A Complete Guide to Enneagram Personality Types

Key Takeaways

• The Enneagram model of personality describes nine interconnected types of personality.
• Enneagram model uses numerical 1 to 9 to designate each personality type.
• The nine types are based on core motivations and values.
• Each Enneagram type has two ‘wings’. The wings describe the adjacent personality types that fall on either side of a person’s core Enneagram number.
• The Enneagram model can be used for personal growth, relationship management, and professional development.

Have you ever heard of the Enneagram model of personality typology? This concept is quite an old proposition that helps to understand the basic nature of human psychological processes.

The personality model describes nine interconnected personality types that are built around certain core motivations and values.

It symbolizes how human beings interact with each other at deeper levels and what makes one person behave in the way they do. 

The driving forces are different, yet the need to connect, interact, and feel accepted remains the same for all of us. Right?

As a framework of personality, the model speaks about self-awareness that helps to analyze what subconsciously drives us towards certain behaviors, helping in personal growth and goal accomplishment.

The article aims to study all the nine interconnected personality types along with the wings and other subtle details.

Read on…..

Enneagram Personality Types Infographics

What is Enneagram?

SUMMARY
The Enneagram refers to a system of personality typing where nine interconnected personality types are vividly explored and explained. 

The name Enneagram comes from the Greek word ‘Ennea’ and ‘Gramma’.  Ennea, in Greek, means nine, and Gramma is something that is in writing. 

In a famous book “The wisdom of the Enneagram”, enneagram teachers, Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson stated that each of the nine personality types has a core belief on how the world operates. This core belief carries an individual’s deepest fears and motivations. 

The Enneagram model of personality typology explains the nine interconnected types that describe the various dimensions of the human ‘psyche’. 

It is a useful tool to understand your core fears and desires, strengths and weaknesses, healthy and unhealthy ways of behavior in several life situations.

These help to fundamentally shape a person’s viewpoint about the world and the people around them. The core beliefs are not wrong, but there can be limitations and turn out as blinders for people.

It describes several patterns in how people interpret things happening in this world and manage their emotions and feelings.

The Enneagram explains nine personality types and maps of these nine types on a nine-pointed diagram. It helps to showcase how these types manage to relate to one another.

The specialty of this typing system is that it actually describes the motives behind our thoughts, feelings, and actions. 

Does it illustrate why we behave the way we do? What drives us towards a different response from others even if the stimulus we are exposed to is similar in nature?

The Enneagram tells you to give away or keep aside your self-limiting tendencies and walk along the path of self-empowerment.

If you are well connected with your own psychological processes, you will be able to create and foster meaningful connections with others and the world at large.

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Basic tenets of the Enneagram personality typing

The Enneagram model of personality typology is based on a few basic propositions:

• Personality is relatively stable and people do not change completely from the main type that they belong to.
• Enneagram proposes that personality types apply to both males and female populations. There is no type that is exclusively either male or female.
• Your basic type description will oscillate between healthy, unhealthy, and Average levels. It means you’ll operate at any one of the three levels depending upon the situation.
• None of the types can be considered better or worse than the other. This is because each one of them comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses that are exclusive and unique.
• A larger number of an enneagram doesn’t suggest that the particular type is better than the lower enneagram number. It means that enneagram 9 is not better than enneagram 1. 
• The model uses numerical to designate a particular personality type, because numbers are objective and unbiased in nature. 
• Each number from 1 to 9 denotes the 9 types of personalities. The theory of Enneagram also says that you will have one basic personality type that is represented by any one of the specific numbers of the enneagram model.
• You will also have two wings. The wings are the adjacent types that lie on either side of your basic type. For example: If you are an enneagram 1, your wing types will be enneagram 2 and enneagram 9.

Enneagram circle / symbol of Enneagram

The Enneagram circle is commonly known as the symbol of Enneagram. A nine-pointed geometric figure forms the basis of the Enneagram. 

It has an outer circle, on which the nine personalities lie in a clockwise manner. A triangle lies between the three points, 9, 3, and 6, and an irregular hexagon connects to all the other points.

The circle symbolizes the unity and wholeness of human life, whereas the other shapes showcase its division. 

The different Enneagram types lying on either side of each core type are known as wings. The Enneagram also constitutes the instinctual subtypes. 

These subtypes are the innate tendencies that are formed by your core Enneagram type and the instincts. People can make their transition into any one of these instinctual styles for developing newer versions of their personality.

