Enneagram Theory & Personality Dynamics Flashcards

In Enneagram theory, what is the term for the automatic emotional reaction that each type experiences when their core wound is triggered?

Answer: Passion

The 'passion' is the emotional habit or chief feature tied to each type's core wound, analogous to the seven deadly sins plus fear and deceit.

Which Enneagram type is primarily driven by a need to feel successful and to avoid failure, shaping identity around achievement?

Answer: Type Three

Type Three, the Achiever, organizes life around success and performance, adapting their image to gain admiration and avoid the shame of failure.

In the Narrative Enneagram approach, 'panels' refers to what teaching methodology?

Answer: Groups of self-identified type members sharing lived experience with observers

Panels are a core Narrative Enneagram method where people who self-identify as a type speak from their inner experience while a teacher facilitates and observers listen.

What does the term 'Holy Idea' represent in Enneagram theory?

Answer: The higher cognitive perspective each type loses contact with at the core wound

Holy Ideas are the higher worldview or objective reality each type loses access to, forming the cognitive basis of the type's core fixation.

A Type Six client describes constantly seeking reassurance from authority figures yet simultaneously doubting their guidance. This illustrates which dynamic?

Answer: Ambivalence toward authority

Core to Type Six is an ambivalent relationship with authority—seeking its security while mistrusting it—reflecting their underlying doubt and search for certainty.

Which pair of Enneagram types shares the 'Withdrawing' stance in Hornevian theory?

Answer: Types Four, Five, and Nine

In the Hornevian grouping, Types Four, Five, and Nine share the Withdrawing stance, moving away from others to protect inner resources or peace.

In Enneagram developmental theory, what distinguishes 'average' functioning from 'healthy' functioning for any type?

Answer: Healthy types operate from essence with less automatic pattern-driven behavior

Healthy functioning involves greater access to one's essential qualities and less compulsive, automatic enactment of the type's defensive structure.