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©2024 The Enneagram in BusinessThe Enneagram in Business Mini-Bookby Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhDFixationsHabits of Mind Indolencepartnine
In the Enneagram system, Fixations, or habits of mind, areconsidered the key mental patterns or compulsions thatcharacterize each of the nine personality types. These fixationsare essentially thought patterns that can lead to imbalances orchallenges in how individuals perceive themselves, others, andthe world. Understanding and addressing these fixations is acentral part of using the Enneagram for personal growth. Why is it important to recognize that all of us engage in thehabits of mind normally associated with specific Enneagramstyles? By studying all the Fixations, not just the one associatedwith our type, we can become aware of how that fixation maydistort our behavior and worldview, leading to many powerfulpaths for self-development. In part nine of this nine book series, you’ll read how each of thenine Enneagram types engage in the Fixation of Indolence.Indolence: The mental process ofmentally diffusing our attention so thatwe forget what is important to us andalso causes us to refrain from stating ourown opinions, thus minimizing ourconflict with other people.
Type nineWe typically associate Indolence with Nines,because it is the fixation or repeating mentalpattern for Enneagram Nines.Here are just some ways in which Ninesengage in thinking that leads to indolence:Indolence around seeing both good and bad: Perceivingonly positive factors in their beliefs about others, situations,world events, as a way of maintaining harmonyIndolence around what matters to them: Forgettingwhat mattered to them or what they truly think as a way ofnot making waves or calling attention to themselvesIndolence around priorities: Not remembering what theywere supposed to be doing – forgetting their priorities – asa way to relax, feel unpressured, and not generate conflict,although this often generates more conflict laterindolence
Ones also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence about focusing on the whole picture:Focusing so much on the details of getting it (whatever “it”is) right that they diffuse their attention about other itemsor factors that matter as much or moreIndolence while moving along their arrow to TypeSeven: Moving to their arrow of Enneagram type 7 withsuch abandon (not all Ones do this with abandon!) thatthey think about purely in the pursuit of pleasure, paying noattention whatsoever to items that should be on theiragenda or to the consequences of their behaviorIndolence around seeing other’s opinions and ideas:Paying so much attention their own opinions and ideas thatthey are inattentive to the ideas of othersHabits of Mind Type one
Twos also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence around seeing their own needs: Paying somuch attention to others and their needs and so littleattention to their own needs – that is, being indolent aboutoneselfIndolence around expressing oneself: Not being clearenough within oneself and or being unwilling to sharethoughts and opinions; not manifesting one’s own truedesires; or believing it is not OK or too dangerous or thatone is not quite capable of stepping into visible leadershipIndolence around identifying their own feelings: Neitheridentifying nor acknowledging their own feelings as a wayto preserve relationships and avoid conflict with others whoare important to themType twoindolence
Type threeThrees also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence while moving along their arrow to Type Nine:Not wanting to think about anything serious and soengaging in routine relaxing behaviors such as videogames, jogging, cooking/eating, and more as a way to notpay attention to oneself (the movement of Threes to Nine)Indolence around valuing feelings: Believing thatemotions are a distraction from work and then engaging inactivity as a way to avoid feelingsIndolence around reflecting on who they truly are: Notreflecting on who they really are; instead, perceivingthemselves as the persona they have createdHabits of Mind
Type fourFours also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence about what they intend to say: Thinking somuch about how to express themselves so they’ll beunderstood – or not misunderstood – that they lose track ofwhat they really meant to sayIndolence about the feelings beneath the feelings:Thinking that their most currently felt emotions are their trueemotions and being indolent about going deeper toexamine the feelings underneath these feelingsIndolence about the impact of their hurt feelings onothers: Thinking about how to transport their own hurt ontoothers or how to withdraw from a relationship when theyanticipate rejection, without taking the time to think throughthis dynamic within them: what motivates this and whateffect this has on both them and othersindolence
Type fiveFives also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence about determining thinking vs. feeling:Confusing thinking with feeling, with the effect of notpaying sufficient attention to their emotional livesIndolence around feelings: Not thinking about feelingsmuch at all; in fact, thinking that feelings have limited valueand that it takes too much energy to figure them outIndolence around valuing physical input: Thinking thatonly their minds matter, so ignoring (being indolent about)physical sensations that are a source of importantinformationHabits of Mind
Type sixSixes also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence around balanced thinking: Thinking only aboutthe things that scare themIndolence around prioritizing fun: Believing that “fun”isn’t something that they can allow themselves to relax into(this is true more for self-preserving and social subtypeSixes than one-to-one Sixes)Indolence around recognizing projections: Not beingable and/or not wanting to take the time to be able to sortout their projections from their own motivations, hopes, andfearsindolence
Type sevenSevens also engage in indolence in multipleways, including:Indolence around pain: Thinking about pleasure butrarely, if at all, painIndolence around physical sensations: Not thinkingabout what their physical sensations are telling themIndolence around reframing negative information:Reframing possible negative information into positive as away of not paying attention to what is actually occurringHabits of Mind
Type eightEights also engage in indolence in multiple ways,including:Indolence around lust hiding vulnerability: Thinking aboutwhatever they lust after (the Eight’s excessiveness) as a way ofavoiding their vulnerabilityIndolence around truth: Believing that their truth or reality isthe truth, thereby being indolent about thinking through themulti-realities that have validityIndolence around denial: Going into mental denial thatsomething is amiss, even their healthindolence
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