The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types
Don Richard Riso, Russ Hudson
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The first definitive guide to using the wisdom of the enneagram for spiritual and psychological growth
The ancient symbol of the Enneagram has become one of today's most popular systems for self-understanding, based on nine distinct personality types. Now, two of the world's foremost Enneagram authorities introduce a powerful new way to use the Enneagram as a tool for personal transformation and development. Whatever your spiritual background, the Enneagram shows how you can overcome your inner barriers, realize your unique gifts and strengths, and discover your deepest direction in life.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram includes:
Two highly accurate questionnaires for determining your type
Vivid individual profiles focused on maximizing each type's potential and minimizing predictable pitfalls
Spiritual Jump Starts, Wake-Up Calls, and Red Flags for each type
Dozens of individualized exercises and practical strategies for letting go of troublesome habits, improving relationships, and increasing inner freedom
Revealing insights into the deepest motivations, fears, and desires of each type
Highly accessible, yet filled with sophisticated concepts and techniques found nowhere else, The Wisdom of the Enneagram is a strikingly new fusion of psychology and spirituality. It offers an exciting vision of human possibility and a clear map of the nine paths to our highest self-expression.
GenresPsychologyNonfictionSelf HelpSpiritualityPersonal DevelopmentReferencePhilosophy
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Recommended by two highly credible authorities, consciousness explorer Ken Wilber and spiritual-growth guru Harville Hendrix, this compendium of Enneagram information was assembled by the cofounders of the Enneagram Institute as an introduction to the subject. Designed with a plenitude of charts, boxes, and quotes (by noted illuminaries such as A.H. Almaas, Maya Angelou, and G.I. Gurjieff), this exceptionally easy-to-use, manual-size paperback teaches the reader how to figure out which of the nine types she is, identifies red flags to self-illusion, and provides practical suggestions for spiritual growth. Advice on how to observe your type's fixations and let go of the need to act out automatic and dysfunctional behavioral responses are down-to-earth and attainable. A distinctly accessible approach to cultivating daily happiness through understanding the complexity of fixations that weave together human personality types. --Randall Cohan
Review
"The Wisdom of the Enneagram is a very important book. By combining the horizontal types of the Enneagram with a system of vertical levels of awareness, Riso and Hudson have produced one of the first truly integrated models of the human psyche. In addition to the importance of this pioneering work itself, it goes to point up the utter inadequacy of anything less than a full-spectrum model of human growth and development. Highly recommended."
--Ken Wilber, author of The Marriage of Sense and Soul
"I highly recommend this book, not only to anyone on the path of personal transformation, but to anyone who wants to understand the complex inner world of others, whether a spouse, family member co-worker or friend. The questionnaires were fun and illuminating. I received some very helpful information about myself, felt challenged to grow and experienced a deepening of compassion. Perhaps the most profound contribution of The Wisdom of the Enneagram is reflected in the word "Wisdom." The authors clearly communicate the complexity of human nature, the spiritual yearning resonant in all of us, and the ascending levels of our possibility. But they do not leave us there. They offer a clear path for personal and spiritual evolution."
--Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., author of Getting the Love You Want
"Don Riso and Russ Hudson thoughtfully engage the richness and depth of the Enneagram, and conjure with its power as a tool of transformation. The Wisdom of the Enneagram is filled with its own wisdom and depth. You'll find yourself returning to it over and over again and discovering new treasures."
--Tony Schwartz, author of What Really Matters
"The Wisdom of the Enneagram is not only a clear and comprehensive description and discussion of this ancient personality typology, but also a major and original contribution to its use and further development. Don Riso and Russ Hudson have designed simple practical guidelines and tests that make it possible to determine one's own personality type and use this knowledge for healing and psychospiritual transformation."
