Author’s book uses Enneagram Test to help with relationships

Dr. D. Darrell Griffin is the author of “Building a Better You: Using the Enneagram to find Purpose, Healing, and Success in Relationships.” Griffin has been teaching the personality test since 2007. PHOTO PROVIDED BY LANA SIMON
Dr. D. Darrell Griffin is the author of “Building a Better You: Using the Enneagram to find Purpose, Healing, and Success in Relationships.” Griffin has been teaching the personality test since 2007. PHOTO PROVIDED BY LANA SIMON

Author’s book uses Enneagram Test to help with relationships

By Tia Carol Jones
Dr. D. Darrell Griffin has been doing work around the Enneagram Test since 2007. Griffin believes the more people know about themselves, the better they can be in relationships with other people. That is the premise of his book, “Building a Better You: Using the Enneagram to find Purpose, Healing, and Success in Relationships,” which is out now.

The Enneagram Test is a personality test that can offer insight into interpersonal relationships by putting people into nine different personality types. Griffin believes the Enneagram is a great tool for self-discovery and self-transformation.

“I knew that people needed tools to be able to help us really understand our purpose. We needed things to understand how we find healing and how do we find success in relationships,” he said. “When I know about myself, I can be in a better relationship with you and the people around me.”

When Griffin began to teach the Enneagram people told him that he needed to put it in a book. His book puts a little “afro sheen” to the test. Griffin wrote the book during the pandemic.

The test will help people understand how they operate in relationships and how people see the world. Griffin believes when people in relationships understand their Enneagram numbers and how people are wired, it can reduce conflict and partners won’t take things personally.

Part of the book is about success in relationships, whether it is a work relationship or romantic relationship. Griffin believes the book can help people in the search for love. If people are in a romantic relationship and know their Enneagram number and their partners Enneagram number, they can navigate that relationship better. For instance, if someone is an 8 and has a strong personality, they have to be careful not to get in a relationship with another person who also is an 8, it might lead to them clashing. “Two unhealthy 8’s have come together and some chemicals don’t mix,” he said.

In professional or work relationships, Griffin said it is important to build a team based on shared values and strengths. A team should have a mix of all different personalities. The goal is not to build a team based on one person but to build it with the mindset of bringing on people who complement what the team leader brings to the table. The Enneagram can help with that.

“Building a Better You” is Griffin’s second book. His first was about people understanding the environments in which they have to work and lead. The book, “The Transition Zone,” about change and transition was written in 2015.

Griffin teaches the Enneagram to organizations and leaders. Griffin believes the Enneagram Test also can be taught from a biblical point of view. Griffin also is the senior pastor at Oakdale Covenant Church of Chicago.

“If you look at the Enneagram, 1 is the good person, 2 is the loving person, 3 is an efficient person, 4 is the original person, 5 is the wise person, 6 is the loyal person, 7 is the joyful person, 8 is the powerful person, 9 is the peaceful person,” he said. “Guess what, those are the characteristics of God. God’s all of those things and I believe there’s a slice of God in all of us.”

“Building a Better You” is available on Griffin’s website, www.ddarrellgriffin.com. It also is available on Amazon.

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