subtype and Gurdjieffs instinctive center is a pretty good match for the subtype that focuses on self-care, its harder to see the exact relationship between Gurdjieffs moving center and the social subtype, although it could be argued that the moving center is about moving outward into the social world.)
Self-preservation subtype: here the focus is said to be on satisfactory self-survival. Sexuality or intimate subtype: here the focus is said to be on gaining satisfaction through intimate relationships. Social subtype: here the focus is said to be on gaining satisfaction via group participation.
The Received Wisdom about the Enneagram & the Types

For each enneagram type, I was taught that the three subtypes each represent a preoccupation of one of three areas of life:
SP=appetite SX=union SOC=participation SP=satisfaction SX=possession/ surrender SOC=friendship
9 8 1
SP=anxiety SX=heat/jealousy SOC=inadaptibility
SP=family SX=suggestibility SOC=sacrifice
2 SX=aggression/
seduction SOC=ambition
SP=me first
6 SP=warmth SX=strength/beauty S0C=duty

SP=refuge SX=confidence SOC=totems
3 SP=security
SX=masculinity/ feminiity SOC=prestige
SP=dauntlessness SX=competition/hate SOC=shame
Figure 11. Traditional Subtype Descriptions by Enneagram Point.
I was also taught that enneagram subtypes, like enneagram types, are stable throughout life. And I was taught that the enneagram subtypes describe a set of behaviors that reflects the passions associated with each persons enneagram type. According to Helen Palmer, the subtype focus of attention is revealed by a behavior that is motivated by instinct dominated by the passion of type.14 Sandra Maitri echoes Palmers statements, saying that the passion of our ennea-type comes out most strongly in [the]arena of life [that is our subtype], attributing this definition to Claudio Naranjo.15 The subtype is determined by combining the enneagram type with the subtype arena. For each of the nine types, there are three subtype arenas, so there are 27 subtypes in all. Figure 10 shows one common way of labelling the subtypes; the same labels are shown from a point-oriented perspective in Figure 11.16 Both type and subtype are often said to be personality structures that develop as a response to trauma during early childhood. This view is, for example, reflected in Don Riso & Russ Hudsons assertion that the Instinctual Variants [aka instinctual subtypes] indicate which of our three basic instincts have been most distorted in childhood.17 Thus, the enneagram subtypes are considered to be major elements in the ego defense system described by the personality enneagram. So when we study both type and subtype, what were learning about are the workings of this ego
defense system. The idea is that by learning how this defense system works, we can begin to dismantle it (or perhaps allow it to be dismantled). Within this general framework, there are some differences of opinion about the nature of the subtypes. Helen Palmer and David Daniels teach that subtypes are entirely a subset of type, an idea that I believe originated with Ichazo and Naranjo. However, Don Riso and Russ Hudson teach that subtypes are a system in their own right. Its for this reason that the two viewpoints differ in their terminology; Palmer & Daniels refer to the subtypes as instinctual subtypes while Riso & Hudson call them instinctual variants. Although Riso & Hudson make a plausible case for why they think that subtypes are an independent way of looking at human activity, their observations came long after the term sub-
type was firmly established. Thats one reason I refer to the subtypes in this article. Its simply more familiar to people in the enneagram community. Whatever their differences, both positions have in common the idea that subtypes are instinctual in naturethat they arise in the physical (body) center. They also share the view that the subtypes operate in concert with the emotional passions and the cognitive fixations. This is significant, because it means that the subtypes have no existence independent of the complex of attitudes and behaviors that we associate with an unbalanced personality. I find this view of the subtypes hard to accept. In Part II, I talk in greater detail about the reasons why and delineate an alternative theory about the nature of the enneagram types, centers, and subtypes.
Part II: An Alternative View of the Enneagram Types, Centers, and Subtypes
At the 2005 Mindsight Symposium, organizer Dr. Dan Siegel asked how many mental health care professionals in the audience had actually received training in mental health (as opposed to mental illness). Only a handful of people raised their hands. Siegel wondered aloud how our culture is every going to discover the roots of wellness if all of our attention is focused only on illness.18 I wonder the same thing, but in the context of the enneagram. How are we ever going to find our own inner power and beauty if we place all our attention on deficiency and neurosis? Its for this reason that Ive spent that last several years trying to come up with an alternative approach to studying the enneagram. It hasnt been easy, for several reasons. First, I didnt initially have much direct experience with the enneagram. All I had was my scientific training and a personal sense of disconnect when I read the type descriptions in books or listened to the material presented in workshops. I sensed that something wasnt quite right, but couldnt figure out what it was. Second, I needed to educate myself in areas such as field theory, chaos theory, and transpersonal psychology in order to articulate an alternative vision. Third, the underlying assumptions that gave rise to the material presented were not clearly spelled out anywhere. They seemed to be such givens that there was apparently no need to delineate them in detail. This may have been because Ichazos original Arica teachings on the enneagram were said to be revealed to him in a meditative state. From what I can determine, the teachings on the enneagram were imparted as esoterica that was not to be shared with the uninitiated. The only reason we know about them at all is because the knowledge somehow leaked out. In this sort of situation, detailed information can be hard to come by. Below I explain what I worked out for myself about the types, the centers, and the subtypes. I especially focus on the enneagram subtypes, because I see the subtypes as archetypal keys that can help us discover our purpose in life. I also share some of the fun and creative ways I discovered to work with the subtypes.
The Enneagram Types

What are the enneagram types? As I mentioned above, theyre usually described as nine ego-personality types. Type descriptions most often read like ego defense strategies. However, if we dont confine the enneagram to the level of personality, this allows us to imagine other ways of seeing the types. One approach is to think of them simply as motivation types. When we see them this way, the term type becomes ambiguous. It can be taken to mean either a type of person or a
type of motivation. In the latter case, its possible to look at motivation from a transpersonal point of view. Speaking about motivation from a transpersonal point of view means seeing motivation as something that can exist independently of personality. This may be hard for many of us to imagine. How is it possible to talk about motivation without talking about personality? Motivation is usually considered to be a personality attribute, so it may be hard to imagine it in any other way.19 However, from the perspective of systems theory, transpersonal psychology, or field theory, its definitely possible to conceive of motivation as existing independently of the human personality. From this perspective, even processes and inanimate objects can have a purpose. As one of the developers of the helicopter, Arthur Young, observes, There never was a machine that did not have a purpose. And there is perhaps no purpose that does not require a machine, whether a human body or some other kind of machine, to achieve it.20 Young is obviously speaking of purpose in a transpersonal sense here. What he seems to be hinting at is the idea that life itself is filled with a purposeful intelligence, and that human beings are one of the vehicles through which the goals of this intelligence are achieved. From the human point of view, the purposeful intelligence would seem to be our own personal property. But if we reflect deeply on nature of this intelligence and its deeply compelling nature, its not hard to imagine that its origins lie beyond the personality self.21 If we think of life itself as purposefully intelligent, then it makes sense that this intelligence can be differentiated (that it can take many forms). At the point that this intelligence becomes differentiated, its loses its 360 degree perspective and becomes narrowed in scope. But it also becomes more pointed in focus. What represents a loss in one arena represents a gain in another. The differentiation process is open-ended and can continue indefinitely. Whats relevant to us as human beings is how this differentiation is reflected on the level of the human psyche. The enneagram provides a tool designed to do just that. It shows us nine ways of being in the world based on nine varieties of motivated intelligence. Determining which of the nine energies most motivates us is how we discover our enneagram type or point of view. From a transpersonal point of view, each enneagram point can be said to represent an archetypal energy source. The energy of the point provides us with the energy we need to operate in the physical world; we in turn provide it with a physical vehicle thats able to ground its energy on the physical plane of existence. When it works the way its supposed to, theres a Figure-8 flow between the archetypal and physical planes. Each
nourishes the other. The finer energies of the archetypal world imbue life on earth with a sense of joy and magic; these are the energies that touch our hearts and inspire our actions. When were part of that flow, life seems really alive; we feel its rhythms and sense its fullness. Our openness to these energies enables us to bring something into life thats needed on this level of existencewhat we bring is not just for ourselves, but for life in a broader sense. We may never fully understand why our role matters, but just knowing that it does matter (and that we matter)can bring a degree of inner contentment that makes the cares of life easier to bear. The energy of our enneagram point is what makes our participation in life possible. So its very precious. Its the energy of our point that obscures some elements of life so that others can more fully unfold. The fact that its limited means that well notice some things and not othersthat well be drawn strongly in some directions and away from other directions. It also guarantees that well never be able to develop a personality self thats perfectible on the physical level of reality. And therein lies the rub. In Western culture, we totally inflate the importance of the personality while at the same time hating its lack of perfection. No matter how much we polish it up or cover it over, the human personality always remains something of an embarrassing albatross around our necks. Even people with the most refined personalities can find themselves in situations where they feel like idiots. Because the personality self is not perfectible in a mechanical sense, we automatically assume there must be something wrong with it. It never occurs to us that the personality might be made the way it is on purpose. Or more precisely, to serve some purpose. It never occurs to us that the kind of perfection we seek may not really be what we need to respond to the changing conditions that are the only constant in life. Suppose that the crazy, biased, foolish personality self is just the kind of structure we need for dealing with the crazy, biased, foolish world we live in? Suppose that getting balanced has more to do with accepting and integrating the crazy parts of ourselves than with trying to disown or overcivilize them? We may think that embracing the chaotic or unattractive aspects of the psyche is dangerous, but I suspect its not nearly so dangerous as disowning them.22 Granted, its not always easy to see the personality in a positive light. It seems to be the cause of so many problems. Psychologists see it as the source of psychological disorders. Religious leaders see it as the impetus for immoral acts. Spiritual practitioners see it as a barrier that keeps them from experiencing states of higher consciousness.
These sorts of criticisms make the personality the bad actor that needs to be reformed. But the very act of singling it out in this way divides the psyche, causing further problems. What we need is a way of focusing on personality from a different perspective. I think that systems theory offers that kind of perspective. Systems theory looks at systems as living organisms composed of many parts. The working assumption is that systems function optimally when theres harmony among all of its individual elements. One reason I like systems theory is that systems theorists tend to be a fairly optimistic lot. When theyre trying to understand a system, they start by assuming that the system exists for a purpose. They also assume that all of the parts of the system have a contribution to make to the system as a whole. A lot of their work focuses on discovering which parts of the system are working really well, so that they can use this as a foundation from which the entire system can benefit. If we apply systems thinking to the psyche, then we can conceptualize the psyche as a both as a total system and as a collection of individual elements, one of which is the egopersonality self. If the personality is part of the psyche, then we have to assume that is has a valid and useful purpose, even if we might not always understand exactly what it is. But if we approach the study of personality with curiosity and openness, we might learn something new about it.23 I see the enneagram as a great tool for studying the psyche from a systems perspective. The enneagram itself visually depicts an open system. The circle shows us the system as a whole. Each point shows us a major organ within the system. And the inner lines show us the flow of energy between the various organs. So the enneagram gives us a matrix for understanding the psyche from many perspectives and on many levels. I find this way of working with the enneagram fun and exciting. Its broad, because it enables me to look at type from a transpersonal and systemic perspective. Its deep, because it relies on the insights of depth psychologies put forth by people like Carl Jung and James Hillman. Its optimistic, because its based on the idea that life is intelligent and that the enneagram types reflect the diversity of that intelligence.
The Energy Centers

If you recall from our earlier discussion, Gurdjieff had a number of different ways that he talked about the energy centers (see Figures 3 - 5).
Only one of these (Figure 5) was adopted as the primary model for the personality enneagram. This is the model that divides the emotional and mental centers into higher and lower versions and positions the physical center (which is said to have no higher center) at the same level as the lower versions of the other two centers. Its my impression that Gurdjieffs purpose in dividing the centers into lower and higher versions was to contrast ordinary perception (which takes place in the lower centers) with extraordinary or subtle perception (which takes place in the higher centers). And for that purpose, this kind of model makes sense. But when the teachings of the personality enneagram were developed, somehow the lower center came to be associated not just with ordinary perception, but with distorted or imbalanced perception. I dont know the reason for this, although I do know that Gurdjieff wasnt exactly a big fan of ordinary human nature, so the tone of his writings may have led those who followed him to assume that ordinary perception must be equivalent to distorted perception. Whatever the reason, this assumption that limitation = distortion came to be embedded in the basic teachings on the personality enneagram. When coupled with the idea that the body is inherently limited (because theres no higher center), this approach invites us to suppose that anything associated with the body must be debased. This sounds suspiciously like the old and familiar belief that the body is a source of impure desire and is nothing more than a necessary evil. This belief has deep roots in Western culture, going back many centuries. Although most people no longer consciously embrace this idea that the body is evil, on a subconscious level were still susceptible to the pull of the old ways. I think this is why its been so easy to accept the idea that the body center is inherently lower in nature.24 Whenever we divide things into higher vs. lower aspects, its always tempting to regard the lower aspects as lesser aspects. Thats why Id really like to scrap the whole idea of talking about higher and lower centers in favor of talking about centersperiod. But if were going to retain the higher vs. lower distinction, then its critical that we at least modify our ideas to allow for the possibility that the lower centers can operate in a balanced and integrated manner. Gurdjieff gives us a precedent for this kind of approach by talking about three levels within each of the lower centers: the intelligent, the motivational, and the mechanical (see Figure 4). Since he uses the word intelligent, I can only assume he means something that arises out of a balanced or attuned perspective. If this is true, then it means
On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 10
(Holy Virtues)
(Holy Ideas)
attuned action

