Enneagram... this topic comes up from time to time and I was wondering if anyone has aligned the unhealthy levels of development to personality disorders?
When I was doing some research for myself I wound up recognizing some of the unhealthy levels in the PD people I know and then reading further at the lowest levels this website aligns them with different PD at the lowest level of development which I find fascinating. So much PD traits aligned to the most undeveloped levels.
https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions
This really is helping me to disconnect mentally and emotionally although why that is I'm not sure. Any thoughts in this or general enneagram research that's helped you?
from what I've studied of this, the enneagram reminded me that integration is a sign of growth. As we integrate our past with our present, our own personality traits can shine. When I learned that there is a healthy version of each type in the enneagram, I was able to understand why I wanted so badly for people to be their best selves.
But now i know that all that growth is an inside job and they have to want to change and develop their growth traits. It won't happen by accident and a lot of people won't want to do the work .
So it helped me understand a very important aspect of my recovery from the fog. That a lot of people don't want to grow. They don't have to be a PD to be stuck, or going towards the anxious versions of themselves.
Wow, my H seems to be a classic Four. And unfortunately has slid into the most unhealthy level of emotional breakdown.
I think I'm a Nine, and the descriltion of the relationship between Fours and Nines seemed pretty spot on, both on the healthy side where we started, and the unhealthy side where we are now.
The PD stuff is indeed interesting. It's also interesting to see that Nines can develop Munchausen's. Kind of stings a bjt since I have some undiagnosed chronic illness that I just can't seem to kick myself out of.
Oh Spring Butterfly just seeing this thread. Count me in as another student of the ancient wisdom that I believe the enneagram is.
Honestly, finding this system and using it as a way to understand myself and others has been very exciting for me and opened up an opportunity to continue to grow and assess where I am functioning in my number - low, middle, or high side.
Quote from: Spring ButterflyThis really is helping me to disconnect mentally and emotionally although why that is I'm not sure. Any thoughts in this or general enneagram research that's helped you?
YES! I am careful not to type others and at the same time have found something Suzanne Stabile (my favorite enneagram teacher) says: "We have to remember that each number sees the world through a certain lens. We can't change how we see things, but we can change what we do with it."
And just understanding that we are all predisposed to see the world through a certain lens has helped me emotionally disengage from certain behaviors from some of the more unhealthy people in my family and accept that some of what they do and say is coming from how they see the world - just as it is for me. It does depersonalize these behaviors for me as well.
I think the enneagram is deceptively simple and easily mistaken for another personality profiling type of tool and for me anyway, I find it is very deep the more I study it.
Thanks for your insights and clarity!
It is an inside job treesgrowslowly and it's really bringing me to a new level of growth and freeness. Seeing others as humans just at an undeveloped or dysfunctional level within the same structure as a well and nonPD person has helped me feel sadness for them but from a distance if that makes sense.
In the test I also tested as a nine NumbLotus. It's been a while since I took the test but what I read fits and seeing the levels I can see parts of me at different phases of my life and development. It's comforting to me to see it.
Bloomie, I'm finding that if I can type others I can also see parts of them that aren't at the lowest development level and I'm able to see different sides of them. Even the PD persons in my life showed signs of being at some slightly higher levels of development and I don't see them even at the lowest level 9 within their type, more like level 6-8 which kind of helps me acknowledge their humanness.
Here's where I'm at so far...
According to the reference this is how the Enneagram types align to personality disorders at their lowest development level. Seeing it like this I've been able to identify the Enneagram of the PD persons in my life but then to use that information and see them at some of the higher levels of development. It's helped me see they're most times not at the very lowest level and to see them on a spectrum of development and behavior along some of the lower levels the same way I can see myself along the levels of development but at a higher level within my Enneagram type. It has lots to do with awareness and willingness to self reflect, grow and like trees said to do the tough inner work.
They're not always behaving at the lowest level even when triggered they're most times at a behaving at level 7-8 and sometimes even higher when they're feeling good. They're just really damaged humans like a feral cat is a really damaged cat holding generations of damage locked in their feral little bodies. It's best to stay away rather than get scratched and attacked but I can feel for them in my heart from afar and send peace and love of the universe their way and pray for them. Am I getting to wooowoo??
1 THE REFORMER
The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
PD: Obsessive Compulsive, Depressive
2 THE HELPER
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
PD: Histrionic Disorder, Factitious Disorder
3 THE ACHIEVER
The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
PD: Psychopathic Behavior, Narcissistic (NPD)
4 THE INDIVIDUALIST
The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
PD: Avoidant, Depressive, Narcissistic (NPD)
5 THE INVESTIGATOR
The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
PD: Schizoid, Avoidant, Schizotypal
6 THE LOYALIST
The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
PD: Passive Aggressive, Paranoid
7 THE ENTHUSIAST
The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
PD: Bipolar, Histrionic
8 THE CHALLENGER
The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
PD: Sociopath, Antisocial
9 THE PEACEMAKER
The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent
PD: Schizoid, Dependent (DPD)