# Dissertation Abstract: "The effect of the enneagram on psychological well-being..."



## Khar (May 21, 2011)

*Dissertation Abstract: "The effect of the enneagram on psychological well-being..."*

*Introduction*:

The full title of this article is "The effect of the enneagram on psychological well-being and unconditional self-acceptance of young adults," a disseration paper by Jeanne Godin at Iowa State University. Found via _Ovid_. This dissertation was made accessible in 2010, and given I could not find it from searching the forums, I figured I should provide some recent academic discussion on the topic. 

Please note due to limitations placed on my account from a lack of posts, I cannot share a link at this time to any site carrying this, but can source it, and will be doing so at the end of this post. If you so wish, searching the title will take you to a number of sites where this paper's abstract is available. 

In an effort to provide a more streamlined and easier to understand summary of the findings of this article, allow me to summarize shortly. Hopefully someone finds this interesting, and I don't make it sound too dry.

*Summary*:

First year (or above) students in university were tested to see if knowledge of enneagram types had any impact on unconditional self-acceptance and psychological well-being. Results suggest that what knowledge of the enneagram system a person has does not significantly impact their psychological well-being in the context of university students, or young adults. Unconditional self-acceptance, however, could not be determined due to a lack of ability to examine the results provided. 

It is suggested that broader education of the enneagram system at either a commercial or family level would prepare students from manipulations by marketing systems. 

For those wondering about the two scales mentioned below, they can be found online, and the first one is open for all to view. Both are related to the topic of unconditional self-acceptance. As mentioned before, I unfortunately cannot post links with my current post count. My sincere apologies.

*A Side Note:*

This is not meant to reduce the feasibility or reason for this forum to exist, and should not be taken that way. 

The key point to take here is that people are here to understand themselves, but understanding themselves may not necessarily improve psychological well-being in this small subset. It may, however, assist in other fashions, as this study implies, or perhaps those who are more interested than a random sampling of students may be more inclined to being swayed by the results of this test. 

I am no expert, so this is just my short view point, and hence could be wrong. If I am, please feel free to correct me, as I would be most thankful. 

*Original Abstract*:

For those interested in the original text.



> This quasi-experimental study investigated whether the knowledge of the Enneagram system affects unconditional self-acceptance and psychological well-being of university students who have been attending university for at least a year. It also measured the correlation between the total scores on the psychological well-being instrument and unconditional self-acceptance questionnaire. A two-group design was employed, wherein a control and an experimental group completed a pre- and two post-tests on psychological well-being and unconditional self-acceptance. The randomly selected experimental group received three weekly educational sessions on the Enneagram system.
> 
> Results show that the knowledge of the Enneagram personality system does not have a significant effect on psychological well-being. Due to a small sample size and violation of the assumptions required to conduct an ANCOVA it was not possible to determine if the knowledge of the Enneagram affects unconditional self-acceptance. Findings indicate also a low to moderate positive correlation between the Unconditional self-acceptance questionnaire Chamberlain and Haaga (2001a) and Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale (1989).
> 
> Recommendations include using a larger sample, changing the number of educational sessions or their format, and using an additional test to measure irrational thoughts. Therefore, in a future study it may be favorable that the intervention be an integral part of a family and consumer sciences university course. Finally, despite the results of this study there are some indicators that suggest the Enneagram system be taught in schools and university to help prepare students to be more conscious of how marketing agencies may manipulate such knowledge to their advantage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)


*Source*: 

Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol.71(6-A),2010, pp. 1947.


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## Narc (Mar 8, 2011)

Working with the Enneagram in any real and meaningful way would undermine psychological well-being causing periods of grief and psychological collapse because the individual is confronting themselves with the unconscious underpinnings of their identity.


