I always found it interesting, how society as a whole is always seeking to understand themselves. We are curious beings by nature, and I love how we have developed different personality systems. Honestly, I love researching personalities. It helps me understand people, and how to love them better. They can be great tools for personal growth, and for understanding yourself (and the people in your life).
There are two popular personality tests you could take: you have the Meyers-Briggs (also known as the 16 Personalities), in which you can find your type among a series of letters (mine is the INFP!), or the Enneagram, a number system consisting of numbers 1-9 (I am a proud 4!). Both are so interesting to study, and incredibly accurate as well.
Today, I thought I would talk about the enneagram. I have become so fascinated by it, that quite frankly, it has turned into a hobby of mine. I've noticed that I subconsciously type people, whether it be my friends, family, or even strangers! And because I get asked a lot about what each number means, I decided to write a post describing each type. I am not a certified enneagram coach, so don't expect me to know everything about the enneagram... but I know enough to give a brief overview, and to have a thoughtful discussion about it :)
Without further ado, let's talk about the enneagram!
In this post, I'm going to discuss (briefly):
+ the nine types
+ stress & growth for each type
+ wings
+ intelligence centers
THE NINE TYPES
Type One | The Reformer
Type Ones are often thought of as "perfectionists". They are very conscious of right and wrong, and they value boundaries, rules, and structure. Their core fear is feeling flawed, or inadequate. Following their core fear, their core value (motivation) is to feel balanced, and to be virtuous and honorable. They desire to be above reproach, so as not to be criticized. They want to feel right, and are constantly striving for bigger and better goals. At a healthy level, Ones can be wise and realistic. However, at their unhealthy levels they can be obsessive and self righteous. I've always admired Ones for their dedication, structure, and hard work: which is never short of 100% effort.
Type Two | The Helper
Also known as "The Givers", type Twos are the caring and personal type. They are generous, people pleasing, and have the potential to be possessive. They have a basic fear of being ignored, or unwanted. To say the least, they want to feel loved and they strive to achieve this goal by showering the people in their life with gifts, kindness, and warmth. At their best, they have a deep and unselfish love for those in their lives: they are incredibly humble. In times of stress however, they have the capability to be manipulative and possessive. Twos that are feeling unwanted or unappreciated might begin guilt tripping, or become aggressive because they feel like they have been pouring out all of their love, and getting nothing in return. Care for the Twos in your life! Make sure they feel loved and seen.
Type Three | The Achiever
These are the success-oriented, assertive, and driven types. Honestly, I've always admired Threes for their confidence. Core fear: being worthless. They value being valuable, and they need to feel like they are making a difference. They love feeling like a role model, and being looked up to as example. Threes can be very image conscious, and often come across as workaholics. At their best, they strive to be the best versions of themselves they can be. At their worst, they can take on the mindset of "whatever it takes" to achieve their goals. This includes sabotage, manipulation, and jealousy. However, another great quality about Threes, is their self expressive and genuine traits. They have that diva quality about them, and a lot of Threes are known for their attractive charm!
Type Four | The Individualist
Now I'm a bit partial to Fours, since I am a major Four myself :) Fours are expressive, sensitive, and dramatic. We are veryyy in tune with our emotions, and we tend to "feel things deeply", more so than other types. Fours struggle with melancholy and self-pity. At their best, they can be highly creative (hence their second name, "The Artist") and inspired. Their basic desire is to find their significance and identity. Fours value being unique, and often become a little too self-absorbed. They are sensitive to the emotions of others and themselves, and they focus on bringing an aesthetic element to the environment around them, and they pride themselves in being different and set apart. However, due to their incredibly sensitive personality, when things don't go as planned, Fours retreat inwards, and often become depressed and emotionally numb. At their worst, Fours become self-destructive and needy. A word of advice to all of the other eight types: please be patient and sensitive to your Four friends! We're known for over-thinking and over-analyzing, and we can socially check out every once in a while... so check on your Fours :)
Type Five | The Investigator
Fives are typically known for their intelligence, and constant pursuit of knowledge. Most Fives are thought of as introverts, and they value being capable and informed. They're motivated by their drive to understand, and their fear of being helpless. At their best, Fives become very open minded, and they like to see and discover the world exactly as it is. And in contrast, in times of stress Fives become reclusive, and dissociative. Type Fives also pay attention to details, and they have a very fine-tuned focus. A common trait in Fives, is that they don't rely on other people and their opinions; they decide on whether or not they feel validated. They take their time to think things through, and they "weigh their options" very carefully.
