Your Enneagram Questions
5 Questions You Might Be Asking About the Big E!
Because of my book, 4o Days on Being a Three (Enneagram Daily Reflections), and with another Enneagram related book releases next year (Spring 2022, IVP), I get a lot of questions related to the Enneagram. I asked my paying subscribers for their questions regarding the Enneagram. Before I respond to their more specific queries, I thought I’d respond to some of the more common questions I get.
Is the Enneagram a fad?
Yes and no. The Enneagram has become extremely popular in the last 10 years and has grown in popularity, teaching, and use in the last 5 years. I was first introduced to the Enneagram almost 20-years ago. At the time, many people in Christian churches were talking about and exploring the Enneagram, but it all reached an inflection point with the release of Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile’s The Road Back to You. It’s the best, most approachable primer on the Enneagram.
The Enneagram is a fad only insofar as that in 10-years something else will be all the rage of the Christian subculture. As was the case when I first heard about the Enneagram, it will remain helpful to many, including teachers, speakers, communicators, therapists, spiritual directors, and others wanting to use the tool for their own spiritual development when the current buzz ends.
Many Enneagram teachers are excited for the day to come when the Enneagram is less of a party topic and more of the typological and spiritual tool it was meant to be. The Enneagram has been around for a long time. It will be a long time. In time, pastors won’t be talking about it from the pulpit and they’ll be fewer podcasts to be downloaded, but it will remain relevant and that relevance will become a depth of use and experience which will be good for Enneagram users.
Is the Enneagram Dangerous?
It can be. Everything can be dangerous. Like anything else, it depends on how you use it. Don’t be silly. Also, be suspicious of anyone who allows their ignorance of any topic to be used as reason to dismiss it. Some of the most corrosive personalities within the American church are folks who insist only they and their cohort are faithful to God and know “the real truth.”
My partner/child/boss/friend/co-worker/dog is an (insert #) on the Enneagram, how can I get them to _____________?
Stop. You can’t. Don’t try. If you want to know the Enneagram so you can manipulate others, you’re using it wrong. The Enneagram is a tool of freedom when you use it for you. It is a prison when you use it on others.
Is the Enneagram just for white people?
No. I’m not white nor are many other Enneagram writers and thinkers. The Enneagram Daily Reflections series from IVP boast several authors of color and women. If you’re interested in finding more content from BIPOC, start by following @theblackenneagram, @enneagramsistas, and others on Instagram and listen to the Do It For the Gram podcast.
Do You (Sean) Lead Enneagram Workshops?
Yes and No. I have limited availability throughout the year and consider myself a student of the Enneagram. I do lead workshops and classes on a limited basis for the right groups.
More Enneagram Questions? Leave them in the comments!