With roots in ancient wisdom traditions dating back thousands of years, the Enneagram system encompasses 09 interconnected personality types, each with its distinctive core motivations, fears, and desires, offering a unique lens through which individuals perceive and engage with the world.
By taking the Enneagram test, you can find out your dominant type and gain a profound understanding of your unique personality as well as how it influences your thoughts, feelings, and actions. This self-awareness may serve as a pivotal catalyst for personal growth and harmonious relationships, as it empowers you to navigate challenges, unlock your full potential, and transcend your own limiting beliefs and habitual patterns.
In essence, the Enneagram test transcends its role as a tool for psychological assessment, becoming a potent guide for those embarking on a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation.
To take the Enneagram test and determine your dominant personality type, you need to answer a series of 144 questions that describe how you think, feel, act, and react in different situations. Remember, using the Enneagram test to identify your personality is quite a subjective method, requiring you to be authentic and honest when answering the question. Here are a few things to keep in mind when taking the test so that you, yourself, can exactly identify your type:
• To begin, set aside ample, quiet time and find a comfortable place where you can concentrate on the test without any distractions.
• Approach the test with an open mind, an open heart, and a genuine willingness to explore your inner world.
• Answer the questions honestly and authentically based on your genuine feelings and experiences, not on your current mood or situation. Also, avoid overthinking in your responses.
• After completing the test, delve into your detailed Enneagram test results and take time to reflect on the insights provided with an open heart and mind.
The Enneagram Type helps you understand your type and cultivate clearer self-awareness. You can easily tap into profound insight into your thinking, feeling, and behaving patterns. That paves your way to improving yourself and living a more fulfilling life. Here's a look at 06 of the most considerable benefits of exploring what Enneagram type of personality you belong to:
Cultivate Self-Awareness
Discovering your Enneagram type helps you recognize your deep desires, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and recurring patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and actions, helping you understand why you think, feel, and behave the way you do. This self-awareness acts as the foundation for growth, allowing you to embrace your strengths and address your blind spots.
Foster personal growth and self-improvement
Deep insights into your Enneagram types can provide a roadmap for personal growth and self-discovery. By identifying your challenges, areas to improve, the level of personality development, core fears, underlying emotions, and more, knowledge about your Enneagram type also reveals strategies to be a better version of yourself and maintain a balanced and healthy state of your personality. It is a flexible tool that helps you understand your patterns and offers practical, effective solutions for growth.
Enhance your relationships
Understanding your Enneagram type facilitates improved communication and stronger bonds in relationships with others, whether they are your colleagues, supervisors, friends, partners, etc.
Indeed, knowledge about the Enneatype (of yourself and others) gives you a clearer view of the varied perspectives and emotional needs of yourself and others and the diverse approaches you and others take to life. This way, you can not only know how to interact with different types of people and appreciate their perspectives, but also foster understanding and harmonious connections.
Suggest how to handle stress and challenges
Stress hits everyone. But with Enneagram wisdom, you are empowered to recognize and address stress triggers and personalized coping mechanisms, enabling you to develop practical strategies for resilience and self-care as well as navigate challenges more effectively.
Be more empathetic with yourself and others
Once you cultivate self-discovery and are deeply aware of the intricacies of your personality, fears, motivations, etc., you tend to be more empathetic with yourself. You can better listen to your inner self and understand your emotions, feelings, the roots of your anxiety, and more. Remember, the Enneagram isn't just about you; it also helps you gain insights into others’ challenges, motivations, and opinions, even if they are different from yours. By being more empathetic, you can avoid conflicts and build trust with yourself and others.
Suggest career paths
Your Enneagram type might be a beacon leading you toward a fulfilling and successful career. Understanding your motivations, strengths, desires, and potential areas for growth allows you to align your professional choices with your true self.
The Enneagram system encompasses 09 different types of personality, as follows:
Enneagram Type 1: The Perfectionist
The principled, idealistic type. People of this type are principled, well-organized, purposeful, and self-controlled. However, they can become critical and perfectionistic.
The interpersonal, caring type. Twos are often generous, empathetic, and warm-hearted. But they can also be people-pleasing and sentimental.
Enneagram Type 3: The Achiever
The success-oriented type. Threes are adaptable, competent, and ambitious, but individuals of this type can also be status-conscious.
Enneagram Type 4: The Individualist
The introspective, romantic personality type. Fours are sensitive, emotionally honest, and self-aware; however, Type 4s can also become self-conscious and moody.
Enneagram Type 5: The Investigator
The cerebral, intense Enneagram type. The Investigators are curious, alert, insightful, and independent; however, they can become detached.
Enneagram Type 6: The Loyalist
The security-oriented and responsible type. People of type 6 are committed, hardworking, and reliable, but they can become highly anxious and defensive.
Enneagram Type 7: The Enthusiast
The busy and productive Enneagram type. Sevens are playful, fun-loving, optimistic, and spontaneous, but those individuals can also be undisciplined and overextended.
Enneagram Type 8: The Challenger
The powerful and dominating type in the Enneagram system. Eights are assertive, decisive, and self-confident, and they can become confrontational and domineering.
Enneagram Type 9: The Peacemaker
The self-effacing and easy-going Enneagram type. Nines are known for their kind-hearted, supportive, stable, and easy-going nature; however, they can become too willing to go along with anyone just to keep their peace and harmony.
Note: Click on any type above to view its full description.
In the Enneagram system, the nine interconnected personality types are categorized into three unique triads based on their dominant centers of intelligence. They include the Body triad (or Gut triad), Heart triad (or Feeling triad), and Head triad (or Thinking triad), each characterizing unique patterns of behavior and emotional processing.
