The Liberated Writer Course

You’ve reached the material for week 2.

Zoom link for lives calls (5/6 & 5/9 @ 3pm Central):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87284102835?pwd=aVY4M2wxdEp1RDRCV3VUWXRkcmdlZz09

Still not sure of your Enneagram Type? Read more about the types on these sites:

www.enneagraminstitute.com

www.enneagramspectrum.com

This week we’re exploring more of the movement we see through the types. First, we’ll look at the variation possible within a single type of healthy, average, and unhealthy expressions. This is important work because often we’ve picked up patterns through our life that we believe are healthy expressions of our type but are, in fact, very much not. Learning to differentiate what expressions of our type will move us ahead and which will keep us stuck and suffering is, as you can imagine, a valuable bit of knowledge. It also helps us locate ourselves in a map, essentially. YOU ARE HERE. This is a crucial practice for mindfulness. “Where am I emotionally/cognitively/behaviorally right now?” is the splitting of our perspective into the observer and the observed, which reinforces that our personalities aren’t fixed, and when we can observe them, we can adjust them.

The second topic we’ll cover this week is how two people of the same type might look slightly different based on a toolbox we call a “wing.” Each person has two possible sets of tools to choose from, so we’ll look at which tools you’ve been using… and which toolbox you have yet to tap into! We’ll also look at how we can begin to resemble other types from our dominant type when we’re 1) under stress, 2) around people we trust, and 3) have integrated some of the truths we learn and have begun to let go of all the unhelpful patterns we’ve been clutching to.

By the end of this week, you’ll have a better understanding of:

1. The resources of personality you have at your disposal

2. What growth will look like for you and your career

3. How to spot signs that you’re under stress and maybe shouldn’t be making those big business decisions in that state

Let’s get started!

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard me refer to “healthy,” “average,” and “unhealthy” patterns of each type. These are not general terms, but rather specific ones that are defined in the Enneagram Levels of Development.

The name might be taken to mean that there’s a linear path of growth for people through their type, but that’s far from reality. Some people will never reach the “healthy” levels of development for their type. And some people will never reach the most “unhealthy” levels of their type, which is great news for everybody!

When we talk about “development” we’re not only talking about the way a person develops into healthier patterns or devolves into less healthy patterns, we’re also talking about how the core fear and desire of the type develop into something healthy and productive (healthy), something a bit neurotic and stagnant (average), or something toxic and damaging to self and others (unhealthy). 

Each of the nine motivations has the potential to evolve or devolve through the levels. 

One of the things that fascinates me is how society perceives each type’s levels of development. For instance, Twos with average levels of development are revered as properly self-sacrificing, particularly if they’re women. The attitude that women should put everyone’s needs before their own is rewarded and revered in many communities. This makes it especially difficult for a two in those communities to develop beyond the average levels of the type and into healthier patterns, such as attending to their own needs as much as they attend to the needs of others (or maybe even more! gasp!). 

When society praises a Two for not enforcing boundaries (or derives them for enforcing even the simplest ones), it’s going to take a much more dramatic crash and burn, possibly hitting rock bottom, before the Two is willing to stop playing that game completely and learn the true value of understanding where their responsibility ends and the other person’s begins.  

So long as we’re being adequately rewarded for our average behaviors, we’re unlikely to ever stop playing the games that earn us the rewards. 

Threes run into the same type of problem in modern society. They are great at mastering systems to maximize gains. Threes are the best players at the game of Capitalism. Even as they slip into unhealthy patterns that exploit the labor of others, they continue to receive praise from many, many people, and their material gains can make them feel “valuable” in a fleeting way that begs for more, more, more to keep the scary emptiness away. 

One of the most detrimental things to our growth that can befall us is being part of a community that rewards our average or unhealthy behaviors. But before we can spot that danger, we have to know which patterns of thinking, feelings, and behaving are healthy, average, or unhealthy for our type. You might be surprised where some of them fall. 

The 9 development levels 

Each of the nine types has nine levels of development. Levels 1-3 are “healthy.” Levels 4-6 are “average.” Levels 7-9 are “unhealthy.” Most people spend most of their time in the average levels. Folks tend to find the Enneagram when they’ve spent just a leeeeettle too much time in the average levels and are starting to feel seasick from their own repetitive patterns that are getting them no closer to where they want to be. 