Type Six | The Loyalist
Also known as the "Skeptics", Sixes are security oriented. They shy away from new things and big changes, and rely heavily on security and comfort. Their insecurity causes indecisiveness, and sometimes leaves them incapable to make decisions without some sort of guidance. Basically, their core fear is not having any sort of direction or support. When Sixes are at their healthiest, they are very affectionate and trusting. Sixes are called the Loyalists because of their dedication to their beliefs and to the people in their lives. In times of stress however, they tend to victimize themselves, convinced that everyone is "out to get them". They can become very defensive, and often lash out. Their aggression stems from feeling a lack of safety, and feeling lost.
Type Seven | The Enthusiast
Ah type Seven. This is the most extroverted type, if we were basing these off of stereotypes. Sevens feed off of positive energy, and they like to keep busy. They disregard any negative emotions, and busy themselves to avoid any heavy or weighted feelings. They value satisfaction and contentment, and they spend most of their time pursuing freedom. They chase after anything that catches their eyes with full hearts and lots of ambition. In stress, Sevens become impulsive, and will do anything for a "shock factor". I always think of adrenaline junkies as stressed out Sevens. They can become materialistic and self absorbed, never feeling like their needs are fulfilled. But at their best, they are productive, resilient, and lively. They are most often the life of the party in my opinion.
Type Eights | The Challenger
Eights are the powerful types, with a competitive and strong-willed spirit. Their basic fear is to be powerless and vulnerable. They desire to use their strength to become heroic and magnificent, and to inspire others. Eights like to be the person that people look up to. Typically, Eights are seen in various leadership positions. Their key desire though, is to be in control of their own lives, and to minimize their weaknesses. Eights are not afraid of confrontation either: in fact, they are quite good at it! In their stress, Eights become a little dictatorial, controlling, and intimidating. When Eights are their healthiest, they are assertive, confident, and productive.
Type Nine | The Peacemaker
Nines are the gentle, and thoughtful types. They are known for their easy-going, and neutral styles. They are stable and minimal, and they avoid anything that could cause a conflict. Because of their drive to create/keep harmony, they often fear to "make waves" in society, and they keep opinions either neutral or to themselves. Nines value contentment, and when they are at their unhealthiest, they tend to minimize their problems and can become neglectful, and dissociative. During growth however, Nines are beautifully stable, optimistic, supportive and calm. Personally, I find myself drawn to Nines more than any other type... they have a wonderful presence that makes you relax and really allows you to breathe (which can be very refreshing for an over-thinking Four :) )
Each type is so different from the other, it's quite fascinating. Before I go on, I just wanted to say that you should never use the enneagram as an excuse for your behavior. Never say "It's just how I am. After all, I am a type___", because the enneagram is a tool, not a definition. We use it to understand ourselves, and for personal development. While the enneagram does explain some aspects of our personality, it doesn't define us, nor should it put us into a small box with our numbers written in big bold letters on top. We are not confined to our stereotypes.
Keeping that mindset, let's move on.