• The Body triad encompasses types 8, 9, and 1. These types tend to be driven by instinct, gut reactions, and a focus on practicality. They share the common underlying feeling of rage or anger.
• The Heart triad includes types 2, 3, and 4. These types are deeply associated with emotions and concerned with self-image. They also have the same underlying feeling of shame.
• The Head triad is made of Enneagram Types 5, 6, and 7. These three types are logical and strategic. They are concerned with anxiety and inclined towards analytical thinking and planning. Fear is their underlying feeling.
Simply put, wings are extensions of a person’s core Enneagram personality type, importantly providing more details about their unique personality. Each type has two "wings," which are the two other types neighboring the core type on the Enneagram circle. For example, if you are a Type 5, your wings would be Type 4 (written as 5w4) or Type 6 (written as 5w6). Or if someone belongs to Type 9, their wings would be Type 8 (9w8) or Type 1 (9w1).
Wings can influence and complement the dominant traits of your core type. They can impact your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, as well as enhance your strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, people with 5w4 (Type 5 individuals who exhibit various similarities with Type 4s) appear to be more connected to their inner emotions than other Type 5s. As for those with 5w6 (Type 5 individuals with various commonalities with Type 6s), they tend to be more organized and practical than 5w4s. Normally, one wing is more dominant than the other. Still, it’s important to note that your dominant wing is not 100% fixed but can change or fluctuate over time, depending on factors like life growth, life experiences, and more. In short, by knowing your wings, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and how to grow and improve yourself.
The Enneagram is a system of nine unique personality types with ancient roots and modern applications. The term Enneagram itself comes from the Greek words "Annea" and "Gramma," which mean "Nine" and "Figure," respectively, referring to the nine-pointed symbol that represents the nine types.
Up until now, the exact details of the Enneagram system’s historical origin have remained unknown and quite mysterious. What we do know is that the Enneagram has a long and complex history, and the modern Enneagram system was developed and introduced in the mid-20th century through the work of contemporary authors, including George Ivanovich Gurdjieff and Oscar Ichazo.
It’s assumed that the ancient origins can be traced back to Babylon approximately 4,500 years ago, while there are also beliefs that Enneagram's origin was rooted in classical Greek philosophy about 2,500 years ago. According to the book “The Wisdom of the Enneagram” by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, the theories underlying the Enneagram diagram can be found in the ideas of eminent Greek philosophers like Pythagoras and Plato, as well as some of the Neoplatonic philosophers.
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, a Greek-Armenian mystic and teacher, was responsible for introducing the Enneagram symbol to our modern world in the last century. Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo were also prominent teachers of the Enneagram in the 20th century.
During the 1950s, Ichazo, a Bolivian-born mystic, uncovered the link between the Enneagram symbol and different personality types. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Enneagram gained popularity through the work of Claudio Naranjo, a psychiatrist from Chile. He learned of the Enneagram from the work of Oscar Ichazo and then became famous for bringing the Enneagram into modern psychology. Today, the Enneagram is commonly used as a tool for self-awareness, personal growth, and interpersonal communication.
Do Enneagram test results change over time?
There’s no definitive answer to this question. But it’s important to note that your core Enneagram type will not change.
If you take the Enneagram test several times and answer all the questions honestly and authentically, your core personality type should remain the same. However, there is also a high possibility that your scores for other types will fluctuate, rising or falling depending on your growth, life experiences, emotions, and other influences in your life.
What is the most accurate Enneagram test?
There isn't a single "most accurate and reliable" Enneagram test. The test’s accuracy depends on various factors, including the individual's self-awareness, honesty, the test design itself, and more. Please note that different tests may have their own methods, questions, and interpretations of the Enneagram system. It's necessary to choose a test that is well-researched, validated, and developed by professionals in the field of psychology. A few other factors that may indicate a good, accurate test are:
• It covers all nine types and their variations.
• It provides you with detailed, clear explanations of the test results and offers practical suggestions for personal growth and development.
How many questions are on the Enneagram test?
The number of questions on an Enneagram test varies depending on the specific test you use. At Enneagram-test.io, we have 144 questions designed to assess various aspects of personality, behavior, and motivations, aiming at providing detailed insights into the test-taker's core motivations, fears, desires, etc.
Is the Enneagram test accurate and reliable?
Yes. But remember, the accuracy and reliability of the Enneagram test are subjective, depending on a wide range of factors. We highly recommend taking the test as one of the tools for self-discovery rather than a definitive assessment. In fact, many people find the Enneagram test to be insightful and valuable for personal growth; however, there are also opinions arguing that it lacks empirical evidence and scientific validation, resulting in skepticism about its reliability as a personality assessment tool. Anyway, the Enneagram should be used as a starting point or stepping stone for self-reflection and understanding. If you want, you can also consult with a certified Enneagram practitioner to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the test results.
In summary, as a powerful tool for self-discovery and personal growth, the Enneagram test reveals valuable hidden insights into your fears, motivations, emotions, strengths, challenges, and weaknesses that shape your personality and patterns of thinking and behavior.
By taking the Enneagram test, you can learn a lot more about yourself and maybe others as well, and how to improve our relationships, communication, and well-being. Discovering your "Enneagram number" is like finding the key to unlocking your inner kingdom. But it’s always critical to know that the Enneagram is not a rigid label but a flexible system that helps you better understand your inner self, improve yourself, and live a more fulfilling life. Also, as with personality assessment tools, critical thinking, honesty, and discernment are especially essential when interpreting the results.