# Enneagram type and "psychological resilience"



## Kintsugi (May 17, 2011)

Do you think there is any relation between Enneagram type and psychological resilience?

(Edit: I don't have any strong opinion/view point on this subject but I'm interested in hearing what others have to say).


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## Felipe (Feb 25, 2016)

I think every type is resilient for different reasons


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## Quernus (Dec 8, 2011)

No. I think it would have more to do with level of health.


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## Lord Bullingdon (Aug 9, 2014)

I couldn't read it all, but from what I did read, I gathered that it's at least somewhat culturally-biased as to what resiliency even is, let alone WHO is resilient.

Example, reading the section on "grit", it seems (like the rest of the page) to be biased towards type 3, maybe a little 7. Endless focus on the long-term goals, realistic ideas about achievements, positive thoughts and feelings, community support, not letting powerful feelings stand in your way, etc. Those people are the best! LET'S ALL BE LIKE THEM!!

Now I am as gritty an individual as they come--I've endured things most others would/could not, I've held on long term despite circumstances, and I continue to chug away at life. I've been _told_ I'm remarkably resilient by a number of people. And according to their section on "grit", I'd still fail miserably--I never finish most projects, I deal with intensely powerful feelings of depression and suicide, I've been known to harm myself, and I don't score too high on the conscientiousness scale. I'm not good at most of these criteria:


> *- The ability to make realistic plans and being capable of taking the steps necessary to follow through with them* [I can make realistic plans, but never get to most of them and only fulfill the ones that are really big and important, eg college degree]
> *- A positive self-concept and confidence in one’s strengths and abilities* [I know I can cope with things, but I sure don't have a positive self-concept, and I don't habitually go around thinking about the superiority of my strengths and abilities]
> *- Communication and problem-solving skills* [I suck at communication, problem solving skills ok]
> *- The ability to manage strong impulses and feelings* [Nope]


Yet I've survived more than most. So I mean, I take the definitions described there with a grain of salt. Again, if there was any type that I'd figure for being good at resiliency as defined there, I'd say Type 3. 

But I _wouldn't_ personally define resiliency in the same way they do. My sense is that each person is resilient in their own way--the types are, after all, defense mechanisms designed to help us cope with difficulties in life. And the human spirit is incredibly resilient. I've seen it. I've endured it. And I can't say I overly appreciate the current psychological checklist kind of thinking on this matter.


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## charlie.elliot (Jan 22, 2014)

What kind of psychological resilience are you talking about?


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## Kintsugi (May 17, 2011)

charlie.elliot said:


> What kind of psychological resilience are you talking about?


The ability to "bounce-back" after having endured some kind of traumatic event. An example might be two war-veterans who experience the same trauma but react to this "trigger" differently (i.e. one suffers PTSD and self medicates with alcohol/substances while the other overcomes the trauma and turns "negatives" into "positives").


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## periwinklepromise (Jan 26, 2015)

Well, I read the first line of the link:


> Psychological resilience is defined as an individual's ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity.


and I get pretty skeptical. _Properly._ That's gonna be the important word, I already know it. My first impression is that none of the Enneagram types are going to be any more resilient than any others, because having an Enneatype means you didn't *properly* adapt - you got all neurotic and fixated on one particular aspect and came up with all kinds of defense mechanisms to try and "deal" with the stress/adversity of simply existing. _Properly._ That's gonna mean different things to different people. For example, I say someone has "properly adapted to stress" in the workplace if they stay chill and keep on going, as I am often more task-oriented than people-oriented, and also hate people who complain a lot instead of just acting already.

Similarly, I'm waiting for 


> Resilience is one's ability to bounce back from a negative experience with "competent functioning".


to be expounded upon, because that presumed competency is going to mean everything. In my experience, people will label any behavior "dysfunctional" if it's anything other than how _they personally_ prefer to deal with things. Sort of a "you judge me for sinning differently than you do" thing.

Ah, here we go:


> When people are faced with an adverse condition, there are three ways that they approach and it defines whether it will promote well-being or not. The three approaches are:
> 1. An eruption of anger.
> 2. They implode with overwhelming negative emotions, go numb, and become unable to react.
> 3. They simply become upset about the disruptive change.
> The third category of approach are employed by resilient people who become upset about the disruptive state and thus change their current pattern to cope with the issue.


Okay... so definitely no 8 or 9. Probably no 1 or 4. Honestly - do any of the stereotypical not-in-"healthy level number 2" types pass this test off the bat? 

And then for what Lord B mentioned:


> Studies show that there are several factors which develop and sustain a person's resilience:
> 1. The ability to make realistic plans and being capable of taking the steps necessary to follow through with them
> 2. A positive self-concept and confidence in one’s strengths and abilities
> 3. Communication and problem-solving skills
> 4. The ability to manage strong impulses and feelings


7s are out because they're disconnected from Holy Plan. 8s have great confidence in their strengths, but not exactly a "positive self-concept" so they're out. 9s, 5s, and 6s should probably all join them. I don't think any type is inherently better at "communication and problem-solving skills", but that last point nixes 4s (7s and 8s again) and probably most sx-leading types. So you know. MAYBE type 3 is left standing? 

And really quickly:


> Maltreated children who experienced some risk factors (eg *redacted by periwinklepromise*), showed lower ego-resilience and intelligence than nonmaltreated children. Furthermore, maltreated children are more likely than nonmaltreated children to demonstrate disruptive-aggressive, withdraw, and internalized behavior problems.


Wow. I'm shocked. Being treated in a fucked up way means you probably act in fucked up ways. Someone alert the media.
...Oh for fuck's sake, now they're saying women are less resilient, this is ridiculous. 



> Brad Evans and Julian Reid criticize resilience discourse and its rising popularity in their book, Resilient Life. The authors assert that policies of resilience can put the onus of disaster response on individuals rather than publicly coordinated efforts.


Good, good. All of this resilience stuff seems to be setting a platform for "Oh, it's the individual's fault, they should have been more resilient, I mean we've proven you can build that stuff so they should have done that, I don't have to do anything to help them, maybe they should just be stronger/better". And that's bullshit.

Other notes: 
-Engaging with life with "hope and humor" despite devastating losses seems in favor of 7 and against 4. Similarly proven by the emphasis on "positive emotions"
-The research on resilience in children (with certain kinds of parents) is a bit not good, and seems to be setting up a "pull self up by bootstraps" "American Dream (TM)" idea, which I'm heavily against. (eg "look! this kid suffered a lot but they still _made something_ of themselves. those other kids are weak/lazy.")
-Section on "grit" predisposed towards 3s
-Apparently, "grit" just means "all these things we like"?
-As someone with a shitty family, all this emphasis on the family is annoying and vaguely nauseating
-All the "ways to build resilience" are either basic health things - self confidence, exercise - or "just be a *better person* already!"

All in all - not liking the wiki article used as a source and not liking their definition of resilience. I prefer the more classic "able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions." People of different types withstand and recover in different ways, but they keep on going, and I think that's what's important. The article even said that resilience was common, so it wouldn't make much sense for it to be for only one or two types.



The Perfect Storm said:


> The ability to "bounce-back" after having endured some kind of traumatic event. An example might be two war-veterans who experience the same trauma but react to this "trigger" differently (i.e. one suffers PTSD and self medicates with alcohol/substances while the other overcomes the trauma and turns "negatives" into "positives").


Also, I know this is probably not your example, but I don't like the implication that someone with PTSD is somehow less "resilient" or (what with all the positive connotations and comorbid positive characteristics) less "good" as a person. I'd like to avoid the discourse that people with PTSD are just weak and should have been *stronger*.


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