The Enneagram of Personality is a model of the human psyche that is comprised of nine interconnected personality types. The origins of the Enneagram are somewhat disputed, but it rose to prominence in the 1970s through the teachings of Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo. Since then, the Enneagram has become widely popular as a tool for self-understanding and personal development.
Each of the nine Enneagram types has a distinct set of core motivations, fears, and patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. The nine types are typically referred to by their numbers: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, etc. Here is a brief overview of each type:
- Type 1 – The Reformer: Principled, purposeful, self-controlled, and perfectionistic.
- Type 2 – The Helper: Generous, demonstrative, people-pleasing, and possessive.
- Type 3 – The Achiever: Adaptive, excelling, driven, and image-conscious.
- Type 4 – The Individualist: Expressive, dramatic, self-absorbed, and temperamental.
- Type 5 – The Investigator: Perceptive, innovative, secretive, and isolated.
- Type 6 – The Loyalist: Engaging, responsible, anxious, and suspicious.
- Type 7 – The Enthusiast: Spontaneous, versatile, acquisitive, and scattered.
- Type 8 – The Challenger: Self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational.
- Type 9 – The Peacemaker: Receptive, reassuring, complacent, and resigned.
The Enneagram teaches that each person has one dominant type that serves as the core of their personality. This dominant type filters and shapes a person’s perception of themselves, others, and the world around them. However, all nine types exist within each person to varying degrees.
So how might the Enneagram align or conflict with principles taught in the Bible? There are several relevant areas to consider.
1. Origin and validity of the Enneagram
Unlike many concepts in psychology and personality theory, the Enneagram does not have roots in empirical research and scientific validation. Rather, it stems from esoteric teachings and mystical traditions outside of Christianity. This raises understandable concerns from a biblical standpoint about the true origins and validity of the Enneagram framework (Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 30:5-6, 1 Timothy 6:20-21).
However, while exercising discernment, Christians can appreciate truth and insights from secular sources, just as the Apostle Paul referenced Stoic philosophers in his Mars Hill sermon (Acts 17:22-34). So the Enneagram’s spiritual roots do not inherently invalidate it, but they warrant caution and critical examination in the light of Scripture.
2. Motivations and desires
The Enneagram describes each type as having certain core fears, motivations and patterns of behavior. Several of these motivations conflict with biblical values and instructions for Christian living.
For example, Enneagram Type 3 is motivated largely by a need for achievement, success and praise from others. But Scripture warns against loving the praise of people more than the praise of God (John 12:43). Type 7 is motivated by a desire for adventure and avoiding pain, which can conflict with the biblical call to commitment and self-sacrifice. Type 8 seeks control over their environment, while the Bible instructs believers to humbly surrender control to God.
While the Enneagram offers insights into common human motivations, Christians should ensure their core desires align with biblical values like loving God, loving others, humility, self-control, and seeking righteousness – not with the flawed priorities of the world (Matthew 6:33, Galatians 5:22-23).
3. View of sin and human nature
The Enneagram attributes a person’s personality type and motivations largely to childhood experiences and unconscious habits. While upbringing and developmental factors do impact people significantly, a biblical worldview ascribes our innermost nature first and foremost to the fact that we are created beings who have inherited sinful tendencies from the fall of Adam and Eve (Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12).
This sinful nature manifests differently in each person, but it leads universally to separation from God. So from a Christian perspective, our core identity and motivations do not come fundamentally from our personality type, but from our identity as children of God, created in His image but fallen into sin (Genesis 1:27, Romans 3:23).
The Enneagram is limited in accounting for the fundamental corruption of human character due to original sin. So while it can offer insights into common patterns of behavior, a biblical view of human nature is needed as well.
4. Emphasis on self-improvement versus spiritual transformation
The Enneagram is often used as a tool for greater self-understanding and personal development. However, while the Bible encourages growth in wisdom and character, it emphasizes that true life transformation occurs through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, not self-improvement (1 Corinthians 6:11).
There are certainly strengths of the Enneagram model, such as cultivating self-awareness and curbing unhealthy tendencies. But used apart from biblical spiritual practices like prayer, repentance, faith and divine grace, it ultimately relies on human effort alone. Christians acknowledge that only the saving work of Christ and the empowering of the Spirit can profoundly change the human heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
5. Classification versus Christian identity
Being identified as an Enneagram “type” can become a subtle way of defining oneself according to secular psychological concepts rather than a biblical spiritual identity. When Christians find their primary identity in Christ, they are fundamentally classified as children of God, saints, believers, disciples, etc. – not according to any personality type (John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, 1 Peter 2:9-10).
