Enneagram Type One

The Alignment Seeker

We call 1s The Alignment Seeker because their primary motivation is to align themselves with what is good and right, to correct what is “wrong” in their environments, and to comport themselves such that they do not contaminate their environment.

When 1s are connected to Essential Alignment, they experience the untarnished rightness of all things as a living truth. They include themselves as part of this, and they abide in the calm awareness that all things are in their rightful state, precisely as they are. In this grounded place, Healthy 1s are principled, noble, fair, softhearted, forgiving, and serene. 

Healthy 1s feel connected to a gut sense of right and wrong. A Type One we interviewed explained that it's as if an inner tuning fork lets them know what is in or out of resonance with natural order. They live in alignment with an internal sense of integrity, putting principle before personal bias and walking their talk. By example, they invite others to leave childish ways behind and become the dignified adults that they were always meant to be. 

1s can’t help but see — or really, sense (as body types) —  how our world can be improved. But because Healthy 1s have compassion for our imperfect nature, they are able to stand peacefully in the gap between reality and ideals. Healthy 1s get that we are all trying our best, so they go easy on themselves and others. Others often find that in the presence of a Healthy 1, they are simultaneously inspired to accept themselves as they are and to live more in alignment with their highest self — a paradox that Healthy 1s embody in their own right. 

The serenity prayer — May God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference — captures the spirit of Healthy 1s. They are willing to speak their minds and put themselves on the line for what they believe is right. But they accept the things that they cannot change, which allows them to "let their hair down" and enjoy life. They also get that there are valid perspectives other than their own, and they are curious, open, and receptive to those whose opinions differ from theirs. So even as they point out what could be improved and call others into more upright ways of being, Healthy 1s remain calm, accepting, and nonjudgemental. 

When 1s lose touch with Essential Alignment, it can feel to them as if the world is being tragically overrun by evil, chaos, and wrongdoing, and they are compelled to intervene to restore things to their rightful order. Fixated 1s experience a nearly ever-present irritation and feel the only solution is to fix whatever causes it. Their serenity wanes, and they become rigidly certain that their personal sense of right and wrong is universal and absolute. The idealism of Healthy 1s devolves into displeased moralism, and Fixated 1s become chronically annoyed and disapproving.

Fixated 1s are heartbroken that the world isn’t the way it should be, and they feel personally obligated to set it right. This means that they must fix what's wrong, including correcting others when they have transgressed and constraining themselves to live within an acceptable (according to them) range of behaviors. Fixated 1s begin to relate to others from a moral high ground, as though they are arbiters of truth and justice, good and bad, the "right way" and the "wrong way." 1s are extremely certain of themselves, and they get frustrated that others don’t seem to care about upholding "universal" values. It’s as if they believe, “I’m the only adult around here. Everyone else hasn’t grown up.” On the outside, Fixated 1s may come across self-confident, as people of high conviction. But on the inside, Fixated 1s are often ruthless with themselves, administering merciless inner lashings and repressing their darker impulses. 

The more uncompromising 1s get with themselves, the more critical they become of others. People close to Fixated 1s may experience them as harsh and teacherly, like a nun with a ruler always ready to slap a wrist. The more rigid and positional Fixated 1s become, the more they simmer with indignation that the world isn’t up to snuff and that they are doomed to suffer constant agony as a result. They become forcefully nit-picky, self-righteous, and narrow-minded. From this place, Fixated 1s fail to distinguish between lofty ideals and realistic possibilities, attempt to hold themselves and others to impossibly high standards of perfection, and close to feedback that they are being unreasonable. 

What 1s really want is to know that goodness itself is safe, and they despair it would be lost without their advocacy. 1s’ ability to see what could be better is an admirable superpower, but by focusing so much on what is “wrong," Fixated 1s fail to see what goodness is present, and their rigid criticality can alienate others, making Fixated 1s ineffective advocates for the change they wish to see.

As 1s deepen themselves through inner work, they can cultivate enough stillness to recontact Essential Alignment, which lets them rest in the paradox that reality is precisely as it should be, even if there is room for improvement. This restful awareness transcends the objections of the mind and allows 1s to recover their virtue of Serenity. Healthy 1s learn that having integrity does not mean being perfect or pure, but is instead an ongoing process of accepting of all parts of oneself and the world — shadow and light, humor and sternness, id and superego. Healthy 1s find peace in living from this wise and relaxed place.