A Directional Theory of Enneagram Compulsions
by Thomas Chou
The Enneagram explains much about personality. But what explains the Enneagram? What is the root cause of each type’s behaviors? Why do the types integrate and disintegrate the way they do? How does the Enneagram relate to other typologies such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)? Many Enneagram theories exist, but their ability to answer these basic questions is limited. One reason may be that many theories focus on superficial behaviors, without considering the underlying forces that drive these behaviors. I would like to suggest a new theory based on the underlying forces of each personality, which I believe give each type a defining sense of direction. This theory also explains most of the directions of integration, and provides new perspectives on how the Enneagram relates to other psychological concepts, such as emotions and the MBTI.
A major tool for analyzing the direction of the Enneagram types is the triad proposed by the psychoanalyst Karen Horney, which describes aggressive, withdrawn, and compliant types. These types respectively move against, away from, or toward the environment, thus specifying 3 types of psychological movements. However, to fully explain the types, we must go further, because Horney’s triad clearly leaves out some underlying forces. For example, types 5, 4, and 9 all withdraw, but for different underlying reasons. The 9 withdraws to avoid conflicts with others, hoping to preserve their peaceful feeling of unity with others. In other words, the 9’s behavior moves away from others, but their underlying desire is to move towards others, seeking unity and belonging. In contrast, the 5 withdraws to establish their mental control over their environment, thus moving against it, while the 4 withdraws to enhance their feeling of uniqueness, thus moving away from the environment. For these types, the superficial withdrawn behavior masks 3 different underlying motivations. Furthermore, these underlying motivations come in a Hornevian style triad that also moves against, away from, or towards the environment. This analysis leads to an unusually elegant 3x3 arrangement of the 9 types. Figure 1 shows this arrangement, along with some terms and plus/minus symbols, which will be explained shortly.
Figure 1: The surface and deep directions of the Enneagram compulsions
By now, there are many 3x3 theories in the Enneagram literature, all of which are slightly different from each other. My symmetric arrangement of the 3x3 grid is also different from all others, although it most closely resembles the 3x3 theory of Hurley and Dobson (What’s My Type, 1993, pp. 92-3). However, my work exchanges types 7 and 1 from theirs, and reinterprets both of the component triads in new ways. I hope that these new interpretations will offer helpful insights that can support, reconcile, and extend previous theories.
My proposed combination of surface and deep compulsions can fully explain the psychological directions that define each Enneagram type. Hence, it is important to understand how the surface and deep triads work. Briefly, the surface compulsion describes the short-term behaviors that one uses, while the deep compulsion describes the long-term, end goals of these behaviors. The surface compulsion tends to be very conscious and apparent to others, while the deep compulsion is hidden deeper in the subconscious. In the next few paragraphs, I would like to highlight a few other qualities of these two triads.
The surface compulsion describes short term emotions and behaviors
My surface triad is a reinterpretation of the triad that Karen Horney described around 1950. I interpret this triad to be based on the emotional bias of the types. Hence, the aggressive types 8, 1, and 3 are the ones prone to the negative emotions of anger and competition, which move against others. Conversely, the compliant types 6, 7, and 2 are the ones prone to the positive emotions of affection and appreciation, which move toward others. Finally, the withdrawn types 5, 4, and 9 are prone to internalizing their emotions, whether positive or negative, thus keeping them away from others. Above Figure 1, I have thus labeled the aggressive column with a minus sign, while the compliant column has a plus sign, and the withdrawn types are labeled with a zero. One should not let the zero symbol mislead us into thinking that these types have zero emotions – they may have very strong emotions, but do not immediately translate them into actions against or toward the environment. Figure 2 summarizes these qualities of the surface triad.
Figure 2: Polarity of the against-away-toward triad
Reversing types 7 and 1
My interpretation of Horney’s triad and its relations to emotions has led me to reverse types 7 and 1 from the prevailing viewpoint. The prevailing view considers the 7 an aggressive or assertive type, while the 1 is considered a compliant type. However, I believe my view is more consistent with the fundamental against and toward directions. For example, the 7 may indeed be assertive, but they are most assertive in moving toward the environment, unlike the 8, 1, and 3 who are most assertive in moving against the environment. The 7’s feelings are mostly positive, and their first desire is to enjoy the world, not fight it. The 7 may use charm and deflection to avoid conflict, while the 8, 1, and 3 have feelings that directly confront the world. The 7 may not be particularly compliant to rules and restraints, but this is because the 7 embraces, i.e. moves toward, many other people, places, ideas, and activities. Indeed, I think the term “embracing” reflects the moving-toward stance more broadly than “compliant”. While “compliance” suggests a passive, almost reluctant movement toward rules and regulations imposed from outside, “embracing” suggests a more active, heartfelt movement toward anything, whether they be ideas, people, places, or activities. Regarding type 1, this type is usually considered compliant because they are compliant to their superegos. This may certainly be true, but it is also an inconsistent application of the word “compliant”, because it describes how one part of the mind (the ego) is compliant to another part (the superego). All other types are defined in terms of how the mind as a whole relates to the world, and the 1’s mind as a whole confronts the world, forcing it to become more orderly and correct.
