The Enneagram

Body Center 8-9-1

The body center is where all of our physical senses, movement, and action resides. Through the body wisdom we are in contact with going to action, all the information our senses tell us, and what is happening right here and now.

The body center helps us set boundaries, get into action, and ground ourselves to the present moment. Yet overusing or misusing the body center can get expressed as impulsive actions, black-and-white views, and inertia.

People dominated by the body center, or the body types - eights, nines, and ones - tend to be more concrete and routine-oriented than people of other centers. Anger is a central emotion for body types, and in addition to being shown directly it can also manifest as frustration, irritability, passive-aggression, being judgemental, and many other forms of anger.

Eights tend to be action-oriented, prone to advance issues and focus on the big picture. They are usually straiht-forward and outspoken, assertive, some times conflict-driven, and people of big presence and energy that others may find intimidating. Behind their powerful appearance they tend to have a big heart, though, and they will protect the people closest to them fiercely.

Eights many times struggle with softer and more vulnerable feelings, going to extremes in habits and actions, not tolerating slowness or weakness (in themselves or in others), with vengeance, non-reactivity and over challenging of themselves and others.

• Self-preservation eight (SP8): More likely to withdraw and be more contained than the other eights. Many times very practical people who don't by default communicate to others what they are doing and how.
• Social eight (SO8): In general more open and friendlier than other eights. Very protective and supportive, but may deny and forget their own needs.
• Sexual eight (SX8): More aggressive and possessive than other eights. Is more likely to oppose social norms.

Nines value when people get along with each other, and they are strongly conflict-avoidant. They are good mediators, and they are generally viewed as pleasant and easy-going people.

Nines tend to want to get everybody's opinion but may find it hard to know what their own opinion is. Saying "no" may be a struggle for nines even though they would like to decline, which can lead to passive and passive-aggressive resistance.

Nines tend to have issues with forgetting themselves. They easily place other people's needs before their own, and even believe themselves that their needs od opinions aren't as valuable as other people's. Setting boundaries and facing conflicts can be extremely hard for nines.

• Self-preservation nine (SP9): More stubborn and concrete than other nines. Focus is on merging with routines and comfort.
• Social nine (SO9): More hard-working and sacrificing than other nines. Focus is on merging with a group and the group's agenda.
• Sexual nine (SX9): A bit more shy and gentler than other nines. Focus is on completely merging with another person's needs and attributes, taking those onto the nine themself and forgetting themself in the process.

Ones customarily have a strong inner moral code which they use as a basis when judging whether things are right or wrong, and by which they aspire to act right themselves. Improving and perfecting things is central for many ones.

Ones tend to have a very strong and hars inner critical voice that comments on almost everything they do. They can be overtly critical or judgemental towards themselves or others.

Ones usually see easily how things could be improved and often act to make that happen. Ones can have challenges with repressed anger, as they often hold the belief that anger is wrong. Their anger can leak out as resentment, irritation or righteous indignation, though.

• Self-preservation one (SP1): More perfectionistic and anxious than other ones. Represses their anger the most. Usually warm and friendly.
• Social one (SO1): More cerebral and rigid than other ones. Aims to model and be an example for others to teach how to do and be the "right way".
• Sexual one (SX1): More comfortable with anger than other ones. Focus is on reforming and getting other people to improve.

Heart Center 2-3-4

The heart center is where the feeling and expressing of our emotions is located. Through the heart center we get the feeling of being understood, we understand other people, we feel empathy and acceptance, and we form emotional connections to other people.

The heart center helps us to know what is and has been important to us. Overusing or misusing the heart center can lead to manipulative tendencies, indifference, not feeling valued, emotional over- or undersensitivity, taking things too personally, and feeling hurt.

People dominated by the heart center, or the heart types, twos, threes, and fours, tend to be more concerned with their image, and they are focused on what kind of an impression they give out, and what other people think of them. Grief is a central emotion for heart types, and it is usually connected to losing the sense of oneself, and not being seen, accepted, and loved for who they are.

For twos creating connections to other people, relationships, and being personable with the people they choose is important. They are usually kind and generous, sometimes even overtly so. For twos it's central to be liked, appreciated, and needed.

Twos usually find it hard and scary to ask other people directly for the things they need, and they hope that other people will fulfill their unspoken needs. To do that they act nicely and doing things for other people that they believe and have the sense those people need or want.

Twos are often empathetic towards other people but they may have trouble recognizing their own needs. Their way of doing things for others can get excessive, and they can assume to know better for other people what those people need without asking them.

• Self-preservation two (SP2): More shy and childlike than other twos. Feels the connection to other people conflicting, and takes things personally very easily.
• Social two (SO2): More self-confident and status of power oriented than the other twos. Generosity and doing for others is often strategic instead of being altruistic.
• Sexual two (SX2): More intense and aggressive than other twos. Creates an enamoring and seducing image of themselves and enjoys the attention they'll get through it.

Being goal and achievement oriented is typical for threes. They focus on being perceived as successful, popular or valued. Threes are hard-working and efficient, and they often feel like they are in a central role of making things move forward: without them things would not succeed.

