Constitution and Enneagram
by Frederic & Bernadette Schmitt
The link between constitution and enneagram and its implications has already been explained, but as the concept of constitution was frequently misunderstood, we decided to deepen it.
Body, Energy and Mind: the anthropological model
In the classic medical traditions, since ancient times, constitution is described on three levels: body, energy and mind. Let’s define these three terms to avoid misunderstandings.
Body:
No real necessity to define, it’s our physical structure and physiology.
Energy:
In ancient traditions, we cannot find a specific word for “energy,” what we find is: Chi (Chinese), Prana (Sanskrit), Loung (Tibetan), Pneuma (Greek) and Ruach (Hebrew). All these words mean “wind” or “breath” and by general consensus have been translated as “energy”.
In the Upanishads, Prana is a universal vital force or energy that is all pervading, and in living beings it manifests most clearly by the breath. Tibetan Loung, Chinese Chi, Hebrew Ruach and Greek Pneuma mean exactly the same thing.
For us, the problem occurred when Ruach and pneuma were translated as spirit in the Bible. We don’t want to debate about how to translate Ruach and Pneuma in the Bible into modern languages, that’s for theologians to decide. For our purpose, we want to point out the distortion of meaning in everyday language that can arise when translating Pneuma as Spirit.
The oxford dictionary has the following definition of spirit: The non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul: sometimes synonym with ghost; and in a more common sense: The prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of time.
So from an anthropological point of view in traditional medical systems, Pneuma can definitely not be translated as Spirit. The “less bad” translation for us is “Energy”.
In the ancient Vedic yoga system, Energy (Prana, Pneuma) is circulating in “channels” or meridians (Skt. Nadis ) feeding “centers” (Skt. Chakras or vortex of energy).
Energy is the interface between mind and body. In Buddhist yoga, mind is compared to the horseman, energy to the horse and channel to the road. In all ancient medical systems (Chinese, Vedic, Tibetan, Greek), diseases appear when energy becomes unbalanced and unregulated.
Energy is also called humor in the ancient medical systems: three humors in Ayurveda (Kapha, Pitta, Vata), four in Greek medicine (FIre, Earth, Water, Air) and five in Chinese medicine (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal , Water).
Mind:
Here we need to differentiate mind from soul because in the western Christian context we have also a triad of body-spirit-soul.
Soul is the translation that we find in the Bible of the Greek term “Psyche”. We do not question this translation in the context of the Bible, but applied in our common context, it’s not adequate and can lead to semantic confusions.
In Christianity Soul is referring to the Divine part of God inside us (See Saint Teresa of Avila.). In Vedanta, the Soul is the Atman or the eternal transcendent Self. In Buddhism, it’s a little bit more complicated (or simple!) there is not a Soul or a Self as a separate reality and intrinsically existent but the Buddha Nature (or to non initiates, the Divine Nature inside us).
When we refer to mind, we use the common definition in the Oxford dictionary: The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
So, in our definition of mind, Soul is not part of our model. Soul or Self is transcending the duality of subject/object, mind/body, and matter/energy.
In conclusion, the triad of body-energy-mind belongs to our dualistic perceptions of what’s within the common space/time universe. We exclude from our discussion all that belongs to the ultimate, the non-dual or absolute level of reality, the Soul, the Self or God.
What is constitution?
In the Oxford dictionary: A person’s physical state as regards vitality, health, and strength;
Here we will go in a more medical sense.
It’s a term that goes back to ancient medical traditions; Hippocratic, Ayurvedic, Taoist, and Tibetan. Constitution is the genetic potential we inherit from our parents and determines our body and our character structure. The form of our body, the color of our eyes, the tendency to certain kind of diseases is genetically determined. But what is more counter intuitive or surprising is that character is also genetically determined as a growing body of scientific evidence tends to show.
Then, how our constitution will express itself during a lifetime, is a matter of epigenetic or environmental influences, be they climatic, cultural, educational or whatever. How our genes are regulated by outside conditions is now largely supported by scientific evidence.
If we apply the above anthropological model to the constitution, we have the following table:
by Frederic & Bernadette Schmitt
The link between constitution and enneagram and its implications has already been explained, but as the concept of constitution was frequently misunderstood, we decided to deepen it.
Body, Energy and Mind: the anthropological model
In the classic medical traditions, since ancient times, constitution is described on three levels: body, energy and mind. Let’s define these three terms to avoid misunderstandings.
Body:
No real necessity to define, it’s our physical structure and physiology.
