Enneagram Type Two
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 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 One on the Enneagram, the third of the three instinctive types. This month we will describe Type Two – the first of the three feeling types. Next month we will describe Type Three and then continue on with the remaining four types in months to come (Types Four, Five, Six, and Seven). See articles listing for other types,
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 Two.
- Holy Will and Holy Freedom are the Holy Ideas.
- Humility is the Virtue.
- Flattery is the Fixation/personality.
- Pride is the Passion.
The Holy Ideas for Type Two are Holy Will and Holy Freedom. Holy Will is the enlightened perception that everything is happening just as the universe intends it to happen and Holy Freedom is the understanding that our personal will and that of the universe are inseparable.
When Twos lose contact with their Holy Ideas their ego identifies with the Fixation of Flattery. This grows out of their conviction and belief that they have a separate will and that when they are willful, they can get what they want and make things happen. When they don’t get what they want or things don’t go their way, it’s a huge blow to their pride. They feel humiliated and the reaction to not getting their way is willful action. The Passion at Point Two is Pride and the ego uses pride to cover the loss of genuine love and value which are Essential qualities of the heart that are lost when they lose the connection with the heart and the Virtue of Humility. This loss leads to feelings of emptiness and unworthiness and Twos use Pride (their Passion) to cover over these painful feelings.
The result of this loss is the Fixation of Flattery which developed in the early childhood of the Two. Somehow they got the message that they had to “do” in order to earn the love and affection of others. They got the message that the needs of others come before their own, that one must give in order to get, and that they have to earn the love and affection of others. Twos often become the family nurturer – the one who helps mom or dad and takes care of the younger siblings. But later, they may become identified with this role and build a self-image that revolves around helping others and being selfless.
When Twos get too identified with this self-image they may use different techniques to get what they want including flattery and manipulation. They may do something for someone in order to get something. When they are really under stress they may use a kind of daring assertiveness – chutzpuh - to get their needs met. For example, they may assert their willfulness in a dramatic way by creating an emotional scene such as throwing things to get attention. However, most of the time they express their needs in an indirect manner with the hope that others will take the hint and do what they want.
Twos often have a hard time prioritizing and making decisions because they often become distracted and derailed in their thinking. They also have a hard time setting boundaries and saying “no,” and this can lead to their time and energy being eaten up by “doing” for others. Twos have a great need to relate to others in order to feel good about themselves and this “doing” is how they draw others into their lives. They feel they must “earn” the love and affection of others. But Twos can carry this to an extreme and be “doing” one or two things for so many different people that they completely neglect their own priorities and needs. When this becomes too stressful they go to Point Eight to blow off steam. At Point Eight (the direction of disintegration) they drop their self-image of a selfless generous person and directly confront others with their complaints. These complaints are often centered around the lack of appreciation they have received from all of those who have received their help. At Point Eight Twos can become bossy and controlling and let others know in no uncertain terms that they are in charge.
But psychologically healthy Twos are a different story. They are empathetic, compassionate, and concerned about the needs of others. They are thoughtful, warm-hearted, forgiving and sincere. They encourage, appreciate, and see the good in others. Serving others is important to them but they take care of themselves too. At their best, Twos are deeply unselfish, humble, and altruistic. They are capable of unconditional love without any expectation of reward because they have found the love they seek within themselves. They realize that everything is happening just as the universe intends it to happen. True freedom is the realization that they do not have a separate personal will but that their will is one with that of the universe.
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 Twos, this is Enneagram Point Four. As Twos feel more secure, they may exhibit some of the traits of Type Four. Because Twos unconsciously focus on the feelings of others, they can learn from Fours how to accept their own feelings without censoring them. Twos are extremely sensitive to subtle changes in how other people are feeling and when they integrate the healthy qualities of Fours, they can also use this ability to pick up on their own feelings and inner states. They need to learn how to overcome the voice of their superego that tells them they are being selfish when they attend to their own needs. They can do this by quieting their mind and using discrimination to distinguish between their strict superego voice and their true inner guidance.
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 Twos lose their Holy Ideas of Holy Will and Holy Freedom they also lose their Virtue of Humility. 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 Humility is cultivated, Twos no longer depend on the approval of others to support their self-image as a loving, generous person. They can love others unconditionally without any thought of a reward. They respond to the needs of others in a spontaneous and free way or they may realize that they are over-extended and choose not to respond.
Ichazo describes Humility this way:
It is acceptance of the limits of the body, its capacities. The intellect holds unreal beliefs about its own powers. The body knows precisely what it can and cannot do. Humility in its largest sense if the knowledge of the true human position in the cosmic scale. (Maitri, 2000, p. 176)
Humility is the recognition of both our capacities and our limitations. It is clearly seeing ourselves and our abilities. For Twos, this can mean saving time and energy for themselves instead of expending it all on the needs of others.
Bibliography
Almaas, A. H. (1998). Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas. Boston
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Maitri, Sandra (2000). The Spiritual Dimensions of the Enneagram. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.
Maitri, Sandra (2005). The Enneagram of Passions and Virtues. 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).
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