THE NINE STYLES OF THE ENNEAGRAM

The Enneagram teaches that there are nine motivations that drive individuals. In other words, there is a core motivation for each style, meaning a person finds his or her type not primarily through behavior, but rather through understanding the "why" behind the behavior. This focus within each style is one of the key aspects that differentiates the Enneagram from personality profiling systems.  Additionally, the history of the Enneagram indicates that discovery of your number is also found in the recognition within one's self of the particular passion (also known as vice) corresponding with each style. Though often hard to admit and even harder to accept, this recognition of one's core passion/vice is vital to his or her growth because the passion/vice sabotages the person's gifting and strengths within their number. 

Hence, the invitation to learn the Enneagram is an invitation to recognize what is motivating individuals to be who they are, as well as an invitation to recognize why people do what they do both in strength and weakness, gifting and vulnerability - and recognize how that motivation in unhealth falls prey to their number's passion/vice, sabotaging their gifting and strengths from being expressed in the world.  

Once this recognition of motivation with passion/vice comes, the Enneagram then offers wisdom for movement toward health in one’s number,  the place where one’s true self is revealed, which enables the unveiling of the gifting and strengths of that individual.

STYLE ONE - THE PERFECTIONIST 

Motivated to make things right, Ones are ethical, dedicated, and reliable.  They desire to live the right way, improve the world, and avoid fault and blame.  This motivation is most often turned toward themselves to be perfect, or at least right, and therefore they are vulnerable to first turn with judgmental anger and resentment toward themselves for not being good and not avoiding mistakes. They then subsequently turn in judgmental anger and resentment toward others. 

Passion/Vice: Judgmental Anger-Resentment

STYLE TWO - THE HELPER 

Motivated to help and serve, Twos are warm, caring, and giving and with significant capacity for relationships.  They desire to be loved and needed, and avoid acknowledging their own needs.  This motivation means that Twos “give to get,” which leads them toward their passion/vice of pride.  This pride is not one of arrogance, but rather a pride of independence, believing that they don’t need to be dependent on anybody else for anything, but everyone else depends on them.  

Passion/Vice: Pride

STYLE THREE - THE PERFORMER 

Motivated to be successful, Threes are image-conscious and wired for productivity and efficiency in their work.  They desire to be (or appear to be) successful and avoid failure.  This motivation means Threes either achieve their success or fake it, crafting the image of success that they believe others want.  This image crafting makes Threes vulnerable to their passion/vice of deceit; deceiving others and even more so, deceiving themselves from their own sense of authenticity.

Passion/Vice: Deceit 

STYLE FOUR - THE ROMANTIC 

Motivated to be seen for who they are, Fours are creative, sensitive, and moody.  They desire to be understood, to experience their oversized feelings, and to avoid being ordinary.  This motivation leads Fours to craft an image that they think people will understand, which in turn leads to their passion/vice of envy as they see others who seem to be “seen for who they are” while they are being missed or misunderstood.  All of this internal motivation leads Fours to often feel like they are too much for others while never being enough in their own eyes.  

Passion/Vice: Envy 

STYLE FIVE - THE INVESTIGATOR 

Motivated to take care of themselves independently, Fives are analytical, detached, and private.  They desire to gain knowledge, conserve energy, and avoid relying on others.  This motivation leads them toward their passion/vice of greed as Fives become greedy for information as a means to finding security from their fears as well as greedy for their privacy and independence because they only have so much energy for each day.    

Passion/Vice: Greed  

STYLE SIX - THE LOYALIST 

Motivated to find security by doing their duty, Sixes are likeable, committed, and responsible.   They are worst-case scenario thinkers who struggle to trust their own thinking and desire to manage their fear by finding security through authorities.  This motivation leads Sixes to their passion/vice of fear and anxiety because their lack of trust in their own internal sense of authority leads them to search for the authority to which they should do their duty.  In their minds, by doing their duty to the ascribed authority, they find security.

Passion/Vice: Fear-Anxiety 

STYLE SEVEN - THE ENTHUSIAST 

Motivated to be positive and avoid pain, Sevens are fun, spontaneous, and adventurous.  They desire to be happy, to plan stimulating experiences, and to enjoy life to the full.  This motivation leads Sevens toward their passion/vice of gluttony, a belief that they can never have enough of anything and everything and that enough is never enough.  All of this activity and pursuit of “more” is a smoke screen to avoid what Sevens really fear, which is the internal world of pain, disappointments, and difficulties.   

Passion/Vice: Gluttony

STYLE EIGHT - THE CHALLENGER 

Motivated to use their power to keep from being controlled, Eights are commanding, intense, and confrontational.  They desire to be strong and avoid feeling weak or vulnerable.   This motivation leads Eights toward their passion/vice of lust – the constant pursuit of intense experiences where their power keeps them from being controlled.  Through this pursuit Eights avoid weakness or vulnerability, the two attributes in their mind that if revealed, would allow others to potentially control them.  

Passion/Vice: Lust (for Intensity) 

STYLE NINE - THE MEDIATOR 

Motivated to stay connected so as to be as unaffected by life as possible, Nines are pleasant, laid back, and accommodating.  They desire to keep out external chaos so as to insure inner peace, namely by avoiding conflict that leads to fragmentation.   This motivation leads Nines toward their passion/vice of sloth because in the mind of Nines, the less that they do in asserting themselves, the less likely their peace will be disturbed.  This sloth is expressed by most Nines as the result of struggling to “get going” – a lack of inertia.

Passion/Vice: Sloth-Lack of Inertia

For more on the nine types through teaching, we recommend joining us for either our Discovering Your Number workshop or our Knowing the Enneagram workshop.  

For more on the types through listening, we recommend David’s podcasts recorded with Spoken Freely linked here.

For more on the types through reading, we recommend starting with The Road Back to You, co-authored by Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron.