I discovered the Enneagram last year and was immediately intrigued but skeptical, as I am with all personality tests. I paid the $12 to take the RHETI test on EnneagramInstitute.com, a very basic and unassuming website. When taking these types of tests, it’s important to answer all questions as honestly as possible because—let’s admit it—we tend to answer based on how we think a decent human being should respond rather than how we actually feel. As I learned my results and began studying the Enneagram, I became a bit of a proselytizer for this new tool I had found. I dove into the material—reading books, watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts—and gaining a better understanding of how I operate. What makes me tick and why began to come into focus.
I remember feeling, even as a very young child, out of place and abnormal, like the rest of the world held a secret that I wasn’t in on. With that came comparison—always feeling like something was missing, always wanting something other than what was available to me. If there was greener grass somewhere, I was determined to find it. However, I now see that the greener grass I sought rested at the end of a never-ending path of hedonism. Prone to melancholy, I found that constant envy and comparison of those who seemed to move effortlessly through life led to depression. It was here that I was transported back to the beginning of that hedonistic path—needing, wanting to experience as much as possible, to be around people, to feel alive. Anything felt better than sitting alone in my apartment, always wondering what I was missing out on. Undoubtedly, what I thought I was missing out on often amounted to nothing much, but the stories we tell ourselves have more impact on our egos than any external force.
I am an emotional being—for better or worse. Whether the heart I wear on my sleeve is a sign of love to those I care for or an omen to those who find deep feelings cumbersome, it is an undeniable part of who I am. If you’re familiar with the Enneagram, you may already be guessing my primary personality type.
The Enneagram consists of nine personality types. However, what I appreciate most about it is that it doesn’t lock you into just one. Your core personality type is generally shaped by early childhood experiences or trauma that influenced how you view the world. The types are divided into triads, known as “centers,” which clarify how we respond to external influences—whether through calculated thinking (the Head Center), feelings and emotions (the Heart Center), or instincts and bodily intuition (the Body Center). You also have a “wing,” which is one of the two types adjacent to your dominant type. For example, a Type Two, the Helper, may identify as a 2w1 or a 2w3, meaning they exhibit traits of the corresponding wing.
Additionally, the Enneagram educates us on how our personalities can change depending one whether we are operating at our healthiest, or operating under stress or fear. Meaning, we take on the positive characteristics of another personality type during periods of growth and happiness, or the negative traits of another if we are undergoing a time of stress or crisis. For example, a Type Four, who is usually generalized as someone moody and emotional, but also wildly creative and artistic, moves toward a Type One in health. Healthy Type Ones are the driven, goal-oriented types that operate well under order and structure. Under stress, a Type Four moves toward an unhealthy Two where all that energy spent on emotion leads them to a place of feeling unloved and unwanted, despite their best efforts.
With these types of personality tests, we tend to want to be in a hurry to identify our dominant type- study just that type, and move on from there. The Enneagram asks for you to go beyond just understanding your type; but to understand all of the types in order to better understand what roles those other types play in to your experience, whether its how you experience the world, or how others experience you.
I’m not here to establish myself as an Enneagram coach, there are plenty out there and I’m not one. In fact, there are a wealth of resources available, especially if you can get past the religious undertones. But, if you are looking for a great tool to kickstart getting out of the rut you might be in – or just to understand a little more about why you are the way you are- check out the Enneagram. I’ve added some resources below to get you started.
The Future Traveler
Books:
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Huertz
Podcasts:
Typology
Enneagram for Idiots
YouTube:
Tom LaHue – https://youtube.com/user/twlahue
Website:
Random Observations From A Future Traveler 