CNET Narrative Tradition & Teaching Methodologies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Narrative Tradition ethics, a teacher should avoid:
- Teaching about their own type during a workshop
- Typing students or participants without their explicit consent (Correct answer)
- Using personal stories as examples during instruction
- Discussing the relationship between type and spiritual development
Correct answer: Typing students or participants without their explicit consent
Typing others without their consent violates the Narrative Tradition's ethical principle of respecting autonomy in the self-discovery process.
Question 2: In the Narrative Tradition, personal inner work by the teacher is considered:
- Optional, as teaching skill alone can substitute for personal development
- Less important than thorough knowledge of Enneagram theory
- Essential, as teachers must embody the self-observation they facilitate in others (Correct answer)
- A private matter entirely unrelated to professional teaching effectiveness
Correct answer: Essential, as teachers must embody the self-observation they facilitate in others
Narrative Tradition teachers are expected to model ongoing inner work as a foundation for facilitating it in others.
Question 3: The Narrative Tradition's emphasis on 'non-pathologizing' language in teaching means:
- Teachers must avoid all psychological or clinical terminology entirely
- Teachers present type patterns as adaptive strategies rather than disorders (Correct answer)
- Teachers refuse to work with participants who have mental health diagnoses
- Teachers use only positive, affirming descriptions when discussing each type
Correct answer: Teachers present type patterns as adaptive strategies rather than disorders
Framing type patterns as strategies developed in response to perceived needs avoids stigma and supports self-compassion.
Question 4: When introducing the Enneagram to complete beginners, the Narrative Tradition typically starts with:
- The concept that each person has a home-base type representing a habitual pattern of attention (Correct answer)
- Administering a standardized written test to determine each participant's type
- A comprehensive lecture covering all nine type descriptions in sequence
- Having students self-identify their type before any formal teaching begins
Correct answer: The concept that each person has a home-base type representing a habitual pattern of attention
Beginning with the concept of a habitual home-base type grounds beginners in the experiential framework of the Narrative Tradition.
Question 5: In the Narrative Tradition, 'holding the space' for participants refers to:
- Physically arranging the room to ensure optimal panel visibility for all attendees
- A silent meditation technique practiced between consecutive panel interviews
- Creating a psychologically safe, non-judgmental environment for authentic sharing (Correct answer)
- Scheduling sufficient time between workshops to allow for participant integration
Correct answer: Creating a psychologically safe, non-judgmental environment for authentic sharing
Holding space means creating the conditions of safety and acceptance needed for participants to share vulnerable inner experiences.
Question 6: Which ethical principle is most central to Narrative Tradition facilitation?
- Always disclosing one's own type to students at the beginning of every workshop
- Focusing primarily on a type's strengths while minimizing discussion of limitations
- Creating safety for participants to share vulnerable inner experiences authentically (Correct answer)
- Requiring all participants to have prior Enneagram knowledge before attending
Correct answer: Creating safety for participants to share vulnerable inner experiences authentically
Safety is foundational—without it, panelists cannot share the authentic inner experiences that make the Narrative Tradition effective.
Question 7: A Narrative Tradition teacher who notices a participant becoming distressed during a panel should:
- Continue the interview to maintain workshop flow and minimize disruption for others
- Pause and check in with the participant, offering support or an opportunity to step out (Correct answer)
- Quickly suggest the participant may have misidentified their type to redirect their distress
- Ask other participants to offer reassurance about the distressed person's type identification
Correct answer: Pause and check in with the participant, offering support or an opportunity to step out
Participant welfare takes priority, and checking in honors the Narrative Tradition's commitment to psychological safety.
CNET Narrative Tradition & Teaching Methodologies 3
According to Narrative Tradition ethics, a teacher should avoid: