Enneagram Fours: Giraffe

Why did I select the giraffe to represent Enneagram Fours? There are a number of reasons. First, each giraffe is unique, although to the uninformed eye, they may look like every other giraffe. Second, they are extremely awkward animals but, at the same time, graceful and elegant. Third, they tower as tall as the trees, in some way giving them a regal quality that allows them to look over their empires. These and more reasons are offered below.

The giraffe’s name

The name giraffe appears in English from the 16th century on, often in the italinate form giraffa. The species name camelopardalis (camelopard) is derived from its early Roman name, where it was described as having characteristics of both a camel and a leopard. The English word camelopard first appeared in the 14th century and survived in common usage well into the 19th century.

Enneagram Commentary: The poor giraffe, so regal and stately, doesn’t even have a name all it’s own. What a dilemma for the giraffe, potentially engaged in a lifelong search for its own identity, just like Enneagram Fours. If you didn’t have your own real name, wouldn’t you be in a continuous search for who you are? The giraffe is potentially destabilized at birth. Names matter!

Giraffe physiology

Giraffes are best known for their very long necks and the striking coat pattern of irregular brown patches on a lighter background. Each giraffe has a pattern of blotches that is unique to that individual, like a human fingerprint. Giraffes have horns unlike any other mammal. They are present at birth as cartilaginous knobs that rapidly ossify. They grow slowly throughout life and are covered with skin and hair.

In addition to these features, the giraffe is noted for its extremely long neck and legs. It stands 5-6 m (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) for males and 830 kilograms (1,800 lb) for females. At first glance, giraffes seem ungainly. They are actually not only graceful, but fast and may gallop at 35 mph. Their more characteristic gait is the pace, where both legs on one side move simultaneously as they majestically roam the dry savannahs and open woodlands.

Compared with other ruminants, such as deer and cattle, the giraffe has proportionally larger eyes, with which it can locate food and distant predators from its great height. Giraffes also have color vision, enabling them to recognize each other.

Enneagram Commentary: Giraffes are so Four-like! They are both unique -- giraffes with their pattern of skin blotches and skin-covered horns, and Fours with their unique perspective on the world -- need to perceive themselves as different, and demonstrate particular ways of behavior in which they try to differentiate themselves. For example, some Fours say purposefully provocative things, others dress in differentiating ways – a streak of purple in the hair, exceedingly somber attire for the social subtype Fours or dramatic dress for the sexual subtype Fours – while still other Fours simply need to declare and hold onto how different they are from others.

Fours also try to catch our attention in some way, just like giraffes do with their height and majesty. Fours may do so by their regal bearing or unique presence or simply by calling out when they have not received the attention or acknowledgment they might want.

Finally, like giraffes, many Fours have highly attuned and refined perceptual capabilities. I’ve heard many Fours describe how they see events in full color: in dreams, in scenario building, and in creative endeavors. Many, many animals do not see in color, just like many of us (non-Fours) may not perceive the world in its full array of color, but rather in just a few colors without much nuance.

Giraffe behavior

While giraffes are usually found in groups, the composition of these groups is more fluid than in other social ungulates. They are a largely transient species with few strong social bonds and aggregations usually disband every few hours, although calving groups can last weeks to months.

Although generally quiet and non-vocal, giraffes have been heard to communicate with various sounds. Courting males will emit loud coughs. Females will call their young by whistling or bellowing. Calves will bleat, moo, or make mewing sounds. In addition, giraffes will grunt, snort, hiss, or make strange flute-like sounds.

Recent research has provided evidence that the giraffes produce infrasound, a sound that is lower in frequency than 20 Hz or cycles per second, which is far below the "normal" limit of human hearing. The study of such sound waves is sometimes referred to as infrasonics, covering sounds beneath 20 Hz down to 0.001 Hz. This frequency range is utilized for monitoring earthquakes, charting rock and petroleum formations below the earth, and more.

Giraffes are difficult and dangerous prey. They defend themselves with powerful kicks which, when well-placed, can kill a predator.

Enneagram Commentary:  Like giraffes, Fours are essentially loners, although they do associate with groups, but at a distance, and their connections are often shorter than longer. Ironically, though Fours thirst for deep and lasting connectivity, fours are often the ones to break the connection. Why? Here are some starters: boredom, fear of abandonment (so they take the first strike), and a desire to not give up their autonomy.

Almost anyone who knows a Four will tell you they are easy to read, in a sense. We may not know exactly what they are feeling or thinking, but their facial expressions, growls and grunts, and even their retracted silence with intense non-audible sounds tells us something is going on. 

Specialness

Arab prophets and poets considered the giraffe the "queen of beasts" for what they saw as its delicate features and fragile form. Eastern sultans prized them as special pets.

Enneagram Commentary: Giraffes may not know they are special, but they are treated as such. Similarly, Fours are, in many ways, delicate and sometimes fragile, a result of their super-sensitivity and tendency to introject negative information about themselves.

Giraffe joke

Question: What is a giraffe's favorite joke?
Answer: A tall story.

Enneagram Commentary:  Fours do tell “tall” stories, ones that are self-referencing and dramatic.

Enneagram Three: Wildebeest (gnu)

Do you know what a wildebeest is? Do you know what it looks like? If you live in Africa (or specifically South Africa), you likely know the answers to these questions. They are actually a type of antelope, a hooved mammal that some of us know as gnus (pronounced ‘news’). But why, then, are they called wildebeests in Africa and why did I select them to symbolize Enneagram Threes?

Name 
Wildebeest is Dutch for "wild beast" or "wild cattle" in Africaans (beest = cattle). Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa and Namibia, a “daughter” language of Dutch that has also incorporated words from Malay, Portuguese, and several other African languages. The Afrikaaners thought that the “gnu” looked like a cattle in the wild.

Enneagram Commentary: Here’s a question often asked of Threes but also by Threes of themselves: Who are you? Just like the wildebeest (or is it gnu?), Threes confuse who they are with how others perceive them. A better way to say this is that Threes confuse who they are with how they want others to perceive them, but take their desired self-perception from their social context.

Physical characteristics 

The wildebeest ranges in color from slate gray to dark brown, with a large black face, shaggy mane, long hairy tail, pointed beard, and body stripes. Clearly distinct are their sharp, curved horns. Color also varies depending on subspecies, gender, and season. They have an extremely sturdy body structure. They can reach 8 feet in length, stand 4.5 feet tall at the shoulders, and can weigh up to 600 pounds. Both males and females have horns. The front end of the body is heavily built, the hindquarters slender, and the legs spindly.

“It looks like it was assembled from spare parts – the forequarters could have come from an ox, the hindquarters from an antelope, and the mane and tail from a horse.”

Enneagram Commentary: Like the wildebeest, Threes become an amalgam of characteristics that may appear to go together but are drawn from a response to their social environment. Known as the chameleons of the Enneagram, Threes shape and then shift from one persona to another depending on their referent group. In addition, Threes are usually study characters, just like wildebeests, and put most of their energy and bulk into their front (upper bodies), similar to wildebeests. Finally, although male and female Threes obviously appear to be male or female, there are striking similarities between the genders in terms of body structure, facial expressions, and more. With other Enneagram styles – for example, Twos, Fours, Sixes, Sevens, and Eights – the physical gender differences are more apparent.

Wildebeest babies 
Wildebeest females give birth to a single calf in the middle of the herd, not seeking a secluded place, as do many antelopes. Amazingly, about 80 percent of the calves are born within the same 2- to 3-week period, creating a glut for predators and thus enabling more calves to survive the crucial first few weeks. A calf can stand and run within minutes of birth and keep up with the herd within one week.

Enneagram Commentary: Just like Enneagram Threes, wildebeest babies are “born to run.” Enneagram Threes usually say that they were goal focused and success driven from the earliest age they can remember, almost as if they were born to be on a movement forward. Metaphorically, Enneagram Threes (even more introverted Threes) tend to be more in the public zone rather than away from the public scene from early ages as they strive for accomplishment and recognition of their capabilities.

Wildebeest adult behavior
Wildebeest are noisy, constantly emitting low moans and if disturbed, they snort explosively.

They are known for their annual migration to new pastures, usually beginning their migration in the months of May or June when drought forces them to do so. Continually on the move as they seek favorable supplies of grass and water (even when there is ample food where they are), wildebeest are active both day and night, most often in long single columns. They also cover long distances at a slow rocking gallop but can run fast when necessary.

