Customer Reviews

Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The main purpose of this book is to type yourself in order that you should know how to become a fully integrated individual. Understanding of the self is one step to self-discovery, but the next step, as the book illustrates, is to move toward one's 'point of integration', to attain one's full potential. To that end 'Character Types' has been heaven-sent for me. It becomes painfully clear that left to ourselves, we attempt to improve in the way which is exactly the opposite of what we really need. As a Four, I was constantly introspecting and obsessing, certain that if I did so long enough I would understand everything. Not until I read this book did I understand that the only way to improve would be to fight my natural tendencies, to become more open to experiencing and to take things easier. This insight, though it sounds small, leaves me indebted to Don Riso for writing a book which was as effective as any 12-step program, and which will be applicable for the rest of my life in setting goals to strive towards.

On the other hand, this book should come with some disclaimers. The first is that this book should not be used in rigidly 'typing' other individuals besides yourself. The fact is, no one can ever presume to know what goes on inside another human being, and that natural barrier should be respected. Even if someone exhibits all the signs of a certain type, they should still be respected as the complex people they are, instead of being consigned to a filing cabinet. For people to start saying, "Oh, he's such a typical Five, always reading" is ridiculous, even degrading. For a basic understanding of the many facets of human nature, reading about the other types is fascinating--but that's as far as these descriptions should be taken to apply to real-life individuals and relationships.

Also, people should take the type descriptions with a grain of salt. The book is sometimes too specific--these types should be used to describe general tendencies, not specific details within the personality. Just because I am a certain type, that does not mean I cannot be radically different from others who share my type. The world is a wonderfully complex place, and people are the most complex things in it. Sharing some similarities *does not* make us the same.

The parental orientations, while interesting to read and perhaps even relevant sometimes, are the equivalent to psychobabble on some level and should also be taken with a grain of salt. The typing of celebrities is completely irrelevant, for reasons already expressed above.

Taken all in all, 'Character Types' is a valuable tool toward attaining self-discovery and understanding the means to attain one's full potential. The levels of development are charted at length, and the points of integration and disintegration highlight the manner in which people deteriorate, or more positively, the way they achieve health and integration. It also provides insight into people other than yourself, making it possible to appreciate the differences in each human being. For a book on the Enneagram, look no further than this.

Out of the dozen or so books I've read about the enneagram, this one is the best. Riso divides each of the 9 personality types into 9 levels, giving us 81 different readings. The readings are in depth and on target. The levels bleed into each other, so you may find that you identify with levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 of your type, for example. Riso also does an excellent job of describing the two wings to every personality type, so if you know your type you will probably be able to recognize your wing easily. I'm sure there are other possible systems of differentiating people from each other by type, besides this and Myers-Briggs, that haven't yet been discovered, but Riso's enneagram should be more widely known than it is. Educated people should know their type. Some people make the argument that individuals are all unique, that there are no types, but this attitude basically tells us not to try to understand human nature because it's too complicated. This excellent book gives us a good system to understand people.

I bought the first edition of this book back in '88 and thought it was a masterpiece. The expanded edition is even better. Simply put, I have not come across a personality discription book that comes anywhere this close to accuracy and honesty. It can be difficult to read. If you give "Personailty Types" a fair chance, it will anger, depress or even horrify you. You will feel like the authors are ilicitly peaking into your soul. With truth can come serious pain. On the other side, no other book I've read also shows you the best qualities each personality holds better than this. "Personality Types" gives INDIRECT adivise on how to improve. It's not a follow-this-formula-that's-supposed-to-fit-all mentality. It's paradoxally simple and complex, easy to read and challangeing. I can't say I know if I actually believe in the Enneagram itself, or simply Riso and Hudson's interpertation of the Enneagram, all I know is I have had some version of this book for tweleve plus years( Over a third of my lifespan ) because I can see the people in my life and the corrolations to the descriptions in the book. Forget Myers-Briggs. astrology and the like...THIS is a masterpiece. Buy it and give it a chance, I can't recommend it more highly. But be warned. As I said, If one wants to grow, there are growing pains.