Energy:
In ancient traditions, we cannot find a specific word for “energy,” what we find is: Chi (Chinese), Prana (Sanskrit), Loung (Tibetan), Pneuma (Greek) and Ruach (Hebrew). All these words mean “wind” or “breath” and by general consensus have been translated as “energy”.
In the Upanishads, Prana is a universal vital force or energy that is all pervading, and in living beings it manifests most clearly by the breath. Tibetan Loung, Chinese Chi, Hebrew Ruach and Greek Pneuma mean exactly the same thing.
For us, the problem occurred when Ruach and pneuma were translated as spirit in the Bible. We don’t want to debate about how to translate Ruach and Pneuma in the Bible into modern languages, that’s for theologians to decide. For our purpose, we want to point out the distortion of meaning in everyday language that can arise when translating Pneuma as Spirit.
The oxford dictionary has the following definition of spirit: The non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul: sometimes synonym with ghost; and in a more common sense: The prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of time.
So from an anthropological point of view in traditional medical systems, Pneuma can definitely not be translated as Spirit. The “less bad” translation for us is “Energy”.
In the ancient Vedic yoga system, Energy (Prana, Pneuma) is circulating in “channels” or meridians (Skt. Nadis ) feeding “centers” (Skt. Chakras or vortex of energy).
Energy is the interface between mind and body. In Buddhist yoga, mind is compared to the horseman, energy to the horse and channel to the road. In all ancient medical systems (Chinese, Vedic, Tibetan, Greek), diseases appear when energy becomes unbalanced and unregulated.
Energy is also called humor in the ancient medical systems: three humors in Ayurveda (Kapha, Pitta, Vata), four in Greek medicine (FIre, Earth, Water, Air) and five in Chinese medicine (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal , Water).
Mind:
Here we need to differentiate mind from soul because in the western Christian context we have also a triad of body-spirit-soul.
Soul is the translation that we find in the Bible of the Greek term “Psyche”. We do not question this translation in the context of the Bible, but applied in our common context, it’s not adequate and can lead to semantic confusions.
In Christianity Soul is referring to the Divine part of God inside us (See Saint Teresa of Avila.). In Vedanta, the Soul is the Atman or the eternal transcendent Self. In Buddhism, it’s a little bit more complicated (or simple!) there is not a Soul or a Self as a separate reality and intrinsically existent but the Buddha Nature (or to non initiates, the Divine Nature inside us).
When we refer to mind, we use the common definition in the Oxford dictionary: The element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
So, in our definition of mind, Soul is not part of our model. Soul or Self is transcending the duality of subject/object, mind/body, and matter/energy.
In conclusion, the triad of body-energy-mind belongs to our dualistic perceptions of what’s within the common space/time universe. We exclude from our discussion all that belongs to the ultimate, the non-dual or absolute level of reality, the Soul, the Self or God.
What is constitution?
In the Oxford dictionary: A person’s physical state as regards vitality, health, and strength;
Here we will go in a more medical sense.
It’s a term that goes back to ancient medical traditions; Hippocratic, Ayurvedic, Taoist, and Tibetan. Constitution is the genetic potential we inherit from our parents and determines our body and our character structure. The form of our body, the color of our eyes, the tendency to certain kind of diseases is genetically determined. But what is more counter intuitive or surprising is that character is also genetically determined as a growing body of scientific evidence tends to show.
Then, how our constitution will express itself during a lifetime, is a matter of epigenetic or environmental influences, be they climatic, cultural, educational or whatever. How our genes are regulated by outside conditions is now largely supported by scientific evidence.
If we apply the above anthropological model to the constitution, we have the following table:
We need to clarify a point : usually, constitution refers mainly to the body level, but for facility, when we will speak of constitution it will include the three levels (body, energy, mind).
We can see on our table that character or temperament is the mind level of our genetic, humor is the energy level, and constitution the body level. In other words, character-humor-constitution are three interdependent and interactive parts of one single system.
Please be aware that the three levels of the constitution are not the three centers described in the enneagram. See below at the end of the article for better understanding.
What is Self?
We need also to make a comment about the meaning of Self. There are as many meanings as philosophies. Some call Self the entire being including body and energy, for others self is synonym for Ego, and for others like Jungians, it means our ideal and spiritual archetype. In general self with a small s refers to the individual, while capitalized Self refers often, as in our model, exclusively as a synonym for Soul as the Divine principle inside us.
Therefore, Self is not Ego nor personality.
What is Ego?
