Posted by Koji Tamaki on December 01, 1999 at 01:13:43:
In Reply to: Overuse of the enneagram posted by Ronnie on November 29, 1999 at 13:18:50:
I'd like to add one example of overusing (or misusing) the Enneagram.
I used to discuss spiritual matters with a friend of mine, and I told him a lot about a Buddhist meditation which applies bare attention to what is going on at every single moments. It is a technical approach not to get involved with all those senses and feelings (including thoughts) but simply pay attention to what's going on in every moments. But my friend, in turn, said that I'm an Observer Five.
According to some Enneagram literatures, there's a way to transform/transcend personality, which is quite similar to the Buddhist approach: to develop an Inner Observer.
I believe the Inner Observer here, and the bare attention approach employed by the Buddhists are quite different with the detached, withdrawn Enneagram Type Five attitude. But if people read the Enneagram descriptions (especially those popular ones available these days) only on a surface level, it's indeed very easy for them to mix them up, and think that the Buddhist approach is Five, and the Inner Observer is Five, and so on.
The application of the Enneagram, I believe, should have a limit. I mean it can be applied to many situations but it doesn't apply when something is outside the boundary, for example things that have somewhat "universal" meanings or purposes. Applying the Enneagram in such situations can only limit, flatten or narrow down the meanings, the values and the functions of those things and we'll miss the whole point.
We should just bear into mind that the Enneagram types are only "concepts". It doesn't necessarily say that there ARE nine types of people. Types are metaphors, or to use Jung's language, archetypes. When facing the the reality, we need to go beyond the conceptual to face the Actual.