STRESS & GROWTH
As I explained earlier, each type handles stress and growth differently. In those different situations, your type may resemble another type, or simply draw characteristics from them.That may sound a bit confusing, so allow me to explain:
1s: stress » type 4 (moody, irrational)
growth » type 7 (spontaneous, joyful)
2s: stress » type 8 (aggressive, domineering)
growth » type 4 (emotionally aware, nurturing)
3s: stress » type 9 (distant, apathetic)
growth » type 6 (committed, cooperative)
4s: stress » type 2 (clingy, over-involved)
growth » type 1 (objective, principled)
5s: stress » type 7 (hyperactive, scattered)
growth » type 8 (confident, decisive)
6s: stress » type 3 (competitive, arrogant)
growth » type 9 (relaxed, optimistic)
7s: stress » type 1 (perfectionistic, critical)
growth » type 5 (focused, fascinated)
8s: stress » type 5 (secretive, fearful)
growth » type 2 (open-hearted, mindful)
9s: stress » type 6 (anxious, worried)
growth » type 3 (self developing, energetic)
If you need a visual, scroll down to see the chart. The arrows leading away from your type show growth, and the arrows pointing towards your type show stress. I hope that makes sense.
Now. Let's talk about wings.
In the simplest way that I can explain, wings are found on either side of your main type. They influence your core type by drawing certain characteristics from the wing. Wings are not subtypes! A lot of people tend to mistake them as subtypes, or the type they scored the second highest on when taking the test. But that doesn't make it a wing! Subtypes are a whole other topic that I don't want to get into today.
Let's use my type as an example. I am a Four, so my wings will either be a Three or a Five. One of the most common mistakes I hear people make, are when they say something like "I'm a 4w9!" or "I'm a 1w6!". I'm just going to say this once: if it's not adjacent to your type, it's not a wing. It is possible to share characteristics with another type, but that will not automatically make it a wing. Some people don't bother with finding their wing, and that's ok! Wings are complicated, and since I wanted to keep this post short and sweet, I'm going to leave it as is. I left a link below to The Enneagram Institute, and it has some great information on wings!
INTELLIGENCE CENTERS
Lastly, I wanted to briefly talk about the three divisions: Body (doing), Heart (feeling), and Head (thinking). These three categories are merely centers of intelligence: each type prioritizing one center of intelligence over the other two.
Body — types 8, 9, &1
(Doing) These types center around the material things, and what they can see and
physically feel. They value stability and personal well-being. (resistance)
Heart — types 2, 3, & 4
(Feeling) These types all relate best to emotions, relationships, and empathy. They focus
on image. (identity)
Head — types 5, 6, & 7
(Thinking) These types revolve around intellect, planning, rationality, and will. They
share a common trend of anxiety and self-definition. (fear)
When I say "prioritize", I don't mean that if you fall into the body division, you don't have any sort of head or heart intelligence. I mean that your default intelligence center is the body, and that is just how your brain may be wired.
Another disclaimer: there is no such thing as a "good" type and a "bad" type.
We are all human, and we all have flaws. Each type is so amazing and so different from the other, and that includes the flaws. We shouldn't view the types with a mindset that one is better than the other, because really that's just not true.
This is just a basic overview of the enneagram and it's nine types. I compiled a short list of the resources I use, and some accounts on instagram for those of you interested in learning more!
Truity — this is a free test that helps you find your type! You do have to create an account if
you want to save your results, but they don't spam you with emails, and the results are
incredibly accurate!
The Enneagram Institute — an incredible website with detailed information about each type.
I used this as a source for my type descriptions, and I only scratched the surface. Once
you find your type, I highly recommend reading about it here!
The Nine Types Co — @ninetypesco | the account is run by a certified enneagram coach,
and she posts beautiful and helpful graphics about the enneagram and its nine
types. She focuses a lot on the enneagram in the work place, but overall it's very
beneficial, and I've learned a lot! Her website is beautifully made, and she offers typing
guides and more!
And so concludes my short and basic enneagram crash course. This is a subject I thoroughly enjoy, and was so much fun to write about! I would love to talk about this further, so if you have any questions don't shy away from reaching out! The comment section is open for discussion as well :)
I am considering discussing the Meyers-Briggs at some point... so if this interested you, I encourage you to stick around for the future :)
— emma k —
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