Enneagram Type One
The Reformer
The rational, responsible type.
Overview of The Enneagram Type 1s
Also known as: The Perfectionist, The Crusader, The Idealist, The Moraliser
Core Fear: Being evil, corrupt or wrong
Core Desire: To be good, righteous, and have integrity
Core Weakness: Anger/Resentment – repressing anger that leads to constant frustration and dissatisfaction with themselves, others and the world
Core Strength: Serenity – accepting life for its beauty without striving to improve it
Core Longing (the message your heart longs to hear): “You are good”
Disintegration under stress: Towards 4
Integration under growth: Towards 7
Common Characteristics of Enneagram Type 1s
Enneagram Type Ones are idealistic social reformers who want to improve everything. They often have a highly-defined sense of mission in their lives and are passionate about the causes that they are seeking to improve. They are philanthropic and self-sacrificing, valuing their ideals more highly than their own personal interests. They are gifted at seeing the potential in everything –nothing is ever perfect, and everything can be improved upon. Because they believe so thoroughly in their convictions and ideals, they are often inspiring leaders, encouraging others to follow their visions of a better world.
Ones’ ideals come from a strict moral code of what is good and bad, right and wrong. This moral code is very important to them. It’s also important for ones to practise what they preach, and to make sure they are not hypocritical in their beliefs and their actions. They place a high value on this type of personal integrity. Ones often spend a lot of time assessing whether their actions are in line with their moral code, and even whether their moral code itself is beyond reproach.
The morality of the one also burdens them with a strong inner critic. Their internal dialogue is often full of ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’. These personal criticisms often cause ones to change their behaviour to try and offset this, for example restricting or overexerting themselves, depending on what they believe they ‘ought’ to be doing.
Ones dislike feeling out of control. They are strict with themselves and often suppress their inner desires if they feel these desires are somehow bad or wrong. They also have a tendency to repress negative emotions such as anger, as they believe these emotions to be ‘imperfect’.
Ones desire excellence in everything they do. They believe that if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing not just well, but perfectly. They expect these standards from themselves as well as from those around them. However, they struggle because neither they nor the world can ever reach the perfection they seek, leaving them constantly dissatisfied and frustrated. They are also usually afraid of making mistakes, as in their heads this causes them to fall short of their own high standards.
Ones are conscientious, hardworking and responsible. They will go the extra mile to make sure a job is done well, and they are dedicated to projects they believe in. They are valued for their eye for detail and their ability to see problems that others can’t. However, sometimes they procrastinate or are unwilling to start a project they don’t think they can do perfectly, as it often seems better not to start something than to do it imperfectly.
Ones appreciate structure and order. They are likely to be very organised and approach tasks analytically. They are also likely to make rational balanced choices in life, having considered all aspects of an issue.
Although at their worst ones are rigid, judgemental perfectionists who expect the entire world to fall into line with their way of thinking, at their best they are idealistic social reformers who seek to improve the world and bring about positive change.
Strengths of Enneagram 1s
Enneagram ones are philanthropic individuals who desire to help others and improve the world. They are idealistic and optimistic, and are always able to see positive ways in which the current status quo could be improved. They are selfless in their pursuit of a better world, willingly sacrificing their personal gratification for the greater good.
Ones’ desire to improve the world often means that they are dedicated to particular causes or missions that they feel passionate about. Their enthusiasm and commitment to these causes is inspirational to those around them, who are often energised by the one’s visions of a better reality.
Ones’ strong personal convictions give them a lot of integrity. They work hard to make sure that their thoughts, words and actions align. They dislike hypocrisy and value truthfulness and sincerity. They are unlikely to act in a way that feels wrong, indecent or selfish to them. A healthy one is the epitome of the upstanding, morally heroic citizen.
Ones are practical and motivated, which means they not only see what can be changed but also act on it, and tend to accomplish a lot. They tend to have a high work drive and are usually conscientious and dedicated, meaning a project started by a one will be finished in a timely fashion – and finished well.
Similarly, ones are honest and responsible individuals. They are dependable and loyal, and those around them know that once a one has promised to do something they are unlikely to back out. This steadfast nature means they are valued friends and employees.
Ones tend to be discerning and quality-minded. They can look at situations objectively and judge what needs to be altered or improved. They are often looked to for advice and wisdom, as those around them appreciate the one’s ability to see the truth of a situation, and how to better it. They are also gifted at looking for detail that might be missed by other people.
Finally, ones tend to be organised and structured in all areas of life. They are good at creating order out of chaos. Ones can be trusted to know and remember the details of a situation, and to have a logical and rational plan of action at any given moment.
Challenges of Enneagram 1s
As with all Enneagram types, the challenges faced by the one are often fundamentally linked to their strengths – the two are opposite sides of the same coin.