Many people identify strongly with the description of one or both their wings. It is a top-up and add-on of their primary types. 

Learning the influence of the Enneagram wings can help add more dimensions to an individual’s understanding of themselves.

Two lines help connect each fundamental type in the Enneagram to a couple of similar types. For instance, Enneagram Type 1 connects with Enneagram Type 4 and Enneagram Type 7. 

The first line connects to the personality type which a person has left behind in their childhood. The features of this type need to get reintegrated for the person’s development. 

This type is the stress type of the main enneagram number. It shows how the core personality of a person will behave under stress and storm of life

The second line links to the Enneagram type, which the person can go on to become a self-sufficient, growth-oriented being. It is when they are ready to reach a higher state of personal growth and development. 

These connecting lines showcase how each fundamental type carries necessary strengths and negative aspects filled with challenges.

These connected lines help move the Enneagram from a model of descriptive personality to the one that carries dynamism. 

This dynamic feature comes with a unique feature. It shows how an individual’s personality fluctuates under a different set of circumstances.

Historical background of the Enneagram

There is some dispute regarding the roots of the Enneagram. Some believe that they have seen certain variations in the symbol of Enneagram in the geometry of Pythagoreans.

Four thousand years back, there were people who had expressed interest in knowing the detailed meaning of numbers.

There are variations of Enneagram that occur in the traditions of Islamic Sufi. They say that Enneagram has found its way through the Arabian Philosopher, al-Ghazzali. 

There is a belief that The Naqshbandi Order of Sufism had preserved it. Later on, around the fourteenth century, they had passed on the Enneagram symbol.

In the year 1915, Enneagram came up as a whole new system. It was a system of human development for the modern generation. 

The credit for this introduction goes to teacher and philosopher George Gurdjieff. He used the Enneagram to explain the laws that create and help unfold different aspects of the Universe.

During the late 1960s, Oscar Ichazo came to the forefront. He was the founder of the Arica School and a contemporary of Sigmund Freud.

Ichazo had placed the nine personality types in the diagram of Enneagram. Thus, he helped to add a new dimension.

Soon after this, something new happened. Claudio Naranjo with other psychologists came up with their contributions.

They had integrated the Enneagram with all emerging developments that are visible in modern psychology.

Enneagram personality types 

SUMMARY
There are nine types of enneagram personalities symbolized by numbers 1 to 9. Each of these types is driven by some core values that adorn its unique nature.

The nine Enneagram types are divided into head type, heart-type, and body type. This categorization refers to the 3*3 arrangement of all the nine types in three centers.

• The instinctive center (body type)
• The thinking center (head type)
• The feeling center (heart type

Each of these three centers consists of three enneagram types. The placement of types in these three centers is not arbitrary. 

It has been assigned on the basis of a powerful, yet unconscious emotional response that occurred due to the individual’s loss of contact with the ‘self’.

The instinctive center has enneagram types 1, 8, and 9. Here, the emotional response is anger or rage.

The thinking center has enneagrams 5, 6, and 7. The principal emotional response of these types is fear.

The feeling center has enneagram 2, 3, and 4. The dominant emotional response of these types is shame.

Let us study these types in detail –

The Instinctive Center

The personality types who belong to the instinctive center are body type enneagrams. They are guided by intuition and instincts. It means gut feeling happens to be very strong for them.

For them, physical comfort is essential for psychological good health. They prefer to connect with others or with physical reality by sensing their bodily reactions to external stimuli.

Thus, they may react by being overly controlling, submissive, or too perfectionistic in their attitude towards others and the world at large.

Enneagram type 1, type 8, and type 9 belong to the instinctive center.

The Thinking center

The personality types that belong to the thinking center are the head types. They prefer to react and respond after a deep thought. For them, thinking deeply helps to resolve many life issues methodically.

These individuals often connect with others intellectually. They perceive the world through patterns and impressions, trying to understand the underlying systems that help to make a sense of their observations.

The thinking types prefer to control their surroundings by maintaining stability and competence in whatever they may be doing. The types five, six, and seven belong to the thinking enneagrams.

The Feeling center

The feeling center consists of those enneagram types who are emotional and are ruled by their heart. These people react emotionally.

They are empathetic and can relate to the deepest feelings of others quite easily.