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## iMaven (Jan 14, 2011)

Khar said:


> *Introduction*:
> 
> The full title of this article is "The effect of the enneagram on psychological well-being and unconditional self-acceptance of young adults," a disseration paper by Jeanne Godin at Iowa State University. Found via _Ovid_. This dissertation was made accessible in 2010, and given I could not find it from searching the forums, I figured I should provide some recent academic discussion on the topic.
> 
> ...


i'm sure it has to do with the sample size, on top of the fact that some people hardly take the enneagram to heart.. how often are they practicing being in the moment and "catching themselves in the act?" 
all i'm saying is that I'm sure the enneagram has turned many people's lives around (and not just mine.)
Of course, just knowing that your behaviors have already been observed, jotted down, and grouped into a couple types isn't enough. people have to use their free will to manifest their desires.

so basically, another point of mine is that while I may know about the bible.. it does not make me any more of a christian. just as I may know about my essence, but it does not make it anymore stable. it's faith in action that makes a difference. "Don't tell me what you believe, show me what you have done."


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## iMaven (Jan 14, 2011)

Narc said:


> Working with the Enneagram in any real and meaningful way would undermine psychological well-being causing periods of grief and psychological collapse because the individual is confronting themselves with the unconscious underpinnings of their identity.


i wouldn't say this is considered undermining psychological well-being. just as lifting weights is not undermining your strength. while it may use a lot of energy, it is definitely good for you. Agreed?

all i know, is the most grievous experience happened to me a couple months ago. and it was one of the greatest weights off my chest!! it came out of nowhere and was so pure and natural. it's considered the 6th (or maybe 7th) strata by riso/hudson. i tend to agree with the 9 layers of our consciousness (or the 9 stratum.) just because i experienced the most intense thing ever and THEN happened upon the same exact concept at the end of "The Wisdom of the Enneagram".
either way, coming into contact with my essence really did occur. I was emotionally blind to the truth of my selfishness far too long.


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## Arclight (Feb 10, 2010)

Narc said:


> Working with the Enneagram in any real and meaningful way would undermine psychological well-being causing periods of grief and psychological collapse because the individual is confronting themselves with the unconscious underpinnings of their identity.


 So why not MBTI as well?
Is it because MBTI makes the fatal flaw of only discussing the "positives"?
If so, wouldn't then, MBTI, also undermine psychological well being by focusing on the unconscious underpinnings of their identity?


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## iMaven (Jan 14, 2011)

Arclight said:


> So why not MBTI as well?
> Is it because MBTI makes the fatal flaw of only discussing the "positives"?
> If so, wouldn't then, MBTI, also undermine psychological well being by not focusing on the unconscious underpinnings of their identity?



"I think they describe exactly the same thing, except that the MBTI describes the personality
in terms of behavior while the enneagram does so in terms of core motivation."

my thoughts... plus, the enneagram is a typing system.. there is no positive or negative attribute to it. the same goes for the mbti.. just because the explanations of the types may have a negative connotation here and there, doesn't mean that it's inherently a negative or positive system lol. except, I agree that we need to have more writing on the potentials of each types.. i guess this is only because there are less people who have "integrated" so we have less observations to go off of.


and didn't he say the enneagram DID focus on the unconscious underpinnings of our identity? you put "not". jw if you meant to do that.


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## Arclight (Feb 10, 2010)

iMaven said:


> "I think they describe exactly the same thing, except that the MBTI describes the personality
> in terms of behavior while the enneagram does so in terms of core motivation."
> 
> my thoughts... plus, the enneagram is a typing system.. there is no positive or negative attribute to it. the same goes for the mbti.. just because the explanations of the types may have a negative connotation here and there, doesn't mean that it's inherently a negative or positive system lol. except, I agree that we need to have more writing on the potentials of each types.. i guess this is only because there are less people who have "integrated" so we have less observations to go off of.
> ...


 Edited.. Thanks


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## iMaven (Jan 14, 2011)

Arclight said:


> Edited.. Thanks


and to your edit, I still think it's the same as my previous post. Though, I would like to see more negative articles from MBTI expert just to see how they correlate it to the layers of functioning (or w/e they call them..)
I don't see why one would call it "undermining your psychological well-being" when you discover a new facet of your psychological workings that can , from there on, be consciously worked with. Seems healthy and effective.


