JourneyOnline
Lion Hudson plc,
RRP $22.95
Reviewed by Alan Cook.
An Enneagram is usually thought of as a personality test based on nine personality types. It grew from a theory of human behaviour traceable back to Pythagoras, 6th Century BC, and developed by Moslem, Christian and philosophical thinkers over centuries.
The use of the Enneagram as a tool for self-development is illustrated by portraying the Enneagram as the world’s greatest psychologist helping imaginary clients of each of the nine types to recognize their true selves and realize their full potential.
As a start, nine personality portraits are given and the reader is invited to decide which one best describes them.
Then there are nine case studies of imaginary clients and the reader is invited to closely study the one relating to their type.
For each client there is a self description and a written response from the Enneagram after studying that report and conducting personal interviews.
This report is written in simple jargon-free language but does not avoid pointing to areas needing further development.
The final chapters outline strategies for self-understanding and development, and barriers that commonly arise.
In keeping with the complexity of the theory the strategies are not slick, quick-fixes,
I doubt The Enneagram: A Private Session with the World’s Greatest Psychologist could be regarded as do-it-yourself therapy, despite the title.
But it does give a readable explanation of this personality theory and an indication of what could occur if the reader subsequently consulted an Enneagram consultant.
