As repeatedly noted by Riso and Hudson, this thinking triad is dominated by a countering force and feeling—this being anxiety. All three Enneagram types anticipate something happening that is malevolent, strong, and active (fulfilling all three semantic differential criteria). Fives try to evade this pit of anxiety by remaining aloof and “thoughtful” about the world in which they dwell. They try to remain a far distance from the pit. For the Sixes, the pit is nearby. They fully acknowledge and even appreciate the breadth and depth of the pit of anxiety. They may even venture into the pit by choosing to take a job involving security, violence, or subterfuge. The critical anticipation of the Enneagram Six concerns the motivations and degree of loyalty to be found among those who venture into the pit of anxiety with them. Those who lead them into the pit are particularly subject to scrutiny: can we anticipate that their actions will be trustworthy?
Finally, there are the Enneagram Sevens. Like the Fives and Sixes, they are fully aware of the pit of anxiety and recognize that this pit ultimately is to be found residing inside their own head and heart. The Sevens anticipate that they themselves might not be capable of living with this anxiety. Like the antelope on the African Savannah, the Sevens try to escape from their lion (anxiety); they do so by distracting themselves with the anticipation of realized dreams. Like the antelope, they race away from their lion by anticipating locating in distant lands where there are no lions and no pits of anxiety. A new home awaits the wandering Seven, which offers a respite from overwhelming anxiety.
Fear, Shame, and Anger
As Helen Palmer noted concerning Enneagram Seven, the nine Enneagram types tend to cluster in several threes that relate to interpersonal feeling and the anticipation of specific types of interpersonal relationships. These feelings are Fear, Anger, and Shame. A psychosocial template that is saturated with feelings of fear will look quite different from one saturated with anger or shame. Baselines that focus on the state of fear in one’s psyche will produce anticipations that differ significantly from baselines primarily concerned with anger or shame. Interpersonal relationships that are dominated by concerns regarding the experience and expression of anger look quite different from relationships in which fear or shame are of primary concern.
Palmer suggested that Enneagram Types Five, Six, and Seven are oriented toward (and anticipate) the emotion of Fear. People in this triad feel fear of being harmed. So, they struggle with taking balanced action, trusting others, and emotional vulnerability. This triad is also known as the head triad. The head triad makes decisions from their head and logic. Emotions are most repressed in this triad. The somatic template is alive and well—but is being ignored or bypast by the Enneagram types in this triad. Only anger is included to leak out of the fortified somatic template. One finds that the psychosocial template is being constructed and continually revised based on one’s cognition, rather than one’s affect (feelings). As a result, the somatic and psychosocial templates are not always in alignment—producing physiological states (somatic template) that are not compatible with psychological states (psychosocial template). We are feeling “fully in control” yet are perspiring and jiggling our feet. We are “feeling fine,” yet are “obsessed” regarding the details in a project we are about to launch.
Many Enneagram experts suggest that Types Eight, Nine, and One are oriented toward (and anticipate) the emotion of Anger. People in this triad react with anger, whether it’s repressed or expressed, to avoid being harmed. The anger triad struggles with processing emotions, expressing their need for vulnerable connection, and recognizing frustration. This triad is also known as the gut triad. Those Enneagram types associated with the gut triad make decisions from their instincts and gut. The somatic template is in charge, and the psychosocial template takes orders from this somatic source. This sometimes means that we are nervous in a situation that we anticipate is very safe. WE feel anger, yet nothing is happening in this situation that should justify this anger. Our behavior doesn’t make much sense: we avoid or leave a situation that we anticipate will ultimately be a source of gratification for us. Something is ”wrong.” We feel compelled to “step outside.”
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