People who are emotional often value things such as emotional support, social recognition, kindness, compassion, inclusion, etc. They fear being alone and misunderstood.

Enneagram Type 1 – The Perfectionist

SUMMARY
Enneagram 1 is methodical and goes by the rule. They fear imperfections and are strict with themselves. Being self-controlled and principled are their strengths.

People with enneagram-type ones are fair and just. They live their life with a set of rules and tend to avoid making mistakes quite often. These individuals are stubborn and dislike change in life.

Being a perfectionist, they tend to do things neatly and orderly. Messiness and chaos make them mentally upset and overwhelmed.

Enneagram type 1s prefer to accomplish tasks with efficiency and quality. To a great extent, they are exacting and to the point. You can call them a perfect ‘no nonsense’ type.

Type 1s fear being morally flawed, imperfect, and not doing things accurately. These people are disciplined and never do anything that does not conform to society’s rules and traditions.

Ones are also known for always being serious and responsible. They are quiet, thoughtful, patient, and tenacious.

Being a highly judgmental type, they curate their work with precision. They are apt in streamlining their work in order to avoid the last-minute rush.

Enneagram 1s are assertive communicators who never give up their values for anything. Sometimes, they are the pathfinders of change and reformation.

Signs of enneagram 1

• Sets a high standard for their work and performance
• Serious and straightforward
• Principled and lives with strong moral values
• Rigid, stubborn, and resistant to change
• Has an innate talent to teach, guide, and instruct others.
• Focused and attentive
• Follower of rules and regulations
• Fears being imperfect
• Tends to repress anger and frustrations
• Keeps themselves grounded in reality

Enneagram Type 2 – The Helper

SUMMARY
Enneagram 2 is compassionate, helpful, and remains focused in their relationships. They are generous, humble, and nurturing.

Enneagram type 2s are always eager to help and contribute to the well-being of others.

If you are an enneagram two or know someone with this personality type, you must have noticed that these individuals are caring and prefer to involve themselves in others’ lives.

They are selfless and can understand the needs and wishes of others. Type twos are emotional and can connect with the emotions of others quite well. 

These people are known for their caring and nurturing nature. They will hardly say a ‘no’ to people who seek help from them. Twos fear being unloved, ignored, or not attended to. 

Givers can relate to diverse groups of people because they always want to feel loved and wanted. For them, unconditional love and support are the essences of healthy living.

Twos are highly approachable and radiate warmth and affection to the faint-hearted. Sometimes, they are ready to resolve the complicated issues of others’ lives with ease and grace.

Signs of enneagram 2

• They wear a warm smile when they are with others.
• Preference for meaningful connections remains their first choice.
• Being selfless, they are true friends to many.
• Two’s are great social workers. They love to talk about people.
• Sometimes you may commit more than what is needed.
• They are generous, gentle, and radiate compassion.
• There will be a little preference to connect with ‘self’ as well.
• Enneagram twos prefer to tap into their creative world.
• Spending quality time with their friends gives them the greatest joy of life.

Enneagram Type 3 – The Achiever

SUMMARY
Enneagram type 3 is the self-assured and pragmatic type. They are driven by success. Being a confident personality type, they are assertive, energetic, and socially dynamic.

Enneagram 3s are goal-directed and future-focused individuals. They are pragmatic, yet adaptable to changing circumstances.

These individuals have full faith in themselves and know what suits best for their style.

If you are an enneagram 3, you’ll be focused on your task and can hit the target with precision and accuracy. When it comes to work, three’s are extremely serious and committed.

You will follow deadlines without a miss. You are the one who is able to delegate back-to-back meetings effortlessly.

Your dedication and work commitment are unmatched and people like to hear your success stories like none other.

Socially, they are impressive, charismatic, and image-conscious. They remain bothered about their social performance and how others view them in various situations.

Enneagram 3s fear being worthless and strive towards competence and excellence. They want social affirmations to feel worthy of themselves.

People with enneagram 3 are inspiring role models and never want to be ordinary people.

Signs of enneagram 3

• You will always strive for success and avoid being a failure.
• Intrinsic motivation is high
• Never wants to look unworthy
• Consciously wants to be affirmed by others to feel worthy about themselves
• They are self-deceptive and portray a strong personality to the outside world, when they are actually different from within.
• They are socially conscious and always want to be the best version.
• Leadership comes naturally to you.
• You will use your success to keep your social image intact.
• Being a three means you have refined tastes that typically suit your individual style.
• Threes are graceful and prefer to live by the expectations of themselves and the society at large.

