Posted by Denny on November 11, 1997 at 15:54:13:
I have been interested in the Myers-Briggs test for
years, but only recently discovered the enneagram.
I am a 3, and an ENTP, and have been trying to correlate
the two systems. My question is this: in my years of
type-watching, I have come to believe that the largest
variation is between the S's and the N's. Has anyone
figured out how this corresponds to the enneagram? I
have read all the literature, Helen Palmer and
especially Don Riso who I think has fleshed out his
descriptions the best of anyone I have seen. I enjoyed
very much his theory of developmental stages. However,
I persist in believing that there is a strong dichotomy
in personalities that it described very well by the S/N
distinction. Is there any similiar split in the types
of the enneagram? Perhaps I am just confused because
there is apparantly no direct correspondance between 3's
and the MB. Has anyone given this any thought? Any 3's
out there who think that have found themselves in the
MB? All that I have read suggests that it is an ST type
focused on achievement. But I have a problem with this,
believing as I do that you almost would have to be an N
to be as suceptible to cultural expectations as the 3
seems to be! In short I think I am a very strong N and
am having trouble seeing how this corresponds to the
apparent S-ness of type 3!! Any comments?