Major predators feed on wildebeest – the lion, hyena, cheetah, leopard, and crocodile – but wildebeest are very strong and can inflict considerable injury to even a lion, and they have an apparent maximum running speed of around 64 km/h (40 mph).

Enneagram Commentary: Just like the wildebeest, Enneagram Threes let you know they are here, rarely fading into the wallpaper. And when Threes become disturbed – for example, when they believe their time is being wasted, when another is criticizing their work or becoming an obstacle to their goal attainment – Threes (like wildebeest) growl and bark at you. Finally, like the wildebeest, Threes move quickly and often as they search for greener pastures of opportunity. Generally speaking, the Three’s pace is fast and faster, just like the wildebeest.

Final comment
For all the Threes out there, I want to say that most Threes are much more attractive than the wildebeest. Wildebeest don’t seem to care what they look like!

Newt Gingrich: Is America Ready for a Leprechaun President?

 

As Newt Gingrich laments his descent from the highest polling of all the Republican presidential candidates, at least in Iowa, to 4^th place, the Enneagram has a great deal to offer in our understanding of the steep and slippery slope on which Newt glides. Rather than going into great detail about his biographic history, and his behavior over time and what this indicates about his probable type, many conservative columnists made revealing and remarkably consistent comments about his persona. And from the combination of these, it is fairly easy to make a convincing assessment of his ennea-type. What is remarkable is that these columnists, all conservatives like Gingrich, have such a dislike for him.

Here’s what the conservative journals and journalists say:

Peggy Noonan (journalist for the Wall Street Journal) calls Gingrich “a human hand grenade who walks around with his hand on the pin.”

David Brooks (columnist for the New York Times) describes Gingrich’s “narcissism, self-righteousness, self-indulgence and intemperance.”

Yuval Levin (National Review website) writes about Gingrich as having “a revolutionary disposition: he has great intensity and energy, no discipline whatsoever, can be almost unbelievably erratic and unfocused, and is un-ironically conceited.”

Michael Gerson (Washington Post columnist) says, “He is seized by temporary enthusiasms. He combines absolute certainty in any given moment with continual reinvention over time.”

Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post columnist) comments, "Gingrich has a self-regard so immense that it rivals Obama's – but, unlike Obama's, is untamed by self-discipline."

A National Review editorial raised issues about “his impulsiveness, his grandiosity, his weakness for half-baked (and not especially conservative) ideas; [and his] combined incendiary rhetoric with irresolute action.”

What Enneagram type is Gingrich? All of the above descriptions seem to indicate that he is an Enneagram Seven, likely functioning at a fairly low level of self-development whereby his ego trumps his wisdom and his impulses override discretion. Unpredictable, undisciplined, unfocused, impulsive, self-indulgent, narcissistic, irresolute, and more seem to describe lower functioning Sevens all too well. And when Sevens become stressed or anxious, they go into a fast downward spiral of their own making.

It is not a surprise that he rose and fell so rapidly; he was ill-prepared – even with his decades as a politician – for the assaults that would come his way or the tumult these would cause for his highly under-organized infrastructure he had not thought about needing to create.

What about his Enneagram subtype: is he a self-preserving Seven, a social, or a 1-1. The subtype – the specific way in which the passion associated with the type (for Sevens, the passion is gluttony) intersects with their dominant instinct – reveals a great deal about a person’s behavior and character.

In Gingrich’s case, my guess is that he is a self-preserving subtype Seven, and here is why. Self-preservation Sevens are the dealmakers, trying to take advantage of their opportunities (consider Gingrich’s lobbying endeavors once he left congress). According to Naranjo, self-preserving Sevens tend to be more round than the other two subtypes of Seven (a gluttony for food; one pundit said Gingrich would never be elected president because his body did not look good in a suit and this was a conservative political commentator) and also more jovial, as in trying to make others laugh (Gingrich certainly appears to be the jokester). Naranjo also says it’s the self-preserving Sevens, not the 1-1 Sevens, who have the most sexual relationships. Why? Because the 1-1 Seven lives in such a romantic dream that the dream is almost always better than the real thing. For the self-preserving Seven, you can never get too much, but you do have to keep switching partners to keep it interesting. In addition to Gingrich’s three marriages (the second two of which began as affairs with congressional staffers when he was still married to the prior wife), there are rampant testimonials about Newt’s other Capital Hill conquests!

