Nine Patterns of Attention: the Map
Where you are: Module 2 · Lesson 8 of 30 · about 20 minutes (reading 12, practice 8). In Lesson 7 you learned to write a possible motive as a possibility. This lesson gives you the whole map of nine patterns as two authors describe them. Lessons 9 to 11 then look at the patterns three at a time. The map is for reading, not for sorting people.
What you'll be able to do
- Name the nine patterns with the numbers and words that two authors use.
- Say how the two authors' accounts differ, and why this course keeps them apart.
- Explain in plain words what each "passion" and "virtue" word means in Chestnut and Paes's book.
- Read where each pattern's attention may tend to go, using the course summaries, without applying them to anyone.
Two authors, two accounts
This course reads two books on the Enneagram. They are separate accounts, and we do not merge them.
Chestnut and Paes
The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up (2021). Each type has a chapter that follows a path from a passion to a virtue. For Type 1 the path is from anger to serenity. They call the passion the core emotional driver of the type (PDF page 20).
Riso and Hudson
Personality Types (revised edition, 1996). Each type has a name, such as "The Reformer", a profile with a line of "Key Motivations", and a description across levels of health (taught in Module 3). They do not use passion-and-virtue pairs as chapter headings.
The numbers 1 to 9 are the same in both books; the names and words differ. When you quote either author, say which one. This course says "pattern of attention" where the authors say "type": we read descriptions of attention, we do not sort people.
What "passion" and "virtue" mean here
Chestnut and Paes use passion in a special sense: not a hobby, but (in our words) a habit of attention and feeling that pulls a person in one direction. The virtue is their name for a higher-level awareness, for most types an antidote to the passion. Several words do not mean what they mean in daily speech, so use the tables below.
The map
| # | Chestnut and Paes: passion to virtue (PDF pages) | Riso and Hudson: type name (chapter, PDF pages) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | anger to serenity (30; 46) | The Reformer (392 to 426) |
| 2 | pride to humility (56; 74) | The Helper (72 to 107) |
| 3 | self-deceit to veracity (84; 101) | The Motivator (108 to 146) |
| 4 | envy to equanimity (112; 130) | The Individualist (147 to 185) |
| 5 | avarice to nonattachment (140; 157) | The Investigator (186 to 228) |
| 6 | fear to courage (168; 185) | The Loyalist (229 to 272) |
| 7 | gluttony to sobriety (196; 209, 214) | The Enthusiast (273 to 311) |
| 8 | lust to innocence (224; 238) | The Leader (312 to 352) |
| 9 | sloth to right action (252; 264) | The Peacemaker (353 to 391) |
The passion words, in the book's sense (Chestnut and Paes, page in brackets):
| Passion | What the book means by it |
|---|---|
| anger (1) | upset that people or things are not as they should be, often not felt as anger (30) |
| pride (2) | an inflated sense of yourself: a need to be important or valued (56) |
| self-deceit (3) | an unconscious tendency to change yourself to match what others will approve and admire (84) |
| envy (4) | the wish to have for yourself good things that someone else has (112) |
| avarice (5) | not mainly about money; a shutting down of the heart to giving and receiving (140) |
| fear (6) | a shaky feeling that goes with not being able to stand uncertainty (168) |
| gluttony (7) | a passion for variety and pleasure without limits, not only for food (196) |
| lust (8) | a passion for excess and for having desires met at once, not necessarily sexual (224) |
| sloth (9) | a reluctance to take important actions for yourself, not a dislike of work (252) |
The virtue words, in everyday meaning. These glosses are ours, except the four marked "book", which follow Chestnut and Paes.
| Virtue | Meaning |
|---|---|
| serenity (1) | calm, without needing everything to be correct |
| humility (2) | not needing to be the most important person in the room |
| veracity (3) | being truthful about yourself |
| equanimity (4) | steady feeling, whatever others have or do |
| nonattachment (5) | book: an open heart that gives and receives freely; not the same as detachment (157 to 158) |
| courage (6) | acting while you still feel fear |
| sobriety (7) | book: satisfaction in doing one important thing at a time (209, 214) |
| innocence (8) | book: a fresh response to each moment, without a fixed judgement (238) |
| right action (9) | book: doing what is needed at the moment it is needed (264) |
Where attention may tend to go: course summaries
These short summaries were written for this course from what the authors teach. They are descriptions, not measurements. They do not tell you what any person is like. A "manager hook" is one possible example, not a prediction. The "misuse risk" names a common mistake to avoid.