Some use Ego interchangeably with personality (for example in the enneagram of personality, we refer to type as ego-type or personality type). In our understanding it leads to confusion because the term ego has different meanings in western psychology or in eastern philosophies. And most people use the same term to describe so many different levels of reality.
In Buddhism Ego is the ordinary dualistic subject/object process of our consciousness including the so called five aggregates: body, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness. It’s far away from what is called Ego in modern psychology, which refers mainly to the conscious part of our personality. Ego in Buddhism includes conscious and non conscious mind.
What is personality?
Personality also needs to be differentiated from ego. Personality is clearly a set of relatively stable traits of character throughout our life, that come both from the innate temperament and the impact of the environment. Personality includes conscious traits of course, but with unconscious roots. From a psychological perspective, personality is coloring ego, but is not ego.
Applying the constitutional model to the enneagram
We need once more to differentiate the symbol of the enneagram (the figure) from the theories we apply to it (see our article in EM issue #206…). When we merge the two together, we get a lot of confusing ideas. The symbol of the enneagram does not belong to a particular idea, and just because one person applied a personality theory to it, does not make that a valid or complete theory that excludes other views or paradigms.
Let’s not forget that in the collective unconscious, the enneagram became the enneagram of personality. It’s a form of reductionism. But the enneagram is nothing in and of itself, other than what we project into it.
If we apply the mind-energy-body constitutional model to the enneagram, we do it with the understanding that what we call a “type” can be described on three levels: body, energy and mind.
A type is an archetype that describes the body, energy and mind structure of a person.
This notion is not new at all. As Jack Labanauskas says repeatedly, we are not reinventing the wheel here!
Mind-Energy-Body constitution in former theories
In all ancient medical traditions specific physical constitutions are connected to specific characters. Let’s take for example the Wood constitution in the traditional Chinese medicine (from the excellent French acupuncturist and medical doctor Yves Requena, Character and Health). “Individuals of wood constitution have a natural weakness of liver and gallbladder. In term of the overall structure, the individual has wide shoulders and good musculature…the eyes are large and sometimes protruding, the expression is frank. Woods subjects are generally fatigued in the morning, and have difficulty getting up. Psychologically, they are simultaneously optimistic and anxious, nervous, agitated, and can be aggressive and overly enthusiastic.” Traditional doctors of Chinese medicine did not treat as separate psyche from soma, the same was true in India, Tibet, Greece and the Arabic world. More recently, the well known American psychologist William Sheldon, after extensive research classified human beings by the shape of their bodies into three mind/body categories: endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph. [see Body Types by Peter O’Hanrahan in EM Jan. & Feb. 1999 #46 & 47]
For example, endomorph is physically quite ‘round’, and is typified as a ‘barrel of fun’ person. They tend to have wide hips and narrow shoulders, which makes them rather pear-shaped. They have quite a lot of fat spread across the body, including upper arms and thighs. Psychologically, the endomorph is: sociable, fun-loving, love of food, tolerant, even-tempered, good humored, relaxed, with a love of comfort and has a need for affection.
Recent research tends to confirm the empirical observations of the past.
In the East, research is being done trying to establish a genetic basis for mind-body typologies ( Ayurvedic genomics). Patwardhan et al. (2005) hypothesized in a paper published in J Altern Complement Med. (2008 Jun;14(5):571-6) that there is a genetic connotation to constitution. As proof of this concept a correlation between HLA alleles and constitution type was shown, establishing a rationale and preliminary experimental support for the concept of an association between HLA alleles and the Ayurvedic tridosha [3 humors] theory of individual constitutional types. This work is both part of and a catalyst for a wider revolution in the scientific investigation of Ayurveda in India, referred to as “Ayurvedic biology” and “AyuGenomics.” Subsequently, Chen et al. (2007) reported a similar study in this journal using a classification based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory.
Under the scheme “Science Initiatives in Ayurveda”, the Office of Principal Scientific Advisors to Government of India, has initiated an ambitious project on Genomic variation analysis and gene expression profiling, using principles of Ayurveda. This initiative supports robust research with scientific precision, to further elucidate fundamental concepts of Ayurveda. Not only should it prove valuable in moving the field forward, it may well pioneer the trend for Ayugenomics and related traditional medicine research internationally and globally for coming decades.
Mind-energy-body constitution in the Enneagram
In our research we applied the concept of constitution to the enneagram. That enriched and broadened the model allowing us to develop new tools of typing (psycho energy decoding).
In brief, each type can be described on the three levels of body energy and mind. The enneagram of personality developed over the past forty years described mainly one part of the reality, and we have been investigating the other two parts and adding our findings to the model.
