Enneagram Personality Types - Overview and Why It's Useful

Hi, everyone!  This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and in today’s video, I’ll give you a top-level overview of the Enneagram Personality Type system and I’ll tell you why I think it can help you be a better person. 

I love personality tests. When I was in high school, I did a whole science project on whether the Myers Briggs Type indicator predicted employment plans — it sort of did.  I have forced many people to test their introversion levels with this test that i keep on my phone. And I like to categorize people into foxes and hedgehogs based on my family’s unique take on those economic metaphors. 

I know these tests aren’t usually data driven.  In other words, there isn’t much evidence to support that people who are, for example, classified as ENFJs behave similarly in a given situation. The one personality description that IS based on statistical factor analysis is the Big 5 Personality Traits. Those are just 5 dimensional traits that are statistically predictive of behavior. The problem is — once you know that you are more conscientious than not, less agreeable than most, and high on neuroticism — it may be interesting, but there’s not much that you can DO with that information.  

The enneagram is another personality system that doesn’t seem to have much evidentiary basis.  In addition, it is a system that requires you to choose a category rather than one that allows you to place yourself on a spectrum. This is a big no no in modern social science, which sees experience as dimensional rather than categorical. Let me give you an example — in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, which is a categorical typing system, you have to choose whether you are an extrovert or introvert.  Up or down, black or white.  That is tricky for someone like me who is smack down the middle.  My experience would be easier to describe using the Big 5 Personality Traits, which is a dimensional system.  I would be considered neither high nor low on the extroversion trait.  There is actually a categorical word for people like me — I’m an ambivert.

That said, I find the enneagram system to be fascinating.  The benefit to a system that requires you to pick a category is that you can be more prescriptive with the results. In other words it tells you what you can DO with that information.  So, what makes the Enneagram fascinating?

For starters, it’s based on the idea that we all have a main wound or area of vulnerability. The nature people would say the wound is based on your genetics, nurture people would say it comes from your childhood. The real answer, like most things, is that it’s a combination of both. Your wounds or areas of vulnerability determine what coping strategies that you use in order to get through life.  Most of these strategies will become habitual over time.  So this points to our motivations — why do we do the things we do?  And cool thing is, the wounds for the 9 Enneagram types are based on the 7 deadly sins plus 2.  

I think it is a cool idea.   

Let’s briefly go through the 9 types and I’ll fill you in on each of the main flaws or wounds as we go.  Just a quick disclaimer — I am not an expert.  I’ve read a couple of books and gotten some edits from my Aunt Mary, who has a longer history with the Enneagram system.  People may quibble with my depiction of these types, but when I got started i went looking for some explanatory videos and, although there is a lot of really great stuff out there, I couldn't find anything that was as concise and direct as I wanted, so here goes. 

Type 1 - Perfectionist/Reformer - These folks need for things to be done the right way and have highly developed notion of fairness. They hold themselves to high standards and have strong views on how things should be done.  They are super responsible and dependable, but  can come across as critical to others.  Their wound is anger at not feeling good enough and their motivation is to be perfect to earn the respect and love of others. 

Type 2 - Giver/Helper - these folks give a lot of themselves.  They can see what others need and work hard to help them particularly when they can sense pain and unhappiness in others.  They have a hard time saying no and they don’t always take good care of themselves.  They put a lot into their relationships, but can become hurt and even demanding when they feel under appreciated.  Their wound is pride of how loving they are and how they can ignore their own needs and their motivation is to be loved because they do so much for others. 

Type 3 - Performer/Achiever - these folks feel like a person’s value is based on what they have accomplished and the recognition that they receive.  This is a status based type.  They spend a lot of their energy trying to be the best at what they do.  They are good team players, but can be impatient and prone to take over if they feel people are not respecting their time or they can do it better.  Their  wound is deceit in that they are willing to be deceitful to impress others with their accomplishments rather than being themselves.  And their motivation is to gain respect and love through status.

Type 4 - Romantic/Individualist - these folks have intense feelings and they long for deep and emotional relationships.  They value beauty and dramatic narratives.  They place a lot of importance on authenticity and have a great capacity for creativity, empathy, and passion, but can be subject to depression and jealousy  that others seem have more than they do.  Their wound is envy over the emotional connections they see in others since they may have been deprived of that.  Their motivation is to search for ideal love to make them feel whole.

Type 5 - Observer/Investigator - this is an introverted type that tends to observe rather than directly engage.  They tend to be analytical and are not bored when they are alone since they have an active mental life.  They do a lot of thinking, analyzing, and compartmentalizing.  They are self-sufficient, but they can be overprotective of their time and energy, preferring to have those resources for themselves.  Their wound is greed in conserving their energy and time for themselves and their motivation is to be private and self-sufficient to protect themselves from the intrusive demands of others and from their own strong feelings.

