Do we change personality?

A question often asked is whether people can change personality. As far as the Enneagram is concerned, for example, is it possible to change to become another Type - for a Type Two, say, to become a Type Five?

The belief is that no, we don't change Type. However, that does not mean that we don't change. I would put it this way: that we develop. And if we work very hard on developing ourselves, then, over time, yes, of course we change. It works that way around. But we don't change completely - (or, put it this way, an elephant doesn't become a giraffe).

The Enneagram diagram reflects this movement. We develop in certain ways, depending on our Type, and the lines show the directions of development or growth. (They also show the directions of stress - or disintegration - for each Type, which I will talk about in another post).

For example, Fours are very tuned in to their feelings which they look to for their sense of identity. As a result they have a tendency to relate to everything in terms of how they feel about it. When Fours develop themselves however, they are able to be more objective which helps them to ride out their emotional storms. Objectivity is something that is innate for the One. So the Enneagram diagram has a line from the Four to the One. It is not that a Four tries to be more like a One. It is simply that in developing themselves they become more objective, amongst other behaviours which are also inherent to the One. You can look at development as a sort of re-balancing.

But it's actually larger than that. The result of developing ourselves is that we become less entrenched in repetitive patterns of behaviour and more present to ourselves in any given situation. In other words we become less 'stuck' in personality, have a greater repertoire of responses and so become more free.