See the table below, synthetizing the new data for the three centers.
We can see on our table that character or temperament is the mind level of our genetic, humor is the energy level, and constitution the body level. In other words, character-humor-constitution are three interdependent and interactive parts of one single system.
Please be aware that the three levels of the constitution are not the three centers described in the enneagram. See below at the end of the article for better understanding.
What is Self?
We need also to make a comment about the meaning of Self. There are as many meanings as philosophies. Some call Self the entire being including body and energy, for others self is synonym for Ego, and for others like Jungians, it means our ideal and spiritual archetype. In general self with a small s refers to the individual, while capitalized Self refers often, as in our model, exclusively as a synonym for Soul as the Divine principle inside us.
Therefore, Self is not Ego nor personality.
What is Ego?
Some use Ego interchangeably with personality (for example in the enneagram of personality, we refer to type as ego-type or personality type). In our understanding it leads to confusion because the term ego has different meanings in western psychology or in eastern philosophies. And most people use the same term to describe so many different levels of reality.
In Buddhism Ego is the ordinary dualistic subject/object process of our consciousness including the so called five aggregates: body, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness. It’s far away from what is called Ego in modern psychology, which refers mainly to the conscious part of our personality. Ego in Buddhism includes conscious and non conscious mind.
What is personality?
Personality also needs to be differentiated from ego. Personality is clearly a set of relatively stable traits of character throughout our life, that come both from the innate temperament and the impact of the environment. Personality includes conscious traits of course, but with unconscious roots. From a psychological perspective, personality is coloring ego, but is not ego.
Applying the constitutional model to the enneagram
We need once more to differentiate the symbol of the enneagram (the figure) from the theories we apply to it (see our article in EM issue #206…). When we merge the two together, we get a lot of confusing ideas. The symbol of the enneagram does not belong to a particular idea, and just because one person applied a personality theory to it, does not make that a valid or complete theory that excludes other views or paradigms.
Let’s not forget that in the collective unconscious, the enneagram became the enneagram of personality. It’s a form of reductionism. But the enneagram is nothing in and of itself, other than what we project into it.
If we apply the mind-energy-body constitutional model to the enneagram, we do it with the understanding that what we call a “type” can be described on three levels: body, energy and mind.
A type is an archetype that describes the body, energy and mind structure of a person.
This notion is not new at all. As Jack Labanauskas says repeatedly, we are not reinventing the wheel here!
Mind-Energy-Body constitution in former theories
In all ancient medical traditions specific physical constitutions are connected to specific characters. Let’s take for example the Wood constitution in the traditional Chinese medicine (from the excellent French acupuncturist and medical doctor Yves Requena, Character and Health). “Individuals of wood constitution have a natural weakness of liver and gallbladder. In term of the overall structure, the individual has wide shoulders and good musculature…the eyes are large and sometimes protruding, the expression is frank. Woods subjects are generally fatigued in the morning, and have difficulty getting up. Psychologically, they are simultaneously optimistic and anxious, nervous, agitated, and can be aggressive and overly enthusiastic.” Traditional doctors of Chinese medicine did not treat as separate psyche from soma, the same was true in India, Tibet, Greece and the Arabic world. More recently, the well known American psychologist William Sheldon, after extensive research classified human beings by the shape of their bodies into three mind/body categories: endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph. [see Body Types by Peter O’Hanrahan in EM Jan. & Feb. 1999 #46 & 47]
For example, endomorph is physically quite ‘round’, and is typified as a ‘barrel of fun’ person. They tend to have wide hips and narrow shoulders, which makes them rather pear-shaped. They have quite a lot of fat spread across the body, including upper arms and thighs. Psychologically, the endomorph is: sociable, fun-loving, love of food, tolerant, even-tempered, good humored, relaxed, with a love of comfort and has a need for affection.
Recent research tends to confirm the empirical observations of the past.
In the East, research is being done trying to establish a genetic basis for mind-body typologies ( Ayurvedic genomics). Patwardhan et al. (2005) hypothesized in a paper published in J Altern Complement Med. (2008 Jun;14(5):571-6) that there is a genetic connotation to constitution. As proof of this concept a correlation between HLA alleles and constitution type was shown, establishing a rationale and preliminary experimental support for the concept of an association between HLA alleles and the Ayurvedic tridosha [3 humors] theory of individual constitutional types. This work is both part of and a catalyst for a wider revolution in the scientific investigation of Ayurveda in India, referred to as “Ayurvedic biology” and “AyuGenomics.” Subsequently, Chen et al. (2007) reported a similar study in this journal using a classification based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory.