Yet, when you ask a newbie to point to where they see themselves on the levels of development for their type, they almost always point to somewhere in the healthy levels. 

That’s something that people in average levels are prone to do, and I’ll explain why in the next section. 

Each of the nine levels has a particular category associated with it, but because those labels get a little in the weeds on the psychology verbiage, we’re only going to look at a few that are especially important to our growth journey as writers. 

TIP: If you want to dig into a particular type’s Levels of Development, copy the following link and substitute the type number you’re interested in for the x: www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-x

I encourage you to go read yours and see where you might have accidentally labeled some of the average or unhealthy behaviors as healthy ones simply because they got you desirable results.

Pause and Think
Which of the average behaviors of your type have been rewarded in your author career?
How might those same patterns have become a hinderance to your career?

Let’s talk about three significant levels of development to know about for now.

And perhaps most enjoyably, learning to feel comfortable around these dark impulses makes each of us write stronger villains. To write dark characters, we must go to a dark place, and when we’re unwilling to poke at the darkness that exists in this world, that shows in our writing. Our villains become cartoonish and under developed, our protagonists lack clear flaws, and the prose begins to feel shallow, oversimplified, and bland. For that reason alone, learning about the destructive levels of each type is worth whatever discomfort it may cause.

But let’s not end on a negative note. Let’s return to Liberation to explore the truth each of us connect with when our core fear and core desire take a back seat.

The truth of each type

Liberation is a remembering process. What we’re remembering is a Truth of our type, then we’re connecting to it.

What are those truths we’re remembering and connecting to? Here ya go:

Self-awareness

What is the driving force behind these levels of development, you might wonder. What mechanism determines where we fall along the levels at any given moment? 

The answer is simple: self-awareness. 

The levels of development are a scale of self-awareness for each type. 

In this context, “self-awareness” is not the same as “feeling self-conscious.” In our context, we’re looking at how aware of and connected to your essence you are. Therefore, the best way to spend more time in healthier levels is to increase your self-knowledge and reconnect with the you that exists beneath the ego. 

Sometimes in Enneagram circles, the term “ego fixation” is used to describe the progression down the levels of development. The more ego fixation, the lower the level one inhabits. 

Ego fixation is essentially this seeking of our core desire once we’ve lost touch with our essence. 

For example, instead of the Eight knowing that they are connected to the strength and power of the universe without even trying, they seek power. The degree to which they have lost touch with this essential knowledge is the degree to which they’re caught in ego fixation. The harder they seek power, the more disconnected they become from the truth inside of them. And the more disconnected we become from our truth, whatever that is for our type, the more disconnected we become from everything. 

We can only connect with others as much as we can connect with ourselves. That’s why all work toward building stronger relationships starts at home, with our relationship with self.

For instance, instead of Sixes seeking trustworthy relationships with others through testing the relationship over and over again until the other person (unaware they’re being tested) inevitably fails, the Six can instead look inward and work on how much they trust themselves and their inner voice. By learning that “I can trust myself to know what to do no matter the situation,” the Sixes lessen their need for certainty regarding loyalty from others. In effect, they can stop testing the loyalty of others because they know they’ll be okay regardless. Additionally the absence of those exhausting tests then strengthens their connection with others and encourages the thing they were seeking in the first place: secure relationships. (People are much more likely to stick around when they aren’t constantly having to pass invisible tests to prove their undying loyalty.)

This is all great news, as far as I’m concerned, because it means that where we spend our time in these levels of development is within our power to change. We might not have all the tools we need yet, but we know what they are: meditation, kind physical exercise, journaling, therapy, and friendships with healthy people. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Looking inward must become a daily practice if we want progress. 

The best news of all is this: we can stop seeking, because the thing we most desire is already inside of us (it is us), waiting patiently to be seen.

Arrows - why are they useful and how do they work?

When you look at the Enneagram diagram, you see those lines pointing from one type to the next. But what do they mean? These arrows indicate the direction of each type’s “disintegration” and “integration,” more commonly referred to as “stress” and “growth” respectively. 

Under Stress

What this means is that under stressful conditions we begin to take on certain qualities of another particular type. The stress type for each dominant type can be found by following against the direction of the arrow pointing at that type. 

In the most general sense, that looks like this:

The focused Fives begin to take on some of the more scattered qualities of the Seven when under stress. 