(Holy Virtues) responsive emotions

(Holy Ideas) flexible thinking
(subtype behaviors)

(passions)
Lower mental center

(fixations)
Physical center
unattuned action
Emotional center
reactive emotions (passions)
Mental center
rigid thinking (fixations)
Figure 12. The Enneagram Energy Centers from Two Perspectives. The figure on the LEFT represents the traditional view of the enneagram energy centers (and corresponds exactly to Figure 9). The figure on the RIGHT represents a non-traditional view of the enneagram energy centers that focuses entirely on ordinary consciousness and makes provision for the existence of non-distorted modes of thinking, feeling, and behaving at this level of awareness.
that Gurdjieff formally acknowledged that ordinary perception doesnt necessarily imply distorted or imbalanced perception. If we want to create a model to show what this would look like, we could divide each of the lower centers into higher and lower levels and designate these levels as a way to distinguish attuned from unattuned activity (whether physical, emotional, or mental). Figure 12 shows us such a model. In this figure, the states of exalted consciousness are grayed out, because theyre not our main focus. The three circles that remain represent states of ordinary consciousness. Each circle is divided in two. The bottom half of the circle represents functioning which is less balanced and the top half represents functioning which is more balanced. So on the bottom half, we see unattuned action, reactive emotions (passions), and rigid thinking (fixations). On the top half, we see attuned action, responsive emotions, and flexible thinking. In this figure, the term subtype behaviors no longer appears in the physical center. This is because I conceive of subtype behaviors as behavioral profiles that can be either attuned or unattuned in nature. So they can belong to either half of the circle. This is symbolized by the presence of three colored arenas in both halves of the whole. A model like this has a number of advantages. First, it doesnt assume that ordinary consciousness equals distorted consciousness. Second, it shows us ways that higher consciousness can be manifest right here in ordinary life, in our acts, emotions, and thoughts. Third, it restores the physical center to a place of honor. The physical center is the center that directs things on the physical level of reality, so by honoring the physical center, we honor the things that happen in our daily lives.
Focusing on ordinary activities is especially relevant for our study of subtypes, because the subtype reflects the way that type energy comes into play in a given arena of daily life. If we assume that life is intelligent, then there has to be some reason that life exists on this physical level of reality. This is the place where we live. Both the body and the personality self are the vehicles we need to function here. If we think of them as sinful, embarrassing, or pathological, we negate the value of our ordinary lives and cut ourselves off from our own inner wisdom. We split the psyche in two, and then seek to eradicate the lower half (on the grounds that its inferior). The word inferior usually has a derogatory meaning. However, in his theory of personality types, Carl Jung uses this word in quite a different sense. When he speaks of the inferior function of the personality, hes not making a negative evaluation, hes just referring to the least developed of the four functions that make up the personality self. According to Jung, its this fourth inferior function that holds all the unlovable shadow material thats been rejected by the rest of the psyche as undesirable. Its also the function that most needs our love and support. By valuing what it has to teach us, we transform its prima materia into real gold. This is yet another reason for getting rid of the dividing line between the higher and lower parts of the ordinary centers. For if we choose to separate the centers into two parts, the bottom half is likely to contain the shadow material that we need for transformation. Figure 13 shows the model I like the most. It consists of three yin-yang circles that correspond to the three centers. Each contains the three subtype arena circles, as well, because I have a hard time seeing the subtypes as the function of a single center. Subtype behaviors may be physi-
cal in manifestation, but nothing ever qualities with which we can personally comes into manifestation without first identify, they are bigger than the perPhysical existing as an idea or being energized sonality. They have a larger-than-life by emotion. Everything that exists in quality that tends to take us beyond the the physical realm also exists in some personality self, if we only allow it. form on other levels. As Buddhist psyOne reason I saw the types as archotherapist Mark Epstein notes, Evchetypes is that, although each type erything is instinct, but everything is motivation is unique and distinctive, also spirit.25 its not unidimensional. Its multidiIm not claiming that this yin-yang mensional. It arises at a level that is model is better or more accurate than beyond the personality level. Thats Em any other, only that its useful for lookwhy we cant describe each type with a ing at the enneagram from a systems single word or phrase. We can experiFigure 13. perspective. I find it useful for three ence the energy of each type (for exHolistic Model of the Energy Centers. reasons. First, it shows the polarity of ample, by watching or participating in a energies that exist within each center in a way that makes type panel),27 but whenever we try to pin a label on the type, no positive or negative value judgments about either polar- were like the blind men trying to identify the elephant by ity. Second, it shows the three centers as working together pointing to one of its parts. Whatever label we choose will to form an integrated whole. Third, it shows the colored be insufficient. It will not fully encompass the energy of circles that represent each subtype behavior as existing in all the type. three of the energy centers, not just the physical center. Thats what lead me to start looking at each type or The model in the previous figure (Figure 12) is also point as a family of related energies that cluster around a useful, but its still dualistic. It still divides the centers into motivational core. Im interested in the core, but Im also hierarchical compartments and places a higher value on one interested in all the different forms that this core energy can level than the other. take in daily life. Models that are dualistic make sense to us, because I sensed that the only way I could get in touch with were used to them But as the authors of Seven Lesson of my innate wholeness is by seeing the diverse ways that this Chaos have observed, our fixation on dualities causes us to wholeness can find expression in ordinary life. Most of the obscure what is really going on.26 time, my actual experience is that of diversity. But if I can What is really going on is much more dynamic than see the relationship between the diversity and some larger our fixed categories can account for. Thats why its not principle, I no longer lose myself in the diversity. I no lonparticularly useful to categorize traits as good or bad with- ger feel separated from life or from other people. out regard to context. It was this desire to experience wholeness that lead me In systems theory, context is key. The focus is on the to study the enneagram subtypes. I saw in the subtypes a dynamic relationship between an individual and their enviuseful matrix for looking at how type shows up both in real ronment. Keeping the focus on interaction helps us to cultilife (in the roles we play in our families, with our friends, vate the kind of in the moment awareness that we need to at work, and in public) and in the world of our imagination act appropriately, according to our individual nature. (as archetypal figures, dramatic personas, and the stories we tell ourselves about our lives). Looking at these inner personae and each of their stories became a way for me to see how theyre all expressions of the same core motivaThe Enneagram Subtypes tion.28 But Im getting ahead of myself here. Before we can The material in the preceding sections is designed to provide a framework for the main topic of discussion: the en- really talk about the subtypes, we need to define our terms neagram subtypes. The subtypes are typically presented and look at our operating assumptions. I want to start by distinguishing three concepts: subas prototypical patterns of behavior that arise in response to the needs of the personality. But from the beginning, types, subtype arenas, and subtype behaviors. These all I never saw them that way. Instead, I saw both the types sound like the same thing, but theyre not. The subtype and subtypes as archetypes. Although archetypes possess arenas are the three domains in which we act:
ot
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1.
Table A-1. TRADITIONAL SUBTYPE PROFILES
The subtypes are instinctual in nature. The subtypes reflect the passion of the type. The subtypes are the result of wounds received in early childhood.
2. 3.
Self-preservation
Pioneer (anxiety): May appear either high-strung or very
Sexual
The Evangelist (jealousy or heat): Personal intensity plus strict self control = heat. Often channeled into safe passions (eg religion = zeal). Insecure; look for imagined rejection or can become obsessive jealousy in a partnership. Outbursts possible when pressure builds. Perfect relationship sought, anger erupts if it doesnt happen. Wants ALL the others attn. Challenge is to reconcile sexuality w/morality. The Lover (seduction or aggression): Highly focused on others & tend to produce a reaction, pos. or neg. Determined to win over the person targeted by whatever means. Can be aggressive, but often want the chase more than catch; can fear real intimacy. Can also shape shift, losing themselves in the other. With growth, may try to hold back, thus alternating between approaching & retreating. Movie Star (masculinity/femininity): Focus on success via personal (sexual) attractiveness, charisma, radiance, cheerfulness. Can perform for many or for just one partner. Seek approval in 121 relationships but afraid of rejection when someone sees through the act; can easily lose themselves in their image. Dramatic Person (competitive): Charismatic, high strung, competitive but sensitive & permeable. Can ght for what they want but also long for approval; need good boundaries to avoid getting hurt, reactive or overwhelmed. Often elicit love/hate reactions. Cultivating generosity toward self & others helps lessen the need to compete or upstage. Tend toward theatricality; many actors & fashion models are this type. Relationships generate high expectations; disappointment often follows. Secret Agent (condentiality): Security in relationship gained by exchanged condential secrets. May seem mysterious or compelling; can draw special others into their inner sanctum. There may be a big rift between sexual self & outer self. May be true monastics if focus is spiritual. Tend to compartmentalize relationships. Warrior (strength/beauty): 6 tries to live up to ideal of strength or beauty; CF is always strength-focused. Dangerous impulsivity or risk taking possible; also ideological rigidity, avoidance of feelings/doubt/worry. Jim Jones. Beauty: Idealization of beauty used to overcome fear; partner idealized via positive mental projections (vs. 4) Adventurer (suggestibility): Charming, risk taking, adventurous. Experience overdone due to extreme expansiveness & mental fascination/ imagination. Suggestibility comes from tendency to merge with others plans, ideas, fantasies; can get carried away by fantasies of love or unwittingly inict hurt as dance away lovers, but nd commitment difcult. Love of intense experiences can mean addiction. Flower children, roll & rollers. Monarch (dominance/submission): Focus is on desire to penetrate & dominate, but also possibly surrender, to partnerif trust is present. Possessor can be unintentionally possessed if attention is too dominated by the need for control. Can be most attuned to life force, to energy in all living creatures. Magnetic hypnotists (Gurdjieff). Seeker (union): Desire for union makes them open but vulnerable. Weak personal boundaries can mean promiscuity, dispersion, indiscriminate urge to merge, vulnerability to suggestion from unsavory types. Easily overwhelmed or carried away; establishing a professional identity helps structure their life. Can dominate or be dominated by partners (more often the latter); tend to accede to the others wishes. Can be like a blank screen in 121, but can also bring a quality of unconditional love & sacredness.
Social
Social Reformer (inadaptability): Stiff, rigid, upright in stance. Want a secure social role & clear set of rules. Tend to thing theres one right way for everyone; can be reactive & intolerant of lifestyles they dont approve of. On own turf, may be gregarious & comfortable. Can be social registrars, hosts, arbiters of whats socially correct, but also overly conforming. May snipe at those who fail to measure up. Ambassador (ambition): Self-esteem is earned by getting social approval in the group, being recognized as special, being indispensable to the right people. Public image is what counts, but often content to be the power behind the scenes. Welcome compliments; nd it very hard to tolerate feeling they are being taken for granted. Politician (prestige): High-prole public image & social status brings recognition & the sense of being somebody. Like to play a public role, take the lead in social groups, look the part theyre playing. Want to be the leader, not help the leader (unlike 2s). Dislike being upstaged; are secretly hurt by it but dont let on. Critical Commentator (shame/honor): Social acceptance or recognition brings honor & meaning; not belonging brings shame. The tension between needing to be socially correct & personally authentic > an aura of reserve. Need to speak their truthare often the emotional truth-tellers in a group. But critical like 1s; must learn not to pressure themselves too much to be authentic & also not to be too critical or demand too much emotional intensity. Professor (totems/cultural symbols): Focus of understanding & interpretation of sacred symbols, systems, philosophy, religion, science, mathematics. Magic of the written word means lots of les & books. Avarice is for whatever kinds of learning & presentations that bring social standing & the respect of others. Social Guardian (duty): Fear dispelled & security enhanced by knowing & following group rules , upholding social authority, dutiful commitment to cherished groups & causes. Can have trouble realizing others may have different rules; also can feel burdened, unappreciated, etc. CFcan rebel against the same. Utopian Visionary (sacrice): Feast of life here is of ideas & social visions.; they are resolute idealists who will place limits on themselves for the cause; this is a sacrice for freedom-loving 7s. But the plans & visions can be compelling, grandiose, addictive (gluttonous); grounding may be needed. Extremism & entitlement are possible. More detached, rational, impersonal than other 7s; I network, therefore, I am Group Leader (friendship): Can be both social & anti-social. Friendship & social justice are key, but can be excessive; then personal needs get ignored. Seen as more moderate than other 8s because of an interest in social acceptance. Can overextend themselves in social activities, partying, etc. Not tolerant of betrayers. Community Benefactor (participation): Energized by the opportunity to belong, participate, be included but like to stay out of the limelight, not to commit 100% (to participate or not to participatethat is the question). Willing to work for group harmony but tend to lose themselves in the energy of the group, to merge with it, instead of doing personal inner work. Formal groups are preferred, because known rules can be followed to overcome the insecurity of feeling they dont belong.
PT 1
controlled. Whatever the appearance, the tendency is to impose order on the physical environment. Love isnt given, it has to be earned. Very hard workers, but can resent the carefree. Tends to be the lookout for hidden threats, slights, injustices. Archetype for early pilgrims & puritans.
Nurturer: (me rst/privilege): Want to take care of everyone
PT 2
but thus feel entitled to be noticed, to get special treatment or privileges. Get hurt, and possibly resentful, if they dont get it. Focus on home & hearth, food for others, nursing & nurturing. Ashamed to directly ask for help because this puts them in a one-down position.. Ethnic mother archetype.
Id like to discuss each of these assumptions in turn. Are the subtypes instinctual in nature? The subtypes are usually formally referred to either as instinctual subtypes or instinctual variants. What both terms have in common is the word instinctual. So obviously many people in the field regard the subtypes as instinctual in nature. But are the subtype behaviors truly instinctual? What does it mean to call them instinctual? Often, the word instinctual implies something primitive or primal in nature something thats closely associated with the animal or lower aspect of human nature. On the other hand, instinctual could just refer to refer to anything associated with the physical (instinctual) center. This use of the term is broader and more value-neutral. Since the subtype behaviors are physical patterns of activity, I would have to agree that theyre activated by the physical or instinctual center. I would also agree with the idea that subtype behaviors are influenced by body-based motivations, such as the desire to feel physically comfortable, sexually stimulated, or socially integrated. I can also see that body-based motivations can at times be very compelling, which is why we call them drives. But I dont see physical activity as motivated exclusively by the instincts, as I mentioned earlier. It makes more sense to me that all three centers play a role in influencing what we call subtype behaviors. Notice, by the way, that Ive been talking so far about subtype behaviors, not the subtypes themselves. As I already mentioned, I consider the subtypes to be basically archetypal in nature. As such, they cant be instinctual. My sense is that the subtypes exist as relatively stable but non-physical energy patterns. They exert a powerful but unseen effect on our behavior. What we call subtype behaviors are a direct reflection of these unseen archetypal patterns. The energy pattern of each subtype influences all three centers, but its not until this effect becomes physically manifest that it has a noticeable impact. Thats why it looks like its motivated by the instinctual or physical center. But its just as reasonable to think of physical center as a necessary but not sufficient cause of subtype behaviors. I dont find it particularly useful to talk about instinctual subtypes, because this places too much emphasis on the physical end product and not enough on the motivational pro-
PT 3
Company Man (security): Happiness comes from nancial success & material security.. Identify with company (or family for moms). Job security & earning power = security. Relationships often take a back seat. Super-moms, workaholics.
Creative Individualist (dauntless /reckless): Survival is viewed as more symbolic than literal. Whats key is surviving
PT 4
& transmuting the pain of something missing into creative expression, often via self-abandonment. Are tenacious & self-contained but not materialistic. Emotional sensitivity hidden behind a practical manner. Accent on creativity in home & garden. Don Quixote, artisans, poets. Castle Defender (home): Focus is on a safe physical space
PT 5
(symbolic of inner safety), a home, hideout, retreat. Can wander & travel, but the focus is on safety, via walls or anonymity. Tend to be fairly ascetic except with things they especially value (high tech stuff, books, etc.) Family loyalist (warmth): Creating a warm, welcoming home
PT 6
life is the focus; They show love to secure loveseek affection (or rejectionCF) from others in order to feel safe. Belonging & maintaining closeness are critical; warmth is used to ensure continued bonding.
Gourmand / Family Visionary (family): Family life is ideal-
PT 7
ized to create an environment that is stimulating, enthusiastic, pleasurable, body-oriented (gourmet or health food focused), or visionary (e.g., utopian, as in a commune or extended family). Like the good life, to stay busy with fun home activities, not to slow down or get bogged down with routine chores.
Survivalist (satisfactory survival): Satisfying needs of self &
PT 8
family is paramount. Very focused on physical preparedness. May to go to any length to ensure physical survival & material well-beingstoring food, supplies, securing the perimeter, etc. Very territorial about their home & possessions. Can easily overdo it. The Collector (appetite): Very common type everywhere around the world because the focus is on seeking fulllment of basic needs: for food, stuff, retention for survival. Appetite is
PT 9
key here, not only for food, but for all kinds of material comforts & possessions, especially small personal items. There tends to be lots of stuff everywhere, as things are collected for potential use. This type can be organized or disorganized.
Figure 14 . Subtypes vs. Subtype Arenas. The three royal blue column headers represent the three subtype arenas. Combining the three subtype arenas with the nine enneagram types (in orange) yields 27 subtype descriptions (light blue.).
Arena of the self: individual self-sufficiency, self-care & personhood Arena of intimacy: sexuality, creativity & transformation Arena of community: sociability, participation & social responsibility29
When we combine the three arenas with each of the nine enneagram types, we get the actual subtypes, e.g., Sexual 3, Social 5, etc. These are often given descriptive labels to make them more memorable. There are just three subtype arenas, but there are 27 enneagram subtypes (9 types x 3 arenas). The subtype behaviors are habit patterns that tend to go along with each of the subtypes. Theyre like profiles that help flesh out the nature of the subtype. The difference between type, subtype, subtype arena, and subtype behaviors is illustrated by Figure 14, which is a miniature version of one of the tables describing the subtypes at the end of this article. The figure legend describes the difference between types, subtype arenas, and subtypes. Earlier, I discussed the way that the subtypes are viewed by many people in the enneagram community. There are three assertions often made about the subtypes:
cess underlying it. Thats why I prefer simply to talk about subtypes (dropping the adjective instinctual). This leaves me free to explore the subtypes on various levels. Not only can I look at the behaviors themselves, but also at the stories, themes, and characters that give rise to them. What is the passion of type and how do the subtypes reflect it? The passion of type is Helen Palmers phrase (although I dont know whether shes really the one who originally coined it). I had a hard time understanding what it meant until I read a passage in Sandra Maitris book. Maitri says that its her understanding that the passions are equivalent to preoccupations. So the subtypes indicate a preoccupations with a given area of life. The type would influence the nature of the preoccupation. This sounds sensible to me, except for the fact the word passion has a negative connotation in the culture of the enneagram. Its viewed as the emotional equivalent of fixation. From this viewpoint, passion or emotional preoccupation cannot be the result of a deep upwelling of innate feeling that arises at the level of the soul. It can only be the product of unrefined instinctual urges. Before I started studying the enneagram, I rather liked the word passion. To me, it evoked the image of a deeply inspired intention or vision. It still does. Thats why I puzzle about the reasons that passion is regarded with such distrust. Passion is the engine that makes things happen. Its the motivating energy that gets us involved in life. Without it, how would we ever grow or change? How would we have the incentive to do anything new? I do understand that passion is not always pleasant or easy to deal with. Passion is full of feeling. Its a powerful force. When it moves within us, it can potentially create imbalance if we lack the discrimination or strength needed to channel it. But the force of our passion is something we can learn to work with. Its not the enemy, its just a psychic force that requires integration. Once passion becomes integrated, we can afford to allow it to influence us without fearing that it will destroy our lives or those of the people we love. Its true that this kind of integration isnt exactly automatic. For most of us, it seems to take a fair amount of time and patience to integrate the passionate elements of the psyche. During the period when were still practicing, the arising of passion can create a feeling of extreme vulnerability. Suddenly, we find that we feel very strongly about something or someone. This feeling cuts across our bestlaid plans and firmest intentions. What is going on? Are we feeling the promptings of an inspired intention or an
unconscious obsession? We want to know before acting, because we dont want to make mistakes. We dont want to experience the consequences of making a wrong decision. Were afraid of the suffering this can bring. But part of the integration process seems to depend upon our willingness to fully engage with our passions. From a certain perspective, it seems to matter less whether we succeed or fail than that we manage to really get in touch with the energy thats manifesting. This energy always represents some sort of opportunity for growth, and if we turn away from it because of fear, we turn away from life. We cut ourselves off from the energy we need to grow. With this in mind, I can fully embrace the idea that our subtype reflects the passion of our type. But this is because I see passion in such a positive light.
Are the subtypes the result of early childhood wounding? I dont see that we develop a preference for a given subtype arena in response to any sort of psychological conditioning. The idea that we do is based on the idea that early nurturing is what determines our personality (and hence both our type and subtype). Although this view is common, its not universal.30 And its not a view I personally embrace. I think of both type and subtype as basically innate. I think that the basic structure of our subtype exists at birth, although its initially undeveloped. We could think of it as an energy potential waiting to be developed or envision it as an empty vessel, waiting to be filled. How we grow into our subtype depends on many things, including the kind of experiences we have when were very young. But it also depends on how we respond to those experiences. The idea that babies are a blank slate which can be easily conditioned is not true. Recent research on infant cognition demonstrates that even very young infants already have a great deal of individuality. They have preferences, they make choices, and they actively engage with their environment in unique ways. The way I look at it, from the moment were born, were individuals. Theres a unique pattern to us thats bigger than our personality self which is actively involved in shaping our destiny. This pattern is active in shaping how we act and how we react to whats happening around us. However, its also affecting the way that other people react to us. The subtype arenas give us a way to look at these innate patterns of individuality. Because they look at enneagram type in context, they can offer a way to significantly refine our understanding of individuality . I wouldnt deny that the things that happen to us in early life, both positive and negative, have a significant ef-
SP=Lover of Simple Living SX=Introspective Seeker SOC=Community Facilitator SP=Pacific Provider SX=Chivalrous Protector SOC=Personal Exemplar 8
9
An Optimists Approach to Presenting the Subtypes

