Preface To The Second Volume, by Claudio Naranjo

I am pleased that the second volume of the nine I envisioned many years ago as part of the collection Enneatypes in Transformation—which David Barba has chosen to call Psychology

of Enneatypes—has now been published. I have accepted this title, as it suggests a comprehensive treatise, which indeed reflects the work my collaborators have undertaken.

Since "fear" does not strike me as an entirely fitting term for what is, properly speaking, an enlightened explanation of certain characters marked by anxiety underlying varied and specific behaviors and thought patterns, I have preferred the title Cowards, Defiant, and Fanatics, relegating The Shapes of Fear to the subtitle.

Just as vanity does not appear among the deadly sins as an entity separate from pride (superbia)—even though it is graphically depicted as a woman gazing into a mirror—fear also does not feature among the seven sins listed since the time of Pope Gregory the Great. Nevertheless, its relative invisibility in religious discourse has been somewhat compensated for by its prominence in psychotherapeutic explanations of neurosis. As I have noted more than once, Evagrius Ponticus already spoke of eight sins or "errors," while Oscar Ichazo, in his presentation of the enneagram of passions, attributed this knowledge to a Babylonian origin. In any case, the insights shared in this volume will not be entirely new to skilled therapists, as both the avoidant personality and the counterphobic character are well-documented. Theodore Millon, for instance, described the Social 6 from our repertoire as a hybrid of obsessive and paranoid traits.

This volume, like each in the series, includes a theoretical or general presentation of the three subtypes associated with the passion that forms the book’s focus (in this case, fear—or more precisely, anxiety). It also contains an illustrative autobiography written by someone with the corresponding personality type, whose self-awareness and maturity make their account potentially valuable for readers who see themselves reflected in it. Through this combination of scientific essays and autobiographical narratives, each book in this series engages both hemispheres of its readers' minds.

As I explained in 27 Characters in Search of Being and the previous volume of this series (Vanity), my role in this work has not been primarily that of a writer or editor. Rather, it has been that of someone who, through a laborious and extended educational and therapeutic process, has guided my collaborators to a deep understanding of the character traits they now describe. Thus, what they write is not merely an echo of what I once presented orally but also something personally experienced.

It has also been part of my task to select the coordinators and chapter leaders, who need both personal understanding and the ability to observe others with similar character traits. Another implicit aspect of my contribution has been the systematic questioning of groups representing each of the 27 personality types during SAT programs and Enneatype symposiums held in various locations. These interactions have created a shared oral culture around these characters, which has nurtured those who now write. Finally, I have played a role in selecting and encouraging the individuals who provided life testimonies for this

volume, fostering uncommon honesty that transcends the intimacy of psychotherapeutic settings. I believe this approach has succeeded because I have always felt that each life can be as engaging as a novel, and I see the act of revealing oneself to the world as profoundly healing.

For those unfamiliar with the passion that knowledge of Enneatypes (ego types identified through the enneagram) has sparked in recent decades, one might question whether this subject justifies so much writing and reading time. To them, I would say that not only has the first volume (Vanity) sold as much as—if not more than—books in which I have sought to "fix the world," but thousands of people who have attended my courses and those of my collaborators on personality types have been deeply moved by the insights shared. This strengthens my conviction that this body of knowledge is contributing to the cultural understanding of what was once encapsulated in the Christian dogma of deadly sins. In a world so evidently plagued by complex problems rooted in vanity, fear, laziness, ambition, envy, greed, and more, this nuanced understanding of personal flaws may be relevant not only for spiritual growth and personal well-being but also for fostering a less self-destructive society.

The psychology of Enneatypes, as taught by Oscar Ichazo under the name protoanalysis, has supported the psychospiritual development of many individuals since I began including it in my programs in the 1970s. I hope this verbal exposition of insights gained through group experiences of transformation now serves as a stimulus for readers to accelerate their own journey of transformative self-knowledge.

I also hope the public reads this second volume of Psychology of Enneatypes not only with interest but with great benefit, recognizing the three "masks" of anxiety—the timid and dependent, the obsessive slaves of duty, and the aggressive counterphobic ones for whom "the best defense is attack." May this understanding aid not only in the internal unmasking that occurs during the therapeutic process but also in the broader unmasking of the world, made possible through the arts and humanities.