The Enneagram is a growth model based on archetypes of personalities. It explains the subconscious patterns that determine how we act, feel and think. Taking an Enneagram test will help you understand your personality structures, why you created them and how they can sometimes hold you back in life.
The word “personality” derives from the Latin word “persona” which means “mask”. A personality is indeed like a mask that we show to the world. It reflects how we think we need to be to get through life. Ultimately, this is about our subconscious strategies for being safe and loved.
Once you have taken an Enneagram test, you will receiving a detailed report which is like having a manual that finally tells you who you are, how you function and how to manage yourself. When we learn about the patterns of our personality type, we understand that it is a protective layer behind which there is a different, authentic version of ourselves. From this insight we can cultivate different ways of being that empower us to attain more fulfilment and success in life.
How does an Enneagram test work?
I use a sophisticated online questionnaire created by Integrative 9 to help my clients identify their Enneagram type. To be precise, it’s not a “test” as there are no right or wrong answers. It is an “assessment” of your preferences. The questionnaire asks you a series of introspective questions to establish your motivations as well as your ways of thinking, feeling and acting. The answers are scaled against nine different personality types of the Enneagram, and 27 subtypes.
After you have completed the assessment, you will receive a detailed report about the Enneagram type for which you scored the highest. It sets out your strengths, blind spots and development areas. It also suggests exercises for your personal development that are specific to your Enneagram type.
It’s not about boxing you!
Unlike other personality tests, the Enneagram doesn’t box you. Quite the opposite: it tries to help you get out of a box you may have put yourself in by overusing a particular survival strategy, such as people pleasing, withdrawing or combativeness. It encourages you to learn different ways of responding to life situations and suggests a growth path for integrating traits of other Enneagram types. You will have a bit of all 9 types in you, by there will be one that is your dominate type and that you probably overuse.
What are the 9 Enneagram Types?
The nine Enneagram types describe nine main survival strategies that people develop in their childhood. A key part of those strategies is type-specific defence mechanisms. They reflect who we decided we had to be to ensure that we were loved and safe. We all go through this process in our childhood and the survival strategies then form the personality we bring into adulthood.
No Enneagram type is better or worse than the others; for example, all nine types can be equally strong as leaders, yet they will be quite different in their leadership styles.
Every Enneagram type has three subtypes that express the same pattern in different ways, so there are 27 subtypes in total. Each of them is linked to type-specific motivations, fears, strengths and blind spots.
Here is a very basic summary of the nine main types of the Enneagram:
Type One: The Strict Perfectionist
Strict Perfectionists try to avoid criticism by doing what’s right. They focus on spotting and correcting flaws, and following rules. They set a high bar for themselves and others, which can often lead to frustration because perfection is impossible to reach. As a consequence, Strict Perfectionists rarely feel satisfied with their results.
Type Two: The Considerate Helper
The Considerate Helper is driven by a desire to be liked and appreciated. They often focus on the needs of others, ready to pitch in wherever needed. They can be supportive to the point where others’ needs come before their own. This can lead to burnout and even result in resenting the people they were out to help. Often Considerate Helpers are unaware that there is a deeper motivation behind their desire to be kind and helpful.
Type Three: The Competitive Achiever
To the Competitive Achiever, success and image are everything. They’ll do whatever they can to perform well or at the very least look successful to others. They are excellent at setting and hitting goals, but sometimes at the price of cutting corners and not being true to themselves or others. Depending on the subtypes, they may compete with others or just themselves.
Type Four: The Intensive Creative
Intensive Creatives are driven by a desire to be unique and authentic. Often, they express this through their creativity and the depth of their emotional experience. They can be truth tellers that spot and call out what others don’t. Intensive Creatives are in touch with their inner emotions, but sometimes too much. They can get stuck in self-created narratives that cause them to experience frequent mood swings.
Type Five: The Quiet Specialist
The Quiet Specialist is a sponge for knowledge with a constant thirst to learn more. They prefer making decisions based on facts, free from emotional bias. Often, they de-prioritise social interactions as they feel a strong need for frequent withdrawing into their private “bubble”. You will find that they are more selective and hesitant in sharing time, information and emotions with others.
Type Six: The Loyal Sceptic
Loyal Sceptics focus on being safe by anticipating threats and problems. They are excellent at spotting risks, planning for worst case scenarios and building alliances that keep them safe. Yet they tend to overthink and can get stuck in decision paralysis. Sometimes they even create more problems than necessary. Depending on their subtype, they may either move boldly towards threats or try to avoid them.
