I’m going to share a series of reflections over the next few weeks about the Enneagram. The Enneagram is an ancient symbol consisting of nine points, connected to one another in an intricate star pattern.
Enneagram simply means this: “9-figure.” But this symbol has been used for centuries in various mystical forms of religion. In the mid-twentieth century, a new use of the symbol was developed: a tool for personality typing. When used this way, there are nine enneagram “types,” each connected to one of the points on the figure. Each of us fits into one of these nine types. Many books and websites have been written about how to determine your type, and what that type means for your life, your relationships, and how to grow spiritually.
That’s barely scratching the surface – there is a whole lot more nuance and complexity to it, and I encourage you to check it out if you’re at all interested. I’d recommend starting with the book The Road Back to You by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Morgan Cron. There are also a bunch of websites out there that can help you identify your type – I’m not going to recommend one over another.
Is the Enneagram just another personality type indicator, like Myers-Briggs (the one with four letters, like “INFP”), or the zodiac, or the latest quiz on BuzzFeed (“Which character on Seinfeld are you”)? It could be, I don’t know. But since I discovered it a few months ago, it’s seemed to me that the Enneagram has a deeper meaning.
I quickly found that I fit perfectly into Type Four, the “Romantic” or the “Individualist.” This is why I’ve called this series of posts “4-Dimensional.” The Enneagram Institute webpage begins its description of Fours this way:
We have named this type The Individualist because Fours maintain their identity by seeing themselves as fundamentally different from others. Fours feel that they are unlike other human beings, and consequently, that no one can understand them or love them adequately. They often see themselves as uniquely talented, possessing special, one-of-a-kind gifts, but also as uniquely disadvantaged or flawed. More than any other type, Fours are acutely aware of and focused on their personal differences and deficiencies.
https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-4
And what’s more, I’ve found that it’s been very insightful to help me understand why I am the way I am, and how I can learn to grow. What I want to do in this series of posts (starting tomorrow) is reflect on some of what I’ve read. In particular, what I’ve read about the personality traits of Fours, and how those traits manifest in my life. In each post, I’ll share a quote about Fours (mostly from Suzanne Stabile’s books), and then share a reflection on how that helps me make sense of my own inner life. My hope here is not to teach about the Enneagram (I’m not in any way qualified to do that), but rather to share who I am, with the hope that someone reading this will perhaps find some insight here as well, or perhaps feel a little less alone. And hey, if some of you are moved to check out the Enneagram yourself, that would be great too.
Please know that I’m no expert whatsoever in the Enneagram – but I am something of an expert about my inner life. So take what I say about the Enneagram itself with a grain of salt. I recognize that this all might sound a bit self-absorbed, but when has that stopped me from publishing something? Besides, self-absorption is a common trait of Fours.
I’m planning to get a post out twice a week. Watch for the first post tomorrow!
Scholtes-Blog 
Leave a reply to 4-Dimensional: Something Fundamentally Wrong – Scholtes-Blog Cancel reply