Do you repeat the same emotional patterns again and again?

Most of us do, even though these patterns make us suffer and take us further away from happiness.

Just imagine what it would be like to make these self-defeating patterns conscious, practice their opposites, and finally be free of them.

The Enneagram of Personality is a map of the human psyche and a method for developing self-awareness that can help you do just that. 

It defines nine personalities types and twenty-seven subtypes. The system also illuminates the nine emotional “passions” or vices that people most commonly fall prey to as well as their opposite “virtues.”

Psychotherapist and Enneagram expert, Beatrice Chestnut, Ph.D., describes the passions like this:

“The passion is a specific emotional motivation at the core of the Personality.”—Beatrice Chestnut, Ph.D.

The passion then is the driver behind your unconscious habits and patterns, the ones that keep you stuck in cycles of unhappiness.

So, to begin to free yourself from self-defeating patterns, get to know your passion and start to practice its corresponding virtue. 

The 9 Passions and the 9 Virtues

The Enneagram sets out a path for moving from each passion to its corresponding virtue

“The theory of growth communicated by this ‘Vice to Virtue conversion’ is that the more we can be aware of how our passion functions within our personality and consequently work toward the embodiment of its opposite, the more we can free ourselves from the unconscious habits and fixated patterns of our type and evolve toward our ‘higher’ side.”—Beatrice Chestnut, Ph.D.

Each passion is associated with a particular Enneagram type. You may not know your Enneagram type, but you can get a sense of what it might be by studying the passions. Since we have all the types within us to some degree, you might see glimpse of several different passions in yourself. But there should be one with you name clearly marked on it.

As you look through the nine passions below, you may notice a correspondence to the “seven deadly sins” that originated with the Dessert Fathers, especially Evagrius Ponticus. A Christian monk and ascetic (345–399 AD), Evagrius wrote extensively about eight vices that could block a monk’s spiritual evolution.

These were later reclassified by the Catholic church into the seven deadly sins.

Or you may have seen the 1995 crime movie “Se7en” in which two detectives hunt a serial killer who murders individuals consumed by one of the seven deadly sins.

However, in the context of the Enneagram, these passions have an expanded meaning that goes beyond the deadly sins and the labels attributed to them. Also, the passions aren’t presented in a moralistic way, but rather as the basis for self-knowledge and personal transformation.

Let’s take a look at the nine passions based on descriptions from The Complete Enneagram, 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge by Beatrice Chestnut, Ph.D.

Type 9: Laziness

Laziness in this context means being asleep to your inner experience. It can feel like a sense of disconnection from life and one’s own life force. 

You may feel unsure about your own desires, have trouble connecting with your inner truth, and hesitate to assert yourself in the world. There can be a deadening of feeling or conversely an adoption of a friendly disposition worn as a mask.

Because you fail to see your inner patterns, you’re unable to change and grow.

Laziness is associated with Enneagram type 9. The antidote is right action.

Type 8: Lust

Lust is not limited to sexual desire. It’s a tendency to excess and intensity in the realms of sensual stimulation and physical fulfillment. 

This is a person who craves constant stimulation, good food, and loud music—hedonism in short. They believe they have the right to indulge without limit. They go to extremes and lack any sense of inhibition.

Lust is associated with Enneagram type 8. The antidote is innocence.

Type 7: Gluttony 

Gluttony is the desire for unlimited experiences from good food to pleasant conversations to fun and adventures. 

You want to taste as many experiences as possible, but never feel satisfied. This leads you to chase after more experiences, caught in a never ending cycle. Gluttony in this form is used to numb feelings and avoid emotional suffering.

Gluttony is associated with Enneagram type 7. The antidote is sobriety.

Type: 6: Fear

Everyone experiences some degree of fear. Fear is necessary for the survival of the species. 

But in some people, fear dominates their personality. 

Fear can manifest in myriad forms including fear of external events, worry, and anxiety. It can also be the root of self-doubt, shame, and guilt.

Fear can make you become obedient to rules in an attempt to secure a sense of safety or control. Alternatively, it can lead to aggression when you feel threatened by real or imagined forces. Your life can become focused on survival in the face of seemingly constant threats.

Fear is associated with Enneagram type 6. The antidote is courage.

Type 5: Avarice (Greed)

In this context, greed means attachment to what you possess that stems from an early experience of not having your needs met. This is classic “poverty mentality” blended with a fear of impoverishment. You reduce your needs to a minimum and are reluctant to give to others.

This form of avarice appears in the realms of time and energy too. For example, you fear your energy will be depleted so you tend to withdraw into yourself.

Avarice is associated with Enneagram type 5. The antidote is non-attachment.

Type 4: Envy

Envy arises out of a sense of personal deficiency. You believe what you need is outside of you and out of your reach as well. You compare yourself to others and over-focus on your deficiencies. As a result, you dip into shame. 

You long for love and acceptance but feel you’re not deserving of it.

Envy is associated with Enneagram type 4. The antidote is equanimity.

Type 3: Vanity

When driven by vanity, your primary concern is how others perceive you. You’re driven to be seen in a positive light. You’re even willing to create a false image based on social standards, so strong is your desire for praise. 

Some develop sex appeal so others find them attractive. Others focus on achieving success in order to attract praise and attention. 

This orientation to external appearance leaves you little time for inner exploration.

Vanity is associated with Enneagram type 3. The antidote is hope.

Type 2: Pride

Pride means self-inflation, the tendency to puff yourself up. In this particular case, it is connected to the belief you can meet everyone’s needs while ignoring your own. 

Perpetual giving boosts your confidence. The fantasy of having no needs makes you feel superior. Not having to depend on anyone else expands your sense of power. 

You see yourself as indispensable and find it impossible to say no to others.

Vanity is associated with Enneagram type 2. The antidote is humility.

Type 1: Anger

This form of anger is typically expressed as resentment, frustration, or self-righteousness, but can veer towards fierce anger in some instances. 

You hold a high standard of perfection and expect others to adhere to it. When others fail to do so, you fall into one of these more constrained expressions of anger. You’re more likely to be perceived by others as tense, critical, or demanding rather than as an “angry person.”

Anger is associated with Enneagram type 1. The antidote is serenity.

The passions lie on a spectrum. You may be constantly driven by one of the passions, it might be a moderate influence, or if you’re more evolved, it may only impact you occasionally.

To identify your passion, you’ll need to look within and be completely honest with yourself.

Once you know your passion, you can work on its corresponding virtue to heal your patterns and move into a higher state of awareness. 

Much more has been written about each passion and its corresponding virtue in books on the Enneagram. I’ve only been able to provide a small glimpse of each passion in this piece.

The vice to virtue conversion is only one aspect of personal growth defined for each type on the Enneagram, but it’s an important one.

Closing Thoughts

The Enneagram is a map of the human psyche that defines nine interconnected personality types and 27 sub-types.

Each Enneagram type is associated with a passion or vice that holds it back from personal growth. Once you know your passion, which requires honest self-reflection, you’ll be able to practice its corresponding virtue and gradually attain a higher state of awareness.

Personal growth doesn’t need to be a mystery. The Enneagram provides a detailed map that will show you exactly how to grow according to your type and sub-type.

The rest is up to you.

Thank you for your presence, I know your time is precious!  Don’t forget to  sign up for Wild Arisings, my twice monthly letters from the heart filled with insights, inspiration, and ideas to help you connect with and live from your truest self. 

You might also like to check out my  Living with Ease course or visit my Self-Care Shop. May you be happy, well, and safe – always.  With love, Sandra