Typology

Enneagram Twos are part of the shame triad which, for those who are just getting started with the Enneagram, means that 'shame' is the go-to emotion for Twos, Threes, and Fours.  Whatever the external manifestation is of—our struggle, our compulsion, our presenting problem, anger, alcohol, buying stuff that you don't need, sex, helping—shame is always what fuels that compulsion because where there...

Known as The Helper, or as Michael Cusick prefers to call them, The Giver, Twos can be really great therapists and are maybe the most natural to move into that field, but there's also a lot of things about being a Two that work against that. Twos can care too much for the wrong reasons.  Twos are so wired and attuned to the needs and the feelings of other people that they are often clueless as to...

Healthy Eights are great friends, exceptional leaders and champions of those who cannot fight on their own behalf. They have the intelligence, courage and stamina to do what others say can't be done. And, as with most Enneagram Eights, Jo Saxton is full of Eight's life-giving energy so when she was available for our podcast, I jumped at the chance to interview her. When healthy, Eights learn to op...

"Compassion is a verb." - Thich Nhat Hanh The Enneagram helps us recognize and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior by challenging us to bravely explore who we really are. As we grow in self-awareness we pave the way for our wiser and more compassionate self.  Instead of banging guardrail-to-guardrail through life hurting those in our path, the Enneagram allows us to build and sustain heal...

This week on Typology, we continue our conversation with 'Science Mike' McHargue. This show is bursting with wisdom about Nines.  You'll learn how Nines can spiritually wake up and leverage their unleashed energy for some really cool things, what a Nine looks like in Right Action, and hear some great tips at the end for growing in your journey.   Mike McHargue (better known as Science Mike) is an...

Enneagram Nines, or The Peacemakers, are open and receptive in every way. They can see both sides to everything and they have a profound awareness of the interconnectedness of all things in creation.  Their unconscious motivation is to avoid conflict at all costs, to maintain a relational connection, maintain the status quo, and preserve inner peace and harmony.  To preserve this inner peace and h...

A lot of listeners have reached out asking "how do I figure out my type?" And though I would love to give t h e answer, the truth is it can be very difficult to figure out one's Enneagram number. You are the only one who can truly determine your own Enneagram number because only you can identify the underlying motivation that drives the way you view the world. The real determining factor is not wh...

Fours are the most complex of all the types on the Enneagram. They spend their lives feeling different and separate from others and long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic self. Fours experience themselves as people who are missing something essential at their core that they just can't put their finger on.  As Tim Burton describes it, "if you've ever had that feeling of lonelines...

Enneagram Threes focus on outstanding performance, being perceived as successful and avoiding failure at all costs. They believe that love comes from achievement, image, and status and have the tendency to neglect or ignore the personal needs of self and others. But when Threes move toward health they move to the high side of Six.  When that happens they no longer need to "drive the bus" or flaunt...

Enneagram Fives are known as the Investigators, or the Observers.  They see the world as intrusive, overwhelming and draining.  They prefer to observe life from the sidelines rather than jumping in and participating in it. They value their privacy and freedom and can feel consumed, or drained, by prolonged involvement with other people or by having too many expectations placed on them.  They monit...

I've received lots of emails and messages from folks on social media who are struggling to nail down their Enneagram number. Well, let me tell you, if that's the case for you, this show is spot on. While only you can determine your own type, there are some things you can do to help get clarity.  For those out there who are trying to figure out their type it's often helpful to read up on wings.  Wi...

On this week's show we invited a panel of Enneagram Fives into the studio to describe how they see and experience the world. Called the Investigators, or the Observers, Fives are kind, perceptive, sensitive, calm in a crisis and often possess a sly, slightly cynical sense of humor that's endlessly entertaining. But, they can also come across as detached from their feelings, or aloof, unless they f...

I think there are truths which reveal the limitations of human language. And when this happens we have to rely on artists to express these great spiritual insights through an alternative language--like music or film or the visual arts or dance--to say clearly what the rest of us only feel vaguely.  So, when I heard Ryan O'Neal, otherwise known as Sleeping At Last, was writing songs from the perspe...