Enneagram 4 – The Individualist

SUMMARY
People with an enneagram type 4 are special, unique, and feel that they are different from others. They are sensitive, introspective, and idealists. There is a feeling that something very important is missing in their lives.

Enneagram 4s are driven by a definite purpose in life. They feel that life should be meaningful and worthy. Nothing should be done that is unproductive and doesn’t add much value to one’s life.

They have a creative and distinct personality that is exclusive and unmatched. Sometimes, they are in search of an ideal ‘self’ because they feel that they need one to live a purposeful and authentic life.

Fours are aesthetically inclined as they are deep thinkers. They prefer to express their individuality to the outside world as perfectly as possible.

individualists fear being flawed and inadequate and want to remain the best in whatever they do. They want to fill up the missing gaps in life that can make them look imperfect.

These individuals suffer from innate insecurity and inadequacy of not being ‘good enough. They have a poor self-image and thus constantly seek external validation to feel worthy of themselves.

Sometimes, they may feel that they will lose the love and respect of others if they’re deficient in some way.

They like to stand out in the crowd with their creative endeavors, unmatched choices, and unconventional ways of living.

Signs of enneagram 4

• You feel that you are different from others.
• Being an introspective person, you are thoughtful
• You are moody and inconstant. You may change your perspectives more than often.
• Individualists hate being lonely. They try to create a self-image that is protected and away from rejection.
• Fours search for a meaningful life that can give them self-respect and social recognition.
• They are on a journey of self-exploration and try to identify an ideal ‘self’ that seldom exists in reality.
• Fours are perfectionists and want to make minimal mistakes wherever possible.
• Sometimes, they feel melancholic and sad because they tend to undervalue themselves at each and every aspect of life. A feeling of deep-seated inadequacy makes them feel sad and gloomy all the time.

Enneagram 5 – The Investigator

SUMMARY
Enneagram 5s are intellectual, sober, competent, and knowledgeable. They are the typical curious minds who are studious and prefer to analyze and cross-check facts and information.

People with type 5 personalities are reserved and self-contained. They conserve their energy by being with themselves and avoiding being a socialite.

Too much social interaction appears to be an energy-draining experience to them.

Fives fear being overwhelmed by the emotions of themselves as well as others. Thus, they prefer to isolate and interact minimally in social situations.

Most often, they live a minimalist lifestyle away from the spotlight of society.

Fives are innovative. Being a thoughtful type, they love to play with diverse ideas. You may find them exploring known and unknown facts and playing with many out-of-box ideas that others may not even think of.

If you are an enneagram 5, you will avoid the wishy-washy world and would live in an inner world of silence and absolute peace.

Being a private person, you will prefer to keep the details of your life away from others. You are not an open book to learn and know easily.

People may find it difficult to understand what lies beneath your harsh and serious ‘self’

Your core motivation is to remain competent and worthy all the time. You prefer to understand the world and expand your knowledge base by keeping yourself aloof and isolated from others.

Signs of enneagram 5

• They remain lost in thoughts, usually deep thinkers. 
• Absent-minded and lacks focus
• It is difficult to peep into their inner world of vision and intuition.
• They are highly knowledgeable
• Have diverse interests.
• Think many times before speaking.
• Knows how to set a healthy boundary.
• Emotionally withdrawn, prefers to work alone.
• Enneagram 5s are mostly introverts.
• They hate small talk
• Tends to challenge the status quo. Fives like to do things in new ways, maybe not the ones that have been followed for ages.

Enneagram 6 – The Loyal Skeptic

SUMMARY
The loyal skeptic is detail-oriented, loyal, trustworthy, and dependable. At the same time, these people are suspicious and remain careful about the things coming next in line.

Their innate need is to safeguard themselves from harm and remain guarded against external threats.

They want the support of people close to them to feel reassured that they are good enough in many discrete ways.

Sixes want stability and security in life. They may cross-check facts before believing them. These people never accept anything at face value, rather get into the vital details before showing trust openly.

If you are an enneagram 6, you will be doubtful, alert, and cautious before deciding upon anything important in life.

Maybe this is the reason you can understand and foresee any trouble that may cross your path sooner or later.

Sixes prefer following rules and sticking to time-tested conventions that are prevalent in society.

