Characteristics Of Enneagram

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I identify most with Enneagram Type One: The Reformer. As The Wisdom of the Enneagram foretells, I am principled, purposeful, self-controlled, and perfectionist—qualities that translate both positively and negatively. On one hand, friends and relatives respect my willingness to set aside personal comfort for a collective good; passionate advocacy for American socioeconomic equality and international human rights; and strong integrity to say what I mean and do what I say. On the other hand, however, I sometimes rage. My type belongs to the Instinctive Triad, in which rage and vexation rule our unconscious beneath our ego.
It is difficult to find a more suitable title than ‘reformer’ or ‘perfectionist.’ Rather than clumsily suggesting another …show more content…

Prior to thoroughly studying the Enneagram, I was surprised to learn that it is expected for my type to daydream and cut myself from reality. When I feel hopelessly lacking as a good daughter or student, I either indulge in my desires or go through periods of asceticism. For example, I indulge by binge watching “Rick and Morty,” scarfing down loads of chocolate truffles, and impulsively taking the car to drive to some far-off place until my tank runs low. On the other hand, when I default to the other extreme and suppress my desires, I pull all-nighters to write essays that are due in a month, fast, and practice a dance piece until every movement and angle is flawless (and until my body feels …show more content…

In the end of these musings, however, I am left feeling somewhat bereft and irresponsible. I am all too familiar with this cycle of disenchantment and alienation. I get moody, melancholy, and withdrawn because I feel that no one appreciates my efforts. Although my mood becomes a bit sordid, I do not become envious or resentful of friends living the perfect, blithely, Instagram life. Perhaps I do not envy them because I have never caved into wanting fun and blissfulness in excess; I simply find it more self-rewarding to work. In my reflective comparison to friends whose minds are at Coachella instead of public policy memos, I merely acknowledge the difference and take pride in the characteristics that discern me from