Enneagram: Why Your Worst Traits Are Also Your Best with Suzanne Stabile
Aug 28, 2024
auto_awesome
Suzanne Stabile, the Enneagram Godmother and internationally-recognized expert, dives into the intriguing world of the Enneagram. She explains how our greatest struggles can also reveal our best traits. Listeners learn about the core desires and fears that shape behaviors. The conversation touches on the unique characteristics of different Enneagram types, particularly the contrasting challenges female Type Eights face in societal perceptions. Plus, Suzanne humorously discusses why she'd trust an Enneagram 1 for brain surgery!
The Enneagram is a profound personality framework that reveals nine distinct types, each offering valuable insights into personal motivations and interactions with others.
Recognizing that your worst traits can also serve as your best traits encourages self-acceptance and facilitates personal growth through deeper understanding.
Understanding the Enneagram enhances relationships by promoting empathy and compassionate communication, thus acknowledging the diverse emotional processes of each personality type.
Deep dives
The Enneagram and Its Importance
The Enneagram is a personality framework that consists of nine distinct types, each representing a unique perspective on life. Understanding the Enneagram matters because it helps individuals recognize their motivations and how they interact with the world, thus fostering personal growth and improving relationships. The system challenges dualistic thinking, addressing people's inherent need for belonging and significance. By identifying their own Enneagram type, individuals gain insights into their behaviors and emotional responses, which is essential for promoting self-awareness and compassion towards others.
Common Misconceptions About the Enneagram
Many people mistakenly believe they can accurately identify their Enneagram type through online quizzes or simplistic methods based on surface-level traits. This oversimplification can lead individuals to misunderstand their true motivations, as the Enneagram assesses deeper psychological patterns rather than just observable behaviors. Moreover, the tests often yield inaccurate results, causing confusion about one's actual type. Proper understanding of the Enneagram requires an exploration beyond the numbers, focusing instead on motivations and emotional processes.
Understanding the Nine Types
Each of the nine Enneagram types has unique strengths and challenges that shape their interactions with others. For instance, Eights are assertive and take charge but may be seen as aggressive, while Nines, who often avoid conflict, can struggle to assert themselves. Twos are natural helpers, yet they may neglect their own needs, which can lead to feeling unappreciated. By examining the traits and common struggles of each type, individuals can cultivate empathy both for themselves and for those around them as they learn to navigate their relationships more constructively.
The Process of Self-Discovery
Self-discovery through the Enneagram often involves addressing one’s shadow side, or the parts of oneself that are hidden or repressed. By recognizing these aspects, individuals can develop greater self-acceptance and move towards personal growth. Engaging in therapy or reflective practices can also aid this journey, allowing individuals to confront and embrace their true selves, thus improving their well-being. Ultimately, this awareness leads to more fulfilling connections with others as individuals understand their emotional dynamics better.
Compassionate Interpersonal Relationships
Understanding the Enneagram presents a framework for fostering healthier relationships by promoting compassion and open communication. Each type has distinct ways of processing emotions and responding to external stimuli; this knowledge enables individuals to approach others with empathy, recognizing that different reactions stem from various underlying motivations. The framework encourages embracing the diversity of perspectives, which is crucial for building trust and respect in relationships. Adopting a compassionate outlook not only enriches interpersonal dynamics but also enhances one’s own psychological growth.
Today, we're revisiting one of our favorites. Enneagram Godmother Suzanne Stabile guides us through: What the hell is the Enneagram and why does it matter?
-The gifts and struggles each Enneagram type faces;
-Why the worst part of you is also the BEST part of you;
-The core desire / fear that explains your behavior; and
-Why, if Suzanne ever needs brain surgery, she’s finding a doctor who’s an Enneagram 1
And we FINALLY answer the question: Is Amanda a 3 or a 1?
To continue with follow up episode to this one, check out:
Suzanne Stabile is an internationally-recognized Enneagram teacher. She is the co-author of The Road Back to You, and the author of The Path Between Us and The Journey Toward Wholeness.
With backgrounds in sociology and theology, Suzanne has served as a high school professor; the first women’s basketball coach at SMU after Title IX; and as the founding Director of Shared Housing, a social service agency in Dallas.
Suzanne lives in Dallas with her husband Rev. Joseph Stabile. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of nine.