Can anyone point me in the direction of some (semi) offical Church documents that deal with the enneagram?
In my diaconate training program we are required to take either the Meyers Briggs or Enneagram.
Thanks.
This is off the specific topic you asked about but I’ll toss it in anyway. My mother was a devout Catholic and a clinical/personality psychologist who did the seminary-admission testing for three dioceses for many years. Her opinions on the Meyer’s Briggs and Enneagram were roughly as follows:
MB: Harmless. Doesn’t really tell one anything a person with a reasonable level of self-awareness didn’t already know, but can be helpful to those who do not have much self-knowledge, and can provide convenient labels for those who do.
Enneagram: At best has no value whatsoever as a psychological instrument. At worst, and in the wrong hands, is potentially damaging.
The Enneagram’s so-called scoring system is so ambiguous that it makes the perfect instrument for those who want to label people. For example, if you are more orthodox than some of those in charge of your Diaconate program, it would make a very nice tool for them to use to get rid of you, because pretty much regardless of what “type” you come out as, they can point to anything you say or do that they don’t like and claim that you are a Type X acting at an “unhealthy level”.
The MB, on the other hand, merely places you into a static category, which is harder for people to use against you later.
IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE. TAKE THE M.B.
General Points:
In the wrong hands, any psychological instrument is potentially dangerous. Answering the questions cannot harm you, it’s the interpretation and use of the data which is potentially dangerous.
So, in any case, you really need to ask:
– who is doing the interpreting?
– what are his or her qualifications, i.e., licensed clinical psychologist with specific training in personality assessment, or a hack who took an online “training course”?
– what is this person’s position vis-a-vis the Church and Her teachings?
– who else will have access to the data, and what are their qualifications to interpret it?
I’m not trying to scare you, but a bit of caution is in order. I know from my Mom that there are lots of people in the Church who like to grab things like these and run with them far beyond their own qualifications and/or the useful limits of the instruments themselves.
HTH,
Augieboo
…Blessings - Barb