The enthusiastic and joyful Sevens begin to take on some of the more self-critical and rigid characteristics of the One when under stress. 

The balanced and disciplined One starts to take on some of the emotionally unstable and self-loathing qualities of the Four when under stress. 

The introspective and self-aware Four starts to take on some of the emotional enmeshment and codependency of the Two under stress.

The caring and nurturing Two starts to take on some of the forcefulness and aggression of the Eight when under stress.

The magnanimous and bold Eight starts to take on some of the fear and secrecy of the Five when under stress.

The active and resourceful Three starts to take on some of the detachment and apathy of the Nine when under stress.

The peaceful and connected Nine starts to take on some of the frantic and fearful qualities of the Six when under stress. 

The cooperative and diligent Six starts to take on some of the competitive and exploitative qualities of the Three when under stress. 

In short, under stress, we adopt some of the average or unhealthy qualities of our “stress type.” 

It’s important to not stigmatize being in one’s stress type, though. It serves an important purpose in our lives! 

When we’re under stress for long periods of time, it aggravates and exaggerated the unconscious patterns of our dominant type. Under stress, the cracks really start to show in our average or unhealthy patterns, and that can be compounded over time until everything feels like it’s falling apart. 

Popping over to our stress type, while not necessarily us at our “best,” works like a pressure release valve. It gives us a vacation from the same damn pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that’s not working to solve our problems and might even be the reason we’re under stress in the first place! 

Our stress type is a minivacation from ourselves, and if we frame it like that, which is admittedly difficult work, it can become yet another useful tool in our arsenal. 

For example: You are a Type 9-Peacemaker. One typical pattern that Nines find themselves in is: “This isn’t a big deal. No hurry.” This comes from a need to feel peace in and around them, but when it turns from something Zen-like to avoidance of reality, the Nine creates problems for themselves later on. 

One of the things I love about Nines is that they don’t live life with the made-up urgency that many of us are prone to. But if that sense of urgency is completely lacking, then we see patterns arise like procrastination or overwhelm from a bunch of unfinished projects. 

Eventually, it will get to a point where the Nine has a choice: double down on detaching from reality and keep putting things off and not finishing projects, or face the reality of the situation their unchecked need for “peace” has created. By doubling down, we see the Nine go lower in their development levels (we’ll talk about these later, but essentially they will continue to have more and more unhealthy patterns emerge). This is not ideal.

Enter: stress type. 

The Nine takes on some of the frantic qualities of the Six, including a massive sense of urgency and surge of anxiety-induced adrenaline to finish every project all at once. You might as well be administering electric shocks to their sympathetic nervous system at this point, but the stress-type pattern does work to solve the problem at hand (temporarily): the Nine will acknowledge the problems they’re facing and hopefully begin doing something about them. (This doesn’t always happen, as some of the problems are rather large by the time the Nine looks at them, and overwhelm can set in, despite all the anxious energy.)

This is how moving into your stress type can take you out of your usual cycles to keep them from getting worse, and present a solution–albeit usually a fairly crappy one–for your predicament. 

Probably, this Nine has gotten used to this pattern: Ignore, ignore, ignore… freak out, work frantically, the sky is falling. I think we can agree that it’s not the healthiest option, but it can get the job done.

And lastly, the patterns of our stress type look different enough from our usual patterns that they can become a signal to us that we’re under stress. “People don’t realize they’re stressed?” Often not. Whether we’ve adapted to a new baseline of stress (hello there, parents of young children), or a stressful upbringing has trained our nervous systems that stress = equilibrium, it’s exceptionally easy to get so swept up in treading water that we lack the spare attention to notice that we’re treading water.

We are an adaptable species, if nothing else.

But over time, your arms and legs will grow tired of treading water, and you’ll start to sink below the surface.

Learning to notice the patterns of your stress type is yet another way to recognize that you’re treading water so that you can shift your attention toward swimming to shore.

The healthy option for any type can be found in the growth type.

Bonus: The Missing Piece

There’s a concept that’s not talked about much in most models but that is emphasized in the Integrative Enneagram (one of the schools I’m certified through). The concept is sometimes called the Missing Piece. The missing piece is one of the last parts of self we gain access to, once we’ve done a bunch of growth work. It’s essentially the ability to access the healthy levels of our stress type. For example, if you’re a Two, your missing piece would be the gifts of a healthy Eight. That means that for Twos, who generally struggle with boundaries around their time and energy, will become integrated with the Eight’s ease around boundaries and saying no. Boundaries are so natural to an Eight that they don’t have to think about it to make it happen (in fact, the growth for most Eights is to lower some of the boundaries, which takes them into that healthy level, too).

