I’ve read several books on the Enneagram, so the early part of this book didn’t really add anything to my previous knowledge. Anyone with even basic familiarity of the Enneagram could probably skip this section.

For those who are unfamiliar, here is the potted version: there are nine Enneagram “types”, numbered one to nine. Each type has a motivation and a wound. We each have a dominant type, and will gravitate toward another type when we are in healthy growth patterns, but will gravitate toward a different type when we are in an unhealthy stress pattern.

My biggest issue with the Enneagram as a principle isn’t that we can never expect to reach perfection on Earth (which lines up with Jesus’s teaching and—if we’re honest—with what we know about ourselves), but that the whole premise is circular: a healthy One will become a Seven, and an unhealthy Seven will become a One. That implies One is better than Seven, right? But no. A healthy Seven becomes a Five. A healthy Five becomes an Eight. A healthy Eight becomes a Two, a healthy Two becomes a Four, and a healthy Four becomes a One. And you’re back at the beginning.

All this reads like humanity striving toward evolution rather than seeking God-driven transformation (which makes sense, given the author apparently has a podcast called The Evolving Leader). As I read through my notes, I realised the author might have been trying to say that an emotionally healthy person won’t have a single Enneagram type: they will exhibit strengths from all the types. I guess that means they have evolved? Either way, this idea was not explored in this book, or even mentioned in any of the previous Enneagram titles I’ve read.

I didn’t think the book made sufficient case for why we should change. It assumed the reader wanted to change, wanted to become a “better” person, but spent more time using the Enneagram to explain how someone can move from Type A to Type B rather than asking why someone might want to change. Perhaps the author felt that was unnecessary.

Perhaps they assumed someone reading a self-help book already wants to change?

After introducing the concept of the Enneagram, the author then introduces emotional intelligence, a concept popularised (but not invented by) psychologist and writer Daniel Goleman. The premise of emotional intelligence (aka EI) is that EI is the best predictor of success, not “regular” intelligence.

There are five essential skills of emotional intelligence:

Self-perception
Self-expression
Interpersonal relationships
Decision-making
Stress management

Scott Allender does a good job of explaining each of these essential skills from both a personal and professional context, making the valuable point that an emotionally intelligent organisation creates better working conditions that allow people do to their best work.

However, the book then got bogged down by Allender trying to explain how each of the nine Enneagram Types might react in growth and in stress with each of these five essential skills. Five times nine is forty-five, which meant there was lots of information but insufficient detail on any specific skill or type. This discourse also assumed the reader knew their Enneagram type and their EI strengths or growth areas.

Despite the fact this book is published by Baker Books (an imprint of evangelical publisher Baker Publishing Group), the underlying message seemed to imply we’re all aiming for self-awareness but can never achieve it, and that we’re all doing it under our own efforts, as if there is no Jesus, no saviour.

It all felt more Buddhist than Christian. For example, Allender says:

"Fours, for example, are prone to feelings of shame because of the false belief that they are flawed in some way."

Yes, we are flawed. John 3:16 teaches us that we are all sinners. Allender also says:

"I believe that somewhere in each of us is a sense that something’s not quite right."

Isn’t that the Jesus-shaped hole in each of us that the Holy Spirit wants to fill?

And:

"The Enneagram has been my vehicle for releasing my false narratives and stepping into a truer story."

Really? I suggest he try reading the Bible.

Despite these issues, The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence was a worthwhile read: it has convinced me there is nothing even vaguely Christian about the Enneagram, despite its growing popularity in parts of the church. It has also convinced me that I need to read Daniel Goleman’s original book on Emotional Intelligence if I want to understand the topic.

Thanks to Baker Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

While you could read this without having read about the enneagram before, I think you’d glean more if you first read an intro to the enneagram book. I appreciated that this looked at the enneagram through the lense of emotional intelligence, which is different from other enneagram books I’ve read.

Thank you NetGalley for copy of this book.
A good, easy read that helps you get another look at yourself and the people around you.

I love learning about EI. This book was...a little too much. There is so much information that needs to be learned and I feel like I need to know more then try this book again. It's a book for intermediate to advanced people who know what EI is and not something that as a person who is still learning the basics could easily follow along with.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

When asked to describe ourselves, we usually begin with things we are. But Scott Allender suggests that we should also realize who we are NOT.

Do we confuse the masks we wear with the person underneath the mask?

I wasn't sure I wanted to read yet another book on the Enneagram to find out. But I'm glad I did.

Allender includes some standard information on Enneagram types that I already knew, but needed reminding of. But Allender also reminds us that what we don't know about ourselves can hurt us. Are our self-perceptions accurate?

"Emotional intelligence is not about willpower but about healthy self-perception and understanding what is truly going on inside of us."

To be our most healthy selves, he proposes we raise our awareness in these areas:

* Self-Perception
* Self-Expression
* Interpersonal Relationships
* Decision-Making
* Stress Management

By looking deeper to discover things we don't know about ourselves, we continue the work of transformation. Then we can better face our fears and live more courageous lives.

"Our minds are hardwired to believe that everything we do is an intentional, positive choice, and yet all the while, fear is often what is running the show. We must excavate and confront these fears."

We'll never understand everything about who we are. And who we're not. But we can see more.

This book is one way to see more.

Thanks to NetGalley + Baker Books for the review copy of this book.

