Understanding the Enneagram: The Practical Guide to Personality Types (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: thinking center, basic fear, feeling center, Personality Types, Basic Desire, Levels of Development (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

PERSONALITY TYPES, the first book by Don Richard Riso, has become the leading guide to the Enneagram, as well as a cherished classic in the literature of personal growth around the world. This is the groundbreaking book that set the standard for insight and accuracy about this ancient symbol of human personality. UNDERSTANDING THE ENNEAGRAM soon followed and has since become another indispensable reseource, teaching readers not only how to understand this psychological framework in daily life but how to use it in many different settings. Don Riso and Russ Hudson have now fully revised and updated this authoritative guide to the Enneagram, based on their continuing work in the field, which is attracting ever-increasing attention. Discover how to use the Enneagram to find fulfillment in your personal develpemnt and in all of your relationships.

About the Author

Don Richard Riso, M.A. is the foremost writer and developer of the Enneagram in the world today. The most-published and best-selling author in the field, he is an internatioinally recognized authority on the subject. He is the president of Enneagram Personality Types, Inc., and founder of The Enneagram Institute. He has been teaching the Enneagram for more than twenty years, pioneering a revolutionary new approach to ego psychology through his 1977 discovery of the Levels of Development. His four best-selling books are available in British, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and French editions. Mr. Riso was a Jesuit for thirteen years, holds degrees in English and philosophy, was elected to the Jesuit Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Nu, and was a Ford Foundation Fellow at Stanford University in communications (social psychology). Russ Hudson is one of the foremost scholars and innovative thinkers on the Enneagram in the world today. He is executive director of Enneagram Personality Types, Inc. and cofounder of the Enneagam Institute. Mr. Hudson has been a student in a variety of Fourth Way spriritual schools and traditions since 1980, and has been co-teaching Enneagram Professional Training Programs since 1991. He holds a B.A. in East Asian studies from Columbia University, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; Revised edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618004157
• ISBN-13: 978-0618004157
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Single Enneagram Resource, December 6, 2000

By	J. Charles Hansen (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The enneagram system has made a huge impact on me and been very insightful - both about myself as well as my interactions in relationships with others. I own probably 10 books about the enneagram personality type theory by a number of different authors, and I find Riso and Hudson to be the best experts in the field. Of their numerous books I find this their finest to date. It's a revised edition of the 1990 "Understanding the Enneagram" which was itself excellent.

This would make a fine introduction yet also has a lot of advanced material. The book contains a good questionnaire for finding your type, thorough descriptions of each type, insight into the levels of development (which is unique to these authors), practical recommendations, and the spiritual dimensions of the types.

Unlike other authors I've read on the subject, I find Riso and Hudson direct and easy to understand. All in all a very complete and accessible guide to the enneagram. I've also seen these authors in person and would recommend the experience.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful Enneagram Resource With A Few Small Problems, December 8, 2005

By	Peter Messerschmidt "denmarkguy" (Port Townsend, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a student of the enneagram for over a decade, and own both the original and "revised" editions of this book. I am generally a fan of Riso & Hudson's work, and this book certainly does a respectable job of introducing readers to the basic "nuts and bolts" of the enneagram. As such, I feel comfortable recommending it as a good introductory text. Some readers (myself included), however, might find themselves a bit distressed by the frequent cross-references to Don Riso's prior and exhaustive volume on the Enneagram, "Personality Types." Since I also own that book, a concept briefly introduced and then concluded with the reference "(PT, 31-32)" is not a problem for me, but would probably be confusing or annoying to a reader who has picked up "Understanding the Enneagram" as their first book on the subject.

That said, here's what this book offers: Section One covers an introduction to the enneagram as a personality typing and growth tool, followed by thumbnail descriptions of the nine enneagram types, and concludes by explaining Riso's concept of the "levels of development" that exist within each type.

Section Two helps readers identify their type through the use of questionnaires. Particularly useful is the fairly thorough coverage of "misidentifications," or common ways in which people tend to choose a type that isn't really a true representation of their personality. The section concludes with an "assessment guide," which is basically a "fill in the blanks" area where readers can pencil in their responses to a number of questions.

In Section Three-- which I found to be the most interesting-- the authors make connections between the enneagram types at different levels of emotional health, and an assortment of theories and psycho-pathologies of "conventional" psychology. The section continues with recommendations on how to practically apply the teachings of the enneagram to personal growth, including specific tips for each of the nine types. The book concludes with a somewhat brief discussion of the connection between "personality" and "essence," and how the enneagram is as much a spiritual tool as a psychological one.

Final thoughts: Definitely worthwhile (8.5 out of 10 possible bookmarks) as a good basic or introductory text on the enneagram-- as long as you're not put off by frequent "pointers" to more information (essentially requiring you to buy another book). The book is well-organized, well-explained and written in easy-to-understand language. For the more advanced student, a nice addition to "Personality Types" and "The Wisdom of the Ennagram" by the same authors.

Thanks for reading!
--Peter

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable backup to Personality Types by Riso, February 3, 2000

By	Leonard M. Feder (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Understanding the Enneagram: The Practical Guide to Personality Types (Paperback)

What I like best about this book is that it helps you to differentiate between types that are often confused, like Two and Nine. It explains how these types, in some ways similar, are in other ways very different. Another thing I like about the book is that the many charts show how the author approached his nine levels for each type. It's a very intricate system with a set of laws devised by the author.