Finding Balance
The Enneagram is a dynamic tool that can bring balance to our lives. Not only does it help us understand why we do what we do and how that is linked to our core motivation, but it also shows us which intelligence center - thinking, doing, or feeling - we use first and most.
These three intelligence centers are fundamental to Enneagram theory. They can be traced as far back as Plato’s Tripartite Soul and are reflected in current psychology and neuroscience. In fact, recent research indicates that the heart contains over 40,000 neurons (specialized nerve cells) while the gut has over 100 million neurons that help us process, perceive and respond to the world around us.
Enneagram theory suggests that each type is associated with one of these intelligence centers, which serves as our primary way of engaging with the world. We also have a secondary center that supports our primary one, shaping how we primarily interpret experiences and information. The third center, however, is the one we use last and least and it is considered repressed.
Our everyday language supports this idea of three intelligence centers. We use phrases like Follow your gut, Listen to your heart, and Use your head to describe how we process information and make decisions. While we all think, feel and act, one of these centers shapes our perception of the world more than the others.
Body types (Doing Center) have a strong gut sense and are driven by doing. They are responsible, committed, and action-oriented, processing information through their body and intuition. Daily decisions and values are tied to doing. Body types often struggle with anger and can become easily irritated.
Heart types (Feeling Center) are relationship-driven and guided by emotions. They seek connection, attention and love from others. With high emotional intelligence and adaptability, they excel in interpersonal dynamics. They respond well to encouragement, affirmation, and approval. Heart types may struggle with comparison and an uneasiness within.
Head types (Thinking Center) primarily move through the world analyzing and categorizing information to gain knowledge. Logic and objective reasoning help them gain cognitive understanding. Head types often struggle with anxiety and fear. Having information, knowledge, and data helps to alleviate these emotions.
When we rely too heavily on one center, we only see one-third of our full experience. For example, a head type might engage feelings through thinking - thinking about feelings not feeling them.
When one center dominates, we may feel stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed. Operating only from our dominant center, our behavior can be predictable, habitual, and reactive. When we find balance between our three intelligence centers, our focus points outward, we find more connection with ourselves and others, and our behavior is more proactive. When we are able to access all three centers, we allow thinking to be thinking, doing to be doing, and feeling to be feeling.
If you are in need of finding more balance and self-awareness in your life, I’d love to guide you in your own Enneagram journey.