Review Overview: Enneagram Subtypes One, Two, & Three

This is a re-release compilation of three earlier Awareness to Action episodes (40, 41, and 42, first released in June 2023), edited into one listen that covers all three subtypes of Type One, Type Two, and Type Three. Mario Sikora, María José Munita, and Seth “Creek” Creekmore work from one framework throughout: the instinctual bias is what a person is after, and the strategy is how they go about getting it.

For the Ones, Mario offers a shorthand: the preserving One is thinking “it should” be a certain way, the navigating One “I should,” and the transmitting One “you should.” For the Twos, the hosts push back on dismissing “giving to get” as a flaw, then separate the preserving Two (selective, and the most contradictory of the three), the navigating Two (a connector, often more comfortable as the kingmaker than the king), and the transmitting Two (who narrowcasts connection and can be mistaken for a Four). For the Threes, they argue that the preserving Three is hugely driven rather than unambitious, that the navigating Three reads the group and adapts to it, and that the transmitting Three wants others to be as outstanding as they are trying to be.

Throughout, the hosts return to one caution: behaviors are data points, not the whole story, and the “counter type” idea is too simplistic next to the interplay of instinctual bias and strategy. Because the audio is cut from the original series, occasional references to “last time” point back to the earlier subtype episodes; Introduction to Subtypes (episode 39) covers the definitions.

Chapters

0:00:00 Criteria First: Instinctual Bias and Strategy

0:01:15 Preserving One: Getting the Preserving Domain Right

0:04:06 Data Points, Not the Whole Story

0:07:36 “It Should,” “I Should,” “You Should”: The Three Ones

0:10:50 Navigating One: Perfect Navigation

0:21:57 Transmitting One: Perfecting the World

0:25:34 Common Mistypes of Type One

0:31:27 Preserving Two: Connecting to Meet Preserving Needs

0:45:19 Navigating Two: The Connector

0:53:27 Transmitting Two: Narrowcasting Connection

0:58:59 Transmitting Two vs. Type Four

1:02:04 Preserving Three: Driven and Understated

1:18:40 Navigating Three: The Marketing Mentality

1:30:44 Transmitting Three: Be Like Me

Resources mentioned in this episode

Social Chemistry — Marissa King (book) — Mario mentions this Yale professor’s work on networking styles, which he reads as mapping onto preservers, navigators, and transmitters.
Charlie Wilson’s War (film) — Mario’s example of a navigating Two: the Julia Roberts character works behind the scenes, connecting people to advance her agenda.
The Odd Couple (play, film, and TV series) — Mario’s example of a One as neat freak: in the TV series the Felix character is a One paired with a Seven; in the film, the pair is a Two and an Eight.
Documentary on Mitt Romney after the 2012 election — a host’s example of a preserving Three who needs to be doing something. The host is unsure of the platform, so the title is [needs confirming].
Character and Neurosis — Claudio Naranjo — Mario cites Naranjo’s point that the Three’s pattern is normalized in U.S. culture, so no corresponding dysfunction appears in the DSM.
Fathoms | An Enneagram Podcast — Type Three episode with Drew Moser — Creek’s co-host, recommended as a clearer look at a preserving Three. [needs confirming: episode title and link]

Related resources

Introduction to Subtypes (episode 39) — how the hosts define subtypes, and how the Awareness to Action approach differs from the common view.
Subtypes of Enneagram Type One (episode 40) — the original conversation behind the first part of this compilation.
Subtypes of Enneagram Type Two (episode 41) — the original conversation behind the second part.
Subtypes of Enneagram Type Three (episode 42) — the original conversation behind the third part.
Awareness to Action Website — the hub for the podcast network, certification program, and core framework resources.

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Pod: Enneagram in a Movie