--Stanislav Grof, M.D., author of The Adventure of Self-Discovery
From the Inside Flap
The first definitive guide to using the wisdom of the enneagram for spiritual and psychological growth
The ancient symbol of the Enneagram has become one of today's most popular systems for self-understanding, based on nine distinct personality types. Now, two of the world's foremost Enneagram authorities introduce a powerful new way to use the Enneagram as a tool for personal transformation and development. Whatever your spiritual background, the Enneagram shows how you can overcome your inner barriers, realize your unique gifts and strengths, and discover your deepest direction in life.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram includes:
Two highly accurate questionnaires for determining your type
Vivid individual profiles focused on maximizing each type's potential and minimizing predictable pitfalls
Spiritual Jump Starts, Wake-Up Calls, and Red Flags for each type
Dozens of individualized exercises and practical strategies for letting go of troublesome habits, improving relationships, and increasing inner freedom
Revealing insights into the deepest motivations, fears, and desires of each type
Highly accessible, yet filled with sophisticated concepts and techniques found nowhere else, The Wisdom of the Enneagram is a strikingly new fusion of psychology and spirituality. It offers an exciting vision of human possibility and a clear map of the nine paths to our highest self-expression.
From the Back Cover
THE FIRST DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO USING THE WISDOM OF THE ENNEAGRAM FOR SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL GROWTH
The ancient symbol of the Enneagram has become one of today's most popular systems for self-understanding, based on nine distinct personality types. Now two of the world's foremost Enneagram authorities introduce a powerful new way to use the Enneagram as a tool for personal transformation and development. Whatever your spiritual background, the Enneagram shows how you can overcome your inner barriers, realize your unique gifts and strengths, and discover your deepest direction in life.
The Wisdom of the Enneagram includes:
-- Two highly accurate questionnaires for determining your type
-- Vivid individual profiles focused on maximizing each type's potential and minimizing predictable pitfalls
-- Spiritual Jump Starts, Wake-Up Calls, and Red Flags for each type
-- Dozens of individualized exercises and practical strategies for letting go of troublesome habits, improving relationships, and increasing inner freedom
-- Revealing insights into the deepest motivations, fears, and desires of each type
Highly accessible, yet filled with sophisticated concepts and techniques found nowhere else, The Wisdom of the Enneagram is a strikingly new fusion of psychology and spirituality. It offers an exciting vision of human possibility and a clear map of the nine paths to your highest self-expression.
About the Author
Don Richard Riso, M.A., is one of the foremost writers and developers of the Enneagram in the world today. The most-published and bestselling author in the field, he is president of Enneagram personality Types, Inc., and co-founder of The Enneagram Institute. He has been teaching the Enneagram for over twenty years and is a founding director of the International Enneagram Association. His four bestselling books are available in British, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish editions. He was a Jesuit for thirteen years, holds degrees in English and philosophy, was elected to the Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma Nu, and was a Ford Foundation Fellow at Stanford in communication (social psychology).
Russ Hudson is one of the principal scholars and innovative thinkers in the Enneagram world today. He is executive director of Enneagram Personality Types, Inc., and co-founder of The Enneagram Institute. He has been co-teaching the Enneagram Professional Training Programs since 1991 and is a founding director and former vice-president of the International Enneagram Association. He assisted Don Riso in writing Discovering Your Personality Type and Enneagram Transformations. He is also the co-author of Personality Types (Revised Edition), The Power of the Enneagram, and of their forthcoming book, Personality Types at Work. He holds a degree in East Asian studies from Columbia University in New York, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1: Identifying Your Personality Type
The Enneagram (pronounced "ANY-a-gram") is a geometric figure that maps out the nine fundamental personality types of human nature and their complex interrelationships. It is a development of modern psychology that has roots in spiritual wisdom from many different ancient traditions. The word Enneagram comes from the Greek for "nine"--ennea--and "figure"--grammos; thus, it is a "nine-pointed figure."
The modern Enneagram of personality type has been synthesized from many different spiritual and religious traditions. Much of it is a condensation of universal wisdom, the perennial philosophy accumulated by Christians, Buddhists, Muslims (especially the Sufis), and Jews (in the Kabbalah) for thousands of years. The heart of the Enneagram is the universal insight that human beings are spiritual presences incarnated in the material world and yet mysteriously embodying the same life and Spirit as the Creator. Beneath surface differences and appearances, behind the veils of illusion, the light of Divinity shines in every individual. Various forces obscure that light, however, and each spiritual tradition has myths and doctrines to explain how mankind has lost its connection with the Divine.
