Let’s take a look at the Enneagram Head Triad, one of many three intelligence triads that the Enneagram proposes.
Although it’s highly effective to know your dominant Enneagram sort or sorts, figuring out whether or not it belongs to the Intestine, Head or Coronary heart Triad additionally helps you know what your dominant emotional theme is and get a deal with in your fears and needs.
What Are Triads?
To provide you some context, there are 9 Enneagram persona sorts, numbered 1 to 9, and every belongs to one of many three intelligence triads, known as the Intestine triad, the Coronary heart triad, and the Head triad.
Every is a novel means of understanding and interacting with different individuals and the world round us.
Varieties 8, 9 and 1 belong to the Intestine triad; 5, 6 and seven kind the Head triad, and a pair of, 3 and 4 kind the Coronary heart triad. Because the sorts inside every intelligence triad are all adjoining, the Enneagram diagram offers a pleasant visible illustration of the triads:
Let’s look extra intently on the Enneagram Head Triad.
What’s the Enneagram Head Triad?
As we all know, the Enneagram Head Triad consists of Enneagram Varieties 5, 6 and seven. It additionally contains 4 of the eighteen wing sorts, 5w6, 6w5, 6w7 and 7w6, whereas the 4 wing sorts 5w4, 4w5, 7w8 and 8w7 are partially within the Head triad. To maintain issues easy, we’ll concentrate on Varieties 5, 6 and seven, however it’s fairly doable you’re a wing sort.
You would possibly see this known as the Pondering triad.
The three Enneagram Head triad sorts have some widespread traits. An individual centred in certainly one of these sorts tends to…
- are inclined to depend on cognition to make choices,
- be analytical, rational, curious,
- mistake psychological world for actuality,
- primarily expertise concern in difficult conditions,
- intention to search out security and safety, and performance finest once they do,
- search to realize data,
- handle relationships by way of planning and mind.
The challenges of being a Head sort embody being out of contact with the emotional and goal worlds, getting misplaced in adverse or disempowering thought spirals, and relying an excessive amount of on cognition.
Within the Enneagram, there may be the concept every triad has one predominant emotion related to it: anger (Intestine triad), disgrace (Coronary heart triad) and concern (Head triad).
I perceive why the Enneagram theorists described it on this means, however I discover it laborious to consider that these are the three dominant human feelings and that your sort totally determines which one you expertise. It appears reductionistic and oversimplified to me.
The Enneagram Head Triad: Varieties 5-7
Let’s look a bit on the three sorts that kind the Head Triad. You’ll discover that they’re comparable sufficient to kind a gaggle, however totally different sufficient to be distinct sorts.
Enneagram Kind 5: The Investigator
The Ennegram Kind 5 known as the Investigator. Investigators are knowledge- and idea-focused, introverted, and modern. 5s thirst for data, data and experience, and are mental and reserved.
5s dislike the limelight, extreme emotion, ostentation and relying on different individuals.
Like all Enneagram sorts, the 5’s strengths can be weaknesses. For one factor, 5s concern being incompetent, which partially drives their continuous accumulation of information. Additionally, they discovered early in life to retreat into their interior world, and naturally this world is usually a dungeon relatively than a sanctuary.
Enneagram Kind 6: The Loyalist
Kind 6 known as the Loyalist. This kind is nice at fixing issues but outer-focused and eager to contribute to group duties. 6s assume issues via and weigh up totally different approaches earlier than tackling a problem.
Kind 6s dislike betrayal so search to kind robust bonds with individuals and deeply perceive them. They’re suspicious and skeptical, so dig under the floor to search out hidden motivations in individuals and can tread the place others received’t dare.
Their must take motion and be a changemaker typically has a number of drawbacks, like feeling impotent when issues don’t work out. Obsessive about figuring out the ins and outs, they are often overly cautious and risk-averse.
Somebody who’s a 6w5 predominantly reveals Kind 6 traits however a big variety of 5 traits, and vice versa for a 5w6.
Enneagram Kind 7: The Fanatic
The Enneagram 7 known as the Fanatic. This kind is deeply curious, adventurous and bigger than life. 7s are spontaneous and extremely energetic.
They spend lots of time searching for out new delights and have their hand in lots of cookie jars. On one hand this implies they consistently develop, although when unable to discover they will really feel stressed and restricted, and infrequently keep away from agency dedication.
They love socialising and having enjoyable, generally forgetting to take care of their interior world and taking outing to recharge.
Somebody who’s a 7w6 predominantly reveals Kind 7 traits however a big variety of 6 traits, and vice versa for a 6w7.
Within the Enneagram Head Triad? What to Do Subsequent
Maybe you’ve taken a take a look at or learn the descriptions above and have garnered that you just’re predominantly an Enneagram Kind 5, Kind 6, or Kind 7, or one of many all-Head wing sorts (5w6, 6w5, 6w7 or 7w6). What do you do with now?
Initially, your persona sort and triad is neither basically good nor dangerous. All 9 Varieties and three Triads have upsides and drawbacks. In sure conditions they assist, in others they hinder.
For me, it was very useful to uncover my sort as a result of I realised that lots of my persona traits, together with the quirky ones, are basically regular and to be anticipated given my sort. Isn’t that a large reduction?
You’ll be able to then start to ask how your sort and triad enable you to stay totally within the totally different domains of your life, like work, household and friendships. The place do they offer you an edge or important abilities that you’d be misplaced with out?
Alternatively, the place do your sort and triad hinder you in these domains? The place do they create points in your life?
It’s vital to not assume that your persona sort and triad definitively describe who you’re and can at all times be. We’re remarkably moldable and adaptable, and in any case all these classes and labels are simply approximations, shorthand methods of describing human persona. They don’t outline us.
I prefer to assume that our sort and triad current particular challenges that it’s our job to work with, to work via, relatively than be accosted by. For instance, in case you’re a Kind 5 and see you’re at all times making an attempt to build up data in any respect prices, simply realise that. Observe your self when caught on this behaviour, and watch how its each a blessing and a curse.
Then you’ll be able to work to intensify the optimistic and iron out the adverse. Maybe as an antidote to this obsession with data, you determine to apply self-compassion. After some time, you would possibly realise that you just’ve reworked or transmuted this inherent high quality of 5 in order that the professionals are accentuated and the cons are tempered.
The identical goes for the various qualities of the categories and triads. Be self-observant and inventive as you channel them to your profit.
Be a part of tens of 1000’s of like-minded individuals at present.
