Enneagram Levels of Development Flashcards

Who developed the concept of Levels of Development within the Enneagram system?

Answer: Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson

Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson developed the Levels of Development framework, which divides each Enneagram type into nine levels ranging from very healthy to very unhealthy.

How many Levels of Development are there for each Enneagram type?

Answer: 9

There are nine Levels of Development for each Enneagram type, organized into three broad bands: healthy (levels 1–3), average (levels 4–6), and unhealthy (levels 7–9).

What are the three main bands that the nine Levels of Development are grouped into?

Answer: Healthy, Average, Unhealthy

The nine levels are grouped into Healthy (1–3), Average (4–6), and Unhealthy (7–9), reflecting the degree to which the core passion and fixation control a person's behavior.

At Level 1 (the healthiest level) across all types, what key quality is present?

Answer: Liberation from the core fixation and expression of the type's highest gift

Level 1 represents the liberation point where a person transcends their type's core fixation and expresses the highest virtue or gift of that type.

At the unhealthy levels (7–9) of development, what typically increases for all types?

Answer: Defensiveness, rigidity, and destructive behaviors driven by the core passion

At unhealthy levels, the core passion of each type intensifies, leading to increasingly defensive, rigid, and potentially destructive behaviors as the ego's defenses break down.

What triggers movement down the Levels of Development (toward less healthy functioning)?

Answer: Increased stress, fear, or perceived threat that activates the core passion and fixation

Movement to less healthy levels is typically triggered by stress or perceived threat, which activates the type's core passion more intensely, leading to more defensive and reactive behavior.