The deep compulsion describes subconscious long-term goals
In this theory, the deep triad has the same against-away-toward structure as the surface triad, but operates over a longer time frame. Although the deep compulsion is less obvious to others, it is the more powerful of the two, because it is the master of the surface compulsion. The surface behaviors are like conscious slaves carrying out orders from the long-term desires that are hidden deeper in the subconscious. Since these deeper desires are more hidden, they are not well understood by most. To help understand these goals, I have given plain-English names to the 3 elements of the deep triad. Hence, types 2, 5, and 8 (moving against) are the “power-seekers”, who seek a sense of control, while the 7, 4, and 1 (moving away) are the “inspiration-seekers”, pursuing their inner utopian ideals, and the 3, 6, and 9 (moving towards) are the “approval-seekers”, seeking to belong in a world defined by others. Many authors, including Hurley and Donson, Riso and Hudson, and others, have noted that this triad exists, but used terminology that did not recognize its goal-seeking quality. Indeed, my goal-seeking terminology helps support and explain prior observations about this triad. For example, Riso and Hudson note that the 2, 5, and 8 over-express feeling, thinking, and doing. The underlying reason for over-expression may be the desire for power, and for imposing their wills on the environment. This requires considerable energy directed at the environment, and tends to intensify whatever functions they use most. In the approval-seeking group, Hurley and Donson describe the 3, 6, and 9 as those taking a “mediating” approach to life, while Riso and Hudson note that these types are most “out of touch” with feeling, thinking, and doing. In my view, the underlying reason for both of these observations is that the search for approval makes these types pay more attention to what others value than to what they value. Hence, they may compromise (i.e. mediate) between their wishes and those of others, while also losing touch with their inner self. Indeed, the 3, 6, and 9 may do more than just lose touch with themselves; they may disown parts of themselves, and become people defined entirely by others around them. Finally, I have called the 1, 4, and 7 the “inspiration-seeking” types, because these types are fixated on their inner inspirations, rather than the real world. Because these inspirations are limited only by their imaginations, they may be far reaching and beautiful, or seriously unrealistic and unattainable. The main qualities of the deep triad are summarized in Figure 3.
Types / Direction / Name / Healthy destination / Unhealthy destination2 5 8 / Against / Power-seeking / Strength, willpower / Willfulness, authoritarianism
7 4 1 / Away / Inspiration-seeking / Universality, beauty / Self-absorption
6 9 3 / Toward / Approval-seeking / Belonging / Lost identity; living life defined by others
Figure 3: Qualities of the 3 deep compulsions
Now, we can combine the 3 surface and 3 deep directions to explain the 9 types:
Type 1: the aggressive inspiration-seeker.
The 1’s compulsion moves against others on the surface, but away from others underneath. This explains how the 1 may outwardly seem quite efficient and engaged, while underneath they are thinking more about some ideal world that they are trying to create in the long term. Inspirations often involve ideals, in which the best possible world is imagined, and then used to judge the actual world. Hence, the 1 often finds reality to be inadequate compared to their ideal of perfection. The 1’s ideals are filtered through their aggressive exterior, which is proactive and practical. Hence, their ideals are active and practical, involving rules, principles, morality, truth and justice. Like all the inspiration-seekers, the 1’s goals are essentially infinite. Everything, no matter how orderly, just or good, can always be better, more orderly and more just. Hence, the average 1 can become extremely frustrated when they fail to reach their own ever-increasing standards.
Type 2:the compliant power-seeker.
The 2’s compulsion moves toward others on the surface, but against them underneath. This explains how average 2s can be warm and helpful on the outside, while harboring a hidden agenda and a latent tendency to make others dependent on their help in the long term. All the power-seeking types have strong wills, although the 2’s willpower is masked somewhat by their embracing exterior, and less obvious than in the 5 or 8. The 2’s will does become obvious when they show the possessive tendency that all power-seekers have. The 2 is most possessive of people, in contrast to the 5’s possession of information (hoarding), or the 8’s possession of physical resources (territorialism). All human beings need love, no matter what the Enneagram type, but the 2’s desire for love is the most noticeable, because their inner will and exterior charm make them believe that they can make people love them.
