In addition to the Levels of Development there are the Directions of Integration and Disintegration. When each Type feels secure and confident it exhibits some of the healthy behaviours of a certain other Type and we call this its Direction of Integration (ie. towards health, self-actualisation). For example a One when they feel secure will act out behaviours of the healthy Seven. So the One's Direction of Integration is towards the Seven. It is not that the One tries to adopt some of the healthy Seven behaviours, it is simply that the Seven is the Type that represents the opposite of the One's unhealthy behaviours so when the One is integrating they are, therefore, naturally moving towards Seven.
When each Type feels stressed and under pressure it also acts out behaviours of a certain other Type but in this case it acts out some of the average or unhealthier behaviours. We call this its Direction of Disintegration. For example the One, under pressure and stressed, acts out behaviours of the unhealthy Four. So the One's Direction of Disintegration is to Four.
This explains the lines on the Enneagram diagram. So from the One, for example, there is a line going to Seven and another line going to Four. In the coming posts I am going to talk a little about how these movements of integration and disintegration manifest in each of the Types. Starting with the One...
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