Accurately identifying your Enneagram type really does matter, and here’s why. Mistyped people pay attention, although unintentionally, to the wrong things (or misinterpret why they do something) and subsequently pursue a development path that isn’t going to support their growth The post Overlays for Type Six: country and family appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.
Accurately identifying your Enneagram type really does matter, and here’s why. Mistyped people pay attention, although unintentionally, to the wrong things (or misinterpret why they do something) and subsequently pursue a development path that isn’t going to support their growth and transformation. Mistyped people also misunderstand or misinterpret their own impact on others, making it challenging to truly understand and improve human interactions using the insights of the Enneagram.
There are many reasons that contribute to the challenge, but also the beauty, of accurate typing. One of these factors involves overlays on our type. The two overlays that occur most frequently are country (culture) overlays and family overlays. Not every country has a clear Enneagram type, and Enneagram teachers may disagree about the type of a certain country. My assessments come from two sources: my personally having visited the countries multiple times and from discussions with Enneagram professionals who live and work in those countries.
Country: Germany
Germany is very likely a Six culture, probably a social subtype Six. With a reliance on rules and processes and an eye toward what authority figures are doing, a German colleague described it this way: “We have such a beautiful country and even those who live in apartments have balconies overlooking lush greenery. But do we really enjoy it? We’re always wondering what might happen next that won’t be so good that we can plan for.” They have intricate recycling systems because, admirably, they are worried about the planet. The Germans have at least six different processes for recycling waste from cooking. Could you remember which foods go in which color bags? Germans know what to do, no matter what their type.
There are other countries that might be Enneagram Sixes. This information comes more from Enneagram people who live in these countries than from me, although I have been all of these places and can understand why these might actually be Six countries. Possible Six countries are Australia (one-to-one subtype Six, the most counterphobic) and Singapore (social subtype 6). I can offer anecdotes for each country, just to get you thinking!
Australians, in general, know what the rules are and abide by them, and yet they don’t abide by them. And when they don’t, they almost make fun of the rules through blatant behavior. For example, you’re not supposed to throw your cigarette butts on the sidewalk or in the street, so it is common to see mounds of cigarettes piled up on the grass or gravel, building up like a very large ant hill. It’s akin to following the letter of the law but not the spirit of it! Australians also have an abundance of words they use in common speech that are slang words for sexual terms, with an emphasis on male body parts. I had to ask what these words meant, much to my subsequent embarrassment.
Singapore is interesting because, before I went there for work, I used to hear that it was an Enneagram Three country. However, once I was there, I asked Singaporeans what they thought. Some didn’t know, but many said Enneagram Six, and here’s why. Singaporeans are highly dutiful and loyal with respect to their families, their organizations, their religious communities, and more. Singapore is also well-known for having an abundance of rules for people to follow, such as limited gum chewing if at all, where you can smoke on the street (note that there are very few places and they are marked off by yellow lines), what to do with trash (do not litter ever, so carry it with you or find a trash bin if you can), etc..
When I first visited Singapore, I expected to see many police officers on patrol because I’d heard not only about the rules but also about the financial fines and jail time for rule violations. To my surprise, in all the times I’ve been there, I‘ve seen a police officer only once. This was explained to me very simply: Singaporeans know and follow the rules without resentment because it keeps things safe, predictable, and, in a sense, civil and cooperative. If rules do get violated, Singaporeans say something about it to the offender, and the offender stops. Once, I unknowingly violated a rule and got spoken to rather sharply by a stranger. My Singaporean friends were highly apologetic for the sharp treatment, but I fully understood and immediately changed my behavior.
Family overlays
Not every family has a strong family overlay, but those that do have had one person in the family system, usually a person in a position of perceived authority, who has had a pervasive influence on all the children in that family, not just one child. That person could be a mother, father, grandparent, uncle, aunt, or even the eldest sibling. If the family overlay is type Six, the children will tend to raise doubts and “What ifs” more regularly, engage in more contingency planning, and be more tuned into what authority figures are doing and not doing.
About Ginger
Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books including The Art of Typing, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | [email protected]
The post Overlays for Type Six: country and family appeared first on The Enneagram in Business.
