cover image The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships

The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships

Suzanne Stabile. IVP/Formatio, $24 (240p) ISBN 978-0-8308-4642-9

Stabile follows The Road Back to You (cowritten with Ian Cron) with this delightful relationship guide based on the Enneagram, an ancient Christian spiritual personality typology. Each of the nine personality types of the Enneagram has idiosyncrasies, strengths, and weaknesses; responds differently to stresses; and flourishes differently when it matures. Stabile’s sketches are intended to help readers understand each type’s quirks and preferences. For Stabile, using the Enneagram to understand and respond to behavior will lead to patient insight rather than snap judgment: “Looking through the lens of the Enneagram makes it possible to better understand ourselves and others, increase our acceptance and compassion, and navigate the paths between us.” Stabile marshals a lot of information, but her anecdotes and generalizations are never too abstract. “It is harder for a Nine to know who they are in a relationship than any other number,” she writes. “They seem to arrive on the planet with a desire to be unaffected by life.” She also helpfully uses the same subheadings (“the world of,” “stress and security,” “limitations,” and “the path together”) to organize content in each section. This concise book will be useful to Enneagram students wanting to go deeper and has application for organization managers interested in personality typologies. (Apr.)