'The Enneagram and the MBTI' came into existence little over a year ago. In this, our fourth issue of the Journal, we celebrate the first anniversary of the site, and revisit the question that inspired its creation - 'How might the relationship between the MBTI and the Enneagram best be described?'

We are particularly pleased on this occasion to be able to present an
Interview with Katharine Downing Myers that was conducted by Walter Geldart.

Katharine has been involved with the MBTI on a personal and professional level since 1942. She was the first president of the Association of Psychological Type, and working in close collaboration with Isabel Briggs Myers, her mother-in-law, she prepared the 1985 edition of the MBTI manual. She also co-authored the 1998 manual, and continues to work as an MBTI consultant, primarily in schools and non-profit organizations.

Katharine is an empathetic and attentive listener, displaying a unique blend of warmth, wit, and dignity. Her charm and quiet grace notwithstanding, she is also a formidable force in the Type world - a sharp intellect to be reckoned with. Her answers to interview questions, though simple and direct, were formulated with great care and circumspection, and will surely withstand the intense intellectual scrutiny that they deserve.

With an inner strength and self-confidence that enables her to speak in a genuinely kind and humble way, Katharine refers to the MBTI - a well-established and popular system that countless people have found tremendously helpful - as a work in progress, one that remains, after all is said and done, a 'hypothesis', albeit a rather good one, we might add. It was this sense of humility that really won our hearts.

Stained glass window Chapel at Silver Bay view from inside - photo by WJGeldart

We were initially surprised to learn that Katharine already had an interest in the Enneagram, and had actively pursued this interest by taking workshops on the subject. We found the unhesitating childlike eagerness with which she sought to know more about the topic a delightfully refreshing and inspiring attitude, reminiscent of what Shunryu Suzuki, a Roshi in the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, used to call 'beginner's mind'.'If your mind is empty', he said, 'it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few'.

Thank you, Walter, for arranging and conducting this superb interview!

Also in this issue, Walter offers a detailed Review of Lenore Thomson's new book, An Owner's Manual, A Practical Guide to Understanding Yourself and Others Through Typology. Formerly managing editor of 'Quadrant: The Journal of Contemporary Jungian Thought', Lenore has taught courses on psychological type and pop culture at the C. G. Jung Foundation in New York. Before the release of her new book, we were privileged to have the opportunity to print a lengthy Correspondence that we had with her regarding several interesting topics. It is still available, along with articles from other past issues, in the Archive.

In 'My Name is Bill W, and I'm a Counterphobic Six', a fascinating piece by psychotherapist Michael Huber, a close look is taken at the founder of 'Alcoholic's Anonymous'. Typing Bill W. as an Enneagram Six, Huber argues that alcohol and drug dependency issues are linked to characterological flaws in the E6 which are best addressed by 'spiritual' paths such as the one pioneered by Bill W. This article is a follow-up to the Study that he made of the MBTI types of forty Enneagram Type-Six alcohol and drug dependent clients with whom he worked - which appeared in the January/February issue of the Journal.

Stained glass window Chapel at Silver Bay view from outside Photo by WJGeldart

Also in this issue is the first part of a series of papers entitled, 'Revisiting the Relationship Between the Enneagram and the MBTI'. The Introduction to this series was posted on March 3rd, when this issue of the Journal was released. The remaining 6 parts will be posted on subsequent Tuesdays throughout March and April. In this series we suggest that whereas the primary focus of the MBTI may be said to be on the individual's 'Ego', the primary focus of the Enneagram is on what Jung called the 'Self'. As such, the Enneagram's strengths lie in assisting the individual with his or her work on the 'spiritual' path. In this series we present an in-depth analysis of the Enneagram as a Mandala, as a 'Double Mandala' (to use Von Franz's term), and as a nine-fold 'Triple Mandala' of the type that is associated with esoteric spiritual teachings of Central Asia.

Because the discussion that we had with Pat Wyman is relevant to the topics addressed in this seven-part series, we elected to continue to display the correspondence that we had with her on the Conversations page of this issue.

Stained glass window detail of center photo by WJGeldart

Although no new art pieces appear this time, four new written works do appear in Roslyn Kopel Gross's Type Writer page, along with a discussion about the guesses that were made about the pieces presented on her page last time. These are wonderfully entertaining poems and stories that deserve attention in their own right, but also take on additional interest when viewed through the lens of Type. Ros puts an enormous amount of work into this page and it is greatly appreciated, judging by the feedback that we have received.

In lieu of a discussion of the guesses that readers made regarding the art work displayed in last issues's Art and Personality page, we chose to present four hands-on visual puzzles related to the construction of the Enneagram. These are Brainteasers that are tangentially related to our seven-part mandala series. The art work submitted by readers continues to be accessible to visitors, and we will return to a discussion of these pieces in the May/June issue.

Please also be sure to read Walter's Community News - about what's been happening at the Community Forum message board. Have a look also at the Letters to the Editor. Just when we were beginning to think that the message board was about to render the letters column obsolete, we were flooded with interesting letters.

Thanks to all who sent in letters, comments, and survey returns, and to those who posted messages at the board. Your input is invaluable, and it is treasured!