The Enneagram is a model of personality types that describes the nine different ways people interact with the world. It is used to assist in personal growth and develop higher states of being. According to the Enneagram of personality theory, the points of the Enneagram figure indicate the nine principal ego-archetypal forms or types of human personality, which are psychologically connected. The nine types are:

Ones: They are focused on personal integrity and truth. They tend not to accept their flaws.

Twos: They are compassionate and generous, but can become needy and manipulative.

Threes: They seek success, and can adapt easily to change.

Fours: They are romantics, and want to understand their place in the world. In doing this, they might become distant and withdrawn.

Fives: They fear uselessness and constantly seek knowledge.

Sixes: They seek stability. They are very loyal but are unlikely to trust a person who has betrayed them.

Sevens: They are active and adventurous. They also fear being unable to provide for themselves.

Eights: They seek power and control above all else.

Nines: They are very empathic, but can be passive aggressive.

As the Enneagram provides a model that helps understand individual motivations and patterns of interactions, it can be very useful if applied to a therapeutic treatment approach. It helps therapists understand a patient’s underlying personality patterns, spiritual potentials, and capacities. The therapist can determine a patient’s Enneagram type, after which it also becomes easier to identify and understand the patient’s behavior and defense mechanisms. The patient also benefits from knowing his or her type by learning that there are many others sharing the same experiences and difficulties. The Enneagram can further encourage patients by providing accounts of others like them who have successfully changed their underlying patterns. In other words, once the type is determined, it becomes easier to set up strategies that will help the patient change negative habitual patterns of thinking and behaving and move towards personal growth. Therefore, although the Enneagram theory is not a therapy itself, it proves beneficial in a treatment setting.