Power as a Shadow side of Love Across Enneagram Levels of Health
Levels of health (or consciousness) are essential for understanding how individuals express love or, conversely, a drive for power, and how this impacts their personal and spiritual growth.
High Levels (1-3): Love as a Fundamental Nature
At the high levels of psychological health and spiritual development, individuals of each Enneagram type reach a state where love becomes their primary guiding principle. Power, in this state, is subordinated to love and serves as a tool for fostering goodness and supporting the growth of both others and themselves. People at these levels are inwardly stable, sincere, and authentic.
For example:
Type One (The Perfectionist): Love is expressed through a compassionate commitment to improving the world. Their strength lies in dedication to truth and justice, yet this commitment arises from a place of love, not from a need for control.
Type Two (The Helper): Love is the basis for selfless giving and care for others. At these levels, their power stems from a capacity for deep connection and support.
Similarly, other types shift from seeking validation to embracing sincere love, where their actions are driven by a desire to contribute, not by a need for control or affirmation.
Mid Levels (4-6): Love in Conflict with Power
At the mid-levels, individuals balance between love and a need for power. Sometimes they focus on connection and nurturing, while at other times they feel drawn to validation, influence, and control. This internal conflict creates tension, as they strive for love but are redirected toward the illusion of power by feelings of insecurity or fear.
For example:
Type Three (The Achiever): At these levels, Threes love success because it brings them a sense of worth and love, but they may begin to chase power and reputation to feel significant. This leads to a misalignment between their true self and their public image.
Type Four (The Individualist): Fours desire unique love but may start to feel that power brings validation. Their inner struggle oscillates between expressing their uniqueness out of love or from a need to stand out and have influence.
Type Six (The Loyal Skeptic): Sixes seek security, which they often equate with love. When they feel threatened, however, they may turn to authoritative figures for power and safety, which distances them from authentic connections.
Low Levels (7-9): Power as a Defense Against Love
At the low levels, individuals use power and control as a defense against feelings of vulnerability and love. Here, they fear that love may bring pain, uncertainty, or dependence, so they seek power and control as a way to protect themselves. Rather than connecting, they withdraw, resorting to manipulation or aggression, engaging in behaviors that guard them against genuine feelings of love and vulnerability.
For example:
Type Eight (The Challenger): At the low levels, Eights turn to brute power, control, and manipulation to protect their sensitive core. Instead of opening to love, they pursue dominance and control, feeling safer when they have the situation under their control.
Type Seven (The Enthusiast): Sevens at these levels avoid pain and uncomfortable emotions, which blocks genuine connections. In their quest for pleasure and new experiences, they create a false sense of power, control over fate, and freedom, yet this only serves to avoid love and vulnerability.
Type Five (The Observer): Fives seek power in the form of knowledge and distance. At the low levels, they believe love brings too much dependence and vulnerability, so they retreat into intellectual superiority and emotional isolation.
Conclusion: The Path from Power to Love Across Enneagram Levels
At the highest levels of consciousness, each Enneagram type recognizes that true power flows from love, as love is based on connection, humility, openness, mutual respect, and support. At these levels, individuals understand that love leads to genuine power — power that does not rely on control, validation, or influence but is stable, present, and authentic in itself.
On the journey of personal growth, individuals at varying levels of consciousness transition from using power as a defensive mechanism to embracing love as the foundation of their actions. As they move through the levels, they release their need for external power and become more genuinely connected to love, which emanates from their inner essence.
