Plato divided the human soul into three parts. Freud did the same thing with the psyche. The Enneagram does it with three core emotions.
Three different frameworks. Three different eras. Same underlying architecture.
This is either a remarkable coincidence — or these thinkers were all circling the same fundamental truth about human nature.
The Enneagram isn’t just some modern personality quiz. Its structure maps directly onto ideas that Plato articulated 2,400 years ago and Freud formalized 100 years ago.
Here’s the connection they never made — because two of them are dead.
Plato’s idea of the soul
Plato divided the idea of the human soul into three parts (the Tripartite Soul).
According to Plato, the soul consists of reason, spirit, and appetite.
- Reason (logic): Plato believed the soul’s rational aspect guides our thinking and decision-making.
- Spirit (emotions): For Plato, the spirited part of the soul drives our feelings and desires.
- Appetite (instincts): Plato’s third component, appetite, governs our primal needs and drives.
This 3 part division appears again when you look at Freud’s description of the Psyche.
Freud’s idea of the Psyche
Freud had a model of the mind in which he described three distinct parts: the id, ego, and superego.
- Id (instincts): The id represents our basic and subconscious instincts and desires.
- Ego (logic): The ego is our conscious mind, responsible for rational thought and decision-making.
- Superego (emotions): The superego is our moral compass, guiding us through our emotions and interpersonal relationships, and it is partly in both our conscious and subconscious mind.
The Enneagram framework
The Enneagram is a personality system that identifies personality types based on childhood wounds.
These childhood wounds form as a result of an underdeveloped response (or sensitivity) to one of 3 emotions. Those three emotions are anger, fear, and shame. But it is not all bad because, from those three emotions, people learn to develop coping mechanisms in response to those three emotions.
- Fear- People with an underdeveloped response to fear become very logical.
- Anger- People with an underdeveloped response to anger become very attuned to their instincts.
- Shame- People with an underdeveloped response to shame become very emotionally intelligent.
Below is a further explanation.
Fear and Intellectual Intelligence
Fear is the driving force behind intellectual intelligence. Humans are wired to predict and avoid dangerous situations, which helps keep us safe. To do this, we construct complex intellectual world models, considering hypothetical scenarios and potential outcomes. Over time, this process leads to developing a sophisticated understanding of the world around us.
Fear Example: Imagine a person who fears losing their job. To prevent this, they might develop an elaborate mental model of their workplace dynamics, anticipating potential pitfalls and strategizing ways to ensure job security.
Shame and Emotional Intelligence
Shame is the core emotion behind emotional intelligence. Our desire to be accepted and valued by others drives us to manage and navigate our emotions effectively. We learn to express our feelings in ways that foster connection and empathy while understanding and responding to the emotions of others.
Shame Example: A child who experiences shame for not fitting in with their peers might learn to develop emotional intelligence to understand better and relate to others, ultimately finding a sense of belonging and acceptance.
Anger and Instinctual Intelligence
Anger is the fundamental emotion fueling the development of instinctual intelligence. Our innate need to protect ourselves and our resources can give rise to anger, which then propels us to take action. As we learn to channel and control our anger, we develop the capacity to respond effectively to threats and challenges, ultimately honing our instinctual intelligence.
Anger Example: Consider someone who experiences anger when they feel their boundaries have been violated. Over time, they learn to assert their borders and protect their well-being, developing a keen sense of instinctual intelligence.
Putting it all together, Plato Freud and the Enneagram
It is as if Plato, Freud, and the Enneagram are all discussing the same ideas but from different perspectives.
| Freud | Plato | Enneagram Center of Intelligence | Enneagram Core Emotion |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | appetite | instinctual/ body | anger |
| ego | reason | intellectual/ head | fear |
| super ego | spirit | emotional/ heart | shame |
The Conversation That Never Happened
Imagine Plato, Freud, and a modern Enneagram practitioner in the same room.
They’d realize within minutes that they’ve been describing the same architecture of the human psyche — just using different vocabulary.
- Plato’s reason = Freud’s ego = Enneagram’s head center (fear-driven thinking)
- Plato’s spirit = Freud’s superego = Enneagram’s heart center (shame-driven feeling)
- Plato’s appetite = Freud’s id = Enneagram’s gut center (anger-driven instinct)
The pattern repeats because it’s true.
This isn’t academic coincidence. It’s convergent discovery — multiple brilliant minds arriving at the same fundamental insight about human nature through completely different methods.
The Enneagram isn’t competing with philosophy or psychology. It’s completing a conversation that’s been ongoing for 2,400 years.
Ready to explore where that conversation leads? Start with core Enneagram concepts, or see how modern thinkers build on these foundations in The Hardware and Software of the Mind.