February 2007 Issue PTCI Newsletter Article 3

Enneagram Type One

By Denise L. Dahl, M. A.

Oscar Ichazo, a Bolivian spiritual teacher, developed the basic principles of the Enneagram by drawing on ancient spiritual ideas from Greek philosophy, Taoism, Buddhism, mystical Judaism, the Kabbala, and early Christianity.  In 1970, he taught these principles to a group of forty students.  Claudio Naranjo, a Chilean psychiatrist, was among these students and he brought the Enneagram ideas back to the United States and elaborated on some of them using his background in psychology. He taught the Enneagram to students in the San Francisco area.

Ichazo originally presented 108 enneagrams but only four of these enneagrams are usually taught in the United States.  They are the Enneagrams of the Holy Ideas, Fixations, Virtues, and Passions.  The most familiar enneagram is the Enneagram of Fixations which is also known as the Enneagram of Personality.

The Enneagram was designed by Oscar Ichazo, a Bolivian spiritual teacher, to distinguish the difference between ego/personality and Essence, which is our true nature.  There are nine personality types (Fixations) and each type has a Holy Idea, a Virtue, and a Passion.  The Holy Ideas are an enlightened way of experiencing life – higher essential qualities of the mind which we experience when we are in touch with our true nature.  Each of the Holy Ideas has a corresponding Virtue which is an essential quality of the heart that we experience when we are in touch with our true nature.  All of the Holy Ideas and the Virtues are a part of each of us but there is one Holy Idea and one Virtue that we especially resonate with and were attuned to at birth.

Last month we described Type Nine on the Enneagram, the second of the three instinctive types.  This month we will describe Type One – the third of these three instinctive types.  Next month we will describe Type Two and then continue on with the remaining five types in months to come (Types Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven).  On the home page of the Personal Transformation and Courage Institute – www.transformationandcourage.org you can click on “Newsletters” for previous Enneagram articles.

As mentioned before, each personality type has a particular Holy Idea and a Virtue to which they especially resonate.  When contact with the Holy Idea and the Virtue are lost, the ego substitutes a Fixation and a Passion to compensate for the loss.  Here are the Holy Idea, Virtue, Fixation, and Passion for Type One.

• Holy Perfection is the Holy Idea.
• Serenity is the Virtue.
• Resentment is the Fixation/personality.
• Anger is the Passion.

Holy Perfection is the enlightened perception that everything and everybody is inherently perfect, good, and positive.  When we are living in the present moment, our experience has a certain rightness about it, and we feel that everything is happening just as it needs to happen.  Holy Perfection allows us to see the big picture which we can’t discern from our limited ego perspective.  When Ones lose contact with Holy Perfection (i.e., it falls into the unconscious), they also lost contact with their authentic self.  This loss results in the One’s personality type/Fixation of Resentment.  Ones may have a vague memory of how things were when they had contact with the Holy Idea of Perfection, and they are resentful that things no longer seem perfect.  Everything seems wrong or messed up.  They begin to feel that the world and parts of themselves are flawed and they want to fix things.  They have a basic fear that they are corrupt, evil, or defective in some way.  Their basic desire is to be good, have integrity and to be balanced.

When Ones are identified with their Fixation of Resentment they often have unattainable standards.  They are perfectionistic about whatever they value in life and this can be different for different people.  For example, some Ones value a neat, orderly home and spend a lot of time being perfectionistic about it.  There is a place for everything and everything must be just “so.”  At the same time, they may not place much value on keeping their office in the same meticulous order.  It may be just organized enough so that they can do a good job.

Behind the perfectionistic tendencies of Ones is an overactive superego.  Everyone has a superego but the One’s superego is relentless.  It splits things into good and bad and this causes the One to lose its sense of unity and wholeness.  It leads to comparing and judging to see if they are living up to the impossible standards they have set for themselves.  Even when they come close to meeting these standards, the superego often raises the bar and they then feel compelled to redefine their ideal or standard and try harder to achieve it.  This idealized vision of how things should be or ought to be leads to resentment whenever imperfection is noticed and that resentment in turn leads to anger.  However, Ones rarely act on their anger because they either don’t notice it or their superego has evaluated and judged it and decided that it would be inappropriate to express it.

