The Development of Human Anxiety

Understanding the link between the ego (type), instinct & fear

In the Enneagram world, we often conceptualize anxiety as the territory of the mental types, specifically, type Six. However, anxiety is a human emotion that we’ve all felt at some point or another. Anxiety is the vague experience of fear, dread, or anticipation that something may happen that makes us feel uncomfortable, chaotic, in danger, or out of control. When we become anxious, we experience elevated cortisol levels and other stress hormones that signal to our bodies that danger is imminent, helping to heighten our senses to deal with whatever threats may arise. Modern life has made anxiety less beneficial than its intended biological function because the dangers we perceive in the environment are usually imagined.