Object Relations theory, which came after and improved upon Freudian theory, helps us understand from where personality tendencies and patterns come.

As infants, each of us tries to understand who we are in relation to the world around us. When an internal need is not met by the external "objects"—i.e. people—around us, it helps us in infancy to distinguish between us and them.

Throughout our early life, once we become more aware of this separation, we go on to explore and test for danger as we move out into the world. And later, we try to reconcile our individuality with maintaining a connection to an important other. These are phases that all children go through, but the types experience and adapt to them in different ways. 

To cope with the disappointments and frustrations that come with these phases of life, we develop adaptive strategies that stick with us. And the Enneagram shows us that these adaptive strategies are different based on our inborn personality type—making this framework all the more powerful when combined with the Enneagram System of Personality. 

While this framework stems from psychoanalysis, it isn’t only useful for therapists. Say you are a leadership coach. When you want insight into an executive client’s reactivity, you probably won’t ask about their unmet childhood needs. That's why developing this knowledge is so important. Understanding the patterns they solidified early in life may provide great insights into how they are interacting with their team.