Average Ones feel threatened when criticized by others.  They have their own inner critic who relentlessly critiques everything they think, feel, and do.  Much of their energy is tied up in trying to meet the unattainable standards of their superego/inner critic.  They have high expectations of themselves and others.  They take strong, fixed positions on what is right and wrong and may judge others by their own values and standards.  As a result, they may come off as being inflexible and intolerant.  It’s hard for Ones to admit when they are wrong because it is difficult for them to see that there may be more than one explanation for things.

When the Enneagram types are under stress they may take on the qualities of the opposite Enneagram type.  This is called the direction of disintegration.  Ones are usually self-controlled and task-driven and put their emotions aside in order to get the job done.  When stress builds and they can no longer suppress their feelings, they may take on some of the attitudes and behaviors of a Type Four.  They may become moody, temperamental, and withdraw from others.  They also may start to daydream or fantasize about romance or trips to exotic locations.

Healthy Ones have many strengths and assets.  They are conscientious, hardworking, and have a high set of moral values.  It is important to them to be rational, reasonable, self-disciplined, and moderate in all things.  Integrity, justice, and truth are their most important values.  They often feel like they have a mission in life and this gives them a sense of purpose.  Healthy Ones are fair, just, objective, and can set aside their personal desires for the good of the whole.

When the Enneagram Types feel secure, they go toward the Enneagram type that has the qualities that they most need to develop.  This is called the direction of integration.  For Ones, this is Type Seven.  As Ones feel more secure, they become more spontaneous and joyful like a healthy Type Seven.  They accept reality along with its necessary imperfections and become relaxed and productive.  They no longer feel the need to “fix” everything and everybody or single-handedly save the world.  Their communication with others is more effective and their spontaneity, optimism, and sense of humor helps others take life less seriously.  They also become interested in the viewpoints of others and are more tolerant of other people’s opinions.

At their best, Ones are extraordinarily wise, humane, and have a highly developed sense of discernment.  They realistically accept what is and know what to do in the present moment.  They accept their own and other people’s humanness and this gives them the ability to inspire and uplift others.  They are life-affirming, hopeful, kind, and have a great generosity of spirit.

The Enneagram Virtues are essential qualities of the heart that are experienced when we are in touch with our True Nature.  As contact with the Holy Idea is lost so is the Virtue of the Enneagram type.  When Ones lose their Holy Idea of Perfection they also lose their Virtue of Serenity.  They become tense and try to control and resist the flow of energy in their body.  They live in the past or future instead of the present moment and can’t accept reality as it is.  As the Virtue of Serenity is cultivated, Ones become more accepting of life and can help and support others.

Riso and Hudson describe Serenity this way: 

Serenity does not only entail being open to others, of course it is also being open and accepting of ourselves, exactly as we are.  We are comfortable with ourselves, with our bodies, and with our feelings.  We are deeply relaxed and allow the energies of life to flow trough us without resisting them or trying to control them.

In the Virtue of Serenity, there is no feeling of effort or of striving.  We are soothed and soothing.  We flow from one experience into the next, feeling calm and balanced, regardless of the ups and downs of life.  (2000, pp. 64-65.)

Serenity is the willingness to accept life as it is regardless of what happens.  This frees up energy formerly used in the effort to make everything and everyone perfect.  Once freed, this energy can be used to become more self-aware and to get in touch with who we really are.

Bibliography

Jaxon-Bear, Eli (2001).  The Enneagram of Liberation: From Fixation to Freedom. Bolinas, CA: Leela Foundation.

Maitri, Sandra (2000).  The Spiritual Dimensions of the Enneagram.  New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.

Riso, Don Richard & Hudson, Russ (1999).  The Wisdom of the Enneagram.  New York:Bantam Books.

Riso, Don Richard & Hudson, Russ (2000).  Understanding the Enneagram: The Practical Guide to Personality Types.   New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. (Original work published 1990)