It doesn’t appear that Iowa was Gingrich’s waterloo, and he appears to be absolutely full of fury that Romney (and Ron Paul) dared to inject such negativity into the campaign, bursting his bubble of possibilities when he was ahead in the polls: Shame on them for not caring enough about America to be positive!

We have not likely seen the last of Newt, but as my dear friend Donna said the other day, “I don’t think America is ready to elect a leprechaun as president.” Donna’s comment is more amazing not because she is bright and insightful and funny, but because she is a Republican.

Maybe you think I don’t like Gingrich, and that’s not true. I don’t like or dislike him, and I do find him more interesting than most politicians. This blog is more about how, if we don’t work on ourselves and when we pursue ego-gratification, we really don’t get what we truly want; we get the opposite. In Gingrich’s case, he may simply want to be taken seriously. Instead, he is looking the fool. Let’s see what happens in the New Hampshire Republican primary.

Enneagram Styles and Balance

Gerry Fathauer has written this beautiful Insight Activity on Balance as a way to begin the New Year. Gerry, a Senior Member of the Enneagram in Business Network (EIBN), has a gift of the “word,” as you can read in the Insight below.

Balance is essential to our well-being and to being at choice, yet it can be an elusive quality in our hurried lives. Finding our center – our ground of being – is essential to being balanced. When we are balanced, our way of seeing the world is on a more even keel. We are better able to cope and to be the person we want to be. 

When our lives are balanced, we are better able to live in joy. Not just balance among family, spouse, work and play, but also balance in our perspective on life. Like the tightrope walker whose life depends on balance, so, too, our lives depend on our ability to maintain balance: to have a steady perspective. When the tightrope walker wavers, the horizon tilts dangerously, as does the tightrope walker’s perspective. Balance is essential to having an even-keeled perspective. Without balance, we lose track of the horizon – our fixed point of reference – and our perspective is easily distorted … adding additional distortion to that of ennea-type.

What causes you to lose balance? Do you have a practice that helps you regain your balance? Are you able to return to your ground of being in the very moment the tightrope sways out from under you and your perspective goes awry? 

We have greater access to balance when we are centered in our ground of being. From this place, the world no longer shifts and turns; our perspective is steady and true. Our ability to choose is clean and clear. Your being in balance is a gift, not only to yourself, but also to others. What a great way to start the New Year!

How can we each fall off balance? Let us count the 9 different ways! You can read about this on the blog I have written, inspired by Gerry's Insight Activity.


How Ones can be thrown off balance

• Feeling, fearing, perceiving a mistake has occurred or is looming
• Not dealing with own anger and resentment, then becoming overly upset with someone who has done something minor (or not done anything at all), and feeling remorseful and guilty for becoming so angry at this person
• Being criticized, either by oneself, another respected individual, or both

How Twos can be thrown off balance

• Someone they care about (or want some sort of relationship with) moving away or avoiding them for reasons unknown
• Putting themselves first, with the impact of not doing something for someone else, and experiencing angst and guilt as a result
• Being in a social or business situation in which no one responds to them

How Threes can be thrown off balance

• Having goals changed on them by an outside factor or individual
• Not knowing what they want to do, thus being disoriented by virtue of having no goals
• Being in a situation where they have to discuss their strong emotional reactions in depth

How Fours can be thrown off balance

• Feeling strong, shifting emotions and not understanding them
• Perceiving themselves as being rejected by anyone, but particularly someone who they care about
• Wanting to manifest their dreams, but not knowing how to do so

How Fives can be thrown off balance

• Someone standing too close for too long
• Having to put out energy and effort while they are already feeling depleted
• Being expected to share personal information when they are not clear why this matters or what will be done with it

How Sixes can be thrown off balance

• An authority figure acting precipitously or in a way that could harm them, others they care about, or ideas/causes that matter to them
• Perceived high-risk situations that take them by surprise
• Any type of outside pressure to do something when they do not feel prepared to do so

How Sevens can be thrown off balance

• Someone or something bursting their bubble of enthusiasm
• Feeling trapped or cornered in any way
• Someone treating them as if they should not be taken seriously

How Eights can be thrown off balance

• Another standing up to them without any backing down
• Feeling highly vulnerable and not being able to muster the strength to hide this
• Feeling exhausted and depleted

How Nines can be thrown off balance

• Pressure or a demand to do something, particularly something they don’t want to do
• Having to be in the midst of irresolvable conflict among others for any extended period of time
• Feeling angry but not being willing to express it

What Enneagram Type Is Santa Claus? The Definitive Answer!

