The Head Centre

The 3 Triads

The nine Enneagram types are split into groups of threes, which are called centers of intelligence. Each Enneagram style is rooted in one of the 3 Centres.

These three Centres manifest in the form of:

– The Head center (or Thinking type)

– The Gut center (or belly type)

– The Feelings center (or heart type)

The notion of a primary Centre, refers to the ways in which we typically react, often internally, to events in our lives. While we all have heads, hearts and bodies, each of us tends to favour one of these 3 modalities in the manner we perceive & process information, communicate, behave and where we will start operating from most of the time.  Each Centre (also called Triad) represent 3 of the nine Enneagram styles, hence culminating in all 9 types.

The Head Centre

The Head Centre represents Enneagram styles, Five, Six and Seven.  The head center’s dominant negative fixation is on fear and anxiety.

Fives respond to fear by withdrawing, retreating into their minds in order to understand the complex world we live in. Staying inside feels safe and they get used to this exploration. They do this through observation.  Sixes react to their worry and fear by anticipating negative scenarios and planning alternatives to circumvent what could go wrong.  Sevens take a different route in dealing with fear, moving from worry very quickly into planning for pleasurable possibilities.  Although Sevens do not appear fearful on the surface, they are actually running from fear and pain – an avoidance reaction.

 

Scroll to Top