They dislike change and are not adaptable in general. This is because they fear being abandoned and left out in the crowd.

Enneagram 6s prefer the freedom of thought and action. They hate being controlled. However, they are not the ones who will accept responsibilities easily. 

They shy away from responsibilities because they are doubtful about their ability to accomplish tasks as expected.

These individuals prefer to be armored by strong intimate relationships around them so as to feel safe and protected from any kind of harm.

Signs of enneagram 6

• An enneagram 6 is fearful and vulnerable
• Suspicious and skeptical about the intentions and actions of others around them
• Sixes prefer a safe, secure, and hassle-free life.
• They fear being unprepared and their ability to deal with issues and problems.
• Sixes do not trust people easily. 
• They have a small circle of trustworthy friends
• They remain loyal and faithful to those who they trust fully.
• Enneagram 6s are organized and systematic. They never make hasty decisions.
• Excellent team workers
• Can manage finances well.

Enneagram 7 – The Enthusiast

SUMMARY
Enneagram 7s are excited, energetic, lively, and spontaneous. They are busybodies who never want to miss out on even the tiniest joy of life. Being an optimist, sevens are playful and upbeat. They are versatile and have a zest for life.

Sevens want to feel happy and satisfied. They try to avoid pain at all costs and seek pleasure in life. Enneagram 7s are extroverts and are nicknamed enthusiasts. They prefer to experience new things in life.

They prefer to view life with a wide-eye outlook, exploring new possibilities on the way. Sevens prefer to keep worries far away from them. 

Sevens prefer to think ahead of time. They are interested in diverse topics and are learned and knowledgeable. They are excellent communicators who are open-minded and flexible.

You may find them listening to many different ideas before taking the final call. These individuals are confident in their own skin and are not image-conscious. 

Since they’re too enthusiastic and energetic, at times it may be difficult for them to focus on the detailed aspects of certain things.

Thus, they may miss out on important information as well.

Signs of enneagram 7

• They fear being bored and experience uninteresting things in life
• Sevens would never like to get stuck in a rut. They are forward thinkers and movers.
• They may suffer from FOMO.
• Dislikes limited resources to explore and innovate. Always hunt for new experiences to feel excited and agile.
• Enneagram 7s try to avoid conflicts and disagreements.
• They are the life of the party.
• Sevens may have many hobbies.
• They are curious and have a child-like sparkle in their eyes.
• They are socially popular and well-liked by people.
• Enneagram 7s are free-willed and spontaneous.

Enneagram 8 – The Challenger

SUMMARY
Enneagram 8s are confident and assertive, powerful and dominating, and love to argue and intimidate others. Eights are known for their freedom of choice and desire to lead an independent and controlled life.

People with an enneagram 8 personality type are not keen to look weak and vulnerable. They prefer to present themselves as confident, powerful and dominating. 

Being an unrestrained and non-conventional type, they are the ones to defy protocol and break laws.

They are self-reliant and decisive. Eights look controlled and powerful because they never want to show their insecure side to others.

These people are motivated to feel strong and resist any kind of weakness that they may have. Eights never get into small talk or nonsensical stuff because they are very serious and focused on their work.

Armed with the ability to work hard, they make things happen. These people are highly dedicated, focused, and passionate in their pursuits. You will never find them wasting time and delivering poor results.

They also prefer to face challenges like none other. Their abundant energy and prolific mental tenacity make them the most versatile and go-getter enneagram types.

Signs of enneagram 8

• Eights are self-reliant and prefer to do things on their own.
• They are confident and self-aware.
• Serious minded, stubborn, and dominating.
• Possesses a powerful and headstrong personality.
• Eights have a lot of physical stamina and mental strength to survive adversities.
• They are the go-getters who prefer to do things according to a set plan.
• Enneagram 8s are able leaders because they can decide quickly.
• Eights prefer to protect the weak and submissive. 
• People with an enneagram 8 are daring. They love to challenge existing systems that are not working well.
• They never allow others to mess up with them because they have a tough exterior that appears angry and arrogant.

Enneagram 9 – The Peacemaker

SUMMARY
Enneagram 9s are peaceful and harmonious beings. They prefer to keep themselves away from the chaos of society. They are reserved and quiet, tolerant and adaptable.

Nines have an intrinsic desire to live a happy, poised, and harmonious life. They are easygoing, agreeable types who prefer to avoid conflicts and mayhem.