One of the great strengths of the Enneagram is that it steps aside from all doctrinal differences. It has helped individuals from virtually every major religious faith to rediscover their fundamental unity as spiritual beings. The Enneagram can therefore be enormously valuable in today's world to show white and black, male and female, Catholic and Protestant, Arab and Jew, straight and gay, rich and poor that if they search beneath the surface differences that separate them, they will find an entirely new level of common humanity. With the help of the Enneagram, we will discover that Sixes are like all other Sixes--and that they share the same values as others of their type. Ones who are black are much more like Ones who are white than they could have imagined, and so forth. A new level of community and compassion emerges that obliterates old ignorance and fear.
"The great metaphors from all spiritual traditions--grace, liberation, being born again, awakening from illusion--testify that it is possible to transcend the conditioning of my past and do a new thing."
--Sam Keen
The Enneagram is not a religion, however; nor does it interfere with a person's religious orientation. It does not pretend to be a complete spiritual path. Nevertheless, it concerns itself with one element that is fundamental to all spiritual paths: self-knowledge.
Without self-knowledge, we will not get very far on our spiritual journey, nor will we be able to sustain whatever progress we have made. One of the great dangers of transformational work is that the ego attempts to sidestep deep psychological work by leaping into the transcendent too soon. This is because the ego always fancies itself much more "advanced" than it actually is. How many first-year novices have persuaded themselves that they are just about ready for sainthood? How many meditation students have been certain that they attained enlightenment in record-breaking time?
Real self-knowledge is an invaluable guardian against such self-deception. The Enneagram takes us places (and makes real progress possible) because it starts working from where we actually are. As much as it reveals the spiritual heights that we are capable of attaining, it also sheds light clearly and nonjudgmentally on the aspects of our lives that are dark and unfree. If we are going to live as spiritual beings in the material world, then these are the areas we most need to explore.
Presence (awareness, mindfulness), the practice of self-observation (gained from self-knowledge), and understanding what one's experiences mean (an accurate interpretation provided by a larger context such as a community or spiritual system) are the three basic elements needed for transformational work. Being supplies the first, you supply the second, and the Enneagram supplies the third. When these three come together, things can happen quickly.
"Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand."
--Spinoza
Introducing the Nine Types
Work with the Enneagram starts when you identify your type and begin to understand its dominant issues.
While we will recognize in ourselves behaviors of all nine types, our most defining characteristics are rooted in one of these types. On page 13 you will find a questionnaire, the Riso-Hudson QUEST, that can help you narrow down your basic type, and at the beginning of each type chapter there is a second independent test, the Riso-Hudson TAS or Type Attitude Sorter, to help you check your findings. Between these two tests and the descriptions and exercises in the type chapters, you should be able to discover your type with a high degree of certainty.
For now, read the following type names and brief descriptions to see which two or three strike you as being most typical of yourself. Keep in mind that the characteristics listed here are merely a few highlights and do not represent the full spectrum of each personality type.
"What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?"
--Thomas Merton
Type One: The Reformer. The principled, idealistic type. Ones are ethical and conscientious, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers and crusaders, always striving to improve things but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with repressed anger and impatience. At their best, healthy Ones are wise, discerning, realistic, and noble, as well as morally heroic.
Type Two: The Helper. The caring, interpersonal type. Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but they can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are driven to be close to others, and they often do things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems taking care of themselves and acknowledging their own needs. At their best, healthy Twos are unselfish and altruistic and have unconditional love for themselves and others.
Type Three: The Achiever. The adaptable, success-oriented type. Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for personal advancement. Threes are often concerned about their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness. At their best, healthy Threes are self-accepting, authentic, and everything they seem to be--role models who inspire others.
Type Four: The Individualist. The romantic, introspective type. Fours are self-aware, sensitive, reserved, and quiet. They are self-revealing, emotionally honest, and personal, but they can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with self-indulgence and self-pity. At their best, healthy Fours are inspired and highly creative, able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.
Type Five: The Investigator. The intense, cerebral type. Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent and innovative, they can become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with isolation, eccentricity, and nihilism. At their best, healthy Fives are visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time and able to see the world in an entirely new way.
Type Six: The Loyalist. The committed, security-oriented type. Sixes are reliable, hardworking, and responsible, but they can also be defensive, evasive, and highly anxious--running on stress while complaining about it. They are often cautious and indecisive but can also be reactive, defiant, and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion. At their best, healthy Sixes are internally stable, self-confident, and self-reliant, courageously supporting the weak and powerless.