In January 2006, I launched a web site that reflects many of the ideas Im presenting here (http://www.enneagramdimensions. net). The web site is about working with the enneagram in a way thats more positive than negative. In brief, I describe the approach as exploratory, systems-oriented, narrative, and humorous. My work with the subtypes is based on the same kind of approach. For me, though, working with the subtypes has never really been a subset of working with the enneagram. Its been the primary focus. There are several reasons for this. One reason is that the subtypes are more specific than the types, so working with them refines my understanding of the type. Another reason is that the subtypes are actionoriented: they reveal ways that type motivations are likely to show up in real life. A third reason is that an understanding of the subtypes is helpful for sorting out relationship problems, especially the kind that arise when people differ in their priorities. But the biggest reason I like to study the subtypes is that its helpful for exploring the relationship between the archetypes and the physical world, especially the role we play in connecting the two. I talk more about this later on. It wasnt all that easy to study the subtypes, because not much of the information is written down. So the information I got initially was in bits and pieces. But over time I got enough info to put together the bits and pieces to form a definite impression of each subtype. The profiles themselves are listed in Appendix Table A-2; the personas for each profile are shown in Figure 15. Notice that few of these personas sound very grand or spiritual. They just sound healthy. Thats because they focus on life in the here and now, not the beyond. They encapsulate the special potentials of each subtype domain, the special gifts we discover when we are truly ourselves. I also envisioned what the subtypes would look when mapped onto the enneagram. I envisioned a procession of profiles around the outside of the enneagram. So for each enneagram point, I thought about a profile description for the subtypes at each wing, and from a bi-winged perspective. The result is shown in Figure B-4 (in Appendix B). I also started thinking about the archetypes associated with each subtype profile. Then I started writing them down. I found that there were really a lot of them! The archetypes didnt exist in isolation; they conjured up many classic themes and stories, many of them with the
SP=Patient Homebuilder SX=Dispassionate Refiner 1 SOC=Serene Advocate SP=Unassuming Nurturer SX=Attentive Lover SOC=Community Server
SP=Family Visionary SX=Joyful Intimate SOC=Social Change Artist
SP=Family Supporter 6 SX=Faithful Companion S0C=Social Conservationist SP=Calm Introspector SX=Focused Confidant SOC=Transpersonal Guide
5 4
SP=High-energy Multitasker SX=Attractive Aspirant SOC=Cooperative Leader
SP=Imaginative Originator SX=Intuitive Dramatizer SOC=Gentle Truth-teller
Figure 15. Transformed Subtype Personas.
fect. Its just that these events dont actually create the basic structures of the psyche, either at the personality level or any other level. They dont create our type or subtype. I do notice that there do seem to be certain childhood experiences that are more characteristic of one type or subtype than another. I find this an interesting synchronicity that Id like to understand better. But as we say in psychological research, correlation does not imply causation. This is the idea that, just because A is associated with B, it doesnt mean that A causes B. Just because people of a certain type have similar experiences in childhood doesnt mean the it was these experiences that created the personality. It just means theres an association between the two. When I listen to the stories that people tell on enneagram panels about their childhoods, I do find it deepens my understanding of type and subtype. But I dont find it explains their origins. The need to find a theory to account for the origin of subtype behaviors tends to arise as the result of considering these behaviors to be psychological in nature and to represent some sort of deviation from the norm. I dont regard the subtypes as either psychological or deviant, so I dont need a way to account for their origins. This is not to say that deviance doesnt exist, only that I wouldnt use either type or subtype to account for it. There are people of all subtypes who are psychologically healthy and people who are less healthy. Subtype focus tells us more about dharma than about mental health.
kind of larger-than-life quality that we typically associate with myths and legends. Others were less classically archetypal but quite useful for describing the subtype in an everyday sort of way. I discuss these in more detail in my article, The Enneagram of Life Paths,31 but for the sake of completeness, Ive also listed them in Appendix A (see Table A-4).
The Dharmic Enneagram

