Posted by luna on June 30, 1999 at 00:51:30:
In Reply to: Re: Does dysfunction mask type? posted by Ryan on June 29, 1999 at 23:26:40:
> Pseudo,
> This is not the point I'm making. I agree with Dave, Hal and others to an extent in saying that we need to incorporate other aspects of the enneagram points into our basic point. I'm not saying that we need to ignore the views of the other parts of the enneagram. What I'm saying is that the healthier we are, the more we will be like the other enneagram points. However, your primary type will still be predominant. It won't stick out so much though because it will be balanced by what you have learned from the other enneagram points. You will still be that primary enneagram type, though, because this is the driving force of your personality. I believe that if we were to "completely transcend type," as Dave and others argue, then we would lose all aspect of personality, and essentially not be human.
> Each enneagram point, including your primary one, has many good things about it, many bad ones. When you take qualities from the other parts of the enneagram, you will use these qualities in and of themselves, but you will also use them to enhance the good qualities of your primary enneagram type. A 5 will understand much more as he or she incorporates qualities of the types that are adjacent to them. Understanding will come more naturally, and be less of an effort to the 5, but it will still be the 5's primary strength, and always will be, in my opinion. At very healthy levels, a 5 may have more good 4 or 6 qualities than the average 4 or 6, for instance, but the 5 will also be an even more powerful 5. And, the 5 traits will not stick out so much. The 5 will seem like a much more "integrated" person.
> And I do believe this development occurs in an adjacent fashion. This is what a wing type is, in my opinion. It's the type whose good qualities we have developed second most compared to the qualities of our own type. As a 5w4, for instance, my strength is in 5 qualites, but I also have considerable development in the 4 area. My 6 side may be a little weaker (something Dave suggested before I need to develop, I agree), but the way I would do that is by symbolically "integrating" myself more towards 8, as Riso states. If I begin to assert myself and realize I have what it takes to be a force in life, then my 6 wing will develop more naturally and I will become a more integrated person. This is difficult to do, of course, and is definitely what I would classify as "work" on my part. Once I do this, I can develop the good qualities of the 3, the 7 and so on around the enneagram (probably never get that far :), but all of these qualities will enhance my essential 5-ness, because that is how I personally orient myself. I do not believe that we need to divorce ourselves from our types to achieve peace and happiness. I don't classify this as "transcending" type, but rather "subsuming" TYPES. At the pinnacle, in my opinion, is not "one perfect person," but rather 9 perfect people, each showing how great each of the individual enneagram types can be (even being this far developed is probably impossible, though, but I have no real idea of this). What is essential, though, is realizing that enneagram types=personality. And all humans have personality. A good example of a near-perfect 1-type is Jesus, who had a 2 wing, and had fairly good development all along the enneagram, if you believe what the authors of the Bible write. My opinions about the essential humanity of Jesus may be a bit blasphemous, however, and I believe that Jesus was not a perfect 1 but "near-perfect." I really don't think perfection is possible in a human.
> And why do I believe this? Because each enneagram type copes differently in order to survive and "prosper." Some of these are quite contradictory methods depending on the type. Motivation-wise, a 5's coping strategy is almost completely different than a 1's or a 9's. How could a person who no longer had an enneagram type choose between these contradictory strategies? You could argue that the perfect individual would automatically know which strategy to choose, but this would make that individual an individual without preference, and thus without personality. If I, as a 5 could arbitrarily chose a 1 strategy of coping, this would mean I would lose my 5 personality. I'd be more than human, and a being who is extremely boring and lacking in focus compared to humanity.
> > So, while I do not define types as dysfunctional, that does not make me against integration of the other types. I am not 100% against what Dave believes. I just have some beliefs about the limitations of the human brain, and both the biological and sociological inability to transcend type is one of those limitations. > Ryan
Ryan
I really am going to bed but first I must say I heartily agree with what you have stated in relation to not transcending our type but rather (to paraphrase) embracing and expanding upon who we are. Humans do indeed have personalities and this is not a "bad" thing. It's perhaps where the spiritual v.s. psychological perspective part paths. Psychology supports that we have personalities and focuses on how we become "tweaked", whereas spirituality often focuses on eliminating the "ego". I don't believe they are necessarily at odds and part of this may be languaging, however I am so delighted to hear someone voice that somehow losing our sense of selves is a healthy goal we should be working toward. I am far from being an enneagram expert however I believe we have essential qualities of being and we can strike out from there and expand, however we do not lose our essential beingness - and who wants to??? Not I. As we become more aware we can expand to include and develop other qualities and that's wonderful however there is a core that remains. I really like Naranjo's approach that we can utilize our type to understand where we tend to go "unconscious", fall asleep and thus become more aware in the process. SOOOOOO, muchas gracias for the words of wisdom and buenas noche. Suenos dulce.