Our Missing Piece is kind of the final boss we face when doing this work, so I don’t expect anyone to get there at the end of this 5 weeks (and if you think you’re there, you’re probably fooling yourself, frankly). It’s an interesting promise, though, that you might someday connect to this part of yourself, and it’s well worth a little contemplation and consideration when you have the time.

With Growth

To know your growth type, follow the arrow that points away from your dominant type. 

As you notice and unlock the common patterns of your dominant type, you are able to access the healthy energy of your growth type. So…

Fives stop collecting/hoarding knowledge and resources and use them to make bold moves and present expertise like an Eight. 

Eights use their power and boldness to care for others and show kindness like a Two. 

Twos stop denying their own emotional needs and allow themselves to be introspective and feel deeply like a Four. 

Fours stop letting their emotions toss them against the rocks and develop more rules and structure like the One.

Ones release the need to be perfect and “correct” and are able to access the lighthearted spontaneity of the Seven. 

Sevens stop chasing shiny objects and starting a million projects at once, and focus their natural energy in a few richer pursuits like the Five. 

Threes stop focusing so much on their own goals and glory and work toward the betterment of the group like the Six.

Sixes stop worrying about everything that could go wrong and testing the loyalty of those around them, and tap into the serenity and sense of unshakeable connectedness of the Nine. 

Nines stop avoiding anything that resembles the spotlight, and begin taking meaningful action toward the life they want like the Three. 

So when you look back at the example of a Nine under stress who ignores problems until they’re too big to ignore and then freaks out and frantically works on them, you see that the healthier solution and what will keep them from being in that situation in the first place, is addressing the root cause of the inaction (aversion to conflict, disruption of inner peace). Addressing this root cause allows them to take meaningful action that doesn’t overtax them but keeps them an active rather than passive participant of their life and the world around them. 

What they need is purposeful action. What they resort to under stress is a close miss: scurrying frantically. Our stress response kinda looks like the thing we need, but it’s a toxic version of it. 

Getting off that merry-go-round is the kindest thing we can do for ourselves, even though the process is usually one of painfully honest introspection. 

Bonus: Security

Our growth type is also what’s called our security type, though we access them in different ways. Accessing our growth type means we’re accessing features of that type in the “healthy” range. That’s why we have to clear away a lot of our own personality grunge before we can make space for more of our growth type to shine through.

In the meantime, when we’re around friends and family we trust, we can move into our security type. This is the same number as your growth type, but you’re taking on some of the “average” or “unhealthy” patterns of the type. This is why our close friends are not always great at typing us: they see us while we’re kicking back in our security type.

For example, if you’re a Five, when you’re around secure relationships, you may take on some of the Eight’s hardline boundaries or bossiness, which show up in those average levels. Or if you’re a Three, you might take on some of the Six’s average pattern of seeking guidance on a topic from everyone around you before you are ready to take action.

As a One, I certainly observe some of the recklessness, pleasure seeking, and “why the hell not?” behavior of an average Seven in myself when I’m around friends I really like and trust.

So while we’re not going too in-depth on this topic, it’s another interesting pattern to observe in yourself. It might be influencing the ways you relate to your close professional contacts.

Wings - why are they useful?

This week, we explored some new ways we move around our dominant type. The Enneagram is anything but a stagnant typing process. Last week we looked at how our type breaks down into three subtypes, and this week we discovered how we can sway between our wings, and regularly move up and down through the Levels of Development for our type.

Learning about our flow and movement throughout the Enneagram framework helps us better pinpoint where we are at any given moment. Are we showing signs of stress? Are we lacking our usual self-awareness? What tools from one or both wing(s) might we be underutilizing? What would it look like to act in a healthy way in a particular situation?

All of these skills are tools in our toolbox and help us gain perspective about our emotional, cognitive, and physical state. With more perspective, we’re able to make more aligned decisions for our careers that we will happily stand by for years to come.

Week 2 Reflection Questions:

(Pro-tip: draft your responses on a text document to avoid accidentally refreshing this page and losing your work.)