Under the scheme “Science Initiatives in Ayurveda”, the Office of Principal Scientific Advisors to Government of India, has initiated an ambitious project on Genomic variation analysis and gene expression profiling, using principles of Ayurveda. This initiative supports robust research with scientific precision, to further elucidate fundamental concepts of Ayurveda. Not only should it prove valuable in moving the field forward, it may well pioneer the trend for Ayugenomics and related traditional medicine research internationally and globally for coming decades.
Mind-energy-body constitution in the Enneagram
In our research we applied the concept of constitution to the enneagram. That enriched and broadened the model allowing us to develop new tools of typing (psycho energy decoding).
In brief, each type can be described on the three levels of body energy and mind. The enneagram of personality developed over the past forty years described mainly one part of the reality, and we have been investigating the other two parts and adding our findings to the model.
See the table below, synthetizing the new data for the three centers.
Of course, nothing in nature is so simple, and everybody is a mix of all three centers, but one center will prevail, and it’s the starting point.
Don’t forget that all the characteristics of the centers will be modified by their 3X3 = 9 possible ways of creating and unbalanced states (in quantity: excess or lack, and in quality) and by their combinations with the newly established five subtypes (earth sp, water sx venus, fire sx fire, air sc and space spiritual subtype).
For example a person belonging to the mental center can have:
• An excess of Wind : too much desire = gluttony (type 7),
• A lack of Wind : not enough desire = insensibility, apathy, lack of self-esteem (type 5),
• A perverted desire = excessive jealousy or grief (type 6).
Let’s take a person that has an excess of Wind (=type 7). This person can be combined with Earth of self preservation subtype, Water of sexual Venus subtype, Fire of sexual Mars subtype, Air of social subtype, or Space of the spiritual subtype [see EM issue # 200 Birth of Venus]. Of course an excess of Wind combined with an Air social subtype will give a totally different result than someone with an Earth self preservation subtype.
Just look at two types 7 (we always say when we type somebody “for us” because it’s always impossible to affirm with certitude something in that matter), of Woody Allen and Gerard Depardieu.
Don’t forget that all the characteristics of the centers will be modified by their 3X3 = 9 possible ways of creating and unbalanced states (in quantity: excess or lack, and in quality) and by their combinations with the newly established five subtypes (earth sp, water sx venus, fire sx fire, air sc and space spiritual subtype).
For example a person belonging to the mental center can have:
• An excess of Wind : too much desire = gluttony (type 7),
• A lack of Wind : not enough desire = insensibility, apathy, lack of self-esteem (type 5),
• A perverted desire = excessive jealousy or grief (type 6).
Let’s take a person that has an excess of Wind (=type 7). This person can be combined with Earth of self preservation subtype, Water of sexual Venus subtype, Fire of sexual Mars subtype, Air of social subtype, or Space of the spiritual subtype [see EM issue # 200 Birth of Venus]. Of course an excess of Wind combined with an Air social subtype will give a totally different result than someone with an Earth self preservation subtype.
Just look at two types 7 (we always say when we type somebody “for us” because it’s always impossible to affirm with certitude something in that matter), of Woody Allen and Gerard Depardieu.
The common point is excess of Wind/desire.
Gerard Depardieu is a Earth SP subtype, his gluttony is oriented toward good food and good wine and the Earth of his subtype counter balance the body structure of his mental center toward a more endomorph body type.
Woody Allen, has a gluttony oriented toward ideas coming from his Air social subtype (social connected to Air element, is thinking oriented, and represent an additional factor to his already mental tendency coming from his center) giving him a very ectomorph body type (wind of the mental center plus air of the social subtype are adding to increase the ecto-tendency).
Combining knowledge of body, energy and personality type allows everyone learning this new methodology to become a more competent ennea-typer !!!
Gerard Depardieu is a Earth SP subtype, his gluttony is oriented toward good food and good wine and the Earth of his subtype counter balance the body structure of his mental center toward a more endomorph body type.
Woody Allen, has a gluttony oriented toward ideas coming from his Air social subtype (social connected to Air element, is thinking oriented, and represent an additional factor to his already mental tendency coming from his center) giving him a very ectomorph body type (wind of the mental center plus air of the social subtype are adding to increase the ecto-tendency).
Combining knowledge of body, energy and personality type allows everyone learning this new methodology to become a more competent ennea-typer !!!