This was an interesting book combining the personality types in the Enneagram and the concept of EQ or emotional intelligence. While I had read about the enneagram before, I didn't know much about EQ.

I liked the way the author broke every concept down by the 9 personality types, and further by their healthy and unhealthy aspects. I learned that I had mistyped myself, although I found a lot of overlap. The most helpful section to me was about decision making. It really clarified the difference between the type I identify with now and the type I classified myself as in the past.

At times the book was a little repetitive. I would recommend it for those interested in psychology and EQ, but I wouldn't recommend starting your research into the enneagram with this book. However, there is a lot of information available on the internet.

I picked up this book cause I was intrigued by the title. I have never heard of the Enneagram before and was intrigued by the premise.

Although I found this read quite interesting, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of putting humans in labelled boxes and treating them accordingly. Seems like a simplistic approach to rather complex beings.

In a nutshell, I’m not a big fan of the Enneagram but this was definitely a thought-provoking read.

Though no enneagram savant, I'm keen on understanding my team and fostering growth in both professional and personal contexts. Scott's book excels here, providing actionable insights, even for a novice like me. It extends a vocabulary to introspect and engage my team, beyond conventional skills assessments. Plus, Scott's compelling storytelling, combined with his enneagram insights and personal emotional generosity, make it a rewarding and highly applicable read in the professional world.

I have read three books on the Enneagram so far, and this by far was the best. The first one I read overspiritualized it, in my opinion, and I was very skeptical about it. The second book I read was a more grounded overview, and I thought I could figure out my type, but was not particularly helpful to me besides familiarizing me with the overarching concepts. The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence, on the other hand, helped me clearly identify my type and those of others that I know by the descriptions of responses in various situations. Looking at the Enneagram through the lens of emotional intelligence concepts such as self expression, interpersonal relationships, decision making, and stress management made it immediately applicable. Having just gone through a church conflict in which things were handled in unhealthy ways, it was easy to recognize many of the low-awareness responses of the various types that Allendar described.

I was also led to thank God for intervening in my life when I was a young adult through multiple mature Christians who helped me with some of the weaknesses in me/my type that were spot on from Allendar's descriptions. Given what I read, I can say the Lord has already brought me a long way. I am planning on rereading this book to continue that growth, and have already recommended it to others.

I don't know if the author will see this, but a few questions I have after reading: 1) How might the Myers-Briggs intersect with the Enneagram? For example, if someone is supposedly a "Head" type on the Enneagram, but they score as "Feeling" on the Myers-Briggs? 2) This is probably a very specific question for a Enneagram coach/specialist, but I have Type 5 in my life who is very careful about protecting his energy levels, and the book encourages them to open up more. But this person has very real physical responses such as migraines, so is there any other helpful advice?

Scott Allender takes us on a journey through the Enneagram, but not in what you're used to in just identifying the different types of the Enneagram and how we can identify where we are, but how we can take the Enneagram and our personal reflections of ourselves to a deeper level of understanding our woundedness and how to rise above it to functioning at a healthier level of ourselves rather than using the Enneagram number as a full stop, this is who I am, take it or leave it mentality. Taking into account our Emotional Intelligence, and honestly, how much work we're willing to do within ourselves, this is not only achievable, but worthy of the endeavor. Not only is the Enneagram about our inner personality mixed with our woundedness, but I really like Scott Allender's explanation of how it really is more than that, that it's a mask we learn to adopt in our younger selves to survive, and now how it's hindering our process in our adult years. Scott Allender isn't just someone gathering information to relay it to the masses, but has a real interest in helping us achieve a better understanding of the Enneagram and how we can use this to learn how we are hindering our own growing process and how we can move past those hinderances to better growth and development and understanding of our selves to be more successful, no matter what we do. Scott Allender is a student of some of the big names in the Enneagram field, from Riso to Ian Morgan Cron, so he really is informative of this field. This book is not only for the beginners to Enneagram, but also for those who have read and researched deeper into it. Excellent tool and so very helpful!!!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

I have read many books on this topic and I think this one might have been my favorite so far. Allender does a good job in applied the teachings to ones life - both personal and professional - and to see these traits in others. I will say this was not always the easiest read as it requires some self reflection.

I gave "The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence" by Scott Allender three stars. I was surprised to find that the book was much more in-depth about the Enneagram than I expected. I found the sections about my number to be engaging and thought-provoking, but the surrounding information was very deep into the Enneagram, which isn't really my thing. I think this book would be great for people who enjoy deep dives into the Enneagram and would recommend it to them. However, it may not be the best fit for someone looking for a lighter introduction to the topic.

This is the book to read if you want to understand yourself better, why you may react in certain ways to certain situations and what may be holding you back. If you are familiar with the Enneagram types, Scott Allender walks you through the emotional intelligence measures of each Ennea-type, from self-perception to stress management, and describes some practices that can help us stay at high awareness levels.

The writing style is easy to understand and keeps the reader engaged throughout. Throughout the book, the author provides examples from his work and personal life, which help connect with the author. A good book to have on your bookshelf if you are on a journey of self discovery.

I recieved an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I enjoyed going through this enneagram book, but I didn't read anything that I hadn't already read in other enneagram books.

There’s so much valuable information in this book that you’ll find yourself returning to it over and over.

A helpful book outlining the 9 different enneagram types in different aspects of life. Includes easy to understand breakdowns.