Have you ever had a gut feeling about something? Lots of us have a sense of intuition, but for people in the Gut Triad of the Enneagram, their body often knows what is going on before their head or heart does. And it means that when they act, it comes from a place of embodied passion or with a need to manage powerful feelings. For Type 8 (The Challenger), Type 9 (The Peacemaker) and Type 1 (The Reformer), this is part of living.
Over the last two weeks, we have shared out Enneagram: Signs of health series. The Enneagram is an ancient personality theory that divides humans into nine different personality types. While every human is unique, researchers have found that people generally fit into nine different personality types, driven by their motivation, fear and immediate response.
In the past we have explored all nine personality types – the Heart Triad (Type 2: The Helper, Type 3: The Performer, Type 4: The Romantic), the Head Triad (Type 5: The Investigator, Type 6: The Loyalist, Type 7: The Adventurer) and the Gut Triad (Type 8: The Challenger, Type 9: the Peacemaker, Type 1: The Reformer). But what do each of these types look like when they are healthy, at a mid level (aka doing ok) and are unhealthy?
The Enneagram Institute deep dives into the characteristics of each personality Type and shares how our behaviour changes depending on our level of health. So we thought it was time to share some of these observations with you! Once you know your personality Type (Find it here), this series will equip you to become more self aware.
You can then take steps to take care of you, adjust and head towards health. If you identify characteristics in your mid-health section, this is a sign you need to adjust some things to head towards health. While you may be able to maintain here for awhile, it slopes towards unhealth and exacerbates self-sabotaging and harmful behaviours.
And if you know the Enneagram Type of a partner, a friend or a colleague, these tiers of health will give you language to better understand them, set boundaries, and give them the support they need. In some cases, this support must be entirely from outside sources and not from you, especially if the person is abusive, bullying or harming you.
So far we have shared information about the Head Triad and the Heart Triad. Today we are finishing our series with the Head Triad – the types who cerebrally process everything before they act and are driven by understanding.
Type Eight is the Protector/Challenger: People who are passionate, forthright and powerful. In health they are merciful and great leaders. You can tell they are struggling when they are combative and intimidating. And if you see them acting vengeful or ruthless, they are in their most unhealthy state.
Type Nine is the Peacemaker: People who are driven by a need for calm and want to restore order. In health, they are receptive and optimistic about health. You can tell they are struggling when they become disengaged or try to appease others and people please. And if you see them becoming catatonic or dissociative, they need some support to get back in tune with their feelings.
Type 1 is the Perfectionist/ Reformer: People who are driven by a sense of justice, order and higher principles. In health, they are charismatic leaders, community builders and show wisdom. You can tell they are struggling when they are perfectionistic and afraid of failure. In unhealth, they are self righteous and condemning.
Read Part 1: Signs of health in the HeartTriad (Types 2,3,4) here
Read Part 2: Signs of health in the Head Triad (Types 5,6,7) here
See all our Enneagram downloads here.
Do you want to learn more about The Enneagram? Would you like to better understand how to be the healthiest version of yourself? Here’s what you need to do: Contact Colleen on 0434 337 245, Duncan on 0434 331 243 for a FREE 10 minute consultation on how we can best help you or book online.