Does this sound absurdly melodramatic? I assure you it's accurate. I knew from another source that I was a Four (Romantic), but hadn't really delved into Enneagrams. (I'd been studying Myers-Briggs.) Yet as I leafed through my chapter in Personality Types, I was stunned and mortified to find an assessment of my character so chillingly accurate, it was as if the results of 10 years of intensive psychoanalysis was handed to me on a platter. Dazed, I read on: every single sentence skewered me relentlessly. Self-recognition swept over me in waves, and I furtively glanced around to see if other book store patrons noticed that I was starting to cry. My tears were of relief that through Don Riso's extraordinarily perceptive book I was about to save my own life. I am a Four in a far-advanced state of disintegration, my life so chaotic despite my attempts at self-understanding that I've been on the verge of suicide, or madness, or both. What a revelation....Here are the insights and the help I've spent 5 decades both seeking and avoiding, and thank God, it's NOT too late! I've turned away from a path that would lead to destruction of myself and the lives of my children. And you know what? I've bought tubes of lipstick more expensive than this book. After a TON of work, MY story's going to have a happy ending. Now I have the tools. Thank you, Don Richard Riso!

As a long-time student of the Enneagram, I am frequently reminded that this book is my best-- and most frequently used-- reference on the subject. Almost every time I pick it up, I gain new insights-- even after six years of diligent use! Apart from its thorough usefulness, I think that what makes "Personality Types" my personal favorite, is the fact that it views humanity, the psyche and personality types from a "neutral" position-- unlike other writers in this field, who seem predisposed to focus more on the negative aspects. This is a MUST HAVE for anyone seriously interested in the Enneagram!

At 500+ pages; this book offers comprehensive coverage of many different aspects of the Enneagram, drawing on Riso's 25+ years of research and experience in the field. The book starts with some background information and a short history of the Enneagram; then offers a set og thorough guidelines for understanding and using the Enneagram.

The bulk of the book is, of course, dedicated to nine chapters that thoroughly describe each of the nine Enneagram types. These descriptions go well beyond your basic "thumbnail sketch," to include characteristics of each type along a scale of "mental health" from healthy, to average, to unhealthy. The authors also cover the major "subtypes" of each type, as well as the dynamics of "integration" and "disintegration."

The final part of the book goes into more advanced concepts; combining and comparing the principles of the Enneagram to Freudian and Jungian Psychology; examining mental health and the Enneagram in the context of psychological pathologies; and generally offering more advanced theories and techniques for exploring the psyche with the Enneagram.

If the book has ANY flaws, it would be that it does not include a version of the RHETI (Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator) questionnaire, which has become the de-facto "quick and easy" standard used to "test" for personality type. This, however, is a very minor "niggle" since the descriptions of each of the nine Enneagram types are so comprehensive that readers will have little trouble identifying their, and someone else's, personality type.

Final thoughts: 9.5 bookmarks out of a possible 10-- and the half-point is only for the ommission of the questionnaire. Perhaps not the easiest choice for those *just* starting to explore the Enneagram on a casual level, but highly recommended for everyone else!

Almost every other book in this area of interest approaches the subject from a static perspective. People are put in boxes. "This is what you are." Jung's boxes in his book Personality Types seemed to suggest that everybody was sick. All the others I've read (more than a dozen) describe each personality box as being really good in this or that. And totally ignored are evil, neurosis, mediocrity, stupidity, growth, change and personal development. This study examines and explores the range and depth of human potential, its starting points, paths and patterns of development that is sorely lacking elsewhere. It was one of those "Wow! Yes!" reading experiences.

This is an excellent resource for those interested in learning about the different personality types and understanding their behavior. I have read other books on typology, but this book about the Enneagram goes even further. It provides detail on each personality type's "hot buttons", what motivates them, tips on enhancing relationships with the different types, and suggestions on what each personality type can do to develop themselves. What's really interesting is that the different traits and characteristics of each type are categorized so that you are able to determine if someone (or yourself) is healthy, average, or unhealthy. This is valuable information because it's an indicator when you, or a loved one, needs help because it tells you what traits are exhibited when someone is unhealthy or starting to drift towards the unhealthy range. This can happen when someone is under too much stress or for a number of different reasons. As I studied this book, I was easily able to type friends, family members, and myself.