| # | Attention may go to | Typical excess when automatic | A possible manager hook | Misuse risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | errors and what could be better | self-criticism, rigid rules | corrects work before asking what was meant | calling a careful colleague "a One" |
| 2 | others' needs, and being important to them | over-giving, helping with a hidden price | says yes to every request, then resents it | deciding a helpful colleague is "strategic" |
| 3 | what an audience values | overwork, changing to suit the audience | picks the task that will be seen | calling an ambitious colleague "a Three" |
| 4 | what is missing | comparing, devaluing what is present | feels results are never quite good enough | reading a quiet mood as "a Four" |
| 5 | conserving energy and time | over-thinking, holding information back | shares a decision late | calling a quiet colleague "a Five" |
| 6 | risks and what could go wrong | over-preparing, doubt | asks for one more check before deciding | treating a team's caution as a type |
| 7 | options and pleasant plans | avoiding accountability | opens a new option before finishing the last | "that is how Sevens are" |
| 8 | power, fairness and control | being bossy or pushy, over-protecting | decides fast and bluntly | calling a direct colleague "an Eight" |
| 9 | others' wishes and harmony, forgetting your own | avoiding conflict, difficulty saying no | agrees in the meeting, does not follow through | reading a calm colleague's silence as agreement |
Three cautions.
- The books describe; they do not measure. In 1996, Riso wrote that there was, "at present", no scientific proof for the nine types (PDF page 42). A 2021 systematic review of 104 samples found mixed evidence of reliability and validity (Hook and colleagues, 2021). Riso and Hudson also warn that people tend to pick the type they would like to be (PDF page 58).
- A foreword is not the authors. PDF page 12 of the Chestnut and Paes book is a foreword by other writers. This course does not quote it as the authors' words.
- Never type a colleague. You may notice what someone does and says. You never call a person by a number. A pattern is never read from how someone looks, sounds, dresses, or from their gender, age or nationality.
Worked example
Here is how to read one row of the map. Take Type 6.
- Chestnut and Paes: the passion is fear and the virtue is courage (PDF pages 168 and 185).
- Riso and Hudson: the type is "The Loyalist", in the chapter on PDF pages 229 to 272.
- Course summary (ours): attention may go to risks; when automatic, it may show as over-preparing or doubt. Hook: one more check before deciding. Misuse risk: treating a team's caution as a type.
- Attribution: the passion-to-virtue path is Chestnut and Paes's structure. Riso and Hudson name the passions only in their history section (PDF pages 32 and 36), as Oscar Ichazo's assignment, and give no virtue pairs.
The reading does not say that anyone you know is a Six. It says where one pattern's attention may go.
Your turn
Use the tables above. Write your answers privately, on paper or in your record.
Part 1. Pairs. Match each pair to a number from 1 to 9: (a) lust to innocence; (b) fear to courage; (c) envy to equanimity; (d) pride to humility; (e) sloth to right action; (f) anger to serenity; (g) avarice to nonattachment; (h) self-deceit to veracity; (i) gluttony to sobriety.
Part 2. Course summaries. Each statement is a course summary, not a description of a person. Match each one to a number.
- (a) Attention goes to what could go wrong; the habit may show as one more check before deciding.
- (b) Attention goes to what others need; the habit may show as saying yes and then resenting it.
- (c) Attention goes to what an audience values; the habit may show as overwork.
- (d) Attention goes to what could be better; the habit may show as correcting other people's work.
- (e) Attention goes to options; the habit may show as opening a new one before finishing the last.
- (f) Attention goes to what is missing; the habit may show as comparing.
- (g) Attention goes to others' wishes; the habit may show as agreeing and not following through.
- (h) Attention goes to saving energy and time; the habit may show as sharing a decision late.
- (i) Attention goes to power and fairness; the habit may show as deciding fast and bluntly.
Part 3. Two authors. Write one sentence that names one difference between the two accounts. Say which author does what.
Check your work.
- Part 1: (a) 8; (b) 6; (c) 4; (d) 2; (e) 9; (f) 1; (g) 5; (h) 3; (i) 7.
- Part 2: (a) 6; (b) 2; (c) 3; (d) 1; (e) 7; (f) 4; (g) 9; (h) 5; (i) 8.
