In the 1960's a film titled Three Approaches to Psychotherapy was made (it was also referred to as The Gloria Films). It demonstrated three therapy sessions by three different therapists using three different psychotherapy approaches with the same woman (Gloria). What's interesting about it is that each therapy exemplifies a particular Enneagram type. Each therapist basically founded an approach to therapy that incorporated his own Enneagram style.
- Carl Rogers was a type 9 and used a person-centered approach (known as Client-Centered Therapy).
- Fritz Perls was a type 8 and used the Gestalt approach (Gestalt Therapy).
- Albert Ellis was a type 7 and used the Rational Emotive approach (later known as Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy or REBT).
Each session begins with an introduction to the approach by the therapist about to use it. This is followed by a demonstration of the approach in an actual therapy session with Gloria. Often when a psychological theory or therapy is developed, it's an extension of the developer's Enneagram style. So for instance, Carl Roger's approach involves making the client feel comfortable and heard, Fritz Perls' approach is confrontational in order to expose the truth underlying what the client is presenting, and Albert Ellis' approach is more about reframing how the client thinks about the situation. The client, Gloria, appears to be a type 6. This comes out strongly in contrast to Fritz Perls type 8 confrontational approach in his session.
The Gloria Films were quite widely viewed by students studying psychotherapy in the 1960's and 1970's. As such, much was discussed and speculated about Gloria herself. So much so that her daughter, Pammy mentioned in the video, wrote a book much later called Living with 'The Gloria Films': A daughter's memory.