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## Narc (Mar 8, 2011)

Ok I will use a better choice of words and expand slightly:

Working with the Enneagram in any real and meaningful way would challenge ones assumed psychological well-being causing periods of grief, reactivity and psychological collapse because the individual is confronting themselves with the unconscious underpinnings of their identity thus destabilizing the ego. Alternativey, the individual would shut down further in the face of such confronting self-knowledge, using any unconscious psychological defense mechanism at their disposal (mistyping being one of them). Another defense is not seeing the truth, depth and value in it and comparing it with MBTI.


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## iMaven (Jan 14, 2011)

Narc said:


> Ok I will use a better choice of words and expand slightly:
> 
> Working with the Enneagram in any real and meaningful way would challenge ones assumed psychological well-being causing periods of grief, reactivity and psychological collapse because the individual is confronting themselves with the unconscious underpinnings of their identity thus destabilizing the ego. Alternativey, *the individual would shut down further in the face of such confronting self-knowledge,* *using any unconscious psychological defense mechanism at their disposal (mistyping being one of them). Another defense is not seeing the truth, depth and value in it and comparing it with MBTI*.




I'm really just putting this post up because I find all of this information very insightful. 

I like to see us as 3 layers. 
this person puts it better than I could right now
*"Unlike temperament or personality, character is not something that we develop automatically.
Character comes slowly, if it comes at all. It is the outcome of living life in a way that is truly in
accordance with one’s innermost or core values. We could say it represents full flowering of our
inner wisdom, so that a person gradually becomes a living example of what she values most."
*

I'm assuming she considers our Enneagram to be our temperament.. She does not believe personality is a bad thing. I agree, as we use our personality when trying to get a job, impress others, etcetc. Do we really believe it's right to suppress those acquired skills?

It is a "matrix for our individuality." It's just the dynamic manifestation of who we are deep down. 
*
"In a sense, it’s a similar sort of comparison, except that when we take the “ego vs. Essence”
position, we assume that ego/personality has an adversarial relationship with Essence: we assume
that if ego is present, Essence is not. In the latter case—what we could call “Essence via ego”
position—we are comparing the extent to which inner values (i.e., essential values) are expressed
outwardly, via the ego/personality. From this point of view, the relationship between ego and
Essence is not adversarial, but complementary."

"This is what makes character a rather elusive quality. It is not given; it must be earned. The
word earned is key here, because character is not a quality that develops on its own. Like fine wine
or a classic garden, it must be cultivated. It develops gradually, as the result of making a steady and
sincere effort to honorably resolve life’s problems. That’s why it’s something we typically see in
people who are older rather than younger—because character can only develop in the crucible of
daily life, with its problems, disappointments, and ethical dilemmas."*


*"Everyone likes the idea of being in the moment. Well, what part of us is actually having that
experience? It’s our personality self. It’s our personality that acts as a window on the soul.
So to answer my own question, “Is personality a problem?” No, it is not. The only thing that’s
a problem is our self-consciousness about personality—our tendency to worry and fret about its little
imperfections. When we occupy ourselves with this kind of thinking, we lose the ability to notice
what else is going on around us. And that’s what being present in the moment in all about."*


SO 
in relation to the topic... 
I'm guessing these youngsters didn't have that much character.. therefore it was hard to see the effect of the enneagram's teachings (if any) on such a sample size.. due to their age. just a guess.
however, I go back and forth on this because what if older people are just as unhealthy in their levels as people in college? I don't like to assume things.


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## screamofconscious (Oct 15, 2009)

Knowing how to use my lawn mower doesn't get my lawn mowed for me. Applying my knowledge does. From what I see written, application wasn't taken into account at all. It looks like the author expected knowledge of the system to be some sort of genie sprung from a lamp.


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