Note: Hi all! I just went on a little vacation, and it was much needed! Sorry for stepping away for a week. But as always, there is something more to explore in the world of discovering yourself!
I know that I’ve talked about the Enneagram plenty of times, but I figured we could dive a little deeper.
Like all other personality quizzes, I personally like to tread with some skepticism. A healthy grain of salt, if you will. I would be lying, however, if I said this particular personality test didn’t have a big impact on my life. By studying the Enneagram, I found out some really important blind spots that I now stay on the lookout for!
It’s made a positive change in my life, and I hope it can do the same for you.
What Is The Enneagram?
The Enneagram is a personality typing system that consists of nine types. They can be broken down into three triads: thinking (fear), feeling (shame), and instinctive (rage). Essentially, these types are grouped in a way that points to our overarching inner challenges. Each group deals with these challenges in a different way. Take the thinking triad, for instance: sixes project fear, fives repress fear, and sevens suppress fear. But again, I don’t want to overwhelm anyone. There’s so much to explore!
In a sense, all types are interconnected, but there will always be a predominant motivation and fear. This can help point to your type. For example, as a nine, I resonated with the fear of loss and the motivation of inner peace.
If the whole room isn’t okay, I’m not okay. It’s a peacemaker thing, lol.
To add to it, there are wings, paths of integration and deintegration (where our personality goes in times of stress and growth), and three instinctual variants. We can go into all of these aspects later.
Here’s a great breakdown video from Truity.
A Quick Breakdown of Each Type
Remember: there is no personality type that is better than the other. Each one is unique and has its own really awesome complexities. Everyone constantly has strengths, challenges, and quirks that make life interesting. Here are the types and their basic info for each:
Type 1: The Reformer – Rational, idealistic, principled, and perfectionistic.
Type 2: The Helper – Caring, generous, people-pleasing, and demonstrative.
Type 3: The Achiever – Success-oriented, pragmatic, adaptable, and driven.
Type 4: The Individualist – Sensitive, expressive, dramatic, and self-absorbed.
Type 5: The Investigator – Intense, cerebral, perceptive, and innovative.
Type 6: The Loyalist – Committed, security-oriented, reliable, and anxious.
Type 7: The Enthusiast – Spontaneous, versatile, distracted, and fun-loving.
Type 8: The Challenger – Powerful, dominating, decisive, and self-confident.
Type 9: The Peacemaker – Easygoing, receptive, reassuring, and agreeable.
How the Enneagram Facilitates Personal Growth
In my own personal experience, knowing yourself is one of the paths to pushing away from anxiety, helplessness, and overwhelm. We don’t have control over many things, and that is a lesson in itself. BUT we do have control over how we respond to what life throws at us.
As a nine, I’ve discovered a treasure trove of knowledge! We have the power to take action. Having the discernment to see the difference between what is changeable and what isn’t is one of the most underestimated positive skills I can think of!
And best of all: No one has to stay the same. You can be your authentic self, but also choose not to stick to the same destructive patterns. You can become a better version of you–still you, just healthier! That’s what I love about the main focus of the Enneagram. All types are awesome, and all types can always improve.
I think most people want to live life outside themselves. We’re pretty social creatures (even the introverted types like myself need some time with people, lol). But in order to reach out to others, getting to know yourself can lead you towards a connection with others. I’ve been the type (as a 9) to completely ignore myself in favor of others. So you can see how recognizing my typical responses to things can help me make better decisions in the future!
A note about the t-shirts In the Shop 🙂
As a gentle reminder, we sell Enneagram shirts and other mental-health positive shirts to revel in the humor of self-improvement! The link to the shop is here.
I see these t-shirts as a fun way to commiserate with fellow types. And we can have a good laugh about our silly traits while still not becoming stuck in those negative patterns. It’s not about making excuses to continue with those patterns. It’s about acknowledging these traits so we can have grace for ourselves. It’s fun to relate to others in this way!
With this knowledge, we can take things a step further by making new, better responses to those typical patterns. We can chuckle at our quirks, but also make changes for the better. Take it from me, a Type-Nine Professional Conflict Avoider!
A Note on The “Trippy” Language
To be honest, sometimes the spiritual “woo-woo” language of many Enneagram books (like The Wisdom of the Enneagram ) may turn some people away. I get it.
Yet, I still found so much value in learning about the types! It gave me a ton of understanding not just of myself, but also the people around me. People have so many different ways of coping in this world.
I was a bit confused by some of the books my therapist introduced me to, including The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Talk about some trippy language. But the message is pretty simple: NOW is the most precious part of being alive. Anyway, I’m getting a tad off topic. The point is, learning about yourself is important. The next step of honoring yourself is to apply that newfound knowledge to make positive changes.