Neuroscience has discovered the Enneagram. Dr. Daniel J. Siegel and the PDP Group recently published a book, Personality and Wholeness in Therapy: Integrating 9 Patterns of Developmental Pathways in Clinical Practice (2024). Siegel and his cohorts have written in-depth about temperament, the Enneagram, and its application to clinical practice.
In addition to the Ancient Greeks and the Tao Te Ching, there is evidence for pre-birth temperament theory in 20th-century research: Jerome Kagan’s (1998, 2004) twenty-year temperament research, the forty-five-year temperament research in the New York Longitudinal Study (Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess (1977, 1984, 1986), and testimonials from infant childcare workers, adoption workers, and parents themselves who notice their children’s differences at birth.
The New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) followed infants from six months into their early forties, identifying nine temperament characteristics that remained constant throughout the multi-decade observations -ultimately interested in the “goodness of fit” between a child’s temperament and their environment.
The New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) followed infants from six months into their early forties, identifying nine temperament characteristics that remained constant throughout the multi-decade observations. Ultimately interested in the “goodness of fit” between a child’s temperament and the environment