The Enneagram & Positive Psychology: A Personal Journey

Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, people-pleasing, overcommitment – these are just a few of the common challenges that can hold us back in our personal and professional lives. While Positive Psychology offers valuable insights into our strengths and aspirations, it often falls short when it comes to understanding our underlying motivations and habitual patterns.

This is where the Enneagram, a timeless personality framework, can provide invaluable insights. By exploring our shadow sides and core fears, the Enneagram offers a more holistic understanding of ourselves. This deeper self-awareness can empower us to overcome these common challenges and unlock our full potential, leading to greater wellbeing and fulfillment.

The Enneagram's wisdom combined with Positive Psychology’s practical tools can help us create a clearer, more fulfilling, and holistic path to growth.

Discovering the Power of Positive Psychology

I vividly remember sitting on a Chicago-bound train, engrossed in Sonja Lyubomirsky's book ‘The How of Happiness.’ At the time, I was already well-versed in traditional psychology, having completed both a Bachelor's in Psychology and a Master's in Human Development by that point. Yet, it was Sonja's work that first introduced me to the idea that adults could actively change their lives and shape their wellbeing through Positive Psychology interventions.

This was a revelation for me. I had always believed that our personalities were largely determined by genetics and our early-life interactions with important adults (parents, teachers), and then were pretty set in stone. But Sonja's work showed me that we have more control over our lives than we might think - through intentional effort and the power of neuroplasticity, we can cultivate positive change. It challenged my belief that personality was fixed.

The Enneagram: A Deeper Look

After 6+ years of working in the field of Applied Positive Psychology, I began to feel there was a missing piece to the puzzle of personal growth. That's when I discovered the Enneagram, a personality typing system that offered a unique perspective on human behaviour. While Positive Psychology primarily focuses on identifying and harnessing our strengths, the Enneagram delves into our underlying motivations, fears, and defense mechanisms.

By understanding our Enneagram type (one of nine distinct personality patterns), we gain valuable insights into the habitual patterns, shadow sides, and core fears that are unique to our type. This self-awareness helps us identify the root causes of our challenges and develop strategies to overcome them.

Unmasking Your Inner Critic

One of the most powerful ways the Enneagram can help us is by revealing our inner critic. This is the voice in our heads that constantly judges and criticises us. It can manifest in various ways, such as imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or self-doubt. By understanding the source of our inner critic, we can begin to hold its negative messages more lightly and cultivate self-compassion. This leads us to making choices that are thoughtful, deliberate, aligned with our values and the person we want to be at any given moment.

Discovering My Enneagram Type

When I discovered that I am an Enneagram 4 (‘The Romantic’) it helped me realise that my lifelong struggles - with self-doubt, comparing myself unfavorably to others, struggling with social interactions, and constantly searching for meaning and personal significance - all stemmed from my personality type.

The Enneagram helped me identify my blind spots and habitual patterns that had been hindering my personal growth: a deep-seated desire for connection and belonging, often leading to behaviours that unintentionally caused distance and thus isolation. I was surprised to learn just how much my own imagination was fueling my negative emotions and self-perceptions, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of melancholy, self-pity, and feelings of ‘otherness’. These patterns are common among Enneagram 4s, and while it was initially comforting to discover that I wasn't alone in my struggles, I also realised that I had a choice: to overidentify with these patterns or to take steps to overcome them.

The Power of Combining the Enneagram & Positive Psychology

The Enneagram and Positive Psychology complement each other perfectly. The Enneagram provides a deeper understanding of our personality, while Positive Psychology offers practical tools for cultivating positive emotions and behaviors to form new, healthier habits.

By combining the Enneagram and Positive Psychology, I've been able to identify specific Positive Psychology interventions that suit my own personality type, counterbalancing some of my tendencies that hinder growth. This has led me to form daily habits that benefit my personal development, such as:

• Gratitude journaling: Shifting my focus from what's missing to what's right.

• Loving-kindness meditation: Helping me focus more on others and their wellbeing, and a little less on myself.

• Self-compassion: Recognising the shared human experience of my personal foibles, accepting myself as I am rather than spiraling into shame.

• Mind-body balance: Incorporating physical movement and listening to my gut to ground myself in the present moment and take action, balancing my highly active thinking and feeling centers.

My journey with the Enneagram and Positive Psychology has been transformative, though I still have much to learn. So far, I've learned that personal (and professional) growth is not just about identifying our strengths but also about understanding our underlying patterns and addressing our shadow sides.

I encourage you to explore these powerful tools for yourself and discover the incredible potential for growth that lies within you. And if you're seeking guidance and support on this journey, I'd be honoured to work alongside you as your Enneagram coach.

Stay tuned for our next blog post, where we will unpack each of the nine Enneagram personality types and explore a few Positive Psychology interventions that would benefit each type's growth and development.

Additional Resources

• The Wisdom of the Enneagram: Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson 

• The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery: Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile

• The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want: Sonja Lyubomirsky

• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business: Charles Duhigg

• The Gifts of Imperfection: Brene Brown