Thinking about all the archetypes associated with each subtype got me to thinking about the idea that studying the subtypes was an especially good way to discover our dharma or path in life. The word dharma roughly translates as duty in English, although I dont think the idea of duty in English completely conveys the sense of what dharma is about. Duty is a word thats fallen out of fashion, perhaps because weve lost touch with duty in its truest sense. We tend to associate the word with a view of the world thats old-fashioned, even puritanical. But its possible to conceive of duty in a broader way, to see that it always implies the existence of something larger than ourselvessomething to which were responsible. If theres something or somebody to whom we own a duty, then our life exists within a larger context. It must have purpose and meaning. When we find our dharma, we can get involved in life in a completely grounded way. Many people seem to have
an innate sense about this; early in life, they know where to go and what to do. They set forth on their path and never look back. But I was never one of those people. I had a hard time figuring out what I should be when I grew upeven well into adulthood. I needed solid guideposts to get a sense of where I was and where I needed to go. Studying the subtypes really helped me with this. It helped me tell the difference between roles and activities that would make sense for me from those that would probably be unrealistic or unproductive. I realized at some point that the concept of dharma isnt just about find our own personal path in life. Its about looking at the role of human beings as energy transformers. When seen from a transpersonal perspective, the subtypes can be seen as archetypes that cause us to initiate action patterns (subtype behaviors) that anchor the energy of the archetype in the physical world. The only way that this can happen is through us, and especially through our physical bodies, which are the vehicles through which higher-frequency energies can flow into a lower-frequency world. This means that our lives really do matter, not just to us, but to something larger than ourselves. We really do have a role to play in the larger tapestry of life. From this point of view, the subtypes serve as guides that help us participate in life in a very particular waya way that serves both us as individuals and life as a whole. I find that viewing the subtypes in this way brings a dimension of dignity to my work with the enneagram, because it means that the work is not just about my personal wants and needs. Its about discerning the ways in which Im re-
Self-preservation
Sexuality or Intimacy Figure 16. Images of the Three Subtype Arenas.
Sociability
sponsible to myself and to life. I try to capture this dimension of the subtype behaviors in Table A-3. Being responsible doesnt seem to preclude having fun, though. Working with the subtypes is a lot of fun, because it naturally lends itself to imaginative play. I found that the more I started working with the subtypes in an imaginative way, the more I actually started thinking of the subtypes as images. This was especially true after talking with Katherine Chernick and David Fauvre, who rely heavily on images to communicate their ideas on the enneagram types and subtypes. I also started using images in my subtypes work, although my approach differs somewhat from that of Katherine and David. My focus is on working with images as a way of helping people remember differences among the 27 subtypes. Together with my colleague, Dina Innominato, I developed a weekend subtype workshop thats experiential in nature. We start by focusing on the three subtype arenas, rather than all 27 subtypes. We introduce the arenas using three big collages, one for each arena (an idea I got from Katherine and David). But we follow up by passing around laminated images for the arenas. As we pass around the images, participants talk about what the images mean to them as individuals. In this way, people start to get a real feel for how they personally experience each of the subtype arenas. Dina and I also use film clips to help make the arena memorable. As we talk about the subtype arenas and the film clips, were able to sneak in little bits of information about how the subtype arenas interact with the types. We also use small group work to allow participants to experience the different ways that people can show up in each arena. Only after the group has a solid understanding of the subtype arenas do we move on to talking about the subtypes themselves. Using this kind of experiential approach, were able to present material on all 27 subtypes in a nine-hour workshop. Its a fun way to work. Its also an approach that introduces people to the subtypes without overwhelming them with too much detail too quickly.
We present participants with many handouts, but the ones that best capture the essence of the workshop are the visual depictions of each subtype arena. These are shown as full-size graphics in Appendix B (see Figures B-1, B-2, and B-3); theyre also shown in miniature form on the previous page (see Figure 16). Dina and I came to work together after Id attended several enneagram couses she offered in her home. Outside of class, she and I often talked about how we viewed out work with the enneagram. Over time, we came to realize that we have a similar perspective. Dina has a background in systems theory and instinctively looks at the enneagram as an open system that invites our participation. I have a background as a psychological researcher interested in individual differences in perception and cognition. We put our heads together and began to develop an approach for working with the enneagram that reflects both of these perspectives. However, it hasnt been easy to articulate the elements of our approach. The ideas started out as intuitive sensings that we didnt know how to articulate. These seed ideas seemed to have a lot of potential, but were initially undeveloped. In some ways, the easiest way to find our way has been to watch the seed germinate, sprout and begin to grow. Were the lucky participants in an organic, ground-up experience that is as inspiring as it is exciting. Each time we teach, we learn at least as much as any of the course participants. The ideas presented in this article are still developing. I hope theyll continue to unfold in new ways over time, because thats the hallmark of a viable, open system. But I expect that the central idea will remain the same: that its possible to work with the enneagram without reference to any sort of deficiency model of human motivation. The enneagram is too great a tool to be used mainly as a means of looking at whats wrong with us. I think its time to look at whats right.
Summary and Implications

The enneagram is often presented as a system for characterizing personality types. Each personality type is said to reflect a core motivation whose purpose is to protect and defend the personality self. So each personality type represents a particular type of psychological imbalance. Similarly, the subtypes are thought to reflect three ways in which the instinctual center can become unbalanced. Both personality type and subtype are usually thought to have developed as the result of early childhood traumas. This dualistic model focuses primarily on the negative aspects of human personality and stresses the need for transformation (of vices into virtues and fixations into Holy Ideas). It seems to idealize personality transcendence without really addressing the question of how to live within limitation.32 When I first encountered the enneagram, this personality model was the only one that seemed influential. I loved the enneagram, but felt trapped within the walls of its negative paradigm. The idea of type always seemed to be presented as something that limits and distorts, as opposed to something that energizes and liberates. I felt that there must be a different way to work with the enneagram, but I couldnt quite envision what it would be. Since then, Ive been trying to cobble together the elements of an alternative perspective. Many of those elements are presented here. I had to describe the perspective in some detail, because I found it wasnt possible to give a coherent account of my ideas on the enneagram subtypes without explaining why I saw the subtypes in a different light. In order to discuss the subtypes, Ive had to create a context for the discussion. The perspective Ive tried to describe is transpersonal in nature. From this perspective, the types are seen as differentiated centers of purposeful intelligence and subtypes as more differentiated versions of the types. The subtype arenas are the place where we learn and grow, and also where we fulfill our dharma in life. So were here for ourselves and own development, but were also here to serve as expressions of something larger than ourselves. Were always playing a dual role. And were always in a reciprocal relationship with the energies of life. The energy flows to us and through us, giving us the impetus to act; we respond by embodying that energy as fully as we dare. The result is a dancea dance full of drama, mystery, and humor. The object isnt to achieve some artificial ideal of perfection, but to be alive in the moment. The enneagram is part of this dance. It gives us not only insight, but energy and inspiration. It has the power to change us in ways we can only begin to imagine. Ive been exploring ways to work with the enneagram that help us become receptive to its energy. This way of working is actually more like playing than workingits like learning how to surf a wave or make a funny picture with finger paints. Bringing a kind of lightness and joy to the process is what opens things up. And thats when the energy really begins to flow.
Endnotes
See Was ist das Ich?: an Interview with James Hollis on Carl Jung, at http://www.wie.org/j17/hollis.asp?pf =1.
1
It can be argued that these different views of the enneagram (process vs. personality) are two sides of the same coin. I discuss a way to build a bridge between them in my article Reconciling Personality with Process: Linking Two Views on the Enneagram, available at my web site (http://www.enneagramdimensions.net/articles.htm).
2
a personality attribute may be one of the big reasons that enneagram type is always assumed to be psychological. In Western culture, we find it very imagine some kind of motivation thats not person-centered. If we could, we might see the enneagram in a different light. The Reflective Universe, 1976, p. xxiv. The author, Arthur Young, isnt just an inventor of the helicopter, hes also a cosmologist with a very interesting view of reality. This book presents his theories on the nature of life and human evolution.
20
Naranjo discusses his views on the personality or ego self in terms of what he calls sins, passions, and character pathologies throughout his books. See, e.g., Chapter 0 in Enneatype Structures (2004); pp. 33-53 in The Enneagram of Society (2004) or By Way of Introduction: a Theoretical Panorama, in Character and Neurosis (2001).
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
My Best Self: Using the Enneagram to Free the Soul (1993), p. 9 The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram (2000), p. 1. The Wisdom of the Enneagram (1999), p. 30. The Wisdom of the Enneagram, p. 35. The Enneagram of Society, p. 53.
The information on Gurdjieffs conceptualization of the centers is primarily drawn from two sources: The Enneagram: Symbol of All and Everything (2003), by Nathan Bernier (especially pp. 31-38); and The Intelligent Enneagram (1996), by A.G.E. Blake (especially pp. 272-274). At this point, its helpful to mention that Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo are the two most instrumental figures whove developed the modern enneagram. When attributing responsibility for ideas to anyone, I generally assume that its Ichazo whos the primary source. However, due to the secretive way that the enneagram was taught until recently, its sometimes difficult to be sure who is responsible for what. I apologize in advance for any misattributions.
10
Its interesting how similar the word compelling is closely to the words compulsive and compulsory. All three words describe the action of an irresistible force. Which word we use to describe that force depends a lot on how we respond to it. Im using the word compelling to describe the nature of a force that evokes such an inner resonance that we accept and embrace it completely. Im also suggesting that the reason it evokes no resistance is that its recognized by the personality as the source of its vitality and wellspring for its existence. If for some reason, the personality fails to recognize the energy thats designed to energize it, the same purposeful thrust of that energy may be interpreted as a compulsory force that is to be resisted. This resistance can cause the personality to become compulsive. The nature of the compulsion reveals the nature of the energy by which the personality is nourished and sustained.
21
For an excellent discussion of chaos theory, see Seven Lessons of Chaos: Spiritual Wisdom from the Science of Change (1999), by John Briggs and F. David Peat.
22
See The Enneagram from a Systems Perspective, at http://www.enneagramdimensions.net/articles.htm.