Type Seven: The Enthusiastic Visionary
The Enthusiastic Visionary tries to avoid pain and boredom by focusing on future possibilities and options. They keep themselves busy with more projects than they can manage, to avoid standing still and facing negative emotions or situations. As a result, they can come across as scattered and don’t always acknowledge issues that need to be dealt with in the here and now. Yet their enthusiasm and creative thinking make them resourceful and visionary.
Type Eight: The Active Controller
Active Controllers want to be strong and in control. They add excess energy to everything they do as they believe only the strongest survive. Assertiveness and stepping into leadership come easy to them, yet others may experience their energy as overpowering. Active Controllers risk creating more battles then necessary by always turning up in full battle gear.
Type Nine: The Adaptive Peacemaker
The Adaptive Peacekeeper has a high value on harmony and comfort. They tend to prefer staying in the background and letting other people run the show. They find it difficult to deal with conflict as they want their environment to be peaceful and comfortable. This means that they don’t always say directly want they want. Rather than facing confrontation, they prefer using passive resistance to get what they want or subordinating their needs to those of others.
How accurate is an Enneagram test?
Whilst the online assessment I use has a high accuracy rate, the results need to be confirmed by you. No assessment tool is 100% accurate, in particular since the output depends on your subjective understanding of the questions and your level of self-awareness. Only you can judge which of the nine types resonates with you most.
Some people immediately click with the type set out in their report; for others, finding their right type can be a journey. That’s why it is important to always book a debrief session with a trained Enneagram practitioner like me. I can help you confirm your type. I will also explain the deeper layers of patterns associated with it, suggest key growth opportunities and help you create an implement a strategy for growing beyond the limitations of your type.
I’ve done the Enneagram test – so now what?
The Enneagram is not just a model to identify archetypes. The circular diagram you see in this picture is a growth map. It shows two of several ways to move beyond the rigid patterns of our personality types. The purpose of this work is to help us wake up and notice how we keep playing out the same reactive patterns of personality over and over. Once you understand which archetype resonates with you most, there is a type-specific growth path for you. You can learn how to react differently to life situations and cultivate new ways of being. The lines that connect the nine types across the Enneagram wheel point to the most potent growth opportunities for each type. An Enneagram practitioner can explain what this means for you.
What are the benefits of taking an Enneagram test?
Working with the Enneagram is an exciting journey to explore yourself and cultivate different ways of acting, feeling and thinking that bring you more success and fulfilment in life. Ultimately, it’s about reconnecting to your true essence, who you are behind the mask of your personality.
Understanding both your own Enneagram type and those of other people will help you:
- Make sense of your behaviours
- Improve your confidence
- Uncover self-limiting beliefs and blind spots
- Clear emotional issues
- Increase your compassion for yourself and others
- Uncover pathways to personal growth
- Increase productivity and motivation
- Build leadership authenticity, potency and impact
- Create new strategies for different ways of being
- Increase resilience towards stress
What about free Enneagram tests?
You will find free Enneagram tests on the internet, but understandably they are not very reliable. It takes a lot of investment and skill to create a reliable test. My supplier, Integrative 9, uses an assessment that was designed by a Type 5 software engineer and they have been evaluating and continuously refining their methodology over the last 10 years, making it now the Enneagram assessment with the highest accuracy rate.
Many of the free tests don’t capture distinctions between subtypes and countertypes either, which can make it very hard for you to find yourself in the basic type descriptions. You may not get a result that is helpful, or you may even be mistyped and start working on the wrong growth path for your personality type.
The reports from Integrative 9 are beautiful, personalised and deeply insightful. They also contain a wide range of specific suggestions for development actions. Paying for a sophisticated Enneagram assessment, like the one from Integrative 9, followed by a debrief from a certified Enneagram practitioner is a small investment in yourself that you will never regret.
Fancy discovering your Enneagram Type?
I am a certified Enneagram Practitioner and offer Enneagram assessments and detailed debriefs in London and via Zoom. I also provide coaching to assist you in creating and implementing your own growth strategy after the debrief session.
If you want to experience a taster of the Enneagram, I offer an Enneagram Starter Package, which includes:
- Your Enneagram Assessment
- Your personalised Enneagram report
- A one-hour 1-2-1 debrief session with me via Zoom or in person in London
- Explanatory videos
- Guided meditations
The investment for this Starter Package is £299. If you buy a standard coaching package from me afterwards, I will deduct the £299 from the price of your coaching package.
You can order the Starter Package here. You may also want to check out:
Alternatively, email me at hans@hansschumann.com for more information.