If you are a serious student of the Enneagram this is an important book to own because of the in-depth material on the different levels of each type and the dynamics of how ascent and descent work.

This book also contains good descriptions of each type, but they are often redundant with Riso and Hudson's other books. In other words, it appears there is a lot of recycling of information.

Riso and Hudson are pioneers because they have clinically validated the Enneagram model and mapped various DSM categories to levels and types. There work is credible and I have found it useful in coaching each type as well as for my own personal growth.

If you want a general book on the Enneagram, then I recommend Riso and Hudson's the "Wisdom of the Enneagram" as a better general reference. I also think Sandra Maitri's book, "The Spiritual Dimensions of the Enneagram" is incredible and a necessary compliment to the "Wisdom of the Enneagram" for those who want to go deeper into the spiritual aspects of the Enneagram.

I gave this book a four rating because of the redundancy with their other books and because it is not as well-organized in my opinion as the "Wisdom of the Enneagram." I also think their explanations can be clearer in places and that they do a better job in less space in describing the types in the "Wisdom of the Enneagram" as well.

First of all, let me say that I don't think you will come across a more accurate and useful personality typology system than the Enneagram. It offers the reader much more as far as self-awareness and possibilities for personal growth than the Myers Briggs. In other words, it's a much more complete system. Why? Because not only do you get a description of your personality type, but you can understand how two people of the same type can be so incredibly different. Levels of development, wings and direction of integration and disintegration create a vast array of levels of functioning among members of the same type. If you don't know what those terms mean, I trust the other reviewers have covered them, or you just might want to read the book. It's not difficult to understand at all.

I do have a small complaint: I felt that the authors made some generalizations without qualifying their information. For example, I clearly identified myself as a type 4 with a 5 wing. However, according to Riso and Hudson, part of the reason I am a four is because I was not nurtured by my parents. Not true at all. I have a very loving relationship with my parents. I felt abused by peers at school and certain teachers but never my parents. Riso and Hudson don't say "sometimes, 4's will have tenuous relationships with their parents"; they said something like "4's felt like their parents were not there for them and consequently, they had to construct and search for their identity". I would be surprised if every single 4 on the face of the earth had a bad relationship with his or her parents so I think it's slightly irresponsible to make such a blatant generalization without having research to back it up. Moreover, I found many generalizations like this throughout the book that didn't even pertain to my type. Sloppy research on the part of the authors.

However, the authors do a very good job of explaining the types in great detail. I just wish they would have strayed away from some of the overgeneralizations.

Don't let that weird shape fool you. There's nothing mystical or cultish about the Enneagram. While Riso does spend time up front exploring the ancient origins of the shape and its use in various traditions, you can quite easily forget all that (if it unnerves you) and focus on what the Enneagram actually is today: a personality typing model made up of nine categories. They're no more or less mystical than the categories you might get from Freudian or Jungian analysis - indeed, Riso helpfully spends quite a bit of time in later chapters mapping the nine categories to other models and traditions. So why use the shape at all? What it adds, in terms of understanding the nine types, is that it maps the paths of "integration" and "disintegration", i.e. the other personality type each one is likely to edge towards when the person is living at their best, or at their worst. For example, Type 4 integrates to Type 1 through objectivity and self-discipline, and disintegrates to Type 2 through self-absorption and self-indulgence. The best thing about this book is the detailed articulation of the range of healthy, average and unhealthy behaviours each personality type exhibits, plus some insightful analysis on childhood origins and the central problems each confronts. As Riso shows, we generally go about getting what we want in the worst possible way - because it feels like the best possible way - and end up bringing about the very thing we fear the most. For example, Type 7 thinks it will be happy if it gets all it wants, but ends up frustrated, alienated and anxious because it pursues everything to excess. That's good to know, but not very helpful if you don't know how to fix it. Fortunately, Riso has another book - "Practical Guide to Personality Types" - offering excellent recommendations for every type, and some useful tips on how not to misidentify your type, e.g. thinking you're Type 1 when you're actually Type 3, etc. Typing yourself can be tricky, but fortunately there is now a wide range of tests available to help you (many online, so try Googling). I first read this book back in 1989 and have found it immensely helpful over the years. Strongly recommended, if self-discovery doesn't turn your stomach!