Type 1: The Need to be Perfect

Enneagram Type 1 are often called Reformers and sometimes Perfectionists. 1s want to both be good and make the world good. And they are idealistic enough to believe that good is perfect and perfect is possible. They have a hard time accepting imperfections, both in themselves and in others. So, 1s work hard to reform the people around them and even harder to reform themselves. Some of the hardest workers in our society, 1s are always trying to achieve perfection, as fleeting as perfection is.

Some other words that describe 1s include…

Basic Fear

1s fear being bad, corrupt, defective, and/or evil.

Basic Desire

To be good, to have integrity

A Few Key Motivations

• to be honest, modest, and just
• to live up to their high standards, morals, and ethics
• to be right, correct and to avoid mistakes
• to fulfills goals
• to follow rules
• to be successful, to make things better

Virtue

Serenity. When ones learn to open themselves to grace, then they can find release from burden of their lofty personal standards, their obsession with perfection, and the latent anger (see Vice) within them. This allows 1s to discover a state of peaceful serenity unlike any other enneagram type.

Vice

Anger – not rage, but more of a frustration that things are so imperfect, a resentment that they cannot find and create perfection, and guilt for not being good enough. Frustration, resentment and guilt are typically expressed by 1s as anger. Ones often do not recognize their anger because they see anger as some bad and imperfect. To recognize it would be to admit their own imperfection which is not desirable for them. Learning to acknowledge, accept, and release anger is important for the journey of a type 1 person.

Defense Mechanism

1s constantly work to control their reactions and this typically leads to repressing much of what they feel. In this way 1s can become walking steam kettles (similar to 9s, though for different reasons). 1s often work off the pressure by being workaholics. They are of some of hardest workers around!

Pitfalls

• Hypersensitivity that leads to defensiveness and passive-aggressiveness. 1s are senstive to criticism from others even as they offer their criticism widely.
• Can become the white knight without even realizing it
• Can become critical, arrogant, moralistic, self-righteous, obnoxious fault finders.
• Cna get stuck on old mistakes (their or others) having a hard time moving on from them

Childhood

As children, 1s tended to feel heavily criticized, often punished, or not good enough. So, they became obsessed with avoiding mistakes and being good. To be good was to avoid criticism. For many 1s this mind throughout their adult life.

This childhood experience built the fear of being corrupt, bad, or evil within them. This fears then fuels a frustration in 1s that usually comes out of them as anger and judgmentalism. While it may seem that ones are angrily judging everyone else, they are doing it to themselves far more than anyone else.

Example

Moana is concerned with what is best for her island. What is right for her people is calling her. it is as if she cannot stop from chasing it. Even when her Father tries to explain what is best, Moana has her own sense of what the best is and she follow after that regardless of what others say. She struggles with her desire to be the perfect daughter (typical 1 perfectionism) and her call to do what is right which means disobeying her father. Moana ends up playing the role of the white knight saving her village, and she goes it alone (also kinda 1-ish) even when she could have shared much more of her calling and experiences with her village to bring them along working together.

The story of Moana shows what 1s can accomplish. And its amazing and beautiful and world-changing. It also shows you the struggle and strain 1s place upon themselves, their families, and others around them. Patience, learning to connect with her struggle and anger, and learning to see things from a different perspective are all keys to Moana’s success. And these are things every 1 needs to heed.

Biblical Character

Paul was a 1. He was an arrogant, dogmatic Pharisee whose judgmentalism against Jesus’s followers was unparalleled. Then grace found Paul on the road to Damascus and God transformed Paul’s anger. Paul found all the good of the gospel and began to love Jesus. Then and only then was Paul, as a 1, able to use his gifts to be incredibly industrious spreading the gospel far and wide. Paul’s story it a true 1 story – a story of anger, grace, release, learning to love in the midst of faults, and transformation that engages gifts that change the world.

What 1s Need

• Need Patience…for themselves and others
• Need to cultivate love for self and others to curb their inner critic; need to find something about someone they love and focus on that
• Need to learn that their way is one way, but not the only way and not even always the right way
• Need to make friend with their anger and learn to laugh ant themselves
• Need to pay attention to growth and movement; people are not simply good or bad, but always moving/growing towards something
• Need to learn that truth of the saying: “Perfect is the enemy of good.”
• Need to admit that their motives to be good and make things better are not all altruistic; they have selfish motives as well
• Need to embrace the graceful truth that God alone is perfect, and while we are not, we are perfectly loved by God…and that is enough.

Summary

Enneagram Type 1 – The Idealist from Crystal

Are You a 1?

If you think you may be a 1, check out the video below for some helpful connection points to God. Also, be sure to text, call or email Pastor Jason to sign up to take the 40 minute Enneagram Test online. (Paper test are available as well.) Use the contact form on our website or text/call the church office.

Stay tuned to our blog for tips on relationships with Type 1s!