The Enneagram type 1 child can usually identify with a parent (usually a father) who was highly critical or placed great emphasis on doing things in a particular way; when this standard was not met, the criticism levelled against the young child was present and sometimes severe. Ones eventually grew up to be Unresourceful if they believed they did their best but it was never good enough. This fixation on continuous improvement stretches into adulthood, and they struggle to be satisfied even when things are going great. Conversely, a Resourceful One child would have experienced a healthy upbringing with validation and encouragement. These two extremes in upbringing have a deep impact on how the child turns out. They are sometimes called the Perfectionists, which can be good in certain instances but when it becomes overused, it will pinch the nerves of those around them.

• They take great satisfaction in assuming responsibility and appreciate a systemic or orderly approach towards tasks and events, thus ensuring consistency and accuracy in a world where unpredictability is constant.
• Make things better: It is easy for Ones to see what is wrong or can be improved upon in a given situation. They may come across as demanding or picky but it is simply hard for them not to have things done a certain way.
• Congruence – Ones say what they mean and find it very difficult to express something which is not in alignment with their values and beliefs. Hence, they are straightforward and respectfully keen to ensure whatever seems out of line gets straightened out.
• They have high expectations and maintain high standards in areas of work quality, values, honesty, articulation, design, structure, process etc.. Ones hold themselves and others accountable to meet these important standards.
• They are honest, want things to be right and are people of high integrity. Ones are also called The Good Person, and they feel uncomfortable embellishing stories about themselves or their achievements. They remain humble, persevering and strive to make things better without any need for attention.

Any type becomes Unresourceful when they begin to over-do some of the thoughts and behaviours that are typical of the type.

• Difficulty letting go: If their own principles are violated by others, letting go is difficult for Ones. Forgiving becomes a challenge since their sense of trust and integrity for good work can take another knock by the same person in the future. They remain cautious and it may take a lot to make good once a serious breach (according to their standards) is committed.
• Ones often choose to mop up the dirt that others can’t or don’t want to do, as it can be tedious and not in the personality of many to be conscientious. It’s when Ones become pedantic, dogmatic, tense, anxious, and take things too seriously that they become unpleasant to be around.
• Not knowing when to rest: Ones are self-sacrificing and tend to think that problems must be worked on until they are solved. They work like there is no tomorrow, which is not helped by their belief that nothing is ever good enough. Think of a Bull Terrier unwilling to loosen its grip on something. Ones always believe more can be done and improved upon.
• They frequently feel burdened from taking on too much responsibility, believing that no one else can do a better job. It is a belief that they have internalised, rather than coming from a place of arrogance or obsession.
• Strong inner critic: Ones are their own worst critic. Before you can point out something about them, they would have already done it many times over. They frequently become disappointed with themselves when expectations are not met; yet expectations are not often met because of the constant internal critic.

• Become acquainted with your superego (your inner judge) and learn to distinguish it from yourself. Begin to hear this voice as “it” rather than “you”. In other words, focus on how the situation has unfolded rather than how you are the cause if things go wrong.
• Become more accepting rather than trying to make everything perfect. Let go of some of your attentiveness to detail and needing to have everything under control. The world is imperfectly perfect… because of its imperfections, it’s perfect as it is.
• Learn to identify important from the not-so-important, so that you don’t spend too much time on the details of unimportant things and hold up the tasks that need to get done.
• Don’t put everything on your shoulders. While you might think that others’ contributions are not as great as yours, they can assist you to lighten your load.
• Be open and honest about your vulnerabilities or you’ll forever carry the burden of righteousness, which could be straining and at the same time draining to others around you. Vulnerability builds the courage to face your challenges and progressive acceptance of imperfections.