The Enneagram is a personality system of nine archetypes. According to the Enneagram, each of the nine personality types is defined by a particular core belief about how the world works. This core belief drives your deepest motivations and fears and fundamentally influences how you see the world. Here is a fun Enneagram test to find out your personality type.
TYPE 1: The Improver
Suffering from Self-Judgment
Type Ones are sometimes called Improvers or Perfectionists. If you are a One you will view the world in terms of how it measures up with what you view as perfect or ideal. You like to focus on doing the right thing, noticing and correcting errors, and working hard to improve and perfect things. You likely have a strong inner critic and can be judgmental of others. You conform to rules and standards and tend to be idealistic. You are a person of high integrity. Your main challenges include managing resentment, judgment and anger, as well as softening self-criticism through radical self-acceptance.
Ego Fixation: Resentment
Basic Fear: Corruptness, being bad
Basic Desire: Goodness, integrity
Temptation: Hypocrisy, hypercriticism
Vice: Anger
Virtue: Serenity and radical acceptance
Holy Ideal: Perfection
TYPE 2: The Giver
Suffering from Self-Sacrifice
Type Twos are sometimes called Givers or Helpers. If you are a Two, you will aim to create connections with people. As a giver, you can be afraid to ask for what you need. Through giving to others you aim to meet your own unspoken needs. You are likely friendly, flattering and generous. Your focus of attention is on what other people think and feel about you, and you strive to be indispensable. You are empathic with others but can be out of touch with your own feelings, needs and the will to create your own life. Your main challenge is not to over-give, to practice self-care, and to make sure that your relationships are reciprocal.
Ego Fixation: Flattery
Basic Fear: Being unloved
Basic Desire: To feel love
Temptation: Denying your own needs
Vice: Pride
Virtue: Humility
Holy Ideal: Freedom and Will
TYPE 3: The Performer
Suffering from Self-Rejection
Type Threes are sometimes called Performers or Achievers. If you are a Three, you will view the world in terms of tasks, goals, and achieving success. You might find it difficult to slow down and know what you are feeling, but you are very good at getting a lot done in the most efficient way. Your main challenges are knowing what you really feel and think, as well as slowing down, resting and not doing anything.
Ego Fixation: Vanity
Basic Fear: Worthlessness
Basic Desire: To feel valuable
Temptation: Pushing yourself to always be "the best"
Vice: Deceit
Virtue: Truthfulness
Holy Ideal: Hope
TYPE 4: The Artist
Suffering from Identity Confusion
Type Fours are sometimes called Artists, Individualists or Romantics. If you are Four, you will tend to have artistic sensibilities and romantic ideals. You value authenticity and are typically comfortable with a wide range of emotions, including emotional pain. Because you live in your feelings, you can over-identify with your emotions, and can feel melancholic about being different or misunderstood. Feeling a lack of belonging, you focus your attention on your inner world. In relationships, you value depth and authentic expression. Your main challenge is getting caught up in longing for your ideals or feeling melancholic about not feeling acceptable enough to belong.
Ego Fixation: Depression
Basic Fears: Having no identity or significance
Basic Desire: To be uniquely yourself
Temptation: To overuse imagination in search of self
Vice: Envy
Virtue: Equanimity (emotional balance)
Holy Ideal: Authenticity
TYPE 5: The Observer
Suffering from Intimacy Rejection
Type Fives are sometimes called Observers or Investigators. If you are Five, you will tend to be introverted shy, and less expressive emotionally than other types. You focus your attention on interesting intellectual pursuits to obfuscate feelings of isolation or loneliness. You create boundaries to maintain privacy and do not share much of yourself with others. You might have the sense that you have a limited amount of energy, and are sensitive to other people potentially draining you. Your main challenges will be that you are overly boundaried at times and have a hard time sharing yourself with others.
Ego Fixation: Stinginess
Basic Fears: Helplessness, incapability, incompetence
Basic Desires: Mastery and understanding
Temptation: Replacing direct experiences with intellectual concepts
Vice: Greed
Virtue: Detachment
Holy Ideal: Omniscience (being like God)
TYPE 6: The Loyalist
Suffering from Apprehension and Distrust
Type Sixes are sometimes called Loyalists or Contrarians. If you are a Six you can be contrary in your thinking and loyal to finding someone that you can rely on. You will have a rebellious streak and authority issues, both wanting a good authority figure in your life and feeling mistrust in the presence of authority figures. You focus on detecting threats to your safety and preparing in case something dangerous happens. You are also loyal to helping other people feel safe. You can be either actively fearful (phobic) or intimidating as a proactive move against fear (counter-phobic). Your main challenges will be in your struggles with paranoia and indecision.
Ego Fixation: Cowardice
Basic Fears: Being without support or guidance
Basic Desires: To have support and guidance
Temptation: Indecision, doubt, seeking reassurance
Vice: Fear
Virtue: Courage
Holy Ideal: Faith
TYPE 7: The Adventurer
Suffering from Nurturing Deficiency
Type Sevens are sometimes called Adventurers or Enthusiasts. If you are a Seven, you will tend to be energetic and optimistic, constantly planning fun things to do. You are an enthusiastic person who dislikes feeling emotional pain including sadness, anxiety, boredom, or loneliness. You have many interests and enjoy engaging socially with others. Your main challenges include dealing with uncomfortable emotions, showing up to work out difficult conflicts in your relationships, and focusing on one thing at a time.
Ego Fixation: Excessive planning
Basic Fears: Being unfulfilled, trapped, deprived
Basic Desires: To be satisfied and content
Temptation: Thinking your fulfillment is somewhere outside yourself
Vice: Gluttony
Virtue: Sobriety
Holy Ideal: Fulfillment
TYPE 8: The Challenger
Suffering from Rejecting Your Childhood
Type Eights are sometimes called Challengers or Bosses. If you are an Eight you will be focused on gathering strength and power. Eights usually move toward conflict and confrontation more easily than other types. You also have easy access to anger. You focus your attention on creating order out of disorder. They have big energy, which can be intimidating to those around you. You can be excessive, impulsive, generous, and protective of others. As a natural leader, your main challenge is that you have a blind spot when it comes to expressing vulnerability.
Ego Fixation: Vengeance
Basic Fears: Being controlled, harmed, violated
Basic Desires: To gain influence and be self-sufficient
Temptation: Thinking you are completely self-sufficient
Vice: Lust and aggression
Virtue: Vulnerability
Holy Ideal: Truthfulness
TYPE 9: The Peacemaker
Suffering from Rejecting Your Voice
Type Nines are sometimes called Peacemakers or Mediators. If you are a Nine you are a good mediator because you feel motivated to reduce conflict and create harmony. You focus your attention on getting along with other people. You will tend to be out of touch with your own anger and agenda because having strong opinions might invite conflict with others. Your main challenge as a nine is that you have a hard time saying no and taking a stand for your own desires. You can say yes when you mean no and can be passive-aggressive when your unacknowledged needs leak out.
Ego Fixation: Laziness
Basic Fears: Loss, fragmentation, separation
Basic Desires: Wholeness and peace of mind
Temptation: Avoiding conflicts, avoiding self-assertion
Vice: Sloth
Virtue: Action
Holy Ideal: Love
Comments