My work centers on bringing psychological depth, scientific rigor, and practical application to the Enneagram. As a clinical psychologist and long-time researcher, I have been committed to exploring how the Enneagram illuminates patterns of attention, motivation, and behavior — and how this understanding can foster genuine growth and transformation.
From early in my career, I was drawn to the Enneagram not only as a spiritual and philosophical system, but as a framework that could be examined, tested, and integrated within contemporary psychology. My doctoral research was among the first academic studies of the Enneagram, and that inquiry led to the development of the Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales (WEPSS), a psychometrically validated assessment designed to bring greater clarity and reliability to type identification.
In my teaching, writing, and training programs, I emphasize both insight and application. Understanding one’s personality style is only the beginning; meaningful development requires awareness of habitual patterns of attention, emotional reactivity, and defensive strategies. Through structured exercises, reflective inquiry, and practical tools, I help individuals and professionals translate Enneagram knowledge into increased self-observation, compassion, and intentional choice.
Over the decades, I have worked with therapists, coaches, spiritual directors, educators, and organizational leaders, equipping them to use the Enneagram responsibly and effectively in their own settings. My aim is to support a balanced approach — honoring the depth and wisdom of the tradition while grounding it in careful research and ethical practice.
Ultimately, my work seeks to help people see through the lens of their personality style with greater clarity, freeing attention for presence, flexibility, and authentic engagement with life.
Jerome Wagner, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, therapist, supervisor, consultant in private practice, and emeritus faculty member in the Department of Psychology and the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University, Chicago. Along with traditional psychotherapy, Jerry offers Enneagram Assisted Therapy (EAT) and is authorized by PsyPact to practice telepsychology in participating states.
He is the author of Nine Lenses on the World: the Enneagram Perspective; The Enneagram Spectrum of Personality Styles: an Introductory Guide 25th Anniversary Edition; and the Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales, a validated Enneagram inventory. Jerry has been researching and teaching the Enneagram for over 50 years and has offered the Enneagram Spectrum Training and Certification Program nationally and internationally for the past 20 years