Type Seven: The Enthusiast. The busy, productive type. Sevens are versatile, optimistic, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also be overextended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences, but they can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with superficiality and impulsiveness. At their best, healthy Sevens focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming joyous, highly accomplished, and full of gratitude.
Type Eight: The Challenger. The powerful, dominating type. Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, and decisive, they can also be proud and domineering. Eights feel that they must control their environment, often becoming confrontational and intimidating. They typically have problems with allowing themselves to be close to others. At their best, healthy Eights are self-mastering--they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and sometimes historically great.
Type Nine: The Peacemaker. The easygoing, self-effacing type. Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are good-natured, kind-hearted, easygoing, and supportive but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to be without conflict but can tend to be complacent and minimize anything upsetting. They typically have problems with passivity and stubbornness. At their best, healthy Nines are indomitable and all-embracing; they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.
"If men knew themselves, God would heal and pardon them."
--Pascal
The Questionnaires
The first questionnaire, which follows on pages 14-15, is the Riso-Hudson QUEST, the QUick Enneagram Sorting Test. This test will help you narrow down the possibilities for your type in less than five minutes with about 70 percent accuracy. At the least you will be able to identify the top two or three possibilities for your type.
The second set of questionnaires is the Riso-Hudson TAS, or Type Attitude Sorter. At the beginning of each of the nine type chapters is a set of fifteen statements that are highly characteristic of the type under consideration. If you are interested in taking a self-scoring, computerized Enneagram Test, you can do so at our website, www.EnneagramInstitute.com. This test, the RHETI (Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator, Version 2.5), involves choosing between 144 paired statements and is about 80 percent accurate. Beyond indicating the main type, it also produces a profile showing the relative strengths of each of the nine types in your personality. The RHETI usually takes about forty-five minutes to complete.
If you are new to the Enneagram, take the QUEST and then the TAS to see if there is a match. For instance, the QUEST might indicate that you are a Type Six. You could then go immediately to the fifteen statements of the TAS for Type Six (in Chapter 12) to see if you score high on those statements as well. If so, you are probably on the right track.
We urge you, however, to continue to keep an open mind and to read the full chapter of Type Six (to continue the example) until more pieces fall into place. If the description and exercises have a strong impact on you, then you are almost certainly a Six.
We are qualifying these statements slightly because it is always possible to be wrong in one's self-diagnosis--just as, unfortunately, it is easy to be wrongly diagnosed by an "Enneagram expert" of some sort. Therefore, take your time identifying your type. Read this book carefully, and more important, live with the information for a while and talk about it with those who know you well. Remember that self-discovery is a process, and that the process does not end with discovering your type--in fact, that is only the beginning.
When you do discover your type, you will know it. Waves of relief and embarrassment, of elation and chagrin, are likely to sweep over you. Things that you have always known unconsciously about yourself will suddenly become clear, and life patterns will emerge. You can be certain that when this happens, you have identified your personality type correctly.
The Riso-Hudson QUESTSM
The Quick Enneagram Sorting Test
Instructions:
For the QUEST to yield a correct result, it is important that you read and follow these few simple instructions.
Select one paragraph in each of the following two groups of statements that best reflects your general attitudes and behaviors, as you have been most of your life.
You do not have to agree completely with every word or statement in the paragraph you select! You may agree with only 80 to 90 percent of a particular paragraph and still select that paragraph over the other two in the group. However, you should agree with the general tone and overall "philosophy" of the paragraph you select. You will probably disagree with some part of each of the paragraphs. Do not reject a paragraph because of a single word or phrase! Again, look at the overall picture.
Do not overanalyze your choices. Select the paragraph that your "gut feeling" says is the right one for you, even though you may not agree with 100 percent of it. The general thrust and feeling of the paragraph as a whole is more important than individual elements of it. Go with your intuition.
If you cannot decide which paragraph best fits you in one of the groups, you may make two choices, but only in one group; for example, C in group I, and X and Y in group II.
Enter the letter you have selected for that group in the appropriate box.
