Talk of a “true self” around the Enneagram usually smuggles in more theology and wishful thinking than evidence.
The problem with the “true self” story
Many Enneagram approaches claim that each type’s passion or fixation separates us from a “true self” that is always pure, good, and sometimes even divine. That single sentence assumes at least three big things: that there is something divine, that there is a pre‑existing “true self,” and that this self is inherently good.
None of these claims is demonstrated; they are metaphysical or religious positions, not conclusions drawn from careful observation of personality patterns.
There is also little serious evidence that goodness is an innate, essential quality sitting intact underneath our patterns.
It is at least as plausible, and arguably more so, that what we call “true self” is something gradually created through choices, habits, and development, rather than a ready‑made core waiting to be uncovered.
Type as strategy, not sin
From a more grounded perspective, an Enneagram type is simply a strategy: a learned, habitual way of striving to feel a certain way and focusing attention in a certain direction.
It is not a sin, a stain, or a fallen layer that must be ripped away to uncover a pristine inner being.
Every type pattern includes both adaptive and maladaptive behaviours; the work is to do more of the former and less of the latter, not to annihilate the pattern itself.
On this view, “goodness” or maturity is not reserved for people who have discovered some hidden essence. It is available to anyone, of any type, who gradually shifts how they act, think, and relate.
Agency instead of mystification
Dropping the “true self as pure divine core” story gives more agency, not less. You are not waiting for a revelation of who you “really” are once your passions are burned off. You are already someone who can observe patterns, make different choices, and build character over time, regardless of type.
The Enneagram then becomes a practical tool: a way to map your default strategies and adjust them, rather than a mystical ladder back to a supposedly perfect original self that nobody can actually demonstrate exists.
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