Type 3: aggressive approval-seeker.
The 3’s surface compulsion moves against people, while the underlying compulsion moves toward people. This explains why the 3 seems pushy and competitive, but in the long term, deeply wants the approval of others. This seems paradoxical – indeed, the 3 literally fights others to win approval from them. These conflicting surface and deep compulsions create problems for the average 3, because it makes them seem deceptive. Like all average types, 3s are only consciously aware of their surface compulsion, while often denying their deeper compulsions. Hence, the average 3 claims to be a bold, aggressive leader, while denying that they are actually following the leadership of the people whose admiration they seek. This is analogous to the 2, who is deceptive in the other direction – the average 2 claims to only be helping others, while denying the aggressive motives hidden underneath.
Type 4: the withdrawn inspiration-seeker.
The 4’s surface and deep compulsions both move away from the environment, making them the most introspective, individualistic type of all. This doubly-withdrawn compulsion makes 4s psychologically free from the real-world constraints that all other types have. This freedom makes them highly original and creative, but also gives average 4s a self-absorbed quality and a tendency to become alienated from ordinary life. Like the other inspiration-seekers, the 4 seeks a utopian ideal that makes the real world seem inadequate by comparison. Because of their withdrawn exterior, the 4’s ideals are more personal than with the other types, making them more of a romantic idealist as opposed to the 1’s practical idealism.
Type 5: the withdrawn power-seeker.
The 5 moves away from others on the surface, but against others underneath. Hence, average 5s may seem apathetic and laconic on the surface, but underneath their strong will makes them want to be in control, and they are fearful of becoming overwhelmed and losing control. The withdrawn types by definition do not like to expend much physical energy, and hence the 5 tends to focus on intellectual topics which they can control with purely mental energy. Like all power-seekers, the 5 often acquires a “sphere” of influence, which they guard jealously and possessively. Since the 5’s sphere is usually intellectual or strategic, they tend to possess or hoard information.
Type 6: the compliant (embracing) approval-seeker.
The 6’s surface and deep compulsions both move toward others, making the average 6 the type most psychologically dependent on a stable external support that they can attach to. Hence, the 6 is born wanting to trust the world, but sooner or later the 6 child learns that this is treacherous because most people are too selfish, or too preoccupied to wholeheartedly support them. Once the 6 realizes this, they start to learn defense techniques against their own trusting nature. Skeptical thinking, seeking safety in groups, etc. are all tactics the 6 develops, which had their root in their doubly-compliant nature.
Type 7: the compliant (embracing) inspiration-seeker.
The 7 embraces the world on the surface, but moves away from it underneath. Hence, the 7 may seem very focused on the real world, but their mind is actually attending to a glorious fantasy of how good things could be, making the real world seem inadequate by comparison. Hence, the 7 is easily disappointed by reality, like the other inspiration-seekers 1 and 4. However, the 7’s disappointment is hidden behind the embracing exterior, which has a large capacity for positive, appreciative emotions. Like the other inspiration-seekers, the 7 is satisfied only with the best of whatever they become interested in. However, because they have so many positive feelings for so many things, they may start to define “best” in terms of quantity rather than quality.
Type 8: the aggressive power-seeker.
The 8 moves against others in both their surface and deep compulsions, hence is the most aggressive type overall. The power-seeking compulsion is hence most obvious in the 8, with their willpower, self-reliance, and possessive tendencies quite evident to others. Also, all the power-seeking types tend to acquire a “sphere of influence”, and in the 8’s case, this sphere tends to be physical and worldly, unlike the 5’s intellectual sphere and the 2’s social sphere. The terms “aggressive” and “moving against” often carry hostile connotations which really only apply to unhealthy or average 8s. In healthier states, the 8’s doubly-aggressive compulsion makes them particularly able to rise above incredible obstacles, giving them a widely-recognized heroic quality.
Type 9: the withdrawn approval-seeker.
The 9 moves away from others on the surface, but toward others underneath. These two movements conflict, and the 9 is caught between wanting to detach from others while still identifying with others in the long term. Hence, they withdraw in non-threatening ways, to allow themselves to come back later. Unhealthy 9s may seem almost dead on the surface, but inside they are under the illusion that they are at one with the world; hence they are living through others. Indeed, all the approval-seeking types may get trapped into living lives defined by others, when they disown their own will and give it to the community that they want to belong to.