The Enneagram Point 1 is called the Reformer or the Perfectionist. Located in the body center, the attention of Point 1 is perpetually drawn to how something could be improved. With an eye for small imperfections, the Point 1 energy feels deeply connected to how things “should” be. People who embody point 1 energy show up as conscientious, articulate, self-disciplined, committed and love to instruct others about how to improve themselves or a situation.

Point 1 is where we encounter the essence quality of integrity. Enneagram point 1’s are always looking to achieve alignment with what is right or good. Their core desire is to create a more perfect world and they are willing to work relentlessly to improve others, themselves, and everything around them. The ego idea of point 1 is to be moral and respectable, and their biggest fear is to be viewed as corrupt, bad, or to have done a mediocre job. My mother is an Enneagram 1. She worked as a seamstress and it was always important to her that the underside of her work (that nobody sees) was as impeccable as the outer part.

The passion of point 1 is wrath, which may be surprising to an Enneagram 1 because they tend to repress their anger. There is an unconscious impulse to push their anger down as it’s rising up, which leads to a somewhat rigid stance in the body. A fixated one will appear to carry a significant amount of tension in their jaw, neck, and shoulders. It takes a lot of energy to keep down their wrath. Their defense mechanism is called “reaction formation” which means that they may smile and try to appear pleasant even when on the inside they are seething.

The anger of point 1 can ends up being delivered as judgment, of themselves or others. Ones want to be helpful and they want see improvement to the extent that they can lose track of the emotional field. Because they are unwilling to stop until something meets their satisfaction, they may become very judgmental of those that are prioritizing ease or play. Enneagram ones have a great sense of humor and can be very playful, but often only after the work is done.