The modern Enneagram used in psychology has its origins with G. I. GURJIEF and the FOURTH WAY MOVEMENT, who claimed that it was an ancient system which they had learned from the SUFIS, religious mystics of the Muslim world. Whether the Enneagram as a psycho-spiritual tool really has any history before Gurdjief is unknown and highly debated –there is no particular evidence of such a history, though that doesn’t mean there may not have been one.
It is generally thought that Gurdjief was the first to use an Enneagram in this way, or if the system did come from the Sufis that Gurdjief altered it in significantly –for while there is no trace of Gurdjief’s open-ended Enneagram in earlier history, the Enneagram as a group of three interlinking triangles within a circle is in fact quite ancient and has a long tradition in Muslim artwork.
Gurdjief’s Enneagram is used to chart nine forces, usually described as “personality types” each of which is assigned to one of nine points on the chart. Devotees of the system believe that personality may be understood through the interplay of these nine forces in the individual. The chart is used to map the relationships between the nine forces.
These nine forces as used in the Enneagram of psychology are given various names but embody specific characteristics. These nine forces are:
1 The Perfectionist – (Also termed Reformer) The Perfectionist is deeply committed to the right ways of doing things. Dealing in ideals and abstractions, the Perfectionist believes they possess the blueprint for a perfect world. At their best the Perfectionist is deeply moral and honorable, at their worst they are close-minded and bigoted toward anyone who disagrees with them.
2 The Nurturer – (Also termed Helper or Giver) The Nurturer is loving and giving. The Nurturer loves to nurture people, ideas, plants –pretty much anything. The Nurturer defines themselves in terms of their relationships and will bend over backwards for those they love. At their best the Nurturer is deeply caring and committed to helping others, at their worst they are an enabler and a martyr.
3 The Performer – (Also termed Motivator or Achiever) The Performer is very goal oriented and focused on issues of achievement and success. The Performer is a strong and effective communicator, and uses communication to grow, expand and express their goals. The Performer is ambitious, highly adaptable, and determined. At their best the Performer is a strongly motivated and motivational developer of important ideas and projects, at their worst they are ruthless opportunists.
4 The Romantic – (Also termed Artist or Individualist) The Romantic is deeply emotional, sensitive, and creative. The Romantic loves feeling and sensation, and reaction to these tends to define their world –though it can also lead to creative self-expression. At their best the Romantic is loving, passionate, and creative, at their worst they are a flighty Drama Queen.
5 The Thinker – (Also termed Observer or Scientist) The Thinker wants to understand how and why things work and is devoted to the pursuit of this understanding. Insightful and analytical, the Loyalist is more dedicated to ideas than to people and tends to be a bit of a loner. At their best the Thinker is a dedicated explorer of the unknown, at their worst they are skeptical and misanthropic.
6 The Loyalist – (Also termed Trooper or Jacobite) The Loyalist is deeply committed to people they love and ideas they espouse. Dedicated, generous, and loving, the Loyalist will stand their ground through thick and thin. The Loyalist is conservative, security-oriented and highly responsible. At their best the Loyalist is a stalwart supporter, at their worst they are a stick in the mud.