Practical Applications

So many practical applications are possible with the Enneagram because it is a framework that clarifies the mutually sustaining, self-balancing components that are part of any complex process. Whenever we wish to understand any process more clearly (and why any course of action does or does not work), we can use the Enneagram as a guide.

For example, to start and operate a successful enterprise, one needs vision and confidence (Eight), the ability to bring people together and to listen to them (Nine), ethical standards and quality control (One), the ability to serve people and anticipate their needs (Two), promotional and communication skills (Three), a well designed product and a sensitivity to its emotional impact on individuals (Four), technical expertise and innovative ideas (Five), teamwork and self-regulating feedback (Six), and energy and optimism (Seven). Thus, each type, seen metaphorically, is a necessary component of the whole, and without it, something important will be deficient or even entirely missing. This kind of analysis can be made on many different conceptual levels for an amazing variety of phenomena.

We can use the Enneagram to understand a multitude of business applications, relationships, parenting, cultural differences, and personal growth. We can also use the Enneagram to gain more insight into academic psychology, philosophy, education, biography, the arts (and the styles of composers and creative artists), mythology and the study of archetypes, religion and mysticism, prayer and ascetic practices, spirituality and spiritual direction, psychological testing, brain chemistry, casting and acting, advertising, sales, marketing, and all forms of communication, various kinds of therapy (and the personalities of the psychologists who created them), marriage, career, and legal counseling, sports coaching, lawyer and jury selection, politics (and the character of officeholders and those running for office), and various dimensions of cultural studies. These are just some of the areas in which people are either currently applying the Enneagram or seeking more information about how to do so.

No matter how we use the Enneagram, we need first and foremost to discover our own personality type and (where possible) to ascertain the types of those we are dealing with. If the Enneagram is to be used for personal growth, relationships, therapy, or in the business world, one's primary personality type ( and those of others) must be accurately assessed. The Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (version 2.5) provides a reliable, independently scientifically validated tool for that purpose. But we must remember that discovering our type is only the first step in the process of self-discovery and working with this system. Finding our type is not the final goal but merely the starting place for one of the most fascinating and rewarding journeys of our life.