Group I
A. I have tended to be fairly independent and assertive: I've felt that life works best when you meet it head-on. I set my own goals, get involved, and want to make things happen. I don't like sitting around--I want to achieve something big and have an impact. I don't necessarily seek confrontations, but I don't let people push me around, either. Most of the time I know what I want, and I go for it. I tend to work hard and to play hard.
B. I have tended to be quiet and am used to being on my own. I usually don't draw much attention to myself socially, and it's generally unusual for me to assert myself all that forcefully. I don't feel comfortable taking the lead or being as competitive as others. Many would probably say that I'm something of a dreamer--a lot of my excitement goes on in my imagination. I can be quite content without feeling I have to be active all the time.
C. I have tended to be extremely responsible and dedicated. I feel terrible if I don't keep my commitments and do what's expected of me. I want people to know that I'm there for them and that I'll do what I believe is best for them. I've often made great personal sacrifices for the sake of others, whether they know it or not. I often don't take adequate care of myself--I do the work that needs to be done and relax (and do what I really want) if there's time left.
Group II
X. I am a person who usually maintains a positive outlook and feels that things will work out for the best. I can usually find something to be enthusiastic about and different ways to occupy myself. I like being around people and helping others to be happy--I enjoy sharing my own well-being with them. (I don't always feel great, but I try not to show it to anyone!) However, staying positive has sometimes meant that I've put off dealing with my own problems for too long.
Y. I am a person who has strong feelings about things--most people can tell when I'm unhappy about something. I can be guarded with people, but I'm more sensitive than I let on. I want to know where I stand with others and who and what I can count on--it's pretty clear to most people where they stand with me. When I'm upset about something, I want others to respond and to get as worked up as I am. I know the rules, but I don't want people telling me what to do. I want to decide for myself.
Z. I tend to be self-controlled and logical--I am uncomfortable dealing with feelings. I am efficient--even perfectionistic--and prefer working on my own. When there are problems or personal conflicts, I try not to bring my feelings into the situation. Some say I'm too cool and detached, but I don't want my emotional reactions to distract me from what's really important to me. I usually don't show my reactions when others "get to me."
To interpret your answer, see below.
Things to Keep in Mind about Type
While everyone has a certain mix of types in their overall personality, one particular pattern or style is our "home base," and we return to it over and over. Our basic type stays the same throughout life. While people change and develop in numerous ways, they do not change from one basic personality type to another.
The descriptions of the personality types are universal and apply equally to males and females. Of course, males and females will express the same attitudes, traits, and tendencies somewhat differently, but the basic issues of the type remain the same.
Not everything in the description of your basic type will apply to you all the time. This is because we fluctuate constantly among the healthy, average, and unhealthy traits that make up our personality type, as we will see in our discussion of the Levels of Development (Chapter 6). We will also see that increasing maturation or increasing stress have a significant influence on how we are expressing our type.
Although we have given each type a descriptive title (such as the Reformer, the Helper, and so forth), in practice we prefer to use its Enneagram number. Numbers are value neutral--they provide an unbiased, shorthand way of referring to the type. Furthermore, the numerical ranking of the types is not significant: being a type with a higher number is not better than being a type with a lower number. (For example, it is not better to be a Nine than a One.)
None of the personality types is better or worse than any other--all types have unique assets and liabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Some types can be more valued than others in a given culture or group, however. As you learn more about all of the types, you will see that just as each has unique capacities, each has different limitations.
No matter what type you are, you have all nine types in you, to some degree. To explore them all and see them all operating in you is to see the full spectrum of human nature. This awareness will give you far more understanding of and compassion for others, because you will recognize many aspects of their particular habits and reactions in yourself. It is much more difficult to condemn the aggressiveness of Eights or the disguised neediness of Twos, for instance, if we are aware of aggressiveness and neediness in ourselves. If you investigate all nine types in yourself, you will see how interdependent they are--just as the Enneagram symbol represents them.
Interpreting the QUEST (from above)
Together the two letters you have selected form a two-letter code. For example, choosing paragraph C in group I, and paragraph Y in group II, produces the two-letter code CY.
