Appendix 2B; Understanding Personality Expressions
Personality is a predictable pattern of behavior based on your genetics, your upbringing and your interaction with people and the environment. How you interpret situations/stimuli and how you respond to them in public reveals the type of personality you have. There have been hundreds of profiling systems developed over the years. Personality profiling has been a concept of interest for centuries. The oldest profiling system was identified in the 4th century BC (before Christ). See http://blog.motivemetrics.com/A-History-of-Personality-Psychology-Part-1 for more information.
It is fun and interesting to try to better understand ourselves through trying to identify our personality and how it fits in with others. Most personality assessments focus on the two main measures of behavior-- degrees of assertiveness and degrees of responsiveness. Assertiveness is pictured as a horizontal line and responsiveness is depicted by a vertical line so that the intersection of the two lines describe four major styles of personality. The Big Five Factor model (https://www.verywellmind.com/the-big-five-personality-dimensions-2795422 and the Meyers Briggs https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/the-best-jobs-for-your-personality-type-using-the-myers-briggs-scale/) are arranged differently and are more modern approaches. All of these common profiling systems are portrayed below.
The easiest way to see the Christian psychosocial balance at work is by taking a closer look at the Big Five Personality Profiling System, specifically the traits of agreeableness and narcissism. They both play vital roles in behavior, but have different goals. One way to look at the contrast working together is to see that narcissism is needed to set goals but agreeableness negotiates them and sets your boundaries for achieving them. Researchers. J.D. Foster, et al, say, “Focusing on the self may lead to high self-esteem and high psychological well-being, but it can also lead to narcissism (self-absorption) ... " (p483). All Christian Biblical scholars reiterate Jesus’ teaching that for you to show your commitment to Christ, you need to use self-discipline to train yourself to be self-sacrificing - a common trait associated with reaching an agreement with others (2 Timothy 2:3-6, 2:14-15, 2:21-24, 2 Timothy 1:7).
A pure motivate to love and please God first, and then to please man, helps you balance the two natural traits in this personality profiling system and creates in you the desire to show your loyalty to God. (Another way to to describe a common biblical phrase; “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:11-12). This balancing act is a result of your choice (Act 5:29). It is your responsibility to choose to do things God’s way, but God made it simple to activate the power to implement your decision: believe, receive and use hope in your Christian faith to walk in love (1 Corinthians 13:13). (*God’s Holy Spirit in you is your counterweight so you can either move out in faith or stand firm against sin-giving in to the temptation to elevate yourself higher than God.)
A sixth trait: the honesty-humility dimension*
The Enneagram Profile (not pictured here)
Although the interest in personality profiling system has ancient roots, the enneagram was carefully integrated into psychological/personality theory by Oscar Ichazo in the 1960's. A diagram that helps to visualize the concepts that make up the enneagram can be found on various websites, such as truity.com/enneagram/9-types-enneagram. A free web based assessment test can be self-administered for free at https://assessment.yourenneagramcoach.com/.
One way to look at the enneagram is from the perspective of the character of God. " ... every number on the enneagram teaches us something ... about God's heart" (Cron, I. M., 2016, p 228). We were made in God's image but when sin entered and corrupted God's original design everything changed, right down to our own character and nature (Genesis 1:27, 3:6, James 1:14-15, 1 John 3:8, 4:1) Sin is the reason why people find extremes in their personality. It stems from the original sin of pride*, an independent attitude, which overrides your trust in God's character and judgement. Sometimes you are not aware you even possess this attitude until some consequences arise that point back to your own actions (read more in Appendix 1I.)
*Pride is and always has been an imbedded human personality trait (since the days of Adam and Eve), evident in everyone to one degree or another, however it is often a trait undetected by yourself, the owner (Psalm 51:5). Researchers Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., & De Vries, R. E. (2014) in their review of the big 5 personality traits confirmed theories that a 6th dimension was needed to more thoroughly describe a persons unique preferences, mannerisms, and behavior.
Thinking more about how to please yourself than God, shows that you have not placed God into a position in which you honor His standards and principles more than your own. Making the decision to believe in Jesus changes your heart. When you choose to express your heart through your behavior, you prove Jesus is also the Lord of your life; the final authority over your life. This decision does not change your facial expressions, your body language, your voice tone, your tendency to ask people questions or to be more direct in your communication or other characteristics that make up your natural/neutral personality style, but it does impact your discernment of situations so you are not as impulsive with your choice of words and actions. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you the capability to think twice before you act. For more see "Intentional, Value-Based Decision-making" and Appendix 2D.
People tend to be attracted to/motivated to get .... more. This is a natural consequences of societal living (in a country where personal choice/independence is valued and continually exemplified in a capitalistic society). This tendency to view things from our own perspective is a habit in thinking that needs to be changed so that behavior will follow (revisit Appendix 1F). When you don't intentionally change your perspective, this materialistic, self-focused attitude (fueled by self-driven motives like greed, lust, anger, etc., rather than compassion) will halt Christlike behavior from developing. God honors free-will; the ability to choose (revisit "Intentionality, Free Will and the Law" and Appendix 1N).
The enneagram is a personality profiling system that is based on natural human tendencies in attitude and behavior. As Christians, these pure tendencies are your uniqueness bestowed by God as part of His plan for your life (formed by God in you prior to natural birth, not yet corrupted by sin). In a blog found on Truity's website, one author put it like this:
"We have to distinguish between a man as he is in essence, and as he is in ego or personality. In essence, every person is perfect, fearless, and in a loving unity . . .; there is no conflict within the person between head, heart, and stomach or between the person and others. Then something happens: the ego begins to develop, . . . , there is a transition from objectivity to subjectivity; man falls from essence into personality."