23
Claudio Naranjo has a slightly different way of conceiving of the five centers. He talks about a lower feeling center, a lower mental center, and the three subtype centers within the physical center. He posits the existence of three higher centers (mental, feeling, and instinctual), as well. But the higher version of the instinctual center has no subtype arenas (presumably because instinct is now equally responsive to the needs of all three arenas). What both models share is the assumption that the lower centers are by nature distorted and in need of reformation or transformation. (See Enneagram Structures, pp. 4-5, or Character and Neurosis, pp. 7-11 for his discussion about the centers.)
11
Claudio Naranjo is aware of the pitfalls of falling into the old trap of scapegoating the body, which is one reason he posits the existence of a not just a lower, but a higher instinctual center (see Note 11). However, he doesnt discuss what purified instinct would actually look like. Also, at the same time that he avoids scapegoating the physical body, he doesnt seem to avoid scapegoating the ego-personality. In fact, just the opposite. At the 2004 IEA Conference, he asked the participants of his workshop to do an exercise in which they were to strongly chastise their ego self. To me, this kind of exercise seems futile. Its the act of blaming itself that creates a psychic split. It doesnt matter so much what we decide to blame; what matters is that we hive off part of ourselves and make it bad or wrong.
24 25 26 27
Open to Desire: Embracing a Lust for Life (2006), p. 16. p. 96.
See also The Enneagram in Love & Work (1995), by Helen Palmer, p. 25.
12
A type panel is a group of people of the same enneagram type who talk to a larger group about how they experience their enneagram type. Here Im speaking at the level of the point, but we can obviously say the same thing about the entire enneagram. Seeing the parts and how they relate to the whole is what matters.
28
For a list of all the fixations and the passions, see, e.g., pp. xiv-xv in Maitris The Spiritual Dimensions of the Enneagram.
13 14 15 16
The Enneagram in Love & Work, p. 29 . The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram, p. 14 .
These labels are from Sandra Maitris The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram (2000), Chapter 12. She says theyre based on those used by Claudio Naranjo and/or Oscar Ichazo. Maitri also includes short descriptions of each subtype in this chapter. (For a similar graphic with slightly different labels, see The Enneagram in Love and Work, p. 28.
17 18
The idea of subtype arenas isnt part of traditional subtype theory; I coined the term myself. But speaking in terms of arenas of activity provides an easy way to talk about subtypes. It also conjures up the image of life as a three-ring circus, and I find this image quite apt!
29
See, for example, The Nurture Assumption, by Judith R. Harris, for an alternative point of view to the idea that personality forms mainly in response to early caregiving.
30 31
The Wisdom of the Enneagram, p. 70.
The Enneagram of Life Paths is available on my web site at http://www.enneagramdimensions.net/articles.htm.
The Mindsight Symposium was held Oct. 21-23, 2005 in Portland, Oregon.
19
The fact that motivation is always conceptualized in Western culture as
The idea that limitation can act as a goad to creativity is addressed in The Enneagram of Life Paths; see above note.
32
Appendix A: Subtype Profiles

These subtype tables represent several different approaches Ive taken in thinking about the subtypes over the last several years. Rather than just give the last and most current version of this table, Ive chosen to include all three versions. When I first studied the subtypes, I started by compiling as many different descriptions as possible from existing books and articles. Thats whats presented in the first table (Table A-1). Because I saw this as the negative pole of subtype behaviors, I attempted to devise a table that would reflect a positive pole (Table A-2). The idea was that transforming the negative subtype behaviors listed in A-1 would result in the transfigured behaviors described in A-2. I still like these transformed descriptions, because I think they give us a vision of ourselves that can be inspiring. The only problem is that, over time, I came to dislike the idea of dividing up subtypes behaviors into two categories (untransformed vs transformed). The very idea of such a dualistic model sort of bothered me. So I came up with a third table (Table A-3) which is an attempt at devising a set of descriptors that focus on the kinds of challenges we encounter in everyday life, but which reflect an appreciation for the value of each subtype in teaching us specific kinds of life lessons. The last two tables contain other observations about the subtypes. Table A-4 is a list of archetypes, life paths, and social roles. Its a funny combination of the lofty and the mundane, the ideal and real. I originally tried to list only archetypes that were truly universal, but soon found that some of the most memorable and interesting parts that people play are outgrowths of our particular day and age. Leaving them out made the list a lot less juicy, so I ended up included any descriptors that enriched my understanding of the subtype. Table A-5 is a list of words that I associate with each of the subtypes (A-5). Its the product of my playing with gerunds (-ing words) by subtype. They give a slightly different view of each subtype (not as a profile or an archetype, but as a kind of activity within a given sphere).
Summary of Appendix A Tables:

Table A-1. Traditional Subtype Profiles. Table A-2. Transformed Subtype Profiles. Table A-3. Dharmic Subtype Profiles. Table A-4. Subtype Archetypes, Life Paths & Social Roles. Table A-5. Energetic Qualities Associated with Each Subtype.
Table A-1. TRADITIONAL SUBTYPE PROFILES* Self-preservation

Pioneer (anxiety): May appear either high-strung or very controlled. Whatever the appearance, the tendency is to impose order on the physical environment. Love isnt given, it has to be earned. Very hard workers, but can resent the carefree. Tends to be the lookout for hidden threats, slights, injustices. Archetype for early pilgrims & puritans. Nurturer: (me first/privilege): Want to take care of everyone but thus feel entitled to be noticed, to get special treatment or privileges. Get hurt, and possibly resentful, if they dont get it. Focus on home & hearth, food for others, nursing & nurturing. Ashamed to directly ask for help because this puts them in a one-down position.. Ethnic mother archetype. Company Man (security): Happiness comes from financial success & material security. Identify with company (or family for moms). Job security & earning power = security. Relationships often take a back seat. Super-moms, workaholics. Creative Individualist (dauntless /reckless): Survival is viewed as more symbolic than literal. Whats key is surviving & transmuting the pain of something missing into creative expression, often via self-abandonment. Are tenacious & self-contained but not materialistic. Emotional sensitivity hidden behind a practical manner. Accent on creativity in home & garden. Don Quixote, artisans, poets. Castle Defender (home): Focus is on a safe physical space (symbolic of inner safety), a home, hideout, retreat. Can wander & travel, but the focus is on safety, via walls or anonymity. Tend to be fairly ascetic except with things they especially value (high tech stuff, books, etc.) Family loyalist (warmth): Creating a warm, welcoming home life is the focus; They show love to secure loveseek affection (or rejectionCF) from others in order to feel safe. Belonging & maintaining closeness are critical; warmth is used to ensure continued bonding. Gourmand / Family Visionary (family): Family life is idealized to create an environment that is stimulating, enthusiastic, pleasurable, body-oriented (gourmet or health food focused), or visionary (e.g., utopian, as in a commune or extended family). Like the good life, to stay busy with fun home activities, not to slow down or get bogged down with routine chores. Survivalist (satisfactory survival): Satisfying needs of self & family is paramount. Very focused on physical preparedness. May to go to any length to ensure physical survival & material well-being storing food, supplies, securing the perimeter, etc. Very territorial about their home & possessions. Can easily overdo it. The Collector (appetite): Very common type everywhere around the world because the focus is on seeking fulfillment of basic needs: for food, stuff, retention for survival. Appetite is key here, not only for food, but for all kinds of material comforts & possessions, especially small personal items. There tends to be lots of stuff everywhere, as things are collected for potential use. This type can be organized or disorganized.
Sexual
The Evangelist (jealousy or heat): Personal intensity plus strict self control = heat. Often channeled into safe passions (eg religion = zeal). Insecure; look for imagined rejection or can become obsessive jealousy in a partnership. Outbursts possible when pressure builds. Perfect relationship sought, anger erupts if it doesnt happen. Wants ALL the others attention. Challenge is to reconcile sexuality with morality. The Lover (seduction or aggression): Highly focused on others & tend to produce a reaction, positive or negative. Determined to win over the person targeted by whatever means. Can be aggressive, but often want the chase more than catch; can fear real intimacy. Can also shape shift, losing themselves in the other. With growth, may try to hold back, thus alternating between approaching & retreating. Movie Star (masculinity/femininity): Focus on success via personal (sexual) attractiveness, charisma, radiance, cheerfulness. Can perform for many or for just one partner. Seek approval in 121 relationships but afraid of rejection when someone sees through the act; can easily lose themselves in their image. Dramatic Person (competitive): Charismatic, high strung & competitive, but also sensitive & permeable. Can fight for what they want but also long for approval; need good boundaries to avoid getting hurt, reactive or overwhelmed. Often elicit love/hate reactions. Cultivating generosity toward self & others helps lessen the need to compete or upstage. Tend toward theatricality; many actors & fashion models are this type. Relationships generate high expectations; disappointment often follows. Secret Agent (confidentiality): Security in relationship gained by exchanged confidential secrets. May seem mysterious or compelling; can draw special others into their inner sanctum. There may be a big rift between sexual self & outer self. May be true monastics if focus is spiritual. Tend to compartmentalize relationships. Warrior (strength/beauty): 6 tries to live up to ideal of strength or beauty; CF is always strength-focused. Dangerous impulsivity or risk taking possible; also ideological rigidity, avoidance of feelings/doubt/worry. Beauty: Idealization and projection of beauty is used to overcome fear; partner idealized via positive mental projections. Adventurer (suggestibility): Charming, risk taking, adventurous. Experience overdone due to extreme expansiveness & mental fascination/ imagination. Suggestibility comes from tendency to merge with others plans, ideas, fantasies; can get carried away by fantasies of love or unwittingly inflict hurt as dance away lovers, but find commitment difficult. Love of intense experiences can mean addiction. Flower children, roll & rollers. Monarch (dominance/submission): Focus is on desire to penetrate & dominate, but also potentially to surrender to the partnerIF trust is present. Possessor can be unintentionally possessed if attention is too dominated by the need for control. Can be most attuned to life force, to energy in all living creatures. Great personal magnetism; can be hypnotic. Seeker (union): Desire for union makes them open but vulnerable. Weak personal boundaries can mean promiscuity, dispersion, indiscriminate urge to merge, vulnerability to suggestion from unsavory types. Easily overwhelmed or carried away; establishing a professional identity helps structure their life. Can dominate or be dominated by partners (more often the latter); tend to accede to the others wishes. Can be like a blank screen in 121, but can also bring a quality of unconditional love & sacredness.
Social
Social Reformer (inadaptability): Stiff, rigid, upright in stance. Want a secure social role & clear set of rules. Tend to thing theres one right way for everyone; can be reactive & intolerant of lifestyles they dont approve of. On own turf, may be gregarious & comfortable. Can be social registrars, hosts, arbiters of whats socially correct, but also overly conforming. May snipe at those who fail to measure up. Ambassador (ambition): Self-esteem is earned by getting social approval in the group, being recognized as special, being indispensable to the right people. Public image is what counts, but often content to be the power behind the scenes. Welcome compliments; find it very hard to tolerate feeling they are being taken for granted. Politician (prestige): High-profile public image & social status brings recognition & the sense of being somebody. Like to play a public role, take the lead in social groups, look the part theyre playing. Want to be the leader, not help the leader (unlike 2s). Dislike being upstaged; are secretly hurt by it but dont let on. Critical Commentator (shame/honor): Social acceptance or recognition brings honor & meaning; not belonging brings shame. The tension between needing to be socially correct & personally authentic > an aura of reserve. Need to speak their truthare often the emotional truth-tellers in a group. But critical like 1s; must learn not to pressure themselves too much to be authentic & also not to be too critical or demand too much emotional intensity. Professor (totems/cultural symbols): Focus of understanding & interpretation of sacred symbols, systems, philosophy, religion, science, mathematics. Magic of the written word means lots of files & books. Avarice is for whatever kinds of learning & presentations that bring social standing & the respect of others. Social Guardian (duty): Fear dispelled & security enhanced by knowing & following group rules, upholding social authority, dutiful commitment to cherished groups & causes. Can have trouble realizing others may have different rules; also can feel burdened, unappreciated, etc. CFcan rebel against the same. Utopian Visionary (sacrifice): Feast of life here is of ideas & social visions; they are resolute idealists who will place limits on themselves for the cause; this is a sacrifice for freedom-loving 7s. But the plans & visions can be compelling, grandiose, addictive (gluttonous); grounding is needed. Extremism & entitlement are possible. More detached, rational, impersonal than other 7s; I network, therefore, I am. Group Leader (friendship): Can be both social & antisocial. Friendship & social justice are key, but can be excessive; then personal needs get ignored. Seen as more moderate than other 8s because of an interest in social acceptance. Can overextend themselves in social activities, partying, etc. Not tolerant of betrayers. Community Benefactor (participation): Energized by the opportunity to belong, participate, be included but like to stay out of the limelight, not to commit 100% (to participate or not to participatethat is the question). Willing to work for group harmony but tend to lose themselves in the energy of the group, to merge with it, instead of doing personal inner work. Formal groups are preferred, because known rules can be followed to overcome the insecurity of feeling they dont belong.
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PT 2
PT 3
PT 4
PT 5
PT 6
PT 7
PT 8
PT 9
Sources: Labels from Peter OHanrahan, parenthesized descriptors from Oscar Ichazo, information from the work of Helen Palmer, Tom Condon, Katherine Chernick & David Fauvre, Don Riso & Russ Hudson, and Sandra Mai
Table A-2. TRANSFORMED SUBTYPE PROFILES Self-Preservation