Enneagram labels can become unhelpful if they excessively categorize people into one of nine boxes. They fail to capture the God-given individuality and complexity of each person created in His image. So while the Enneagram’s insights can be helpful, Christians should be careful not to let it define their identity in place of biblically-based self-understanding.
6. Emphasis on personality versus character
The Enneagram focuses on describing personality – ingrained patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. The Bible places moral emphasis on character – the way a person’s disposition manifests in actual conduct and deeds. Scripture stresses virtues like kindness, integrity and self-control as paramount, more so than innate personality tendencies (Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-8).
One concern is that emphasizing personality types could provide justification for ungodly attitudes and actions. However, Christians are called to exhibit Christ-like character even if it goes against their natural personality inclinations or weaknesses.
The Enneagram is limited in its ability to assess the objective rightness or wrongness of thoughts and behaviors since it focuses more descriptively on subjective psychology. So believers should ensure they are living by biblical standards of morality in their character and conduct, regardless of personality.
7. Potential for stereotyping, prejudice and pride
While intended to promote self-understanding and compassion, there is potential for the Enneagram system to be misused for judgmental or prideful purposes. Typing oneself and others could feed unhealthy stereotyping if taken to extremes. Christians are called to look at others based on their status as image-bearers of God, not classify them reductively (Genesis 1:27, James 2:1-13).
Additionally, some types are inherently more flattering than others. Christians must guard against feelings of pride or superiority based on a supposedly “good” Enneagram identification (Philippians 2:3, Romans 12:3). Believers find their worth in Christ alone, not in secular assessments of their personality. So discernment is needed to prevent misuse of the Enneagram in these areas.
8. Lack of biblical language and concepts
As a model developed outside of Christianity, understandably the Enneagram utilizes psychological and metaphysical language unrelated to the Bible. For example, it speaks of a person’s “essence” and features like “harmonic groups” or “centers of intelligence.”
Since the Enneagram is not inherently a biblical system, churches and Christian teachers who use it are responsible for translating its ideas into appropriate biblical-theological concepts about God, human nature, sin and redemption. Without interpreting the Enneagram through a gospel lens, Christians risk adopting unbiblical worldviews. The system must be taught critically in light of Scripture.
9. Potential for New Age influences
Because of its mystical and metaphysical origins, the Enneagram risks subtle infiltration of New Age ideas that can conflict with Christian orthodoxy. New Age elements emphasize mystical energy forces, subjective spiritual experiences, and looking inward for hidden knowledge apart from objective divine revelation.
Since New Age concepts often mix truth with falsehood, Christians should maintain vigilance about any trace of unbiblical notions blended into Enneagram teachings. Churches and teachers must guard against even vague allusions to non-Christian spiritual beliefs as they share ideas related to the Enneagram typology (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
10. Insufficient emphasis on God’s grace in Christ
As a predominantly psychological self-help tool, the Enneagram does not incorporate explicit biblical teaching about salvation, forgiveness and renewal through Christ’s redemptive work. So Christians who use the Enneagram must supplement it with core gospel truths.
Rather than self-improvement through behavior modification in one’s own power, Christians experience inward heart change by grace from the indwelling Holy Spirit. They rest in Christ’s finished work, not their own efforts (Galatians 2:20-21, Ephesians 2:8-9). So the Enneagram alone is insufficient without emphasizing how God’s power and grace transform people beyond merely psychological insights.
In summary, the Enneagram of Personality presents some notable concerns from a biblical perspective. Christians affirm that all truth is God’s truth. Personality psychology can offer helpful insights when interpreted critically and supplemented appropriately with Scripture.
But the Enneagram’s spiritual origins, its emphasis on motivations contrary to biblical values, and its lack of a grace-centered gospel framework necessitate discernment. Christians must filter the system carefully through the lens of God’s revealed Word, neither fully accepting nor completely rejecting its descriptive value for self-understanding.
The Enneagram alone is inadequate for spiritual growth and renewal, but its insights can potentially complement biblical principles when taught carefully. The Church must determine to what extent it can redeem and utilize concepts like the Enneagram prudently, without compromising the sufficiency of Scripture and the transformative power of the gospel.