The Enneagram is a system that organizes the overall construct of a person’s identity. It is not limited solely to personality traits and behaviors, but goes deeper, revealing a level of motivation before us. It not only shows how we behave or what we think, but above all, it allows us to answer the question “Why do we act in this way?”.
The Enneagram presents 9 different filters through which we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Each of these filters distorts reality, distorts it and bends it into a narrow spectrum of characteristics typical for a given type of beliefs, values, emotions, and behaviors. Fixation on a selected fragment of reality causes us to perceive the world in a mechanical, automated way. The Enneagram describes our addiction, that is, the internal compulsion to focus on this one aspect and completely ignore the other dimensions of reality.
The Enneagram is often called the „Journey of Life”. On this journey, we awaken the Inner Observer within us, who helps us see how the addictions of our psyche rob us of the entire spectrum of the treasures and potential inherent in human nature. Conscious, humble observation strips us of illusions and allows us to take action that frees us from the limitations of our own type. Entering this path is the beginning of a miraculous transformation and flowering—as if a plant were freed from the weeds that bound it and could finally shoot upwards.
Our Enneagram type, the shade of our identity, is shaped from birth until early adulthood. What will characterize a given person depends on early childhood experiences and the interpretation of events that first shook our sense of security. In their human reality, what is necessary for this is the love of their parents. This instinctively chosen pattern accompanies us throughout life. Unaware, limited to a narrow field of vision, we limit our own potential to 1/9 of its possibilities. Recognizing these distortions, patterns, and defense mechanisms allows us to find a way out of our own mental addiction and to find a connection with our full, true „I”.
The goal of the Enneagram, unlike other personality typologies, is not to conform to one’s own type and limit oneself to its narrow boundaries.
The Enneagram doesn't box you in. The Enneagram shows you where you already are and helps you get out of it.