Contented Homebuilder: There is inner peace, not anxiety. This brings the ability to work with joy & calmness. The focus is on the task not perfectionistic laboring. Details are worked out with care; theres a natural pride in a job well-done & the ability to balance work with playalso a tolerance for error. Business dealings are conducted with honor & fairness. Unassuming Nurturer: Genuine joy comes from truly selfless giving, which is perceived as a privilege. Self-nurturing comes from self-love. The focus is on home & hearth, food for others, & other personal forms of nurturance. Theres no shame in asking for help when its needed, because of the understanding that we are all interdependent. High-energy Multi-tasker: Security in self-identity makes it possible to focus on the pleasure of doing, not just the need for material security. There is an ability not only to work, but just to beto slow down, be alone, cultivate relationships, enjoy hobbies. Material goods & pleasures are seen not to guarantee security but a natural part of an abundant life. Imaginative Originator: Inner vision can be translated into creative work in the home & garden. Color, light, fabric, clothing, etc., can express an inner aesthetic born out of a genuine love of beauty. Abandonment is to ones vision or passion. The dauntless tendency is mostly reflected in a clear & steady boldness of personal expression. Calm Introspector: The reflexive need to protectively withdraw is replaced by an inner calm that is always present, regardless of surroundings. Home is within, & so the need for retreat is merely a preference, not a compulsion. Solitude is joyful but does not become social isolation. Books, high-tech stuff, etc., are valued for their ability to satisfy intellectual curiosity & further personal understanding. Family Supporter: A warm, welcoming home life is valued not for the security it provides, but for its own sakefor the opportunity it provides for personal self-expression, nurturing loved ones, & sharing the bounties of life with those one loves. Warmth & generosity to others flows out of genuine love & faith, not the need to protect through friendship. Home Designer: An imaginative vision of home & life brings pleasure & satisfaction without the need to go to extremes to impose them on others. An appreciation for the good life doesnt turn into profligacy or compulsion. Theres an ability to slow down, stay with one thing at a time & to enjoy what is happening in the present moment. Pacific Provider: Inner strength & fortitude are expressed via the providing of tangible care & protection to others. There is a warm- hearted, generous & expansive spirit of goodwill, but also restraint & respect for others boundaries, rather than the establishment & justification of ones own agenda. Lover of Simple Living: The ability to be present to the self brings added enjoyment of the simple pleasures of the home & hearth. It lessens the tendency to over-collect, over-indulge, or become tense in decision-making scenarios and heightens the ability to discriminate among choices & make decisions. Theres an ability to be aware of personal needs & satisfy them appropriately.
Sexual
Dispassionate Refiner: Personal intensity plus serenity = a highly refined character. Passionate concern about an intimate other is so refined that it becomes like an elixir exquisitely suited to others needs. Fear of rejection & jealousy are neutralized; imperfections are made perfect by love. Fears can be admitted & discussed; there is no need to sermonize or convert. Attentive Lover: Inner attentiveness brings the ability to share the true self with the partner. This is real intimacy (& friendship) without strings attached; its a big relief. No need for game playing to get love, but just love for its own sake. The fear of rejection is not present, so no manipulation is necessary. Naturalness & the heartfelt desire to share oneself with another fosters true intimacy. Attractive Aspirant: Charisma infused with hope becomes true radiance. This is highly attractive because of its purity, beauty & power. Performance becomes giving; the focus is personal & specific. Other people feel appreciated for who they are as individuals, not just for the approval they can provide. Intimate relationships are a source of joy and inspiration . Intuitive Dramatizer: Intuitive imagination wells up in a natural yet dramatic fashion, to express personal ideals. This expression is intensely personal but happens in an impersonal (unselfconscious) way. Balance in the midst of intensity or chaos makes possible the use of drama to illustrate possibilities for creative unfoldment. Personal intensity is balanced by an impersonal core at the center of the self. Focused Confidant: A quiet and focused receptivity to the other creates an intimacy that is subtle, delicate, & verbally unexpressed. There is a mysterious, satisfying quality to the relationships that is deeply refreshing & yet very solid, steady, stabilizing. The tendency to compartmentalize relaxes, so there is no rigid separation between public & private selves or the need to mask intimate feelings in public. Faithful Companion: The love & faith felt for the companion is reflected by the care given to them, & a sincere appreciation for what is given in return. There is an exquisite attunement to the other. Faith strengthens the heart, bringing courage & dissolving doubt, worry, ideological rigidity, false projections; this allows the arising of true clarity of mind. Joyful Intimate: A soaring imagination & desire for intense highs are grounded in a genuine appreciation for the ethical dimensions of intimate relationships. Attention shifts from the self-centered need for intense experiences to the honoring of the personal desires & needs of the other. Joy comes from shared experiences and the deepening of intimacy. Chivalrous Protector: The focus on personal ownership & control in relationships shifts to a heartfelt desire to unselfishly protect, uphold, & serve the beloved one, to enable the beloved to freely grow & flower in their own right, rather than to possess them as objects or limit their freedom to movement. This is the expression of the archetype of courtly love. Introspective Seeker: The desire to merge in an unconscious way becomes conscious; the personal self is embraced, so that union is not an unreflective gravitation toward a love object but an active embracing of the other. Because the self is genuinely present, its voluntary surrender is genuinely sacrificial. This can bring to the relationship a sense of sacredness or even mystical oneness.
Social
Serene Advocate: Inner calm relaxes one right way thinking & promotes good will, tolerance, & fairness. Decision making is impartial & dispassionate. Formal rules are superseded by flexible guidelines. Social correctness is relaxed; the focus is on patient promotion of high-minded ideals. The ability to see more than one point of view enriches advocacy efforts. Community Server: The simple joy of working with others in service brings contentment. The focus is on consensus building, networking, creating bonds of trust, & including everyone as part of the group. Compliments are appreciated but not required; most of the reward is the intrinsic joy of working with others on a common goal. Cooperative Leader: The relentless drive to compete for leadership becomes an intrinsically-rewarding effort to create a better community. Emphasis is on leading in whatever way is needed, playing roles to suit the task & needs of others. Leadership is natural & enjoyable, but there is no need to identify with the leadership role in order to feel real. Gentle Truth-Teller: Inner calm & grateful acceptance of life as it is makes it possible for speak ones truth wo/offending others; there is no conflict between shame & honor. Its possible to convey felt truths to others in a way that is refined by discipline & tempered by love. This approach is honorable & also increases the likelihood of ones ideas being accepted, although this is not the goal. Transpersonal Guide: Leadership is expressed transpersonally, by enabling others to experience the world in a way that takes them beyond the sensate limitations of the personal self. The focus is on universal ideas, principles, patterns, symbols, archetypes & images. They ability to see & communicate these patterns is honored by others, because its seen as an embodiment of the shared wisdom of the collective. Social Conservationist: A natural bent to conserve all that is good about the past & intuitive understanding of whats worth preserving creates a true conservationist who can preserve & re-cycle still-useful traditions & see how the lessons of the past can help stabilize the future. This thoughtful, reasoned support for community activities brings support & goodwill. Social Change Artist: Idealism is grounded, focused, practical; this is social change with a light touch, an attunement to the moment, a sense of humor, commitment minus the sense of martyrdom or self-sacrifice. Change is accomplished deftlywith lightness, artistry, perhaps a bit of trickery. Goals are realistic & communication replaces the tendency toward extremism. Personal Exemplar: Leadership is shown by personal example, not coercion; whatever the setting, theres a personal, hands on & often inspirational quality that attracts personal loyalty & participation. Its a leadership that arises naturally in response to the needs of the situation, not the personal needs of the leader. Community Facilitator: A basic comfortability with the self brings the willingness to consciously embrace the role of meditator or facilitator, because theres no need to hide by merging with the group. The ability to be aware, awake, & present means they can enjoy playing an active, creative role even in the absence of rules or well-established traditions.
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PT 2
PT 3
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Table A-3. DHARMIC SUBTYPE PROFILES Self-Preservation