Type 6 - Loyal Skeptic/Loyalist - these folks are very motivated by fear. They have an active imagination about threats and potential danger.  Since there are lots of way to react to fear, there are several, very different presentations of this type — from the timid types who avoid danger to the swaggering types who challenge it head on.  The former type obeys authority and avoids threats.  The latter folks tend to be suspicious and challenging and identify with underdog causes.  They are very loyal, but can be also be paranoid and pessimistic.  They can be prone to anxiety and have difficulty making decisions.  Their wound is fear and their motivation is to seek security and certainty through either submission or girding for battle.

Type 7 - Epicure/Enthusiast - this type reminds me of a butterfly, flitting from passion to passion, but never staying for long.  These folks have a zest for life and get excited about new ideas, projects, or adventures.  They have a harder time sticking with something that is boring or repetitive.  They believe life should be enjoyed and don’t want to be brought down by unpleasantness.  They are fun and upbeat, but can be irresponsible and unreliable.  Their wound is gluttony in trying to gulp down as many experiences as they can and their motivation is protect themselves by engaging in pleasant activities and avoiding things that are unpleasant.

Type 8 - Protector/Challenger - these folks value trustworthiness, strength, and dependability in others.  They have a hard time tolerating weakness and worry about being taken advantage of.  They are straightforward and honest and can have a huge energetic presence.  They have difficulty hiding strong emotions and do not shy away from conflict — particularly if they are protecting those who they think have been treated unfairly. They are confident and decisive, but can also be seen as aggressive and unbending.  Their wound is lust for life, power, and strength and their motivation is to hide their vulnerability and gain admiration by being powerful.  And finally,

Type 9 - Mediator/Peacemaker - These folks are able to see everyone’s perspective, which makes them good at mediating conflict or solving differences.  They are usually pleasant, easy going, and agreeable.  They seek comfort in structure and familiarity.  They avoid conflict and put a high value on keeping the peace.  As a result, they can be more highly attuned to the needs of others than to their own needs and can come across as passive and wishy washy.  In addition, in ignoring their own needs to go with the flow, their anger can come out in passive aggression.  Their wound is sloth or passivity and their motivation is to focus on keeping the peace, settling for small comforts for themselves, in order to find unconditional love.

Did any of those resonate with you?  Did you hear descriptions of other people you know?  Well, if you DIDN'T identify yourself just by that quick overview of the types, what is the best way to determine which one you are?  This is just my opinion, but I think all of the online tests are terrible.  I’ve taken the tests three different times and gotten three completely different results. I’m not sure if those are reliability problems or validity problems, but I wouldn’t trust them.  Instead, I think the best way to determine your type is to read through some good descriptions of each.  Not the high level ones I just went through, but more specific, detailed descriptions. I recommend the description-based test in the book The Essential Enneagram by David Daniels and Virginia Price (https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Enneagram-Definitive-Personality-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B002VL1CNK).  As you read through the profiles, one might make you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut or truly seen.  That’s probably your type.  And just a note -- most people don't love their type.  I don't love mine -- I can tell you that.  After all -- these are all based on pretty unpleasant vulnerabilities.

One additional complicating factor is that each type has three subtypes, which describe the three ways that type can manifest.  For example, for Type 6s that are fear-based, there are lots of ways different people respond to fear. Some run away and cower, others find a leader to stand behind, still other arm themselves to the teeth to combat the fear.  This type happens to have the most widely differing manifestations, but each type has at least 3 different ways that it can present and one of them is the counter to the type, meaning those folks present the opposite of their flaw.  So, in the fear-based Type 6, the counter subtype is the one who presents armed to teeth, ready for battle.  

Okay — so why can this be useful?  Well, just the process of determining your Enneagram type can be enlightening.  We are not used to examining our flaws in such a direct way.  But once you do identify your type, you can start to identify in yourself some of the self defeating behaviors and attitudes that characterize your type.   For example, people who are Type 9 or the Mediator/Peacemaker, can start to see themselves getting uncomfortable with conflict, allowing others to direct them, and never checking in on their own needs.  There are healthy and unhealthy version of each type.  The more you push against your maladaptive coping strategies, the healthier person you can become.   The enneagram book I recommended among others give lots of advice on how to engage in personal development.  For each type, they outline steps you can take to be the healthiest version of yourself.

Here's what I think -- if you don't have the time or money to go to therapy, this could be the next best thing.  After all, the first step of healing is determining what your own flaws are.  Just identifying your enneagram type is that first step.  And frankly the enneagram is presented in the best possible way -- it's first validating (this is your flaw, but it is okay and its totally understandable in your circumstances) and then its prescriptive (but I think you can do a little better -- and here are some steps forward).  We also have access and can find ourselves in lots of the types, so we can learn from the other types to offset our default self-destructive tendencies.

The whole system has flaws obviously -- it's not evidence-based and it's categorical, so you have to pick one type -- even if you see yourself in multiple types.  But, like every personality system, it teaches you a little about yourself and the people around you.  As you learn about the types, you can be more tolerant and understanding of others and have compassion for yourself.  After all, everyone is harboring their own wounds and mostly doing the best they can.  And when you are ready, the enneagram offers some ways to improve, so that you can be the best possible you. 

Let me know what you think!  Comments are always appreciated and thanks for watching.