Enneagram of personality: the term and its history
Short answer
The Enneagram of personality is the name for the nine-type personality model mapped onto the older nine-pointed symbol, to distinguish it from the symbol's earlier spiritual uses. It was assembled between the late 1960s and the 1990s, mainly by Oscar Ichazo, Claudio Naranjo and later popular authors. It is a modern system, not an ancient one.
Why the longer name exists
Writers use "Enneagram of personality" when they need to be precise. The bare word enneagram can refer to a geometric figure, to Gurdjieff's teaching symbol, or to the type system built on it. Adding "of personality" makes clear that the subject is the nine types and their related ideas. Ichazo used yet another phrasing for his own teaching, and some books speak of the "Enneagram of types" or "Enneagram of character."
Who shaped it
| Figure or group | Role in the term's history |
|---|---|
| G. I. Gurdjieff | Taught the nine-pointed symbol, without personality content |
| Oscar Ichazo | Placed nine ego fixations, passions and holy ideas on the points |
| Claudio Naranjo | Developed psychological portraits, subtypes and the lines teaching |
| Jesuit teachers | Carried the system into retreat and spirituality programs |
| Riso, Palmer and others | Wrote the popular books that made it mainstream |
| Academic researchers | Began testing parts of it, with mixed results |
How the term is used
You will see "Enneagram of personality" in encyclopedias, academic writing and careful introductions. In everyday use, most people simply say "the Enneagram." The longer term is useful when discussing origins, because it makes plain that the personality model is newer than the symbol. It is also how researchers often name the system they are studying.
An example
A book club reading about Gurdjieff gets confused when one member says the Enneagram explains her perfectionism. Another member points out that Gurdjieff's enneagram was a diagram of cosmic process, and that the type her friend is describing belongs to the Enneagram of personality, which came decades later. The distinction clears up the conversation.
The same confusion shows up online, where quotes about the symbol's cosmic meaning get attached to type descriptions as if they were one teaching. Keeping the two names apart is a small habit that saves a lot of muddled history.
Has it been tested?
For the full timeline, see the history page. Related terms: Enneagram, ego fixation, holy idea and narrative tradition.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Enneagram of personality ancient?
No. The nine-type model dates from the late 1960s and 1970s. Older roots are claimed for the symbol and some of its ideas, but the personality system itself is modern.
Who created the Enneagram of personality?
No single person. Oscar Ichazo first mapped fixations onto the symbol, Claudio Naranjo developed the psychological descriptions, and later authors popularized it.
Is "Enneagram of personality" a different system from "the Enneagram"?
No. It is the same personality system. The longer name just separates it from the older symbol.
Sources
- Ouspensky, P. D. (1949). In search of the miraculous: Fragments of an unknown teaching. Harcourt, Brace.
- Riso, D. R. (1987). Personality types: Using the Enneagram for self-discovery. Houghton Mifflin.
- Palmer, H. (1988). The Enneagram: Understanding yourself and the others in your life. Harper & Row.
- Hook, J. N., Hall, T. W., Davis, D. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., & Conner, M. (2021). The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(4), 865-883. doi:10.1002/jclp.23097