Threes easily sense what they are expected to be to be approved of and valued, and they almost automatically shape-shift to match that expectation. As a result of that it may be hard for threes to know who they actually are themselves.

Stopping and just being can be extremely difficult things for threes. Regardless of being part of the heart triad threes can have trouble feeling and expressing emotions, as many threes feel like emotions get in the way of being efficient.

• Self-preservation three (SP3): More modest and less vain than other threes. Focuses on working hard and being worthy of example.
• Social three (SO3): More competitive and performative than other threes. Focuses on creating a polished image and receiving appreciation.
• Sexual three (SX3): More shy and emotional and less competitive than other threes. Focuses on attaining appreciation by being attractive and supporting the success of people who are important to them.

Fours tend to primarily focus on their own strong inner emotional experience. Authenticity and truth are key factors for fours, and they tend to pay attention to beauty, and with melancholy to things that are lacking or they long for but cannot attain.

Fours tend to focus on reminiscing about the past or idealizing the future, and can dwell on emotional experiences and themes surrounding suffering. They often feel like they are not understood, heard, or met as they authentically are.

Fours have a hard time seeing good aspects of themselves, and allowing themselves to receive the things they long for. They can constantly compare themselves to others instead of paying attention to what they themselves already have.

• Self-preservation four (SP4): Calmer and outwardly happier than other fours. Doesn't share their emotions that openly, and focuses on survival and enduring suffering.
• Social four (SO4): More melodramatic and melancholy than other fours. Expresses their suffering easily and often feels inferior.
• Sexual four (SX4): Angrier and more competitive than other fours. Can try to externalize their suffering by making others suffer.

Head Center 5-6-7

The head center hosts our cognitive capabilities. Through the head center we organize and categorize information with logic and analysis, express and experience our thoughts and beliefs, and can observe the models of our mind.

The head center helps us with being objective, considering the future, weighing our options, and learning new things. Overusing or misusing the head center can manifest as rationalization, fear of the unknown, intolerance of the unknown, not going to action, distancing oneself, thinking emotions and experiences instead of feeling and experiencing, as well as "analysis paralysis".

People dominated by the head center, fives, sixes, and sevens, tend to think with higher frequency than people of other centers, and they focus on themes of being safe and secure. Fear is a central emotion for people of the head center, and it can manifest as worrying, preparation, going against the fear, planning, focusing on positive aspects, withdrawing, and not being dependent on others.

Central themes for fives include thinking and knowledge. Fives tend to minimize their needs and thus leading a life that is free and independent of other people. They are often analytical observers, and can seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

Fives are often concerned about how much of their time and energy they'll allow for other people. They experience demands made towards their time and energy as imposing, intruding and excessive, and tend to withdraw either physically or mentally from the situation.

For fives it's customary to detach from feeling feelings and instead withdraw to the safety of their minds. They can think that emotions and emotional expression is pointless, and feel detached from human kind which may lead other to erroneously feel like fives are emotionally cold.

• Self-preservation five (SP5): Outwardly warmer and friendlier than other fives. Many times has a very guarded private physical or mental sanctuary.
• Social five (SO5): More communicative and participating than other fives. Being an expert and eternal seek for knowledge and meaning is central.
• Sexual five (SX5): More romantic and emotional than other fives. Longs for an idealized, transparent all-encompassing union with someone or something.

The thoughts and energy of sixes revolves many times around risks and threats. They tend to question things and aim to predict what could happen, and prepare for different scenarios.

Sixes can have conflicting and contrarian take on things in an attempt to find out what is true and how things are. They can also try to seek for problems where there are none. They focus on trust and loyalty, and are quick to doubt things and people.

Sixes can find it hard to trust themselves and their own abilities, and they may seek security from other people or different belief systems. At the same time sixes tend to feel conflicted about authorities.

• Self-preservation six (SP6): More fearful and uncertain than other sixes. Asks a lot of questions, but rarely answers any.
• Social six (SO6): More dutiful and efficient than other sixes. Seeks safety from authority figures they trust.
• Sexual six (SX6): Fiercer and appearing braver than other sixes. Seeks safety in "offense is the best defense" mentality, and usually doesn't recognize fear as their main drive.

Sevens tend to get easily enthusiastic of interesting and fun things, and they tend to always have something nice planned for the future. It's customary for sevens to turns negatives into positives and to try to get away from negative, limiting, stuck, and suffocating things.

Sevens are usually good at coming up new ideas, and combining information from multiple sources. Putting a plan to action, however, can be hard for sevens especially if they are not enthusiastic about it themselves.

Sevens have a way of rationalizing their avoidance of negative things and prioritizing their own seek of pleasure. This can falsely appear to others as inability to commit and deliver through on agreed-upon things.

• Self-preservation seven (SP7): More practical than other sevens. Focuses on creating good deals, opportunistic situations, and attracting allies.
• Social seven (SO7): More idealistic and altruistic than other sevens. Hopes to get recognition from their selfless sacrifice.
• Sexual seven (SX7): More optimistic and prone to daydream than other sevens. Tends to live in their own rose-colored imaginary world.