The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research

Abstract

The Enneagram is a typology that many clients use to understand their personality and interpersonal patterns, despite some concerns about its validity. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive and clinician‐friendly review of the extant empirical work on the Enneagram. After reviewing 104 independent samples, we found mixed evidence of reliability and validity. In terms of strengths, some factor analytic work has shown partial alignment with prior theorizing, and subscales show theory‐consistent relationships with other constructs such as the Big 5. Also, several studies found the Enneagram was helpful for personal/spiritual growth. However, factor analytic work has typically found fewer than nine factors, and no work has used clustering techniques to derive the nine types. Also, there is little research supporting secondary aspects of Enneagram theory, such as wings and intertype movement. We conclude by highlighting directions for future research and implications for clinical practice.

Classroom Assignments for Fostering Resilience–An Instructional Design Model on Affective Personality Development

“…Personality systems reflection tasks (Daniels et al, 2018;Hook et al, 2021) Reflect on your role about learning in subject X. What role do you play in learning?…”

Enneagram typologies and healthy personality to psychosocial stress: A network approach

“… Hook et al (2021) state that the theorization of Enneagram typologies is more closely linked to modern psychodynamic approaches, characterized by the identification of inflexible patterns conducive to emotional experiences aimed at learning new alternatives for social interaction with others. People have been considered to have a cyclical maladaptive pattern (CMP) or a primary pattern of problematic relating in more recent psychotherapeutic models such as Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy.…”

“…PCM describes patterns of feelings toward the self, expectations and perceptions of others, and ways of relating that are dynamically interconnected and perpetuate dysfunctional relationships ( Levenson, 2012 ). This functioning can also be explained by an underlying motivation rooted in ego responses to a core fear and desire as referenced by the Enneagram model ( Hook et al, 2021 ).…”

“…A brief review of the scientific literature on the Enneagram found that most of the studies demonstrating positive effects on college students were conducted in Asia. The little empirical evidence on the integrity and legitimacy of the Enneagram measure in Latin American practice is due to the lack of research in Spanish-speaking participants; however, more research is reported in the United States in diverse areas beyond the university setting ( Hook et al, 2021 ). During the last decade, there has been an increase in studies evidencing the benefits of the Enneagram in the family and work area in various cultural-religious contexts such as Brazil, Spain, Iran, Kenya, United Kingdom, South Africa, and Thailand ( Sutton et al, 2013 ; Burger and van Coller-Peter, 2019 ; Ndirangu et al, 2019 ; Navabifar et al, 2020 ; Romero et al, 2020 ; Engelseth et al, 2021 ; Henrique et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Through the theoretical foundation of the Enneagram proposed to the psychological field by the Chilean psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo in 1990 ( Naranjo, 1990 ), several studies have shown its importance in the integration of psychotherapeutic processes, as it strengthens the therapeutic alliance, helps to manage physical and emotional pain, and motivates people to take control in their recovery process ( La, 2014 ; Matise, 2019 ; Kam and Vriend, 2021 ). According to the Enneagram model, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in personality allows people to promote a higher degree of self-compassion and self-acceptance from a greater awareness of the psychological states of imbalance and balance of the most predominant typology; this can motivate individuals to free themselves from their maladaptive schemas, dysfunctional cycles, and limiting defensive styles ( Hook et al, 2021 ).…”