Like any human system, the Enneagram has found itself embedded in a plethora of stereotypes.
Four is constructive, yet surprising. Others are principled but judgmental. Sevens are trying but not loyal and nines are accepting but naive.
Like many other personality systems, we try to identify ourselves by comparing our behavior against these stereotypes and determine which ones we most resemble. The problem with doing this is that many of us will be dealing with more than one point of view.
We are ambitious, but also compassionate. We are creative but we also try. We are useful but also smart. We are strong but we also want to be safe. We find ourselves lost in a sea of confusion about which type suits us best and often, we unknowingly put ourselves in the wrong category. This is the problem with using stereotypes to identify a person’s personality type.
How We Identify Ourselves
A little-known fact about the Enneagram is that it is not intended to be a system that simply identifies clusters of symbols. The Enneagram is a dynamic, growth-oriented chart that aims to identify a person’s basic fears and motivations, in order to facilitate personal growth along a specific path.
What traits do you use – helpfulness, creativity, hard work, etc. – they are simply manifestations of your underlying fears. But what behaviors you use to escape your fears can be conditional.
Sixth types can tap into their creative side to please a mentor – to avoid their basic fear of not having support or direction – and therefore mistake themselves as a type four. A type three may be active and strong enough to advance professionally and make a type eight mistake. If we judge our brand based on behavior, we run the risk of mislabeling ourselves.
The only reliable way to identify your type is to find out which of the nine basic fears guide most of your behavior.
Just as cognitive functions describe the mental processes that drive each of the Myers-Briggs types of behavior, the basic fears of the Enneagram identify the driving forces among the nine types of behavior.
The nine things to fear are as follows:
Type 1 – Fear of being ugly or spoiled.
Type 1s strive for morality and fairness in the face of external corruption. Their pervasive, fundamental fear is that they themselves are evil, and they must act righteously to prove this fear wrong. Their main motivation in life is their sense of integrity. They always aim to move from evil to goodness, or the best.
Type 2 – Fear of not being liked or wanted by others.
Type 2s strive to be liked and wanted by those around them. Their pervasive, basic fear is that there is nothing inherently lovable about them, so they must help others to find their love. Their main motivation in life is to prove themselves worthy of care and love from others. They always aim to move away from nothing to a relationship that fosters love and care.
Type 3 – Fear of unfulfillment and emptiness.
Type 3s strive to achieve success in their community, believing it to be a measure of their worth. This kind of pervasive, fundamental fear is that they are inherently worthless and undesirable outside of what they have achieved, so they must accomplish as much as possible to be desired and accepted by others. They are always striving to move away from nothingness and towards impressive achievements that will earn them the respect and admiration of others.
Type 4 – Fear of lacking a unique, important identity.
4 types strive to prove their uniqueness and individuality to others. Their pervasive, fundamental fear is that they would be worthless and unloved in the middle, so they must cultivate as unique a personality as possible to prove their worth. They always aim to move away from the norm to show energy and personality.
Type 5 – Fear of helplessness and inadequacy.
Type 5’s strive to be as knowledgeable and skilled as possible in everything they do. Their pervasive, basic fear is helplessness, frustration and inability to cope with the world around them. Therefore, they should learn as much as possible and master as well as possible, to convince themselves that they are competent and competent. They always aim to move away from ignorance and ambiguity, towards knowledge and understanding.
Type 6 – Fear of not having support or guidance.
Type 6s strive to find support and guidance from those around them. Their overarching, basic fear is that they cannot live alone, so they must seek as much support and guidance from others as possible. They always aim to move from isolation to building, protecting and leading others.
Type 7 – Fear of deprivation and pain.
7 types strive to fulfill their worst desires and find fulfillment. Their overwhelming, basic fear is that their needs and desires will not be met, so they must go after themselves. They always aim to move away from pain, sadness and helplessness and towards independence, happiness and contentment.
Type 8 – Fear of being hurt or controlled by others.
8 types strive for strength, independence and self-direction. Their overarching, basic fear is being violated, betrayed or controlled while being pitied by others. They feel secure and right as long as they are in control of their circumstances. They always aim to move away from external limitations to their own satisfaction and power.
Type 9 – Fear of loss and separation from others.
Type 9s strive to maintain peace and harmony within and without. Their overwhelming, basic fear is that they will be isolated from others and no longer able to fit in with the world around them. They feel secure and right as long as they live in harmony with the people and the world around them. They always move away from conflict and pain and towards peace, stability and harmony.
Be aware of basic fears: While many of us have more than one core fear, you should check your Enneagram type by identifying the fear that stands out as the strongest or most frightening to you – the one that probably elicits a physical response when you experience it and you feel the greatest urge to avoid it. This will be the fear that you have faced fully in your life, in all the many situations.
Once you have determined your dominant type, you can move on to identifying your wing.
Enneagram Wings
Your Enneagram ‘wing’ is the type that appears above or below your numerically dominant type; characteristics that match the characteristics of your dominant type.
Your grade is always the number that precedes or succeeds your primary type number – it’s not necessarily your second highest test score. So, if you’re a type 7, your wing should be a 6 or an 8 – even if the type you came second in was a 4.
The reason you get the second highest in a type that is not your wing is because that number is probably part of your tritype.
The Enneagram Tritypes
The Enneagram is divided into ‘triads’ – or, three groups of three personality types.
The ‘Feeling Triad’ or the ‘Heart Triad’
It is composed of two, three and four types. We all use one of these three types as our main way of creating your image. All types in the triad of the heart are motivated by (avoidance of) the underlying feelings of shame.
The ‘Thinking Triad’ or ‘Head Triad’
it is composed of the fifth, sixth and seventh types. We all use one of these three types as our primary means of accessing security and managing anxiety. All types in the head triad are motivated by (avoidance of) basic feelings of fear.
The ‘Instinctive Triad’ or the ‘Body Triad’
it is composed of eight, nine and one species. We all use one of these three types as our primary means of establishing boundaries between ourselves and the outside world. All types in the body triad are motivated by (avoidance of) subtle feelings of anger and resentment.
Your tritype is made up of your dominant heart type, your dominant head type and your dominant body type, in the order you prefer to use each.
For example: If you use type 2 to control your heart, type 6 to control your head and type 9 to control your body, your type three will include each of those numbers, in your preferred order between them. If you like to use your head type more, then your heart type, your body type, your three type will be 6-2-9. Your dominant personality type is always the first number in your tritype. Your wing may or may not be part of your tritype.
For more information on the Enneagram, visit: The Enneagram Institute.