The Point: Spring 2019

5When something claims to have the
the
ability to inform us about complex and
intimate categories such as our own
personalities, oftentimes our initial
response is doubtfulness. Which is
why, for many of us, it is easy to be
skeptical of assessments such as the
Enneagram. Department Chair and
Associate Professor of Psychology
Dr. John Williams, discussed possible
reasons why college students may be
so deeply interested in things like the
Enneagram test.
“Maybe it’s kind of a nice way that
seems sort of scientific to help [students]
get an idea of where they should
go, or who they should be, or something
to that effect,” Williams said.
Williams proposed that perhaps people—especially
college students—are
searching for clarity on who they are
and in which direction they ought to
go. Williams also shared his reluctance
towards the high importance students
tend to place on themselves. Notwithstanding
the confirmation bias that
goes into interpreting given results, he
worries about students succumbing to
self-fulfilling prophecies.
“When we receive results of our own
weaknesses from something like the
Enneagram, it’s possible we might use
them as an excuse... It’s possible we
will feel comfortable becoming the
[negative] thing we are told we are,”
Williams said.
Williams sees the Enneagram as more
fun than informative, but he also
believes that it can teach us something
new about ourselves. Unsurprisingly,
the Enneagram has nevertheless
continued as a popular phenomenon
in the past few years. The seemingly
pseudo-scientific personality measuring
mechanism has also wiggled its way
into Christian college-age cultural
circles and has totally saturated certain
areas of Biola’s community. So, why
are students so obsessed with personality
assessments—and what is it about
the Enneagram in particular?
The Enneagram appeals to students
because it offers them something they
desperately seek: it seems to validate
young people—both for all that they
are and for all they are not. It creates
an inventory of their most obvious
strengths, weaknesses and idiosyncrasies.
It reminds them of the comforting
fact that they are not as odd or out of
place as they may all too often consider
themselves to be.
As college students and young adults
learn about themselves and who they
hope to become, the Enneagram has
become an impactful tool. But there
are two individuals in particular
who have incredible knowledge on
all things Enneagram through their
respective lines of work. Both possess
a keen awareness of the way the
Enneagram has touched people’s lives.
Singer-songwriter Ryan O’Neal is
mind behind the Chicago-based
musical project “Sleeping at Last,” and
producer of nine songs for each of the
Enneagram types.
Beginning in 2014, O’Neal released
“Atlas: Year I,” the first stage of a
three-part musical venture: the Atlas
series. He is currently in the process of
releasing music for “Year II.” According
to his website, “Atlas: Year I”
speaks on the origins of the universe,
and includes themes such as darkness,
light, space, land and oceans. “Year
II” speaks on the human experience
and involuntary human development,
and incorporates the following themes:
life, senses, emotion, intelligence and
Enneagram.
O’Neal’s efforts to help individuals feel
a little less alone in the world represent
what intrigues people most about the
Enneagram itself. The sense of belonging
it provides is exactly what draws
O’Neal to the Enneagram.
“Belonging has such a tie into pretty
much everything we do as people. I feel
like when you learn about yourself and
you recognize that you’re a part of a
specific type of people that have these
[patterns] in your life, you feel solidarity.
You feel understood,” O’Neal said.
O’ Neal first heard about the Enneagram
from his friend, Chris Heutrez—
Enneagram expert and author of the
book “The Sacred Enneagram.” At
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