The Road Back to You

Meh.

The Enneagram is interesting, this book takes it way too seriously in ways that I found somewhere between an astrological horoscope in the LA Times and the old 4 humors approach to medicine and personality. The Enneagram has gained popularity recently especially in some religious contexts and has been said by some to be ancient.

Many people who take the Enneagram “seriously” understand that it is a tool not a serious diagnostic methodology. It can help with conversation, introspection, growth, self-analysis but it has no foundation in any sort of data or study. Myers-Briggs, Taylor-Johnson Temperamental Analysis, The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), DISC profile are all tests that attempt to determine personality type and tendencies or characteristics associated with those types and all of them have their limitations. I had an work colleague who took the DISC test way too seriously. I think I have taken all of the above tests, and am not sure they helped me in any way.

I don't mind these kinds of tests and they do in fact give some fodder for good conversation given the context of those conversations. I find people who take them tend to give them more credence than they deserve and lock themselves into a narrative about who they are that may or may not be helpful.

We meet with friends on Sunday afternoons and this was our book of choice for the last few months. The test and descriptions gave us opportunity to get to know one another better and to talk about things we may not have talked about without it. As far as that goes, the Enneagram was helpful for discussion, most of the time we had quizzical reactions to the descriptions in the book.

Personally, I had a hard time with the style of the author, and the certainty with which he described the different roles. It felt very conclusive. Also, my copy of the book had an odd smell to it - unlike that new book smell, maybe that influenced me.