Since so many people think they can accurately type public figures, I decided to take on one of the most important public figures of all – Santa Claus. If we can so effectively type everyone else, why not dear Santa?

Here’s what we know about Santa:

Physical Description: He’s a plump, older man with white hair, a white beard and a coordinating white handlebar mustache, who doesn’t seem to shave or get his hair cut very often.  He also likes red; he is most often seen wearing a red coat, hat and trousers, all with white trim (someone else probably does his laundry), and a belt and boots, both black. Often, he has rosy cheeks, but this may be due to many factors: (1) his over-exerting himself to squeeze through all those chimneys in such a short period of time; (2) he may be oxygen deprived from living in the North Pole; or (3) he could be straining his heart severely because of his excessive weight. It’s also possible that too much brandy or rum in the eggnog may have something to do with it.

Enneagram Analysis: It’s not advisable to assess a person’s Enneagram type from his or her physical appearance alone, but there are some clues here. Santa obviously likes red, white and black, and he wears the same outfit every year. This consistency in dress-style suggests that he is somewhat conserving – that is, he likes tradition – but otherwise doesn’t pay a great deal of attention to his public image. This lack of concern about his physical persona suggests he is not likely one of the three image types: Enneagram Two, Three or Four. If he were, Santa would be far more likely to get shaves and haircuts before appearing in public, or at least he would do something to update his appearance every few years.

Interests: He likes to travel (Santa Claus is coming to town) and is keen on children and animals, especially reindeer. Children and reindeer like him so much, it’s possible he might be one of those sincere adults who likes both children and animals better than their adult counterparts. Santa seems to be an effective, facilitative leader. This conclusion is based on the fact that he organizes all of those elves throughout the year, and we’ve never heard one complaint about his leadership style, nor have there ever been rumors of conflict among the elves. There was one incident among the reindeer in which the reindeer picked on poor Rudolph because he was different (red-nosed), but Santa mediated that situation immediately (Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?). Santa Claus also likes the outdoors; otherwise, he would not ride in an open sleigh in the freezing cold (Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh).

Enneagram Analysis: Santa’s interests give us a great deal of useful information about what his Enneagram style might be. His liking of reindeer and children (especially “good” ones) may be an example of his tendency to merge with positive people and pleasant objects. If so, this suggests that Santa might be an Enneagram Nine. His facilitative leadership style and his adeptness in maintaining harmony (and mediating conflict when it does arise) are also traits common among Nines. In fact, Nines are often called The Mediator, and Santa certainly is that (Then all the reindeer loved him [Rudolph] as they shouted out with glee….)! In addition, many Nines love the outdoors – although most prefer warmer weather – because nature feels peaceful, even blissful to them.

Personality Traits: Santa is jolly, smiles a great deal, likes to eat (especially cookies and milk), and is a very likeable, accessible fellow. Anyone can write him at the North Pole through the local post office, and he sometimes responds with a return letter or just the present you asked for in your letter to Santa. He loves to give presents, but he seems to do better when you give him a list rather than having to figure out what you want on his own.

He laughs a great deal and is particularly fond of the words, “Ho, Ho, Ho.” We also know he is a good listener; millions of people sit on his lap every year, and Santa listens attentively to each and every one of them. Santa can also be a bit judgmental, looking for children who have been “nice” all year rather than “naughty” for his present giving (He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for heaven’s sake).

Enneagram Analysis: Santa’s strong affability also suggests he is an Enneagram Nine, as do his frequent smiles and excellent listening skills. Although Enneagram Twos like to give presents, most Twos neither need nor want a wish list from you. They simply know – or think they know – what you want. Nines, by contrast, often like doing things for others, but prefer that you tell them what you want or write down what it is so they can do it or get it for you. If Santa is a Nine, he might be a self-preservation Nine, a subtype of Nine known by the name “appetite.” Santa seems to have unquenchable taste or appetite for cookies and milk, hence his big belly.