Pioneer: Disciplined, organized & sober. Have a sense that life needs civilizing. Thus, they work hard to impose order, especially on the physical environment. Want to make things concrete & definite. Can have a difficultly dealing with ambiguity, gray areas, etc. Also find it hard to let go and be really carefree unless they can clearly justify it (eg, to restore physical or mental health). Nurturer: Personally caregivers; want to take care of everyone but can thus feel justified in wanting special treatment (not because they need it, but because they deserve it). Focus is on home & hearth, making food for others, & other personal kinds of assistance. Need to learn to give without strings & to accept help gracefully. Horatio Alger: Material security & success bring personal satisfaction. Tend to identify with those they work for (or family for caregivers). Without something concrete to work toward, its hard to feel ok. Relationships often take a back seat to achievement. These are the Type Assuper-moms or workaholics. Artisan: Earthy, sensuous, & deeply emotional. Aware of aesthetics, light & shadow, colors, shapes, patterns, aesthetics. Create living spaces that symbolize who they are. Tenacious & self-contained but not very materialistic. Much more sensitive than they look. Accent on originality at home, in the garden & in the way they dress. Philosopher: Very sensitive to outside stimuli, so they rely on privacy to create a bounded space within which they can digest what they perceive. This space can be physical (a home, study or library) or personal (a reserved manner or anonymity in a group). Can relax when with intimates who respect their boundaries. Family Loyalist: Tend toward shyness & modesty, warmth & sensitivity. Want to create an inviting, secure home life & to welcome others in a way that encourages reciprocation. A sense of belonging & closeness are valued; expressive warmth ensures continued bonding with those they value. Enthusiast: Everyday life is seen as an experiential feast. Accent is one creating a personal space that is stimulating, pleasurable, body-oriented (gourmet or health food-focused) or visionary (e.g., utopian, as in a commune or extended family). Like the good life, to stay busy with fun home activities, not slow down or get stuck too long on repetitive tasks. Survivor: There is a very concrete & tangible understanding of what it takes to physically survive on the earth. Gain satisfaction by providing for their own needs & those of their family. Tend to see others close to them as extensions of themselves, so their task is to allow others the same space they value for themselves. Collector: This is the archetype of the common man because the focus is on satisfying ones basic needs & finding comfort in familiar pleasures & routines. Collecting material stuff brings a sense of security and obviates the need to make decisions about what to toss. Tend to merge with (and get distracted by) their physical surroundings, especially at home.
Sexual
Evangelist: Personal intensity plus strict self control = heat. This heat is often channeled into safe passions (eg, religion = zeal). Passionately attached to partners but very sensitive to rejection; can create jealousy. Outbursts possible when pressure builds. Perfect relationship is imagined; anger erupts when the real thing doesnt quite match the image. Challenge is to bring light & laughter into intimate relationships. Lover: Attention goes to the loved one and on how to win them over; whatever the cost. Can shape shift to please the lover but sometimes go overboard and lose themselves in the process. Partners who dont reciprocate tend to make them feel unappreciated. They need to be aware of the roles they play and how to drop them to find real intimacy. Aspirant : The focus is on achievement in the area of personal (sexual) attractiveness, charisma, radiance, cheerfulness. Can project an image for many or for just one partner. Seeks validation in 121 relationships but sensitive to what might happen if someone sees through the act; they can easily mistake their image for who they really are. Dramatist: Charismatic, high strung, competitive, fierce & demanding, but also sensitive & permeable; secretly long for approval. Need good boundaries to avoid becoming hurt, reactive or overwhelmed. Tend to elicit love/hate reactions. Cultivating generosity toward the self & others helps transcend the need to compete or upstage. Confidant: Intimate relationships offer a way to break out of social isolation while preserving a bounded space that protects them from overstimulation. May seem secretive or mysterious; can draw trusted others into their inner sanctum. Grateful to companions who allow them their space. May be true monastics if focus is spiritual. Warrior Prince or Princess: Focus on living up to ideal or strength or beauty; CF 6 is by definition strength-focused. Determined to be strong, no matter what, so tend to take risks to test their courage. If beauty is idealized, then they can project an aura of lushness & warmth thats very inviting. Very protective of intimate others & those they see as vulnerable. Will O the Wisp: Charming, risk taking, devil may care. Experience-seeking may be overdone due to extreme expansiveness & tendency to be fascinated by everyone & everything encountered. Dispersion of attention can mean suggestibility & lack of groundedness. Can unwittingly inflict hurt as dance away lovers until they come to terms with their butterfly tendencies & discover the joy of real communion. Knight: Extremely intense, magnetic & energetic. The desire to penetrate & dominate comes naturally, but theyre also sensitive to chivalric ideals and can learn to sublimate the desire to dominate into a desire to serve. They search for a cause worthy of their service and a mate worthy of their absolute devotion. Mystic: Desire for union predominates, whether with God, a partner, or nature. Can mean dispersion, weak personal boundaries, dissolution of self will. Establishing a concrete professional identity helps provide structure & a sense of identity. Can be like a blank screen in relationships, allowing the partner to make most key decisions, but can also bring to a relationships a quality of unconditional love & sacredness.
Social
Social Arbiter: Upright, dedicated, serious, & steady. Motivated to devise standards & systems by which to judge behaviorlaws, justice systems, rules of etiquette, etc. Motivated by fairness & high-minded ideals, but tend to see their own way as the only correct one. This makes it hard to feel that they really belong in social situations or to just relax & have fun. May find an outlet for creative tension in dramatic pursuits. Host or Hostess: Enjoyment comes from social networking, the support of others agendas, smoothing over difficult situations, being genuinely helpful to the people they support. Prefer behind-the-scenes endeavors, but are secretly hurt if they feel theyre taken for granted; work best when they can use their talents & receive sufficient recognition for doing so. Politician: Find satisfaction in high-profile public recognition & social achievement. Like to play a very public role, take the lead in social groups, look the part theyre playing. Want to be the leader, not help the leader (unlike 2s). Know how to pull a diverse group together. Sensitive to being upstaged, but theyre good at covering this over. *Critic: Social acceptance & recognition bring honor & meaning; not belonging brings shame. But theres tension between group norms & valued personal ideals; despite social reserve, they tend to feel they must speak their truthare often the emotional truth-tellers in a group. But must learn not to get too focused on authenticity or demand too much too soon. Professor: Curious, exploratory, investigative, depthoriented. Focus is on understanding & interpretation of sacred symbols, systems of all kinds, philosophy, religion, science, mathematics. Magic of the written word means lots of files & books. Knowledge brings respect of others & a sense of ease & security. May need to let go of the need to be recognized as the definitive expert. Social Guardian: Duty & commitment is to the group, especially groups that affirm their values. They tend to feel lost in unstructured situations, preferring to participate in groups with well-established norms & clear expectations. They respect traditional values & social norms. Often willing to take on the grunt work with little expectation of recognition or reward. Utopian: Feast of life here is of ideas & social visions.. These are the resolute idealists who will place limits on their freedom in service to a cause; this is a sacrifice for freedom-loving 7s. Their plans & visions can be compelling, but only bear fruit if they can slow down, get grounded, and patiently follow-through. Democratic extremism & entitlement are possible. Tend to be more detached & idea-oriented than other 7s. Chieftain: Social 8s have a very personal, hands-on, tribal style of leadership that can be either social or anti-social. It involves a personal investment that often inspires others to follow. These 8s as more moderate than others because of an interest in social acceptance. Can overextend themselves in social activities, partying, etc. Not very tolerant of group betrayers. Participator: Energized by the opportunity to belong, participate, be included but like to stay out of the limelight, but not necessarily to commit 100%. Love to lose themselves in the energy of the group, not realizing the loss of selfhood that may result. They often prefer formal groups, because known rules & routines create a scenario where its possible to let go of personal boundaries and melt into the larger group.
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Table A-4. SUBTYPE ARCHETYPES, LIFE PATHS & SOCIAL ROLES Self-Preservation
Pioneer, Settler, Wilderness Tamer, Dignified Civilizer, Tense Worker, Civic-minded Voter, Sober Citizen, Disciplined Perfectionist, Meticulous Worker, Fine Craftsman, Picayune Grammarian, Duty-bound Family Member, Responsible Person, Honorable Survivor, Detail-oriented Editor, Parsimonious Spender, Skinflint Guardian Angel, Mother Nature, Doting Mother, Effusive Caregiver, Homemaker, Cook, Nurse, Fairy Godmother, Best Friend, Eager Helper, Sympathetic Listener, Inquisitive Matchmaker, Busybody, Gossip, Self-Martyring Sacrificer, Would-be Rescuer, Needy Giver, Emotional Blackmailer, Diva, Maestro, Crone, Devouring Mother, Wicked Witch Determined Achiever, Success-oriented Careerist, Adaptable Go-Getter, Company Man/Woman, Do everything Mom, CFO, Pragmatic Entrepreneur, Hardworking Apprentice, Ambitious Journeyman, Mr. All work-no play, Hard-driving Executive, Type A Personality, Comeback Kid, Big Fish in a Small Pond Bohemian, Artisan, Craftsman, Imaginative Creator, Teller of Life Stories, Originator of New Forms, Gypsy, Wordsmith, Content Editor, Weaver, Independent Learner, Interested Teacher, Individualist, Persevering Seeker, Wounded Healer, Explorer of the Psyche, Spiritual Gambler, Edge-Walker, Velveteen Rabbit Private Genius, Solitary Philosopher, Puzzle Solver, Pattern Observer, Mental Tinkerer, Theoretical Inventor, Blueprint Creator, Amateur Scholar, Serious Hobbyist, Stuff Collector, Space Protector, Reflective Thinker, Detail Analyzer, Professional Student, Treasure Finder, Hermit, Nerd, Recluse Shy Loyalist, Gentle Friend, Family Preserver, Quiet Doer, Faithful Companion, Self-conscious Friend, Concerned Parent, Loyal Employee, Persistent Supporter, Frequent Worrier, Nervous Nelly, Warm Welcomer, Gracious Host or Hostess, Dedicated Homemaker, Brave Little Mouse, Little Engine That Could, Obstacle Surmounter Bon Vivant, Salon Designer, Renaissance Man or Woman, Family Visionary, Magical Child, Fun Parent, Pastry Chef, Good Life Aficionado, Communard, Family Entertainer, Visionary Entrepreneur, Interior Designer, Home Improver, Versatile Generalist, Idea Glutton, Self-improvement Junkie, Intellectual Spinner, Self-fascinated Narcissist Father Figure, Protector, Guardian, Powerful Presence, Heavyweight, Strong Silent Type, Weightlifter, Sampson, Hercules, Atlas, Mountain Man, Mountain Mama, Force of Nature, Wilderness Survivor, Prepared Survivalist, Mother Bear, Grounded Weightlifter, Pillar of Strength, Unsung Hero, Little Orphan Annie Practical Person, Patient Endurer, Steady Worker, Sensible Thinker, Nature Lover, Unassuming Doer, Putterer, Appreciator of Detail, Enjoyer of Routines, Person of the Land, Peasant, Serf, Slave, Nomad, Herdsman, Crop Picker, Tribe Member, Cowhand, Gardener, Manual Laborer
Sexual
Monk, Nun, Ascetic, Renunciate, Evangelist, Proselytizer, Missionary, Pilgrim, Puritan, Ethical or Spiritual Counselor, Stern Confessor, Exacting Mentor, Persistent Interrogator, Fiery Advocate, Angry Demonstrator, Thorn in the Side, Picketer, Protester, Ranting Reformer, Passionate Lover, Possessive Friend Devoted Helpmate, Supportive Partner, Selfless Lover, Sensitive Friend, Flirt, Coquette, Lothario, Seducer, Femme Fatale, Casanova, Playboy, Harlot, Divine Prostitute, Madonna, Sacrificial Christ, Vestal Virgin, Holy Innocent, Saint, Devotee, Pampered Prince or Princess, Stalker, Victim, Emotional Vampire Public Personality, Aspiring Star, Shining Star, Popular Hero, Attention-getter, Sex Goddess, Glamour Queen, Fashion Plate, Model, Manicured Professional, Airbrushed Perfection, Media Sensation, Masculine Ideal, Feminine Ideal, Venus, Adonis Dramatist, Artist, Poet, Actor, Passionate Soulmate, Unfulfilled Lover, Vengeful Lover, Romantic Rival, Jealous Competitor, Intense Seeker, Passionate Embracer, Pained Isolate, Misunderstood Artist, Damsel in Distress, Drama Queen/King, Abandoned Child, Frustrated Seeker Spy, Sleuth, Alchemist, Scientist, Mad Scientist, Investigator, Private Detective, Undercover Operative, Behind-the-scenes Internet Wizard, Chat Room Enthusiast, Chess Player, Private Tutor, Secret Photographer, Exchanger of Confidences, Weirdo Voyeur, Secret Society Member, Wizard of Oz Fiery Rebel, Feisty Friend, Debater, Underdog Fighter, Scrapper, Runt of the Litter, Fierce Warrior, Tender Defender, Defender of the Faith, Battlefield Medic, Cowardly Lion, Beauty Queen, Miss America, Boy or Girl Next Door, Prince Valiant, Braveheart, Dauntless Explorer, Sensitive Creator, Aesthetic Appreciator, Idealistic Lover, Shy Sensualist Artless Charmer, Dance-away Lover, Shameless Hedonist, Space Cadet, Comic, Mimic, Hippie, Manic Escapist, Rake, Alcoholic, Addict, Dreamer, Artist, Trickster, Vagabond, Aimless Wanderer, Juggler, Fool, Jack of All Trades, Panhandler, Self Actualizer, Gambler, Snake Charmer, Clothes Designer, Raconteur, Troubadour, Angelic Innocent God or Goddess, Gods Instrument, Guru, Rescuer, Champion, Gunslinger, Knight Errant, Charismatic Hero, Honor-Bound Avenger, Personal Intimidator, Pirate King, Martial Artist, Avenging Angel, Angel of Death, Shiva/Kali, Destroyer, Tyrant, Hunter or Huntress, Midas Intimate Companion, Personal Valet, Devoted Servant or Retainer, Empathic Listener, Receptive Friend, Gentle Helper, Natural Mystic, Lost Soul, Fantasy Spinner, Enjoyer of Pleasure, Devotee, Tabula Rasa, Nature Worshipper, Meditator, Animal Lover, Surrendered Lover, Lover of Love
Social
Rulemaker, Lawmaker, Judge, Fair Jurist, Priest, Pope, Spiritual Hierophant, Chief Justice, Religious Educator, Mother Superior, Chief Examiner, Exacting Auditor, Impartial Inquisitor, Parliamentarian, Old Testament Prophet Lawmaker, Teacher, Instructor, Arbiter, Scribe, Legal Advocate, Tireless Reformer, Miss Manners Diplomat, Ambassador, Community Builder, Gracious Organizer, Neighborhood Networker, Humanitarian, Event Hostess, Social Smoother, Behind-the-scenes Manipulator, Power Behind the Throne, Hidden Partner, Public Relations Consultant, Social Climber, Ambitious Parent, Stage Mother, Bleeding Heart Early Adapter, Effective Presenter, Team Leader, Office Seeker, Opinion Leader, Politician, Head of the Class, Valedictorian, First Among Equals, Credentialed Consultant , Lobbyist, Prestige Elite Member, Public Opinion Expert, Public Relations Genius, Spin Doctor, Glosser-over, Master Deal-maker Witty Pundit, Social Critic, Insightful Commentator, Public Artist, Public Designer, Architect, Artistic Director, Refined Elitist, Social Muck-raker, Alienated Idealist, Ambivalent Truth-teller, Rebel Without A Cause, Justifying Complainer, Unpopular Confronter, Uncompromising Activist, Ugly Duckling Group Observer, Recognized Expert, Honored Teacher, Tenured Professor, Knowledge Repository, Dispassionate Facilitator, Impersonal Guide, Bodhisattva, Occasional Iconoclast, Etymologist, Myth Collector, Anthropologist, Arcane Expert, Wise Man or Woman, Tribal Healer, Shaman, Witch Doctor Preservationist, Conserver of the Social Order, Historian, Loyalist, Archivist, Recorder, Community Builder/ Volunteer, Committee Worker, Prosecutor, Community Protector, Police Officer, Firefighter, Upholder of Law & Order, Reluctant Whistle-blower, True Believer, Vigilante, Unyielding Conformist Social Idealist, Political Visionary, High-Flying Utopian, Optimistic Futurist, Social Planner, Social Architect, Armchair Revolutionary, Intellectual Anarchist, Winged Messenger, Angelic Herald, Swift Courier, Idea Networker, Aquarian Thinker, Innovative Communicator, Human Potential Activist, Trendsetter, Jet-setter, One of the Beautiful People Patriarch, King, Queen, Emperor, Empress, Court-holder, Ruler, Autocrat, CEO, Boss, Born Leader, Leader of the Pack, Mafia Don, Military Commander, Chieftain, Benevolent Dictator, Tactician, Strategist, Commander in Chief, Tough-love Parent, Dominant Friend, Ones of the Boys, A Real Pal Group Participant, Community Member, Natural Mediator, Harmonizer, Blender, Go-Between, Peacemaker, Consensus Builder, Family Counselor, Unassuming Facilitator, Unintentional Networker, Faithful Steward, Activity Coordinator, Coach, Referee
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Table A-5. ENERGETIC QUALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SUBTYPE Self-preservation

