Our Five Lens approach takes the Enneagram model and adds significantly to it. Most Enneagram based assessments primarily focus on the Enneagram as a stand-alone “typing” model. In other words, they define a person’s dominant Enneagram “type” and describe the likely behaviours exhibited by that “type”.
Our philosophy is not to type or box people, our view is that humans are far too complex to be reduced to a single “type”. Specific behaviours tend to fall somewhere on a continuum ranging from not present at all to very present and the frequency of particular behaviour can change depending on the context (external environment and internal experience). Also, emotionally integrated people display “growth” rather than fixed mindsets and behaviour. They are able to learn from their experiences and adapt to changing circumstances.
The Five Lens methodology evaluates individuals across all nine Enneagram patterns and reports on the frequency of use of each pattern. We report in detail on individuals’ two most frequently used patterns and their least used pattern. (Sometimes the least used pattern is most significant for a person’s development.)
As already mentioned, our belief is that behaviour changes in response to changes in a person’s external and internal context. So, although the most dominant pattern is usually most entrenched in a person’s “way of being” the frequency of use of the other patterns can shift more readily in response to the context. This is why we measure and show the frequency of all nine patterns in our reports. This is not done in many other Enneagram reporting systems.
Our approach to the Enneagram is somewhat different in that it takes into account a range of other variables in a developmentally structured way that enables self discovery rather than labelling which tends to reinforce fixated behaviour.
The six Personal Mastery factors – measure and offer an indication of a person’s overall effectiveness. They also pinpoint related behaviours that may need building. Our feedback reports offer developmental input that enables self-paced learning.
Our Emotional Resilience lens – measures, reports and offers developmental input in three areas and includes a series of self-coaching questions designed to encourage growth.
Social Drives are derived from the work of Abraham Maslow and the later work of Richard Barrett. The Five Lens evaluation of the drives provides an indication of the needs and immediate concerns of individuals. These may be related to basic survival issues, or the need to affiliate with others in close relationship and feel a sense of belonging, or the need to be recognised more broadly as a trusted member of a larger community which enables self-esteem. In addition there may be a motivation to leave a legacy of some kind that makes a positive difference in the world that, in a way, transcends the self.
The three centers of intelligence are related to areas of the body and each represents a specific modality of mind.