Out of
the Box Coaching and
Breakthroughs with the Enneagram,
Mary R. Bast, Ph.D.
Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved. Revised:
October 05, 2008
Enneagram "Temperaments"
Has anyone attempted to map the four temperament types into the Enneagram in a manner similar to Keirsey & Bates in Please Understand Me, mapping the four temperament types into the 16 MBTI types?
The "temperaments" this reader refers to are based on Jungian psychology and described by Hirsch and Kummerow in Introduction to Type in Organizations:
The SJ or Epimethean Temperament: A "traditionalist, stabilizer, consolidator" who "works from a sense of responsibility, loyalty, and industry," who "learns in a step-by-step way with preparation for current and future utility," and who is acknowledged in organizations for contributing "timely output."
The SP or Dionysian Temperament: A "troubleshooter, negotiator, fire fighter" who "works via action with cleverness and timeliness," "learns through active involvement to meet current needs,"and is acknowledged in organizations for contributing "expeditious handling of the out-of-the ordinary and the unexpected."
The NF or Apollonian Temperament: A "catalyst, spokesperson, energizer" who "works by interacting with people about values and inspirations," "learns for self-awareness through personalized and imaginative ways," and is acknowledged in organizations for contributing "something personal or a special vision of possibilities."
The NT or Promethean Temperament: A "visionary, architect of systems, builder" who "works on ideas with ingenuity and logic," "learns by an impersonal and analytical process for personal mastery," and is acknowledged in organizations for contributing "strategies and analyses."
The only correlations I've seen between Jungian preferences and Enneagram styles have been made using the complete MBTI profile, not the temperaments. Tom Flautt and John Richards presented their Enneagram/MBTI correlations at the 1999 conferences of both International Enneagram Association (IEA) and Association for Psychological Type (APT). Tom Flautt has published in Enneagram Monthly ("A Test of Myers-Briggs/ Enneagram Theories with Data from the EM's Survey," June 1996), as have John Richards ("Correlating the Enneatypes with M-B Preferences," June 1997) and Pat Wyman ("Using the MBTI and the Enneagram," Nov. & Dec., 1997; "Trigger Points: Using the Enneagram and the MBTI in therapy," Feb. 1998).
Tom Flautt (1996 Enneagram Monthly) wrote, "almost all MBTI types are found in each Enneagram type. This implies that the modes of expression of each Enneagram type will be modified by their MBTI type." This is how I use the two systems, as well, with the Enneagram as the primary explanatory model. As of 2004 (when I wrote this article), I'd seen the following temperament patterns among Enneagram styles (this only included clients with whom I'd worked in depth and identified both MBTI and Enneagram profiles):
One: Of 19 Enneagram Ones (in order of frequency) there were 9 SJs, 8 NTs, 1 SP, and 1 NF. Certainly SJ is a logical fit as a primary conceptual style for Ones (SJs are focused on details and on bringing things to closure). I also found my NT/One clients ("visionary, architect of systems, builder") showing more of their Four connection in the sense of being more focused on new ways of doing things (I often refer to the Four as the Innovator). I wish I'd known more about Enneagram subtypes in earlier years because It seems logical that SJ Ones ("traditionalist, stabilizer, consolidator") would be more likely to be Self-Preservation subtypes ("gets details 'right,' plans contingencies to avoid organizational failure"), and NT Ones ("acknowledged in organizations for contributing strategies and analyses") would be more likely to be the Social subtype (has "right" ideas, ensures quality processes/continuous improvement"). I have no data to support these thoughts. Two: Of 12 clients, I'd coached 7 NTs, 3 NFs, 2 SJs, and no SPs. I was surprised to not have found more NFs ("works by interacting with people about values and inspirations") among Twos, the most relational of Enneagram styles. These were corporate executives and mostly male (the T or Thinking preference is statistically more probable among males). However, three of the seven NTs were female, and two of the three NFs were male. More to the point, this illustrates why statistical correlations between the two systems don't work for me. They're separate and distinct frames of reference, not parallel and overlapping systems.Three: Of 17 clients, there were 8 NTs, 6 SJs, 2 NFs, and 1 SP. Both of the NFs had Two wings -- one was head of a nonprofit agency, the other ran a school for children with special needs. (NTs tend to end up in strategic roles, SJs in financial roles, but they're equally successful.)
Four: Of 6 total (don't see Fours much in traditional corporate environments), all but one were NTs (NT Fours make great consultants, particularly innovative in changing organizational systems). The exception is an NF, who was a Social subtype Four ("empathic, authentic, appreciative, helps others see outside the box"). Five: Of 11, there were 6 NTs ("works on ideas with ingenuity and logic"), 3 SJs ("learns in a step-by-step way with preparation for current and future utility"), 1 SP (a surprise because SPs are described as "fire fighters" while Fives are usually somewhat withdrawn executives, and this person is an Introvert, also). None of the 11 are NFs (of course: Fives tend to disdain emotions). Six: Of 23, most were SJs (12), with 7 NTs, 3 SPs, and 1 NF. This is different from Tom Flautt's observations that Sixes have no evident pattern of MBTI preference. The predominance of SJs in my sample may be a function of self-selected career choice: all but one of the SJs had Engineering backgrounds, whereas more than half of the NTs represented a variety of other industries. Seven: Of 7 total, 3 were NTs, 2 NFs, 1 SJ, 1 SP. Not a large enough sample to even guess about, and this is one Enneagram style where I find the temperaments lacking as a basis for comparison. For example, all seven of the Enneagram Sevens in my sample were Extroverts on the MBTI: a logical finding for a personality style that likes to entertain. Eight: Drawing from the stereotype of an Eight, we'd expect to find an ENTJ male (using the complete MBTI profile), described by Keirsey and Bates as "the Commandant." But I'd only coached 2 ENTJ Eights. Of the 9 clients for whom I had both Enneagram and MBTI data, however, NTs were the most highly represented (5 of the 9). In addition, I'd coached 2 NF Eights, and 1 SJ. To fill in the picture, one of the two NF Eights was a One-to-One subtype female and the other an ENFJ male with a strong Seven wing (in his leadership style he clearly illustrated the NF description: "works by interacting with people about values and inspirations"). His constant strength bolstered a company teetering on the brink of disaster, and he invariably became teary-eyed (that soft inner heart of the Eight) at his yearly all-company motivational meetings. Nine: Of 24, there were 12 NTs, 7 SJs, 4 NFs, and 1 SP. This is an example of how looking just at temperament may reveal a pattern otherwise obscured. Most MBTI/Enneagram studies have shown Nines all over the map, and in my sample there were 5 ENTJs, 5 ISTJs, 3 INTJs, 2 ENTPs, 2 INTPs, 2 INFJs, and 1 each of ESTJ, ESTP, ENFP, INFP, and ISFJ. I've heard people describe some Nines as "intellectual Nines." I wonder if what they've observed has been the difference between an NT Nine ("acknowledged in organizations for contributing strategies and analyses") and an SJ Nine ("acknowledged in organizations for contributing timely output")?