Santa is a bit judgmental as he makes his present-giving decisions based on who is “naughty” and who is “nice.” Nines are not externally judgmental, even though they often do have strong options about people and events, so it is possible that Santa is a Nine with a One wing, because Ones are more critical of others and more vocal about these opinions than are Nines.

Some curious things about Santa: Santa Claus has several aliases, such as Saint Nicolas, Father Christmas, or Kris Kringle. Sometimes he simply goes by Santa. 

It is also unclear as to whether Santa is married or not. There have been sightings of Mrs. Claus, although very few photographs exist of her. In addition, Santa has been known to be involved with many mothers (I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus). As a result, we don’t know if Santa is currently married or not. Perhaps he simply enjoys romance on the road.

Enneagram Analysis: Considering these odd Santa facts, it seems dear Santa may have some secrets. This might suggest that Santa could be an Enneagram Five who compartmentalizes his life, maintains his privacy, and keeps secrets. However, everyone knows all of Santa’s aliases, just as we all know he’s kissing a lot of “mommies,” so what may be questionable behavior is certainly not secret behavior. Maybe Santa just loves everyone (like the good Nine that he is) and needs to be in so many places simultaneously that there are actually multiple Santas, all Nines, out there doing all this good work during the holidays!

So Santa Claus (aka Kris Kringle) is absolutely, definitely, positively an Enneagram Nine. Or is he?

Thanks to my brother, Martin Snapp, for suggesting I write a blog about Santa and his type. Other than that, I take full responsibility for all the facts, opinions, and conclusions in this blog.

Wishing you purity of spirit from nine enneagram perspectives

Pure Acceptance | To accept ourselves and each other as we are

“Serenity comes from trading expectations for acceptance.” ~ Unknown

Pure Generosity | To give that which is not easy to offer, without expectation

“A person who does things that count does not stop to count them.” ~ Albert Einstein

Pure Flow | To allow ourselves to go with our natural flow and order

“To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.” ~ Aaron Copeland

Pure Compassion | To fully experience the suffering of others without absorbing it

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~ Dalai Lama

Pure Clarity | To know what is important from a clear mind, heart, and body

“Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what [s]he loves.” ~ Blaise Pascal

Pure Potency | To recognize our power to change what needs to be changed

“The violinist is that peculiarly human phenomenon distilled to a rare potency – half tiger, half poet.” ~ Yehudi Menuhin

Pure Possibility | To honor the art and beauty of possibility that includes accepting our limits

“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” ~ Albert Einstein

Pure Openness | To open ourselves to all that is real, inside and out

“Now there’s a person with an open mind – you can feel the breeze from here! ~ Groucho Marx

Pure Awakening | To be alert and conscious to all things in all time

“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” ~ Lao Tzu

Enneagram Twos: Elephant

A Nine said recently, “Please don’t choose the elephant to represent Nines.” I think what she was thinking is that elephants are lumbering animals, kind of lumpy and sometimes slow. Besides the fact that I picked elephants to represent Enneagram style Twos, elephants are nothing like the above stereotype (and neither are Nines). To the contrary, rather than lions, it may be elephants who are kings and queens of the jungle! They actually have no natural predators (other than humans), although lions occasionally kill calves or weak individual elephants. And although a great deal of the elephant’s power is in its sheer size, the elephant has enormous power and versatility in its trunk, as well as highly attuned emotional sensitivity and concern for others.

Sensitivity and emotionality

Although most plant eaters (and the elephant is a herbivore) possess teeth adapted for cutting and tearing off plant materials if the desired food item is too high up, the elephant actually wraps its trunk around the tree or branch and either shake the food loose or simply knock the tree down altogether. The elephant's trunk is sensitive enough to pick up a single blade of grass, yet strong enough to rip the branches off a tree.

Elephants also cry, play, show anger, and laugh. They are so sensitive to their fellow animals that if a baby elephant complains, the entire family will rumble and go over to touch and caress it. Elephants have greeting ceremonies when a friend that has been away for some time returns to the group.

