“We cannot heal what we do not acknowledge.” Richard Rohr
Each Enneagram Type contains the paradox of the both-and.
What we call our Enneagram Type contains incredible strengths and gifts. The intricate and complex strategies of our personality structure empower us to survive perilous times, overcome our fears and successfully navigate life’s challenges with a sense of competency.
At the same time, our Enneagram Type contains liabilities that limit us and prove to be self-defeating and counterproductive. Most often, these are one and the same.
The both-and.
What works for us in our younger years gets repeated and reinforced. Overtime, these patterns of feelings, thinking and behaving become deeply ingrained, automatic responses to life events.
We lose awareness that we utilize them. We fall asleep to these habitual patterns and go on autopilot.
These undetected parts of our Type are our blind spots.
For transformation to take place, we must wake up to our blind spots. Once we see and acknowledge, the process of change becomes available.
Be warned: Waking up is hard to do.
How do we discover our blind spots?
The Enneagram offers us an opportunity to turn our inner observer on and see what has been hidden. As we do so, our blind spots lose their power over us.
In the next few blog posts, we’ll explore the blind spots of each Enneagram Type. I’ll group them by the core triads of the Enneagram, the Centers of Intelligence.
To start us off, here are the blind spots for those in the Body, Triad, Types 8, 9 and 1.
Type Eight. Enneagram Eights possess the drive to protect and defend themselves and those they love, and therefore are determined to be strong. Eights are fiercely independent and don’t want to have to depend on anyone else. They take charge of situations, are aggressive and direct, and are action-oriented. They are comfortable with their anger and see it as an energy source to get stuff done, particularly to achieve justice. Eights are passionate folks, but they are often blind to how their passion turns to aggression and a lust for power. They can intimidate others, including their loved ones, who experience the Eight’s directness as confrontation or anger. Eights fail to recognize their lack of empathy toward themselves and others. Another blind spot for Eights is how their strength leads to guardedness and how they resist allowing others to love them.
Type Nine: Enneagram Nines strive to keep peace and harmony with themselves and others. Nines want everyone to feel included and know they belong. Nines go along to get along, are accommodating, unpretentious and exude empathy. Others feel safe and accepted by Nines. However, their desire to create harmony and belonging also contributes to the Nine’s blind spot. Nines try to deaden their anger, but their anger doesn’t disappear. Rather, anger takes the form of passive-aggressiveness and stubbornness. Nines also disappear by not offering their opinions or voicing their desires. Nines are often surprised that their efforts to keep peace actually contribute to conflict with the ones they love most.
Type One: Enneagram Ones are driven to make things right. They see what needs improved and corrected, and they are both skilled and committed to get the job done. This allows them to accomplish much good in the world. However, this drive also creates Type One’s blind spot. Ones possess a strong and hyperactive inner critic that turns their gift of improving into the hidden liability of being overly critical and judgmental. Ones grow frustrated and resentful when their attempts of making things right are thwarted. Their inner critic is most active on themselves, and Ones can be perpetually angry that they always seem to fall short of their goals of personal perfection. This inner turmoil can create projection onto others, creating conflict and hurt feelings.
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