- Part 3, a good answer: "Chestnut and Paes organise each chapter as a path from a passion to a virtue, such as anger to serenity for Type 1, while Riso and Hudson give each type a name, such as The Reformer, and a profile with Key Motivations."
Your answer meets the criteria if every item is matched to a number, never to a person; and if Part 3 names each author for what that author does (a sentence that says "the authors" for both does not pass). Any true difference counts: type names versus passion words, or levels of health versus a path of waking up. Common mistakes: reading "lust" as sexual (in the book it means excess); writing "the Enneagram says Sixes are…" without naming an author; or writing "Hadeel is a Three" or any sentence that gives a person a number.
Extra practice (optional)
Match each statement to a number: (a) Riso and Hudson's name is "The Investigator"; (b) Chestnut and Paes name the passion "pride"; (c) Chestnut and Paes name the virtue "sobriety"; (d) course summary: attention goes to risks; (e) Riso and Hudson's name is "The Peacemaker"; (f) Chestnut and Paes name the passion "anger". Then write a second, different sentence about how the authors differ.
Key. (a) 5; (b) 2; (c) 7; (d) 6; (e) 9; (f) 1. A good sentence: "Riso and Hudson list Key Motivations for each type, while Chestnut and Paes describe a path from a passion to a virtue."
Knowledge check
Which sentence attributes an idea correctly?
A manager says: 'Fares is quiet in meetings, so he must be a Five.' What is the problem?
Which statement is a course summary, not a claim from one of the books?
Answers explained.
- C. Passion-and-virtue pairs are Chestnut and Paes's structure. A gives it to the wrong authors: Riso and Hudson name the passions only in their history section and give no virtue pairs. B merges two accounts. D is wrong because PDF page 12 is a foreword by other writers.
- B. The course never types a colleague. A guesses another number from the same weak evidence. C ignores that nobody can check the claim, and it is still a label. D is a label in other words.
- A. The summary and the manager hook were written for this course. B reports Chestnut and Paes's meaning, and D reports Riso and Hudson's name. C is false: Riso and Hudson do not use passion-and-virtue chapter titles.
Key takeaways
- Two authors describe nine patterns. The numbers are the same; the words and the order of ideas differ. Always say which author you mean.
- Chestnut and Paes give each pattern a passion and a virtue. Riso and Hudson give each type a name and a profile.
- Several passion words have special meanings: "lust" is excess, "avarice" is not about money, "sloth" is not a dislike of work.
- The course summaries say where attention may tend to go. They are not tests and are never used to label anyone.
- Next, Lesson 9 looks at the body-centre patterns, Eight, Nine and One, and starts your hypothesis card.
Sources
- Chestnut, B. and Paes, U. (2021) The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up. Hampton Roads Publishing. PDF pages 20 (the passion as the core emotional driver; the virtue as higher-level awareness), 30 and 46 (Type 1), 56 and 74 (Type 2), 84 and 101 (Type 3), 112 and 130 (Type 4), 140, 157 and 158 (Type 5; nonattachment is not detachment), 168 and 185 (Type 6), 196, 209 and 214 (Type 7), 224 and 238 (Type 8), 252 and 264 (Type 9). The printed page number is the PDF page minus 13. PDF page 12 is a foreword by other writers and is not used as the authors' own text.
- Riso, D. R. with Hudson, R. (1996) Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery (revised edition). Houghton Mifflin. Type names and chapters on PDF pages 72 (The Helper), 108 (The Motivator), 147 (The Individualist), 186 (The Investigator), 229 (The Loyalist), 273 (The Enthusiast), 312 (The Leader), 353 (The Peacemaker), 392 (The Reformer); the passion words as assigned by Ichazo, PDF pages 32 and 36; people tend to pick the type they would like to be, PDF page 58; in 1996, Riso wrote that there was "at present" no scientific proof for the nine types, PDF page 42. PDF page numbers are used because the printed pagination was not checked.
- Hook, Hall, Davis, Van Tongeren and Conner (2021) The Enneagram: a systematic review of the literature and directions for future research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23097. A systematic review of 104 independent samples, reporting mixed evidence of reliability and validity (the course relies on the abstract).
- Rules of this lesson that are ours, not the authors': the wording "patterns of attention" (the authors say "types"); the course summaries of attention, typical excess, manager hook and misuse risk; the everyday glosses of the virtues (except nonattachment, sobriety, innocence and right action, which follow the book); and the rule never to type a colleague.
- Fares and Hadeel are this course's own fictional examples, not the authors'.