A CHRISTIAN TRANSPOSITION OF THE ENNEAGRAM: WITH ...

FOUR:
ENVY
Avoids
ordinariness
FIVE:
AVARICE
Avoids
emptiness
Fours feel inadequate, out of touch with their ordinary day to day self,
and deeply desire to be recognized as special, original, refined, to project
a dramatic yet authentic image. They feel that others neglect them, pass
them over, fail to recognize their uniqueness. Others come across as
more real than they are themselves. They envy others, and seek to be
original by imitating them.
Introjection: you introject bits and pieces of what you imagine are the
qualities and positive experiences those you envy, and with them create
a fantasy self which is different form the ordinary day to day self which is
really yours.
Fives survey their environment from a distance, take it all in, lodge it
within their minds, but let little out. They hoard their selves, their energy,
their knowledge, and fear the involvement with others that might drain,
entangle, engulf them. What they have they must at all costs retain.
Their avarice goes far beyond financial resources. It applies to every
aspect of their being.
Isolation: you isolate yourself in your head away from your feelings and
people. You go to your thoughts where you feel good and comfortable.
You compartmentalize or isolates periods or aspects of your life.
SIX:
ANXIETY
Avoids doubt
and insecurity
SEVEN:
GLUTTONY
Avoids
pain
Some enneagram teachers will refer to fear for this enneatype rather
than anxiety, but anxiety is a better word, because the issue is with
facing not so much present situations as the imagined future. Sixes
imagine all sorts of possible negative scenarios, need to protect
themselves, find security. They experience dread when having to make
decisions of their own without the protection of some authoritative
principle that gives them that security.
Projection: You project onto others your own sense of disobedience and
rebellion. Other people are trying to get with things, and you need to
monitor them and bring them in line with authority. Others are trying to
trip you up or trap you.
Gluttony for Sevens might indeed involve over-indulgence in food, but
their gluttony is all embracing. They seek all sorts of pleasant
experiences, savouring none of them in depth, but devouring them one
after another. They imagine and plan for all sorts of pleasant outcomes,
but shun the hard work of realizing them. They cultivate an image of
optimism, happiness.
Sublimation: To keep pain out of your awareness, you sublimate or
rationalize it into something good. You automatically look for the good in
everything and avoid looking at the bad.
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