They are the ones who like to move with the flow but they dislike being controlled by others.

Being fiercely independent and working behind the scenes, they are dependable and reality-oriented. They do not crave public attention.

All that they want is harmony and peace. Nines never like to get into conflicts, rather can do anything to maintain serenity around them. Peacemakers are gentle and appreciate the tiny joys of life.

Enneagram 9s can be good counselors because they can negotiate sensibly. They love poise in and outside them. They can mediate and help others understand various perspectives.

Sometimes nines undermine and devalue their own emotions. In trying to maintain peace, they avoid conflicts, even if they do not want to.

Acting like a people-pleaser has got into their nerves, maybe unknowingly.

Signs of enneagram 9

• Nines crave emotional comfort. They avoid doing things that may hamper their inner peace.
• They are carefree and relaxed, often ignoring things that they do not like.
• Enneagram nines are laid back and take time to get going in life. 
• Being a nine means you mitigate conflicts without a delay.
• Nines are soft-spoken and mellow.
• Enneagram nines are forgiving.
• They may get emotionally overwhelmed in times of stress.
• Nines hate being controlled and intimidated in some way.
• They have a spiritual inclination with Zen-like aura surrounding their nature.

Enneagram wings

Enneagram wings refer to the personality types that are placed adjacent to your main Enneagram type.

It means the two other personality types that lie on either side of your main type. For example, if you are an enneagram 2, your wing type will be enneagram type 1 and type 3.

The wings are written as 2w1 and 2w3. Wings play a very significant role in understanding the subtle aspects of a person.

This means that you will borrow energy from your wing types to make your personality an extensive and vivid one.

Wings are the extensions of your primary enneagram number. They help to uncover the multifaceted nature of your persona. Wings can help you recognize your behavioral patterns and change them according to the circumstances.

For example, if you were found to be 5w6 in an enneagram test, it means that your primary enneagram personality is type 5 and you share many qualities with type 6 as well, then your enneagram wing is 5w6.

Enneagram wings give you a detailed picture of your core values and motives. It helps to understand the finer aspects that make you behave the way you do.

Even your ego fixations, virtues and vices, emotional responses in specific situations can be easily understood from the wing types.

The wings help a lot to understand the career choices, hobbies, and lifestyle that you wish to have. There are 18 enneagram wings, made up of 9 primary types, each having two wings.

Now let’s see how each enneagram type with its two wings looks like in detail:

Uses/benefits of Enneagram personality typing

Enneagram personality typing sorts out people into nine types. The Enneagram gives an insight into the personality of all individuals. 

It shares valuable inputs to improve interpersonal relationships. A free Enneagram personality test can come of great help.  People can easily get an idea about their personality types through this test.

What happens when an individual works with the Enneagram? It can help him clarify his understanding of himself. He can even understand other people in a better manner. 

Let us now briefly discuss some of the areas where one can apply Enneagram –

1. Personal growth and development

As Enneagram reveals an individual’s personality type, it allows them to understand themselves better. 

They become more aware of their core beliefs, habits, and traditions. It helps them to lead their daily lives by keeping in line with what they believe and follow.

He tends to understand the reasons behind their actions. It lets them focus on their strengths and identify their weak links. 

Hence, it brings forth tremendous personality growth and development.

2. Marriage and Close Relationships

When someone marries a person, it is necessary to develop a proper understanding. It can help to strengthen the relationship. 

Enneagram can assist you in this aspect. Knowing the personality types can help the partners take note of each other’s likes and dislikes.

Once that happens, it becomes easier to deal with each individual’s choices. Thus, it results in strengthening the relationship for the long term. 

Enneagram can come into play even in close relationships, like in a friendship. It can help two individuals become aware of each other’s personality types. 

Once that happens, they can appreciate their similarities and respect the differences in their opinions. This goes a long way in building a strong friendship.

3. Parenting

Parenting is not an easy job. It involves a deeper understanding of your child’s needs and how they can react. Enneagram can offer great help in this regard. 

Enneagram can help parents and their children understand each other better. Hence, it results in better parenting.

The nine Enneagram personality types have specific characteristics. They are all connected to their parenting styles. 

Some make their children follow strict rules and routines, while others give them sufficient freedom to face life’s realities and adjust accordingly.

Enneagram can help moms and dads raise their level of self-awareness. It helps them become better parents. When parents are fully aware of their personality type and know what they like and don’t like, they will treat their children properly.

