Understanding the Enneagram Passions

The Enneagram is a personality system with spiritual roots at it's core. It theorizes that there are 9 personality types, each based on a style of thinking and feeling that was developed in childhood as a way to cope in the world. One of the Enneagram originators, Oscar Ichazo, referred to these emotional responses of the ego as 'passions.' When we continue to use these conditioned responses from childhood as adults, we are unable to operate at our highest potential or from our truest self. Once a person can relax these defense patterns and show up as their true self in a balanced way, the virtue of the type can manifest, which contains qualities that reflect God’s nature within them. The first step is to identify which Enneagram type a person most identifies with and then learn about the passion of the type. This awareness helps them understand how their ego uses this passion to protect their heart in different ways.

The passion for the Type 1 is anger, which relates to feeling irritated by what is different from a person’s understanding of what’s right. Children of this type tried hard to be good and developed a black and white way of thinking. As adults, these individuals can choose to move beyond this limiting perspective. When they can learn to be less rigid and more open-minded to other viewpoints, they can experience the virtue of serenity, the ability to let go of anger, and find peace when things are out of their control.

The Type 2's passion is pride, which relates to an inflated feeling of self-importance in others' lives and an unwillingness to acknowledge one’s own hurt and needs. Children of this type adapted by focusing on others' needs while ignoring their own. As they realize that this is false humility and that they are repressing their own needs, they can develop a more balanced way of interacting with others. This leads to the virtue of humility, where they can love themselves as they truly are and allow others to do the same. 

The passion for the Type 3 is self-deceit, relating to the belief that they must always be successful, and hiding parts of themselves that do not conform to that image. Children of this type learned to prove their worth through performance. Over time, this leads to burnout and caring more about others' opinions than their own feelings. As the Type 3 matures, they can learn to let go of this habitual thinking and express the virtue of truthfulness, understanding that their value is based on who they are as their true self and not from their accomplishments.

The Type 4's passion is envy, involving comparing oneself to others with feelings of deficiency or superiority. This type of child developed a habit of determining their worth by comparison. When they felt that they couldn’t trust other people to validate their identity, they learned to turn inward instead and used their feelings and imagination to understand themselves. As they mature, they can embody the virtue of equanimity, believing in their significance as their true self without needing to intensify emotions to feel important. 

The passion for Type 5 is avarice, a feeling of lacking inner resources, leading to a desire to guard their time, privacy and possessions. In childhood, this type struggled to trust others and retreated into their mind for safety, often learning about or specializing in a specific area of knowledge. As they mature, they can express the virtue of non-attachment, opening up emotionally, energetically and with their resources without clinging to anything for security reasons.

The Type 6's passion is fear, relating to anxiety that the worst will occur and that others cannot be trusted. As children, this type desired guidance, support, and security but viewed the world as dangerous and unreliable. To avoid harm, they learned to predict and plan for potential problems. As they develop a more objective perspective, they can express the virtue of courage, helping them push through anxious and fearful thoughts to take action.

The passion for Type 7 is gluttony, an insatiable thirst for new stimulation- people, ideas and experiences- to feel satisfied. As children, this type felt that they were on their own in meeting their needs, so they found ways to nurture and care for themselves, shifting to obtaining what they needed for happiness. As they mature, they can experience the virtue of sobriety, finding satisfaction in what they have and being rooted in the present moment.

The Type 8's passion is lust, a constant desire for intensity, power and control to avoid and deny feelings of vulnerability. As children, this type felt that they needed a strong exterior presence and couldn't trust others because of their fear of betrayal. To avoid being controlled, they learned to control others. As The Type 8 matures, they can experience the virtue of innocence (or mercy), being willing to be vulnerable, open-minded and open-hearted, reducing the need to protect themselves and others.

The passion for Type 9 is sloth, neglecting their own feelings and needs, preventing them from taking the action that they most desire. As children, this type learned to set themselves aside to create harmony in their environment. They often became peacemakers and mediators in family conflicts or withdrew because strife was hard to handle. As they mature, they can express the virtue of right action (engagement), resisting the urge to prioritize others over themselves, focusing on their desires and life's purposes.

Understanding how the passion functions and noticing it arise in your heart in real-time is half the battle. The next step is to remind yourself that you no longer need to operate under the past personality framework. You can learn to think in a new way and let go of old processing methods that keep you from being balanced. This process involves patience, self-compassion, and the ability to remind yourself that your heart is safe in God’s care, removing the need for old protective patterns. Although renewing your mind in this way is challenging, it can bring new ways of being into your life and can help resolve many habitual relationship issues.