Enneagram Commentary: Like elephants, Twos are very clever in getting what they want for others or for themselves. If one way doesn’t work, they move to another using subtle strategy at first, a bigger and bolder one if necessary. Twos also display a variety of emotions, moving from one to another quite fluidly as they emerge. And with the reaching out to those in need, who can doubt that Twos are elephantesque?

Communication

Elephants can communicate over long distances by producing a sub-sonic rumble that can travel over the ground faster than sound through air. Other elephants receive the messages through the sensitive skin on their feet and trunks. It is believed that this is how potential mates and social groups communicate.

Elephants make a number of sounds when communicating. They are famous for their trumpet calls, which are made when the animal blows through its nostrils. Trumpeting is usually made during excitement. Its use varies from being startled to a cry of help to rage. Elephants also make rumbling growls when greeting each other. The growl becomes a bellow when the mouth is open and a bellow becomes a moan when prolonged. This can escalate with a roar when threatening another elephant or another animal.

Enneagram Commentary: Twos are also highly focused on communication, with an astute ability to read other people’s non-verbal cues. Otherwise, how would a Two know so readily what others need? Also interesting is the variation in elephant communication, from suggestive mating rumbles (maybe the sexual subtype Twos) to the threatening roar when needed. Have you ever seen an angry Two roaring? If not, Twos can make Eights seem like amateurs!

Sociability and protectiveness

The elephant’s trunk plays a key role in many social interactions. Familiar elephants will greet each other by entwining their trunks, much like a handshake. They also use them while play-wrestling, caressing during courtship and mother-child interactions, and for dominance displays; a raised trunk can be a warning or threat, while a lowered trunk can be a sign of submission. Elephants can defend themselves very well by flailing their trunks at unwanted intruders or by grasping and flinging them.

Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight matriarchal family groups of related females called a herd. The herd is led by the oldest and often largest female in the herd (the matriarch). Herds consist of 8-100 individuals depending on terrain and family size. When a calf is born, it is raised and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. Males leave the family unit between the ages of 12-15 and may lead solitary lives or live temporarily with other males.

Enneagram Commentary: It is wise advice to never get between a Two and another person (particularly a child) whom they want to protect. Most Twos are also social animals, just like elephants, and they are also highly tactile. Twos often reach out to others physically with an embrace, a soft pat on the back, a warm hug (even if some others may not be ready for it). And many Twos are called “mother hens” of their clans, although “mother elephants” may be a more apt description.

Power

Despite their popularity in zoos, and portrayal as gentle giants in fiction, elephants are among the world's most dangerous animals. They can crush and kill any other land animal, even the rhinoceros. They can experience bouts of rage, and engage in actions that have been interpreted as vindictive.

Enneagram Commentary: Those sweet, adaptive Twos can also be fierce, so never underestimate their real power and the energy they can muster up when required. They may not sit on you and squash you, but Twos have a variety of strategic resources they use when needed. Many years ago when I did a large group workshop on Enneagram styles and their relationship to power, the only type group that had to report out on the topic was the Twos. When asked, they said, “We felt very uncomfortable discussing it.” When asked why, they answered (very honestly), we think about power, influence, and relationships all the time, but it is subtle and implicit. And we don’t like acknowledging that we do this, ‘good’ people that we are!”

Underestimated intelligence

Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and have memories that span many years. It is this memory that serves matriarchs well during dry seasons when they need to guide their herds, sometimes for tens of miles, to watering holes that they remember from the past.

The elephant's brain is similar to that of humans in terms of structure and complexity. With a mass just over 5 kg (11 lb), elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal. A wide variety of behaviors associated with intelligence have been attributed to elephants, including feeling sensitivities, making music and art, altruism, surrogate mothering, use of tools, compassion, and self-awareness.

Enneagram Commentary: It is too often said that Twos are not intellectually oriented, and this always implies that Twos have a little less brain-power than people of other styles. Often what accompanies comments that negate the intellectual capabilities of Twos is this: “After all, Twos have no link to the Head Center of Intelligence through their wings or arrows.” Well, many Twos have highly developed cerebral functioning, with right and left brains that are active and even talk to each other. Their social intelligence integrates well with mental intelligence to make a strong, but underestimated, intellectual nature – just like elephants. Never underestimate the brain-power of a Two (or an elephant, for that matter} particularly when you are face-to-face with them!