They would develop a fair understanding of how to raise their children. If they require constant love and care, the parents will give them that.

On the other hand, if the situation demands that parents become strict, they would make their children follow strict rules and regulations.

4. Professional Development

Enneagram helps to promote professional development. It makes people understand why they do certain things that they do. Hence, they learn to accept the functionalities of others. 

The Enneagram has the resources and intelligence to bring professional development among employees. It has a positive impact on how they participate as team members. 

Enneagram helps every individual to appreciate diversity. It makes them realize that each type has something unique to offer at work. 

When you understand the nine personality styles at work, it helps to engage each individual’s motivation.

It helps bring forth their full enthusiasm, thinking pattern, and creativity to meet objectives.

The blind spots of the Enneagram model

While understanding the Enneagram’s usability and applicability, many researchers have confirmed that the model has some potential weak spots to look for when taking the test and understanding one’s own style.

• Though the test has gained a lot of popularity in many cultures, yet it is pseudoscientific because it is a complicated model that is hard to test and validate empirically.
• The descriptions of the types are too general and not seem to be empirically tested and modified to be worked in specific cultures.
• There is a lack of consensus about how the system works. Some say that the enneagram personality of a person is made up of two types – the dominant type and one wing only but there are other psychologists who claim that there are two wings that influence the dominant type.
• The model is based on the self-awareness of the people who take the test. It means that the person who is able to describe his/her individual personality traits and effectively align them to a particular type that they think they belong to.
• Many people misinterprets their type because many people identify more with the type that they think they should belong to rather than the type that they really possess.
• As this is an assessment method with no reliability and poor validity scores, the enneagram received a lot of criticism from all walks of psychological and empirical research.

NOTE
It needs to be considered that the Enneagram personality tests do not suggest that a specific type is better or superior to the other. The traits associated with a type can either act as a help to personality growth or as a hindrance. It all depends upon the person and the specific situation they are in.

Enneagram relationships

When we talk about relationship compatibility, it’s not that we are referring to certain type combinations as blessed and the best and some other combinations as not worthy, a failure, or completely doomed.

The relationship compatibility highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each type and how they can go along well with some other type in a peaceful and balanced way.

Relationships can be healthy and worth accepting if two partners share similar goals and can accept each other’s imperfections and inadequacies wholeheartedly.

As no one in this world is perfect, so relationships are also about balance and adjustment only. To know about the relationship goals of each enneagram type, you can refer to the below table–

After knowing the relationship goals of each Enneagram type, you must be eager to know the most compatible types. The most common relationship combinations that have worked well across cultures are enumerated below:

Famous books on Enneagram

Some of the noteworthy books on Enneagram that can be a good read for just anyone is as follows –

• The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
• The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge by Beatrice Chestnut
• The Enneagram Made Easy – Discover the Nine Types of People by Renee Burton
• The Essential Enneagram – The Definitive Personality Test and Self Discovery Guide by David. N. Daniels
• Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson

Enneagram personality test

The Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator, commonly referred to as the RHETI version 2.5, is the best enneagram test available and used globally across nations. 

This test is an easy-to-use self-report personality test with 144 paired statements that are tested and validated after scientific research and through empirical evidence. 

The Enneagram type indicator was developed by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson in 1993. The test describes your primary Enneagram type along with a detailed analysis of your individual nature.

The test also indicates the two corresponding wings of your core enneagram number. It often describes your relative relationship with all the nine enneagram types shown in the enneagram symbol.

If you are interested to know your core enneagram number, you may take the test here.

The video link shared below shows the concept of the enneagram in detail. Do check out.

Parting words from ‘ThePleasantPersonality’

Summing up, it can be inferred that the Enneagram concept of personality typing provides a complete framework of the various psychological processes and interconnected systems that make up the human persona.

It helps to unleash the thought and feeling patterns that unconsciously motivate and drive human actions. Though the system appears complicated, it is not so. 

Working with the Enneagram model, you will walk along the path of self-awareness. You will be able to develop deeper insights that help you to understand why you act and behave in the ways you do.

The model emphasizes your unique journey towards self-development.  It connects your strengths to your key growth areas and helps to eliminate the blind spots that may hold you back in realizing your life goals.

” The Enneagram is, at its most abstract, a universal mandala of the self – a symbol of each of us.”

Don Richard Riso

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