To find out which basic personality type the QUEST indicates you are, see the QUEST codes to the right:
2-Digit Code Type Type Name and Key Characteristics
AX 7 The Enthusiast: Upbeat, accomplished, impulsive
AY 8 The Challenger: Self-confident, decisive, domineering
AZ 3 The Achiever: Adaptable, ambitious, image-conscious
BX 9 The Peacemaker: Receptive, reassuring, complacent
BY 4 The Individualist: Intuitive, aesthetic, self-absorbed
BZ 5 The Investigator: Perceptive, innovative, detached
CX 2 The Helper: Caring, generous, possessive
CY 6 The Loyalist: Engaging, responsible, defensive
CZ 1 The Reformer: Rational, principled, self-controlled
===391 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 1999
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Ratings & Reviews
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4.21
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Leah
21 reviews · 6 followers
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November 3, 2007
Best personality theory ever, refreshingly devoid of new age bullcrap. This is for critical thinkers who understand that everyone is a work in progress. Provides an intimate and forgiving look at yourself - and everyone you'll ever meet.
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Jessi
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July 28, 2007
The enneagram is a highly logical, accurate personality profiling system widely used by psychologists and intelligence agencies worldwide. The theory is that there are nine basic personality types, and everyone fits into one basic category, but you can have strong aspects, or "wings" of the other categories as well. you are the only one who can truly "type" yourself, and it is a tool for self-understanding and relationship building more than figuring out other people, but it stands true that the better you understand yourself the better you relate to others in any sense. I first read this several years ago at a workshop at my summer camp (abby signed us all up for it, she's such a "1"! the loveliest "1" i ever met!) and have since taken several other workshops and discussion groups revolving around the enneagram. very useful stuff!
healing-arts nonfiction spirituality
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Rachel DuBois
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September 8, 2009
I've lost track of the number of times I've recommended this book. The biggest selling point for me is that it helps you understand why you and your loved ones behave in the bizarre, annoying ways you do!
The book divides personality types into 9 broad categories, ranging from types like "The Helper" who is the stereotypical caregiver who gives away all of their energy for others to "The Reformer" who believes passionately in doing things responsibly and by the rules.
You take a short quiz and through exploring the types can discover which sounds -- often astonishly -- just like you. Every other sentence had me saying "That is SO me." It's been an invaluable tool in my marriage and friendships as well as my own personal growth, giving concrete suggestions and tools for how to understand and manage my own behaviours and those of others around me. If all newlyweds were given a Marriage Welcome Pack, I'd make sure this book was part of it.
personal-development wayfindery
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Danielle
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July 1, 2019
Best book about the enneagram that I've read yet! I appreciated this one over others I've read because it seemed the most comprehensive and detailed. There was a vast amount of information about wings, and instinctual variants. And it explained the triadic self in an easily understandable way. Two thirds of the book was dedicated to each type. So I got in depth information (25 pages) on my type with info on what my wings and variants would look like. The book also includes a type questionnaire with info on where to find a much lengthier one online.
2019-completed-books
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Ingrid Stabb
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March 1, 2009
Old Favorite. Along with Helen Palmer, Riso and Hudson are two of the most influential authors and teachers on Enneatype. Many people say that this is their favorite book on personality types due to the extensive detail and insightful observations regarding the inner workings and origins of type. Riso and Hudson are best known for their depiction of "healthy", "average" and "unhealthy", versions of each personality type.
my-recommendations
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K.M. Weiland
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December 4, 2022
I have been a fan of Riso and Hudson almost since the beginning of my Enneagram journey. This one is probably more accessible than their classic Personality Types, with the emphasis here being more on positive growth rather than potential devolution. The chapters on the nine types are all solid, as expected, with wonderful guidelines and exercises for bringing awareness to each type's ego "projects" (as they call them). The opening and closing chapters are gold in themselves, offering different models both for theorizing more deeply about the Enneagram itself and the personal growth journey in general.
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Metoka
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August 20, 2007
I took the Enneagram as an assignment in school and felt the results to be unlike me. And then, as another assignment, I was asked to read this book that delves into the significance of the Enneagram, the personality, and the 9 different personality types. I felt as if someone had stepped into my history and wrote down, experience by experience, the story of my life. It is intriguing and it sold me onto the usefulness of the Enneagram as an assessment tool.
