Posted by Ryan on June 27, 1999 at 00:12:20:
In Reply to: Testy, aren't we Ryan.... posted by Amanda :) on June 26, 1999 at 15:44:24:
> It sounds to me like you're the testy one here Ryan!
I thought you all knew that I'm a grumpy old man. :)
> Reading back, you'll find that Dave has, in fact, answered some of Pseudo's questions straight out (albeit, without any clarification). He also stated that he didn't have much time to devote to a fuller response and will get back later. I also think that his question was reasonble enough. Sure, I agree that Pseudo is under no obligation to divulge any information that may be private - no one is. But in the interests of clarity, sometimes being more specific about a particular issue (without filling in all the personal details) can narrow down the search for a more concise answer, which is presumably what Pseudo is after. It's infinitely preferrable to what could be a lengthy and unnecessary process of elimination.
It's not what Pseudo asked for, though. And the way Dave put it was "But, can you please..." Sounds almost like a demand. Some of us may not be offended by a request for further personal information, but some of us are. Part of what the enneagram teaches us is that not all people are alike, and my opinion on the subject is that if Pseudo wanted to divulge that information, he would have done so in the first place.
> My own take is that the motivations *underlying* the dysfunction will point you towards your type, more so than the dysfunction itself. Having said that, I would echo Dave's point that some clarification of the term 'dysfunction' would be useful here. Are we talking 'fixations' or 'compulsions' or some other kind of phenomenon altogether?
I agree with this. Does Pseudo mean the orthodox enneagram definition of dysfunction or does he mean Dave's idea of all personality=dysfunction.
> It's an interesting question though, Pseudo - I hope you find the answers you're looking for - and that we can all learn something along the way:)
I hope he can too. That's why I'm trying to answer his questions and help him with what he's asking for.
Always smiles,
Ryan