Understanding medical students' empathy based on Enneagram personality types

The level and determinants of empathy among medical students from Arabic speaking countries: A systematic review

Aim

This systematic review aims to investigate the level of empathy among medical students in Arabic speaking countries and analyze its determinants.

Methods

In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2022 (PRISMA), the authors conducted a systematic research of studies investigating the level and determinants of empathy among medical students in Arabic speaking countries. The databases PubMed, Scopus, web of science and google scholar were searched.

Results

Ten studies from six countries were included. Nine of which had a cross-sectional study design. Level of empathy was assessed using the Jefferson scale in seven studies and using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index in two studies. The mean of empathy scale ranges between 97.65±14.10 to 106.55±19.16 in studies used the Jefferson scale of empathy. The associated factors with empathy were gender; high levels of empathy were reported in female students. Other factors are explored in relation with empathy such as specialty preference (surgery or medicine, "people-orientated" specialties or ''technology-oriented specialties''), family factors (marital status of parents, satisfactory relationship with parents, parents level of education and household income) and factors related to medical education (academic performance, year of study and type of curriculum) but the results are heterogeneous.

Conclusion

This is the first systematic review, which illustrated the determinants of empathy in Arabic medical students. Our results revealed varied results on empathy determinants. Further studies may guarantee a full exploration of this ability in order to improve the doctor-patient relationship and patient management in the Arab world.

The Enneagram as a Tool for Resident Wellness and Correlation With Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone Achievements

INTRODUCTION

The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system developed to improve self-knowledge. Broken down into nine personality types, each is driven by a core motivating factor. Other personality assessments have been used to study the personality profile of surgeons. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the variability in Enneagram type among a single institution's general surgery residents.

METHODS

All categorical general surgery residents at a single institution completed an online Enneagram assessment as part of a wellness initiative. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestone levels for professionalism (PRO) and interpersonal and communication skills were collected for each resident's intern year. Milestone levels were compared between the nine Enneagram types.

RESULTS

All nine Enneagram types were represented among surveyed residents. The most frequent Enneagram type was type 3 (20.69%). There was no significant difference between PRO (P = 0.322) and interpersonal and communication skills (P = 0.645) scores among residents distributed by Enneagram type.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of core Enneagram type, general surgery residents in this study all achieved appropriate Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestone levels for entry level of training. The Enneagram can provide self-awareness and understanding of resident differences but does not impact initial assessment of competency in PRO and interpersonal communication skills.

Enneagram in EM

Audience

This is a lecture paired with facilitated small group sessions and is targeted towards emergency medicine residents and physicians.

Background

The enneagram is a well-established and popular personality theory that asserts that there are nine basic personality types, and that each enneagram type, 1-9, operates from a basic fear and a basic desire that produces predictable behavioral patterns and preferences.1-2 The enneagram has long been used as a tool to enhance self-awareness and to better understand internal defenses and reactions,3-5 and as such, it has been increasingly utilized to enhance self-growth and development in the fields of education, parenting, and business.6-7 While some studies have used the enneagram as a tool to predict natural empathy or stress levels of those in the medical field, particularly in nursing and medical school students,8-9 little has been published on the use of the enneagram as a tool to enhance self-awareness, leadership, and teamwork in the medical field. Emergency medicine is a specialty in which residents and physicians must not only be self-aware but must also be attuned to the dynamics of their healthcare team in order to succeed. We believe that the enneagram is the ideal tool to enhance these crucial skills.

Educational Objectives

The primary aim of this session was to enhance participants' self-awareness by identifying their enneagram type and therefore their predictable behavioral patterns. The secondary aim was to discuss strategies to improve teamwork and physician team leadership by directly addressing the type's strengths and weaknesses in these interactions.By the end of this session, the learner will be able to: 1) Self-identify with a primary enneagram personality type. 2) List the fears, desires, and motivations of the enneagram type. 3) Describe struggles in interacting with other disparate enneagram types. 4) Discuss strategies for success in facing conflict and interacting with other team members.

Educational Methods

This lecture was designed to educate emergency department physicians and residents on the enneagram tool. The introductory lecture takes about 20 minutes, and following this foundational presentation, learners split into small groups. Small group sessions take an additional 20 minutes during which facilitators guide learners through a discussion on their enneagram type and the potential strengths and challenges that each type might face in professional situations. This session was hosted during an Emergency Medicine Resident Education Conference. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the session was presented virtually on a synchronous video platform with small group breakout rooms.

Research Methods

Following the session, the educational content was evaluated by our residents and faculty by a Likert reaction survey. The survey assessed both the form and effectiveness of the delivery method and the impact of the content in the session.

Results

A total of 17 responses with a mix of faculty and PGY years were collected after the session. In the post-session survey, 23% (6) of participants reported that the session was "moderately important in better understanding myself," and 38.5% (4) of participants reported that the session was "quite important in better understanding myself." 62% (11) of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the session helped them to understand their peers' personalities and communication preferences.

Discussion

Overall, this educational content and delivery in this format was well received and effective in enhancing residents' understanding of themselves and their team's personalities. Our residents and faculty engaged in insightful conversations around their own enneagram type and shared their successes and struggles in interacting with other enneagram types. At the end of the session, our participants left with not only greater self-awareness but also with an appreciation for the preferences and personalities of others on the medical team.

Topics

Enneagram, leadership, teamwork, self-awareness, emotional intelligence.

Enneagram typologies and healthy personality to psychosocial stress: A network approach

Introduction

Enneagram typologies may impact psychological well-being and stressful situations in college students. However, the literature is still limited in the study of dynamic personality models such as the Enneagram in Spanish-speaking university students, and a better understanding is needed.

Objective

To analyze network associations and centrality measures of Enneagram personality typologies in Peruvian university students.

Methods

A total of 859 Peruvian university students responded to two instruments assessing: The Pangrazzi's Enneagram personality types and healthy personality to psychosocial stress. All instruments showed good psychometric values (validity and consistency). A regularized cross-sectional network structure was estimated with Gaussian graphical model and the graphical LASSO.

Results

Enneagram types 4, 5, and 6 presented the highest and positive associations in the network structure. Type 6 emerged as the node with the highest predictability. The healthy personality and type 7 acted as bridges between the communities, with types 6, 7, and 8 being the most central nodes.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that Enneagram type 7 with healthy personality to psychosocial stress plays an important role in the development of the causal activation of the network model. The network shows causal associations between psychosocial stress and types 6, 7, 8, and 9.