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Kate Olson
2,212 reviews · 724 followers
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December 24, 2019
My mindset about who I am had completely shifted thanks to this book. And no, I didn’t read about every type in their entirety but I hit everything that has even a tiny bit to do with my Type 1 and all the front and back matter, so for my purposes I count this as a finish.
adult-reads nonfiction
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Donna Craig
916 reviews · 41 followers
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August 23, 2021
I’m so happy to finally be finished with this book!
Pros: It has tons of information about the enneagram in general and about each enneagram type. It also explains the purpose of the enneagram clearly (to escape your type, not box yourself in) and gives advice on how to integrate (become your best self).
Cons: It reads like a textbook. I often felt like I was wading through too much information. The ends of the chapters had some information that felt too “out there” for me. Eye rolls. Also, I have to say this book left me unsure of which enneagram number I am. Although my daughter seems sure I’m a six wing seven. So maybe it’s just me.
My evaluation is that this book is a great resource with a wealth of information, but it’s a lot to wade through from cover to cover.
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I. Mónica del P Pinzon Verano
200 reviews · 73 followers
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March 17, 2021
Un libro que leí y trabajé por recomendación de mi médico. Es bastante interesante y provechoso para identificar aspectos y reacciones en uno mismo, siendo un buen instrumento de autoconocimiento, aún cuando es complejo ubicarse (con bajo riesgo de equivocarse) en un eneatipo.
desarrollo-personal
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 401 reviews
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LD
4.0 out of 5 stars good write ups if you know your type. But, the assessment are not that strong
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2023
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If you know what type you are, the meat of the book is insightful and complements other resources nicely. However, the assessments (to determine your type) are not strong. I scored almost identically across many types with these relatively brief assessments, with no score meeting a determining threshold. This said, I took three other assessments (both in books and online) and found only one landed me in the right bucket. So, if you're looking to determine your type, be ready to check and double check using many tools. I ended up finding the 144 question (30 min) assessment EnneagramUniverse.com (free) useful for me, as well as many corroborating YouTube channels.
3 people found this helpful
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Sandi Rocks
5.0 out of 5 stars Looks like it's brand new!
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023
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This used book was a gift for my brother. I told him it was used and if he wanted I'd be happy to order him a new one. He said the book looks brand new and he would never have known it was used if I hadn't told him. Also he received it in only a few days. He's VERY pleased and so am I!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023
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This is the single best & most comprehensive explication of the Enneagram Personality Typology which is the Rosetta Stone of human psychology.
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LMS
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2022
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Wow! I wish I read this book a lot sooner. I have read quite a few books on the Enneagram. But I was still confused about my Core Type. Taking tests only caused me more confusion. I tested as 4, 5, 6, and 9. Even though I resonated with parts of each, the core fear and core motivations did not. I was getting frustrated and about ready to give up on the Enneagram. I was starting to doubt I would ever find my core type. This morning, I took a mini course about finding your type. That led me to believe I am actually a 1w9 and not a 9w1. This book confirmed that.
There is a short quiz for each type and then it tells you how likely it is that you are that number. This book goes DEEP. It does a great job of exploring both the positives and negatives of each type. It also discusses wings and subtypes. It gives you warning signs to look for and things that will help you grow. If you know the basics of the Enneagram and want to go deeper, get this book. It is well worth the money.
16 people found this helpful
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Avid Listener
4.0 out of 5 stars Formatting on the kindle version is pretty bad
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2022
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The content is good but the formatting for kindle is a mess: any sentence or paragraph that is italicized has no spaces between words. There are multiple italicized quotes throughout the book which are unreadable unless you spend time making sense of them. There are many other formatting problems but this is the worst of them. Get the paperback, not the kindle version.
