Social Capital | When we are stressed, the way we relate to each other changes

The question is: How does the way we relate to one another change when we are stressed? We all get stressed in different situations in our lives, but not all of us show it in the same way. Some people don’t even notice that they are stressed, but they are. What happens is that people are stressed. behavioral patterns They vary according to our personality type and, fortunately, it is possible to study them with the help of enneagram. To know our unique personality type We must first discover it (among the nine types that exist); and then identify our subtype or instinctive way of proceeding: conservation, social or transmitter.

Logically, if we have said that there are nine personality types and that for each case a single subtype of the three possible is identified, then there are twenty-seven patterns of behavior. Another aspect to consider are the directed arrows that link pairs of enneatypes, in every enneagram. These determine modifications to our basic personality type (enneatype) and help us interpret our behavior when we are stressed. For example: “In times of stress, ONEs go to FOURS, where they can be in contact with a different way of living and expressing their feelings” (Stabile, 2020: 75). Much to learn.

Our primary interest is to explain the enneatypes from a relational (i.e. sociological) point of view. We do not intend to cover the psychological or psychiatric component of the enneagram as a tool for coaching gerencialJust as we can identify an enneatype that our personality turns to in stressful situations, in the same way when we feel safe we ​​need to rely on another type of behavior, different from that which represents our basic pattern. Let us observe, for example, the ONEs; who, in order to relax and allow themselves a little fun, are reflected in the SEVENs, when they are in a good moment.

Of the many uses of the Enneagram, for us it represents a way of understanding interpersonal relationships, analyzing “similarities and differences within groups” (Aiken, 2024: 65). In turn, it allows us to study the dynamics between the intelligence centers: feelings (emotional triad: TWO, THREE AND FOUR), thoughts (mental triad: FIVE, SIX and SEVEN) and actions (instinctive triad: EIGHT, NINE and ONE). The first is oriented towards the relationsthe second one does it towards the analysis and the last one towards the control. In this way, human beings interpret the world through “filters”: feelings, thoughts and actions. We all use the three “filters” but our personality type favors one.

We must also deepen our knowledge of the basic instincts or survival strategies resulting from the evolutionary process of human beings (conservation, social and transmission). Its importance lies in that it allows us to perceive the variations between individuals with the same type of personality; however, in order not to get confused with so much terminology and new concepts, we suggest using digital sources of information that are easy to understand and that I make available, such as the book by Maria-Anne Gallen and Hans Neidhardt (2002).

References:

Aiken, D. (2024). An integral approach to transformative leadership: Dancing through the storm.
Gallen, M. & Neidhardt, H. (2002). The Enneagram of Relationships: Entanglements, Interactions, Growth (Fifth Edition).
Stable, S. (2020). The path that unites us: The wisdom of the enneagram in relationships.
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To download the most up-to-date version of the entire book (including all columns published to date), please click on the following link: Social Capital, Jose Maria Rodriguez, PhD. Also, for an introduction to the topic, we recommend watching the video SOCIAL CAPITAL: https://youtu.be/gRXjjZkCrzo