What’s the Enneagram
system?
The Enneagram system is a way of
classifying personality types into nine categories:
This system
represents these types as points along the edge of a circle. Each point
represents a “character” — one of the nine personality types defined by
emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns. These are dominant personality
types, with the types on either side known as “wings.”
If your dominant
personality type is number one, your wings would be nine and two. This means
you’ll also identify with aspects of these types. And people tend to relate
more with one of these two wings.
Lines run from each
number to two other types, and these lines represent the personality traits you
take on during stress versus
security. For example, a type two personality would take on type eight
qualities when stressed and type four qualities when secure.
While a part of
discovering your dominant personality type is self-reflection and discovery,
you can also take online personality tests, perhaps working
your way through the questions with an unbiased friend who can offer an
outsider’s perspective on your common behavioral traits.
The 9 Enneagram Personality Types
From a young age,
you’ve likely noticed common characteristics in yourself and others. Perhaps
your parents often called you a perfectionist as you kept your room spotless
every day, or maybe you admired how your sibling always helped others.
suggest someone’s Enneagram personality type. Keeping your own behavioral
tendencies in mind, here are the nine types, including the pros and cons of
each category.
1. The Perfectionist/Reformer
You’re rational,
idealistic, and a bit of a perfectionist. And people often describe
you as principled and purposeful.
Because you’re
disciplined and have high moral regard, you’re a natural teacher. But you might
suffer from your perfectionist tendencies, being overly critical of yourself
and others. Complement your natural high performance by developing empathy and paying
attention to any implicit biases that might accompany
your strong opinions.
2. The Helper
You’re generous,
caring, and want to please others. But your empathy and friendliness sometimes
cause you to sacrifice your needs.
To gain fulfillment
from your community-minded personality while also self-advocating, evaluate whether your
interpersonal relationships are mutually beneficial. And carve out time each
week for self-care. This
teaches you that your needs matter, too.
3. The Achiever
You’re adaptable,
confident, and pragmatic. But your drive for success can transform your type-A
personality into workaholism. To maintain a healthy work-life balance and retain
meaningful relationships, remember to fill your own cup by taking free time and
watching for signs of burnout.
4. The Individualist
You’re sensitive,
introspective, and introverted, with a flair for the creative. Following your passion and developing work that
reflects your personal identity are intrinsic motivators that drive you
forward.
Sometimes this means
you quickly feel purposeless and unfulfilled doing work that doesn’t speak to
you. You might find it harder to handle situations where you’re one in a group
— like one of 10 engineers on a team. Just remember that everyone’s unique opinion
and purpose matter, even in a crowded room.
5. The Investigator
If you’re often
engrossed in deep reflection, you’re probably an investigator. Investigators
are perceptive critical thinkers that enjoy
complex problem-solving. But
this means you can sometimes become lost in daydreams, causing detachment and
isolation.
That said, you’re a
valuable workplace asset since you’re creative and offer innovative, outside-the-box thinking. Your ideas could
lead to disruptive innovation that
pushes your team to new bounds.
6. The Loyalist
You’re reliable,
hard-working, and seek safety and comfort. Because you strive for security,
you’re a natural troubleshooter, constantly considering potential obstacles and
devising backup plans.
While you’re an
excellent and loyal friend, you might overthink and worry a lot. Try to
take small steps out of your comfort zone — like saying yes to
spontaneous get-togethers or starting a conversation with a
stranger — to teach yourself that you can handle unknown
situations.
7. The Enthusiast
You’re easy to spot
from across the room because you’re talkative, fun-loving, and extroverted. You also tend to collaborate
well since you enjoy spending time with others.
But you love change
and might flit from project to project, so you could work to improve your
focusing skills. This might mean thoughtfully setting goals and sticking to
them, working with a career coach to ensure success.
8. The Challenger
You’re
self-confident, assertive, and
incredibly resourceful, which is why you tend to attain leadership roles. But
you might forget that not everyone is gifted with this level of self-confidence
and might shut down quieter coworkers or push direct reports too hard.
Consider
building your empathy skills to
ensure you can relate to less self-assured individuals, raising them up in more
delicate and supportive ways.
9. The Peacemaker
You’re the glue that
holds a group together, acting as a mediator during conflict.
You’re often the person coworkers and friends come to when dealing with an
issue because you try your best to offer an objective and unbiased perspective.
But you may suffer
from the side effects of toxic empathy, like
exhaustion, anxiety, and disinterest. Try to set boundaries regarding the number
and intensity of issues you’ll handle to ensure you retain your mental energy.
The 3 triads
Your Enneagram test
results indicate where in the body your dominant thinking stems from, which
affects your decision-making and goal-setting. These are the three triad
types, named “triads” because they each cover three personality types.
Heart types: Helpers,
Achievers, and Individualists feel with their heart, making decisions based on
emotions and setting relationship-focused goals.
Head types: Investigators,
Loyalists, and Enthusiasts lead with their head, engaging with the world
through knowledge and learning. These types value logic and pragmatism and may
ignore gut feelings or
personal desires when making decisions.
Body types: Reformers,
Challengers, and Peacemakers are intuitive thinkers who follow gut
feelings. This means snap judgments and poor planning sometimes hinder
effective decision-making.
