18/09/2026
I wonder if we’ve made the Enneagram more complicated than it needs to be?
What if the stress and security points of all nine types have a very particular function?
Let me explain…
*(This is an example of the cycle running to completion without interruption.)*
What if a Type 6 under pressure doesn’t simply “go to 3”?
What if there’s a reason that particular movement happens?
A challenge triggers the Type 6’s core strategy. The Type 6 solution is to be prepared, feel sure and have certainty. As stress increases, the need for this gets amplified — and so does the doubt and anxiety about themselves and the situation.
At some point, access to Type 3 tools activates.
This brings into view something that isn’t seen by the core type.
The Type 6 moves from doubt — “Oh, I’m not sure…” — to being competent, which can look like bravado or arrogance:
“Don’t tell me I can’t do that.”
Being right. Proving I can do this.
This movement is completely contrary to the core type. But it provides a new viewpoint, an opportunity to solve the problem and a chance to grow in awareness.
And then something interesting happens.
When the lesson or new information is acknowledged, the security tool — in this case, Type 9 — integrates the lesson.
It acts like a bridge between the harsh jolt into stress and the return to the core type.
Type 9 softens the arrogance and bravado into something that looks a lot more like confidence.
The cycle completes when the Type 6 returns to their core — wiser and braver than before.
So, what if recognising that movement changes the purpose of the Enneagram?
Instead of:
“I’m a 6, so this is what I do.”
It becomes:
“Ah… I recognise what my personality is doing here.”
And that recognition creates the possibility of choice.
That’s the thinking behind the ENRG GPS — Enneagram Neuro-Relational Guide.
No wings.
No subtypes.
No tritypes.
Just the nine core types, the predictable movements that can happen when we’re activated, and a way of understanding what those movements might be showing us.
I wonder…
Could the Enneagram be less about defining who we are, and more about helping us recognise that our personality is the operating system — and we are the operator?
If you’re curious to explore the idea further:
enrgperspective.com