One of the one’s biggest challenges is their struggle with repression. They often believe that anger and other negative emotions are ‘bad’ and so shouldn’t be expressed. These repressed emotions can lead the one to feel frustrated or resentful of others. It can also lead to them being perceived as rigid and overly controlled.
Ones tend to use the defence mechanism of reaction-formation. This is feeling one thing and then doing the opposite – e.g., feeling resentful so acting in a particularly friendly manner. However, when others don’t realise that the one is internally frustrated, this only increases their resentment even more.
Ones tend to over-criticise both themselves and others. They can be judgemental and self-righteous, expecting others to live up to the high standards they set for themselves. Often, the one means to be constructive rather than critical, but unfortunately they can come across as fault-finding and pedantic instead of helpful.
Ones constantly struggle with a feeling of dissatisfaction with themselves, others and the world. They never feel like what they do is good enough, and their inner critic is constantly telling them off for not living up to their own standards. It is then very easy for them to descend into spirals of guilt and shame about their own imperfections.
Ones have a tendency to miss the things that are good in the world. They often come across as pessimistic, overly-serious or negative due to their failure to accept reality as it is. Internally, the one can experience a lot of anxiety and tension and frequently struggle to relax in situations they know aren’t perfect.
Despite their high work drive, ones occasionally have problems with procrastination. If they are unsure that they can accomplish a task perfectly – or at least excellently – they may well just not start it at all, due to their belief that making mistakes is ‘bad’.
Finally, the one’s strong moral code means that they often have a very black and white worldview. They are so fixed in what they believe to be right and wrong that they struggle to believe that other viewpoints could be equally as valid as their own. Others often experience ones as morally superior, and can become frustrated at their inability to grasp that their way of thinking may not be the only – or even the best – way.
Levels of Development for Enneagram Type 1s
Healthy Levels
At healthy levels, Enneagram Type 1s:
- Inspire others with their sense of justice and integrity, working to better life for those around them
- Are self-accepting and serene, having come to terms with their own imperfections
- Are accepting of the world and realistic about what can and can’t be changed
- Are wise and discerning, able to see the truth of any situation
- Can see and understand different points of view, and are willing to work with these to help the greater good
- Achieve a good work-life balance, able to relax and enjoy life
- Are conscientious and hardworking, consistently achieving more than is expected of them
- Are mature, rational and reasonable, wanting to be fair and objective in everything they do
Average Levels
At average levels, Enneagram Type 1s:
- Want the world to be better, and believe it’s up to them to make these changes
- Have a strong moral code that governs their actions
- Are organised, neat, conscientious and responsible
- Are afraid of making mistakes or failing to live up to their own standards of right and wrong
- Tend to view the world in terms of right and wrong, good and bad
- Strive for self-control and repress their anger
- Are critical of themselves and others, tending to be judgemental, moralising, and overly opinionated
- Can be perfectionistic, pedantic workaholics
Unhealthy Levels
At unhealthy levels, Enneagram Type 1s:
- Tend to be self-righteous, believing they are morally superior to everyone else
- Become condemnatory and judgemental, believing everyone else to be wrong
- Get angry when mistakes are made, becoming impatient and frustrated with whoever made them (including themselves)
- Try to micromanage in an effort to control as much as they can
- Can feel victimised by the world – like nobody understands or appreciates them or their efforts
- Become intolerant, inflexible, and rigid
- Can become hypocritical, acting out of line with their moral code, and then judging themselves even more harshly afterwards
- In worst cases, lapse into depressions and breakdowns as they can no longer handle the responsibilities they feel are on their shoulders
Personal Growth Recommendations for Enneagram Type 1s
These recommendations aim to help ones themselves achieve healthy levels of development, as well as to give suggestions to others as to how to help the ones in their lives.
- Remember that you are always worthy of love and belonging regardless of how ‘good’ or ‘right’ you may be.
- Remember that you don’t have to be perfect in everything you do. Sometimes, good enough really is good enough.
- Learn to relax. Take some time for yourself. Not everything is your responsibility, and the world won’t fall apart if you spend some time relaxing!
- Try to be patient with yourself. Learn to forgive yourself when you make mistakes, and love yourself regardless.
- Try to be patient with other people. Your anger probably won’t help them to change, and their standards may well be different to yours anyway.
- Learn to accept that some things can’t be changed or improved, and that is ok.
- Learn to recognise the beauty in ‘flaws’ and imperfection.
- Try not to procrastinate – often it is more important to complete a task than to wait for perfection!
- Work on realising that differences and subjectivity are a natural part of life. Just because someone has a different opinion to you doesn’t mean they’re wrong!
- Remember that your emotions are all legitimate. You are allowed to feel ‘negative’ emotions like anger or sadness, and you don’t need to repress these in order to be good.