8 people found this helpful
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Dale
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the 3rd book you should read on the Enneagram
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2018
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I think that if I had started with this book, it would have been too overwhelming to take in. So I suggest, if you have no prior experience with the Enneagram, read the following books (in this order):
Book 1: The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover the 9 Types of People
Book 2: The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery
Book 3: The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types
I became interested in the Enneagram when a friend recommended The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover the 9 Types of People , which provided a quick overview and piqued my interest in learning more about this "ancient personality typing system." I then began listening to the Typology podcast from Ian Cron, which led to me hearing an episode on another podcast (The Liturgists) that was promoting The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery . After listening to that audio book, I was looking for more detailed information, and I found that in The Wisdom of the Enneagram. Though it is the size of a text book (and would be great for teaching a class on the Enneagram), I still found it easy to read, approachable and immensely helpful. I would still love to learn more about the Enneagram, but this book will provide me with more than enough to ponder until then. I credit the Enneagram (and this book in particular) for giving me better insight into myself and all of my relationships. It has helped me understand what my particular gifts are, and why I think, see and move through life the way the way that I do. It has also helped me have compassion, grace and understanding with my wife, children, friends and acquaintances. For those of you interested or concerned that this might be a hindrance to the pursuit of your faith, I did not find this book to advocate for any particular religious belief. The authors are very clear that this is a non-spiritual tool, that can aid you on whatever path you are choosing. I find that it has enhanced my understanding of people and how we are all connected, yet unique in our own individual ways. Understanding the Enneagram will make you a better Salesperson, Minister, Politician, Teacher, Actor, Director - you name it. I can't recommend this book enough for furthering your knowledge and understanding of yourself and the community you inhabit.
30 people found this helpful
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Ana
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful tool in understanding oneself and other
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2022
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I really enjoy this book, and I reference it often as I meet people and ask them to take the test on Truity or some other site. I find it very valuable in understanding others' perspectives and worldviews so that I can be more patient with those who think differently than me and better work with them and understand them on a more personal level.
5 people found this helpful
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Shirley
5.0 out of 5 stars Completely recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2019
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I've know about the Enneagrams for about 10 years, and read summaries of the system. It seemed an intriguing explanation of behaviors and motivations. When I hit a sticky patch in my life I bought a copy and found it immensely helpful is understanding (without condemnation) the interactions of myself with others.
The book is written in such a way you can absorb it at whatever level suits where you are at. For people seeking a spiritual pathway, there is plenty to get your teeth into. But if, like me, you are more anchored in pragmatism, there is also a great quantity of useful and thought-provoking material. What I particularly liked was how the concepts embraced all Religious and philosophical systems. It was not confronting; the less attractive aspects of the personality types were balanced with the attractive. to either formal codes of belief or personal ones. Gentle humour helped dispel any points that could betaken as personal criticism. I especially appreciated the reference to arranging the spice shelf alphabetically. (Oops, mea culpa!)
I can see I shall be dipping in and out of this book for many many years to come. I shall get new insights and old reminders about how my personality type deals with Life and how I can utilise those traits to maximise my experience to positive advantage.
I recommend this book to anyone who feels the need to add some insight into their lives. Riso and Hudson offer interesting, thoughtful and useful ways to navigate personal transformation. My only complaint is that the book cover of the paperback copy is very flimsy and gets curly and worn very easily.
52 people found this helpful
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William Whyte
3.0 out of 5 stars High marks for content, Kindle formatting is terrible
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023
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This is a very interesting and helpful book but the Kindle formatting is terrible. Font sizes are all over the place and quotes and subheads have no spaces between the words. Is there any way the publishers can fix this and push an update to people who bought the Kindle version?
3 people found this helpful
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Natural World
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely accurate and the depth of knowledge is unbelievable.
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2013
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A therapist suggested I take this test and he gave me the book, the Wisdom of the Enneagram to go with it. After I scored my test, I gave it to him to make the chart, and then we discussed it. I read the book afterwards. I have never met anyone like me, so I was stunned to see I was a "personality type" with sub-types. THe first time I read my personality type, the highest score I received on the test, I was stunned to see the depth of the persona they were describing, and it was me to a tee. During the first reading, I was shamed, embarrassed, felt vulnerable, exposed naked to the world. But I am 54, I know myself very well, and it was all true. The next two times I read it, more sunk in. In any event, the amount of detail and depth they provide to the personality type is in itself astonishing. It was as though psychologists had been studying me all of my life and then wrote about me. My next highest score was a different personality type, but that type is a lot of me as well. What is interesting in this book is that they show if the person in this personality type has integrated well what traits you will see, and if they have disintegrated, what other traits you will see. I would think if you were part of a couple, you would learn the deeper side of your partner by doing this test separately, creating your individual chart, and then reading about your types in Wisdom of the Enneagram. Clearly the founders of the test know me better then I know myself.
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