Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery

A geometric figure made of nine intersecting lines, the enneagram is thought by some to represent nine basic personality types. These types, as defined here, are the Reformer, Helper (Bill Cosby, Gandhi), Status Seeker (Gary Hart), Artist, Thinker, Loyalist (Joseph McCarthy, Johnny Carson), Generalist, Leader and Peacemaker. If you're a type seven with an eight wing (like Joan Collins), then you're very aggressive and have a strong ego to back your demands. The trouble with this system is that, unlike astrology or numerology, it is speculative which personality type best fits an individual. Once you've established that, you then have to decide if the person in question is Healthy, Average or Unhealthy. Oscar Ichazo, founder of the Arica Institute, reportedly learned about the enneagram from Sufis in Afghanistan. The investigation here broadens Ichazo's framework but still leaves plenty of room for guesswork. Riso is a New Yorkbased enneagram consultant. (September 14)