Head, Heart, and Hand

Abstract

Across diverse fields of study, we consistently find three dimensions of the human experience that are relevant to understanding selfhood in society and to leadership development; they are discussed in Enneagram language as three centers of intelligence, or human functioning. These centers are thinking, feeling, and doing, referred to here with the symbols head, heart, and hand. The Enneagram is an ancient symbol related to nine distinct personality types organized around these three centers. The Enneagram teaches that seeking to balance the ways in which these centers function within one’s personality can provide a means for wholistic healing and growth and a transformational approach to Christian spirituality for strengthening leadership. The purpose of this paper is to use the Enneagram to understand how thinking (head), feeling (heart), and doing (hand) dimensions of our personality provide a foundation for Christian spiritual formation with relevance for strengthening leadership in the helping professions.