The Goods 9/23/23
A few months back, I got into the Enneagram system of psychology. At first glance it resembles something like the Myers-Briggs system. I've found the Enneagram to be more useful.
The initial problem with reading into the Enneagram is fighting your inner monologue, which tells you it's a feminine trait to be this interested in these sorts of psychologies. The second problem is being interested at all. If you enjoy the mysterious process of trial and error in life you might find this stuff boring, pedantic, or that it’s like letting air out of the balloon. If you’re not interested, you can skip to the Youtube videos.
I came across this Richard Rohr playlist and got sucked in. Beyond Richard and this website, I see most other information about the Enneagram as a scam or mushy gushy. You must seek the stuff with the lowest number of views on YouTube to find practically anything worthwhile about any topic. I'm not interested in the kinds of food or which TV characters I'm most similar to. It's very frustrating to be seeking a method of self-insight and being brainwashed by what is essentially theater kids, claiming they understand the depths of human motivations. The first person to bring the Enneagram into popularity was George Gurdjieff, who is notoriously hard to read by design. He's a fascinating dude, which I know nothing about. His whole system is mysterious and presents as cultish, which is not a judgment from me since I'm always one poignant turn of phrase away from accidentally joining a cult.
When I heard about Type 5's traits, my interest was captured. I'm self-aware enough to know that I'm a heady type of wigga, but when discovering the negative characteristics, I understood this might be a fitting identification. The negative traits are: Seeking oblivion, they may commit suicide or have a psychotic break with reality. Deranged, explosively self-destructive, with schizophrenic overtones. Generally corresponds to the Schizoid Avoidant and Schizotypal personality disorders. - Ennegram Institute.
In an open but sparing way, I've written and spoken about issues I've had with these frames of mind. I can laugh about it now, but more importantly, I can healthily mine my past delusions. Something I strive to do with this newsletter is turn people away from paranoia, as well as drug-induced psychosis, which is strongly aided by not using drugs. That's a hard pill for some people; it was for me.
Paranoia, broadly speaking, is in the air in all of our lives. So, I think it's important to interject some rationality. For example, my “regular dude” coworker thinks the government will use electric cars for authoritarian control. I agree with him, but it's not likely Americans will be forced to switch to full EV. It would fail for a number of reasons.
I found it eerie that Type 5's are likely interested in Buddhism, which I am. Also, before I began reading about the Enneagram, I was preparing to start a career in EMS. EMT's said to be a good career path for Type 5's. Very weird. Those two examples made me feel like an NPC forreal.
According to Richard Rohr, the Enneagram has been used by Catholic clergy for centuries to guide congregants in day to day life and spiritual matters. The Enneagram was an oral tradition until the 20th century…
Take it for what you will. If you read into the Enneagram, you should focus on yourself and avoid trying to categorize your friends and family.
Reading about the nine types has made me more cautious and empathetic. When I hang out with people, I don't think about psychological shit because I want to enjoy the moment, which isn't possible while being analytical or judgmental. When it comes to friendly advice, that is the time to consider psychological thinking, but in a sparing way. Autodydacdicsm is limited. Certainly, there are plenty of people who have been fucked by short-sighted and dogmatic licensed therapists as well.
Thinking about the biases of Type 5 has made me skeptical of my conclusions about spiritual matters, which I'll have to think about more. My natural state is to analyze and overthink, which I already know in a roundabout way. The Enneagram has helped me to keep that in check more than any other system.
My last bit would be this: Jungian archetypal psychology is good for people who need more magic in their lives. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is good for people with emotional problems, supposedly. The Enneagram is good for self-insight, and Bioenergetics is a method for breaking out of your shell or processing past troubles.
That's how it's looking to me. I am fascinated with this stuff because I have learned about myself while reading all this different shit. There were wins and losses. I'm also interested in writing fiction, so this stuff is good for attempting to create convincing characters.
I might need to say this is not advice. I don't know—best of luck.
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