Industry: focusing, concentrating, determining, discriminating, pinpointing, selecting, defining, specifying, literalizing, staking out, cordoning off, delineating, ordering, laboring, civilizing, taming, structuring, devoting, persevering, earning, deserving Examples: Puritans, pioneers, Mormons, perfect housewives, strict parents, hard workers, fine craftsmen, watchmakers Care-Giving: tending, helping, supporting, nurturing, caring, loving, encouraging, parenting, defending, feeding, nursing, fostering, uplifting, boosting, furthering, pushing, promoting Examples: Moms, matriarchs, nurses, big brothers & sisters, guardians, parents, cooks, compassionate workers Security: undertaking, doing, working, striving, grinding out, overcoming, reaching, arriving, satisfying, succeeding, materializing, accomplishing, securing, anchoring, achieving Examples: Type As, Horatio Algers, supermoms, workaholics, relentless workers Origin: wondering, imagining, shaping, originating, making, fashioning, forming, symbolizing, weaving, synthesizing, expressing, designing, deepening, self-abandoning, waiting, longing Examples: artisans, potters, designers, symbol makers, ensoulers, storytellers, independent workers Privacy: desisting, detaching, retiring, minimizing, withdrawing, separating, anchoring, keeping private, holding back, mentalizing, pondering, reflecting, understanding Examples: thinkers, philosophers, inventors, tinkerers, puzzlers, boundary makers, boundary keepers, unconventional workers Home: deferring, respecting, fearing, cautioning, ensuring, securing, warming, home-making, family-building, conserving, preserving, welcoming, inviting, pleasing, refraining, restraining, appreciating Examples: home-makers, home protectors, traditionalists, housewives, historians, conservers, preservers, warm hosts/hostesses, loyal workers The Good Life: eating, drinking, enjoying, shopping, celebrating, entertaining, improvising, mixing, combining, melding, alchemizing, stimulating, expanding Examples: chefs, gourmands, wine tasters, kite flyers, bike riders, enthusiastic workers Strength: standing, withstanding, outlasting, satiating, surviving, securing, making tangible, grounding, storing, hoarding, providing, territorializing, toughening, uncompromising Examples: strong men, muscle men, weightlifters, fathers, protectors, guardians Practicality: allowing, relaxing, laying back, stretching, snoozing, filling, fulfilling, satisfying, accumulating, self-comforting, collecting, munching, routinizing, habituating, puttering, dabbling Examples: putterers, gardeners, unassuming employees, herders, serfs, gardeners, cowhands, clerks, nibblers & snackers, habitual workers
Sexual
Passion: possessing, obsessing, holding, disapproving, impassioning, intensifying, idealizing, burning, pressurizing, containing, restraining, pointing out, adjuring, entreating, enjoining, beseeching, criticizing, disciplining, harnessing, inhibiting, confining, curbing Examples: ascetics, renunciates, rabble-rousers, intensifiers, zealous preachers, jealous lovers, observant partners Romance: flirting, attracting, enticing, seducing, luring, tempting, pursuing, romancing, dating, fascinating, winning-over, shape-shifting, entrancing, stalking Examples: lovers, romantics, pursuers, people who date, attentive listeners, happy lovers, supportive partners Stardom : aspiring, radiating, starring, beaming, inspiring, leap-frogging, shining, winning, glowing, illuminating, glittering, gleaming, energizing, attention garnering Examples: feminine ideal, masculine ideal, performers, movie stars, rock stars, confidence boosters, cheerleaders, image-oriented lovers & partners Drama: dramatizing, intensifying, creating, competing, taking, seizing, opposing, beating, seeking, provoking, hating, killing, torching, creating, destroying, annihilating Examples: dramatic actors, romantic rivals, meaning seekers, tough competitors, fierce lovers, emotionally demanding partners Secrets: observing, seeing, watching, spying, sleuthing, surveilling, perceiving, secreting away, mystifying, curiosity creating, confiding, retreating & appearing, penetrating Examples: spies, secret operatives, undercover cops, detectives, sleuths, confidential lovers, private partners Mating: idealizing, identifying, bonding, romanticizing, mate affirming, comforting, beautifying, ornamenting, decorating, prettifying, contending, defending, resisting, reacting Examples: beauty queens, devoted partners, warriors, underdog defenders, feisty friends. idealizing lovers, loyal partners Freedom: playing, dancing, jumping, leaping, flying, surfing, whizzing, creating, spiraling, free-falling, zooming, whirring, whirling, twirling, whistling, wandering, juggling Examples: artless charmers, frequent wanderers, natural jugglers, flower children, potential hedonists, interesting partners, dance-away lovers, lively friends Chivalry: honoring, upholding, trusting, dominating, submitting, overwhelming, possessing, warring, triumphing, magnetizing, hypnotizing, retribution seeking, forgiving, mocking, belittling, stamping out, eradicating Examples: knights, heroes & heroines, dragon slayers, avengers, aggressors, lustful lovers, fierce friends Surrender: letting go, stepping back, stepping down, disappearing, dispersing, emptying, being receptive, accepting, opening, relaxing, blanking out, self-dissolving, self-abdicating, dreaming, wishing, longing Examples: servants, devotees, mystics, listeners, counselors
Social
Law: ordaining, decreeing, consecrating, prescribing, proscribing, codifying, systematizing, rule-making, law-making, evaluating, judging, governing, regulating, regularizing Examples: lawmakers, judges, lawyers, social arbiters, parliamentarians, religious & spiritual leaders Diplomacy: organizing, arranging, connecting, supporting, affirming, appreciating, smoothing over, entertaining, facilitating, socializing, making connections, social networking Examples: diplomats, event organizers, ambassadors, social supporters, humanitarians Politics: public speaking, selling, promoting, publicizing, winning over, connectiing, cooperating, leading, networking, self-promoting, self-packaging Examples: politicians, CEOs, public speakers, program promoters, public relations experts, valedictorians Debate: arguing, objecting, debating, critiquing, muck-raking, liberating, speaking out, reifying, refining, ritualizing, lifting up, enculturating, rarifying, truth-telling, non-conforming, disobeying Examples: gallery owners, artistic directors, social directors, reserved opinion leaders, pained critics, reluctant muckrakers, emotional truth-tellers Research: surveying, analyzing, dissecting, uncovering, investigating, interpreting, translating, explaining, explicating, separating, systematizing, synthesizing Examples: researchers, teachers, scientists, professors, knowledgeable guides, shamans
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Duty: supporting, conforming, saluting, respecting, affirming, confirming, ensuring, retaining, assisting, upholding, following, obeying, complying, serving Examples: committee workers, church members, civic organizers, community workers, neighborhood organizers, policemen, firemen, bureaucrats Vision: liberalizing, realizing, envisioning, projecting, imagining, patterning, speculating, reworking, networking, synthesizing, tossing around, broadening, leaping over, annihilating Examples: utopians, social visionaries, inventors, armchair revolutionaries, jetsetters, architects Brotherhood: pal-ing around, hanging out, influencing, dominating, commanding, leading by example, personalizing, bullying, forcing, manhandling, rough housing, mixing it up, toughing it out Examples: kings & queens, group leader, gang leader, military strategist, tough tactician, chieftains, tough-love parents, party-hard types Participation: participating, accompanying, fitting in, agreeing, following, mediating, harmonizing, peacemaking, joining in, settling in, identifying, melding, pacifying Examples: mediators, negotiators, participants, gobetweens, coaches, participant leaders, facilitators
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Appendix B: Subtype Collages & Wings Around the Enneagram
There are four figures in this appendix. The first three are the mini-collages I created for each subtype to use as handouts for a subtype workshop. The fourth figure is one I call Wings Around the Enneagram. It represents an effort to depict the enneagram subtypes along a continuum going around the outside of the enneagram circle. The title comes from the idea that the wings represents the transitions between each enneagram point and the neighboring points.
Summary of Appendix B Tables:

Table B-1. Self-Preservtion Subtype Images. The focus here is on home, hearth, self-reliance & self-comfort. Table B-2. Sexual Subtype Images. The focus here is on intimacy, sexuality, mystery, creativity, partnership, kundalini, intensity & transformation. Table B-3. Social Subtype Images. The focus here is on socializing, social reform, political action, formal ceremonies, lawmking & the courts, team sports & cooperative ventures. Table B-4. Wings Around the Enneagram. The qualities of three subtypes are shown for each point at both its wings and its centermost area
Figure B-1. Self-preservation Subtype Images.
Collage by Susan Rhodes
Figure B-2. Sexual Subtype Images.
Figure B-3. Social Subtype Images.
Unassuming Enjoyer Dreamy Lover Careful Compiler Placid Bear Universal Wistful Lover Patient Lover Harmonizer Even-handed Mediator Calm Pacifier Patient Protector Mature Lover Enduring Ruler Powerful Survivor Chivalric Lover Triumphant Leader Conscientious Detailer Contained Lover Reserved Arbitrator Resourceful Realist Bold Lover Confident Initiator
Self-critical Perfectionist Intense Lover High-minded Civilizer Concerned Citizen Impassioned Lover Social Reformer
8 1
Zesty Pragmatist Enthusiastic Lover Strategic Planner
Good Life Aficionado Joyful Lover Social Visionary
Body
7
Color Key:
Self-preservation subtype Sexual subtype Social subtype
Good Samaritan Giving Lover Public Servant
Natural Nurturer Eager Lover Friendly Hostess Best Friend Seductive Lover Energetic Networker
Receptive Enthusiast Playful Lover Community Entertainer
Family Appreciator Grateful Lover Community Developer
Mind
6
Heart
3
Affable Go-Getter Charming Lover Cooperative Leader Focused Achiever Model Lover Political Aspirant Independent Professional Image-conscious Lover Prestige Elite Member
Family Preserver Tender Lover Community Upholder
Cautious Conserver Bashful Lover Community Server
5
Detached Puzzler Undemonstrative Lover Trend Analyzer Reclusive Thinker Private Lover Public Observer
4
Artistic Achiever Self-conscious Lover Distinctive Aristocrat Non-Conforming Artisan Self-dramatizing Lover Social Critic Crusty Eccentric Quirky Lover Iconoclastic Commentator Dauntless Creator Moody Lover Ruthless Truthteller
Figure B-4. Wings Around the Enneagram.

On The Nature of Subtypes

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On The Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes

Susan Rhodes, revised June 1, 2006, susan@enneagramdimensions.net

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

Part I: The Received Wisdom

The Received Wisdom about the Enneagram & the Types

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

Personality Disorders by Enneagram Type

3 - Type A overachieving 5 - schizoid/ withdrawn

Figure 3. Naranjos Character (Personality) Disorders by Enneagram Type.

The Received Wisdom about the Energy Centers

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

Higher emotional center

Higher mental center

(Lower) physical center

Lower emotional center

Lower mental center

Figure 6. Gurdjieffs Two-tiered Version of the Three Centers.

Figure 7. The Three Enneagram Energy Centers.

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

Body Center Head Center Heart Center

Higher emotional center

Higher mental center

(Lower) physical center

Lower emotional center

Lower mental center

Body Center 5 Head Center Heart Center

Body Center Head Center Heart Center

Figure 8. The Three Energy Centers at Each Enneagram Point.

Figure 9. The Two-tiered Model of the Enneagram Energy Centers.

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

appetite satisfaction anxiety possession/ surrender suggestibility

union heat/jealousy friendship

aggression/ seduction masculinity/ famininity competition/hate

strength/ beauty confidence

duty totems shame

Figure 10. Traditional Labels for the 27 Subtypes.

The Received Wisdom about the Enneagram & the Types

SP=anxiety SX=heat/jealousy SOC=inadaptibility

SP=family SX=suggestibility SOC=sacrifice

6 SP=warmth SX=strength/beauty S0C=duty

SX=masculinity/ feminiity SOC=prestige

SP=dauntlessness SX=competition/hate SOC=shame

Figure 11. Traditional Subtype Descriptions by Enneagram Point.

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

The Enneagram Types

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 

The Energy Centers

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 10

Higher emotional center

Higher mental center

Higher emotional center

Higher mental center

(Lower) physical center

Lower emotional center

Lower mental center

On the Nature of the Enneagram Subtypes page 11

Nurturer: (me rst/privilege): Want to take care of everyone

Gourmand / Family Visionary (family): Family life is ideal-

Survivalist (satisfactory survival): Satisfying needs of self &

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