On last week's episode of Typology, I had an amazing conversation with my friend, Fr. Richard Rohr, renowned Enneagram expert and Franciscan Priest, and Executive Director for the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We discussed the difference between the true-self and the false-self and explained how the Enneagram can guide us on our journey toward identifying our own...

I first encountered the Enneagram when I was a graduate student at a conservative seminary. While on a weekend retreat I came across a copy of Fr. Richard Rohr's book,  Discovering The Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey . In that book Richard describes the traits and the underlying compulsions of each of the nine basic Enneagram types. Based on my life experience and what I'd l...

Recently I came across an intriguing article in the Huffington Post about a group of Harvard researchers who undertook a longitudinal study to answer the questions, "͞What are the secrets to a happy and purposeful life?" and "How do we grow and change, what do we value as time goes on, and what is likely to make us happy and fulfilled?" What do you think the researchers said was their most importa...

A few weeks ago, renowned Enneagram teacher and author Dr. Beatrice Chestnut joined me on our show to discuss how Enneagram Twos see and relate to the world. Beatrice was so great that we were flooded with requests to have her on again, and thankfully she agreed or we would've had a mutiny on our hands! On this episode Beatrice and I tackle the question "How do I use the Enneagram as a tool for pe...

The more I know about life and people, the more I love Enneagram Sixes. Called Loyalists, Sixes are the most faithful and dependable people on the Enneagram. They keep a watchful eye over us. They safeguard our values. In my opinion, they're the glue that holds our world together. And, by the time this episode is over, you're going to understand why Enneagram Sixes have a reputation for being some...

Enneagram Twos are some of the most caring, kind, supportive, upbeat, and tenderhearted people on God's good green earth. Three of my closest friends are Twos, and together they radiate enough love and generosity of spirit to heat a metroplex. In Enneagram-speak they're called The Helpers . On today's episode, I'm joined by renowned Enneagram teacher, author, consultant, and Enneagram Two, Dr. Bea...

In 1991, tennis superstar Andre Agassi appeared in a television ad for a camera called the Canon Rebel. On the set, the fashionably dressed Agassi steps out of a white Lamborghini sports car, lowers his ray bans halfway down the bridge of his nose, gazes cockily into the camera, and says, "Image is everything."   I watched that old commercial on YouT ube the other day and thought to myself, "Wow,...

I'm not kidding when I say Enneagram Nines (The Peacemakers) are well represented in my universe of relationships. My wife Anne is a Nine. My daughter Maddie is a Nine, and as you'll soon learn, a disproportionate number of my friends are Nines as well. On this week's show we decided to try something new. We invited not one but a panel of FOUR Enneagram Nines into the studio to describe what it's...

Enneagram Eights (The Challengers) are hard driving, tough, decisive, innovative, and resourceful people who make things happen. They're larger than life presence and boundless energy instills confidence in others, and people follow them. As long as they're a man, that is. Our culture reveres male Eights. People admire men who "kick ass and take names." Sadly, we all know the word folks use to des...

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people," writes author Anne Lamott in her beautiful book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Whether you struggle with perfectionism in general, or in just one or two areas of your life, you know how draining and torturous it can be. Are there ways to overcome the tyranny of perfectionism? Is it possible to quiet or t...

Most Enneagram teachers I know say Enneagram Nines are the least complicated of all numbers on the Enneagram, while Fours are the most complicated number on the Enneagram. With Fours, what you see is never what you get. There's always layers and layers of stuff going on beneath their surface.   On today's episode of Typology, I talk with popular blogger, podcaster, author, and fellow Enneagram Fou...

Can you pursue a life of success and enjoy a growing sense of 'shalom'--the Hebrew word for a sense of inner harmony, wholeness, and ultimate well-being we all long to experience? Listen into my conversation with Rabbi Evan Moffic, a renowned author, Jewish scholar, and Enneagram Three (AKA The Performer). A high honors graduate of Stanford University and the youngest rabbi of a major Jewish congr...