[Mags]

Originally Posted by Michael Chui

There is some chatter on the website (like every other damned personality sorter) on relationships, compatibility, and dynamics. Did you find this relevant or useful as well, or did you not come across this aspect?

Yes, I did come across this, as part of the work that we did was also helping people to see how different Enneagram types interacted. Our work was mainly focused on the workplace, but the information was transferable to personal relationships. Even when we did company-sponsored workshops for new managers, they would often find the information useful for their family lives as well.

For me specifically, it did help in my relationship - I went through the types with him, and we figured out which one matched. It was a fun way to open up a conversation about how we interacted, and it did help us resolve some stuff.

Would the Enneagram system still say you're a Four? Would you agree with it? If you're not a Four, what are you now?

I'm not sure what the system would say now - it would probably be interesting to do one of the tests to see how it would categorise me, if it can!

As to what I am now... well, I am . By that, I mean that I feel like I operate now at a level beyond ego (well, most of the time... I still have some of those days...!). I'm not attached to my ego and its stories any more, although I can still use it in a conscious manner to operate in the physical world. In other words, relating that to the Enneagram specifically, I can use certain behaviours (that would be categorised as an Ennea 4) when the situation calls for them and they would be effective. But similarly, I can now utilise behaviours from any of the 9 types as and when they would be useful to me.

The Enneagram is useful to help people become aware of how they're reacting to the world. Their reactions are usually unconscious and a system like the Enneagram can help them become more aware, and to become a healthy version of their Ennea type. But, it still assumes that one remains in type, rather than being able to detach from type completely. That's what I meant in my previous post about how it operates on the level of ego... personality characteristics may be a blend of nature and nurture, but as such they're very attached to the physical, or the level of the ego, and don't really go beyond that to anything deeper.