©1995-2022 Katherine Chernick Fauvre

Question: Why does Katherine teach Micro-Expressions with the Enneagram?

Katherine: Micro-expressions are brief, involuntary facial expressions shown on the face of humans according to emotions experienced. Micro-expressions are often unconscious. These can reveal emotions that are being concealed either deliberately or unconsciously, and they are very brief in duration, lasting only 1/25 to 1/15 of a second.

Micro-expressions have been extensively studied by Paul Ekman, whose original research was based on the claim made by Charles Darwin, who stated humans share universal facial expressions. In 1967, Ekman sought out to test Darwin’s claims and studied a group of people in New Guinea who would not have had the opportunity to learn expressions by contact with outsiders or the media. Ekman found evidence that there are 7 emotions that have a universal expression. 

Katherine teaches expressions, micro-expressions, and body language because it is one of the more visual ways that we can observe key features of the 9 Enneagram Types and 27 Tritypes®. She teaches the lexicon, preferred adjectives, and vocabulary used by the types as well, for the same reason.

Katherine studied micro-expressions and the emotions attached to these long before she learned about the Enneagram. As a result, when Katherine learned about the 9 Enneagram Types, she could easily see the clusters of emotions each type seemed to use more frequently than others. Through her research studies, Katherine discovered that each type over-identifies with and tends to use some emotions more frequently than others.  

The display of expressions and masking of expressions and micro-expressions cluster into patterns that are indicative of the defense strategy of each Enneagram type. In doing so, the expressions of each type reveal important aspects of their focus of attention, making it easier for one to identify which types are most likely in the Tritype® and to identify the lead type. 

Using the Enneagram and micro-expressions together is very powerful because the attentional patterns of the types will be reflected in the way each type expresses the 7 universal emotions of anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise, disgust, and contempt. For example: types 1, 4, and 7 all overuse the micro-expression of contempt, whereas the 6 overuses the micro-expressions of fear and surprise.

Tips on Typing

Katherine uses a checklist of 12 categories (Behavior versus Motivation, Intuitive Hit/Gut Reaction, Self-awareness, Testing Instruments, Instinctual Type, Tritype®, Lexicon Language Use, Micro-expressions, Visual Archetypes, Energy, Meaning, and Emotional Maturity) to consider when helping someone type themselves. She has discovered that it is very helpful to learn to recognize the different ways the types express or try to conceal their emotions.  Micro-expressions are a category Katherine works with because these reveal the inner workings of the types as well as the defense strategies of the types.

Sensing, feeling, and recognizing one's own expressions helps the types know when they are moving into limiting beliefs, negative emotions or impulsive reactivity, and micro-expressions reveal a great deal about the way the types manage their emotions. As such, Katherine has found that knowing micro-expressions and what they usually indicate greatly enhances one's ability to identify the types and better understand oneself. 

To learn more about the Enneagram and Micro-expressions, Katherine is teaching a 10-week online course, Micro-expressions and the Enneagram 10-week Masterclass: Advanced Series 1.0, beginning 2-1-22.  To learn further and to register, click to be directed to the course description and registration link: Register here

More on Tritype® here:
Katherine created a test that has been programmed to pick up particular patterns that the types use.
Take the Test here:  https://enneagramtritypetest.com
General Information:  www.katherinefauvre.com/tritype
YouTube: Katherine Fauvre | Creator of Tritype®

©1995-2022 Katherine Chernick Fauvre