Is the Enneagram True?
And other, more helpful questions to ask.
Whenever giving an “Intro to the Enneagram” workshop, I know a good portion of people will be asking, “Is this true? Is ‘the Enneagram’ actually real?”
So below is a definitive, logical proof for the truthiness of the Enneagram.
Just kidding. (Sorry,Fives. …And Sixes.)
It’s a natural question, and a good one. And so to take it seriously, let me say a brief something to acknowledge what we do and don’t know here.
Enneagram History
The actual history of the development of the Enneagram is not straightforward at all. It’s a convoluted, splotchy picture of where the tool came from and how it developed. We know it has origins in at least the early centuries AD. We also know that something like the Enneagram has appeared in seemingly disparate cultures in different parts of the world (Egypt and Korea, for example).
But “the Enneagram” as we know it today didn’t come about until the last century, and credit is given to a series of teachers—George Gurdjieff, Oscar Ichazo, and the late Claudio Naranjo—who developed it into the foundation of the form we know today, especially the “personality” side of it.
Don Riso and Russ Hudson’s The Wisdom of the Enneagram would have more information on the origins, which are fascinating and span continents, centuries, cultures, and various religious traditions. But because it all leads to one simple conclusion that I heard straight from Hudson’s mouth at a workshop, we can leave it here: we don’t know.
We don’t know exactly where it came from, and those of us wanting a definitive (let alone divine) source to point to in order to legitimize the Enneagram as a system will be disappointed.
Modern Proofs for the Enneagram
Caution: More disappointment ahead.
There was an attempt made in the latter half of the 20th century to copyright the Enneagram in the U.S., but the U.S. Copyright Office concluded what they were attempting to copyright was too amorphous and ill-defined. (And as an aside, I think that’s a really good thing; no one gets to ‘own’ the Enneagram now, and it’s a living, breathing, still-being-worked-out tool.)
Jerome Wagner, a research psychologist at Loyola University Chicago, has studied the Enneagram extensively and even created a test (the WEPPS). And his test is purportedly the only Enneagram test that has “psychologically verifiable results.” But even with that, psychological research has only been able to prove a measurable “personality” with something called “the Big 5”—Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. If you’re like me, you expected to find research validating the legitimacy of the Enneagram. But so far, we only have subjective evidence, i.e., the experiences of millions of people who have resonated with the Enneagram as true.
We May Be ‘Wrong’
Growing up in an extremely religious environment, I learned a great many wonderful things. But that formation also came with burdens, and one of the biggest was a sense that if something challenges your beliefs, it is your duty to shut it out, never falter, and never consider that you could be wrong. But at this point in my life—and after years of companioning others in spiritual direction—I can definitively say, “Hogwash!”
It’s hard to imagine a more dangerous impulse than, “I can never be wrong, no matter what.” It’s rampant in our religious communities. It’s rampant in our civic life. It leaves the ego as the ultimate authority and thing to be defended… and it’s just fairly fruitless.
So while I have a high bar for changing long-held beliefs and perspectives, I think the healthy and awake person always holds open the possibility for change, for growth, for new understanding, for doing better once you know better. As Ken Wilber notes, No one can be 100% right; no one can be 100% wrong. Are we really so threatened to think we’re not, in this very moment in time, absolutely right?
So let’s hold that openly here with the Enneagram. Maybe one day they’ll prove the Enneagram scientifically, as I hope. Maybe one day they’ll disprove the Enneagram as a bunch of confirmation bias, wishful thinking, and mass hysteria. But that’s not really so detrimental, is it? Other than our ego, what’s at risk?
The Dalai Lama was once asked in an interview about the possibility that Buddhism was all made up, that it wasn’t true at all. What would he do if Buddhism were proven wrong tomorrow? And this wise man answered that "If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change."
If we one day learn more about the validity/invalidity of the Enneagram, then the Enneagram will have to change. And so will we. But the next part of the Dalai Lama’s quote also is redemptive.
“In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview.”
The Enneagram is not a religion (let’s be real clear about that!), but this is a sound principle for all of us. The Enneagram is not in competition with religions or psychology or science or other personality tests; the Enneagram is in conversation with them.
This means we can learn from other fields and traditions and communities and enrich our understanding of the Enneagram and the utility of it as a tool for our own personal growth. And vice versa. The Enneagram—and all of our experiences—can enrich our understandings of our theologies, communities, families, work, values, pursuits, and worldview.
Maybe You Should Start Walking
At a particularly difficult time in my own faith journey, I was struggling with doubt and seemingly irreconcilable beliefs. I’d converted to Catholicism in college, like most converts become especially zealous about “my” newfound truth (hello ego!), and then had my own life experiences start butting up against my clearcut, black-and-white beliefs. For someone dominant in Type One energy, to no longer be sure of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ felt terrifying. And anxiety-inducing.
My spiritual director at the time, a wonderful Franciscan with a deep, booming voice that reverberated like the voice of God in our small meeting room, would listen patiently to my angst.
“I used to believe X, but now I’m not so sure. What do I do?” I’d say. And he would always say, “It’s true that the Church teaches X… but what does that mean for you?”
In other words, my theological questions weren’t wrong or unimportant, but they weren’t going to satisfy me in that season. It was as if I were obsessing about the exact latitude and longitude of an imagined destination on the map—theoretical and fear-laden. But my spiritual director was asking the more important question: How are you going to get there? And gently nudging me: Maybe you should start walking.
The More Important Question
The Enneagram is not a map of where to go, it’s a primer on how to walk.
One of my Enneagram teachers, Clare Loughrige, used this quote from someone else to open a workshop : “All systems are flawed; some are useful.”
The question “Is the Enneagram true?” if we mean “Can we prove it with science?” is a poor one. Uninteresting, impossible to satisfy, and mostly an exercise for the ego, which always wants to protect itself or gain some sort of perceived advantage.
The more important question seems to be, “Is the Enneagram true for you?” Or maybe “Is the Enneagram useful for you, right now?”
Insofar as it’s useful, we should use it. Insofar as it’s true, we should believe it. Insofar as it’s effective, we should trust it.
Your experience matters the most here. Our collective experience also matters, that millions of people—not all of us fools—have found true insight, growth, and freedom with the tool of the Enneagram.
The ultimate proof of utility lies with you and in this season. Maybe, like me, this is the primary tool for you and is likely to remain that way. Maybe you’re new to the Enneagram and still figuring out its utility for yourself. Maybe you’re “all in” for now but will find it less helpful or needed in the future. Or maybe you find no benefit whatsoever with the Enneagram and are just reading this to see what all the fuss is about. Each of these scenarios is valid.
May whatever truth you find with the Enneagram—insight, awareness, connections, openness, understanding, freedom—be graciously accepted by you. And whatever it’s utility, may you affirm for yourself that it’s more than enough.
Samuel Ogles is the owner of ‘Formation Circle,’ a practice offering spiritual direction, Enneagram teaching, and media to empower others in personal transformation. You can support this work by subscribing to this newsletter (Free and Paid versions available), and you can connect with Sam or another spiritual director at FormationCircle.com.