For those of you who do not know what the Enneagram is, it is a system/model of human thoughts, motivations, and behavior. Although it is an ancient teaching, the Enneagram has taken the world and social media by storm in recent years. Similar to personality typing, the Enneagram model is composed of 9 “types” that each explain the dominant characteristics and motivations of humans in each of these types. As opposed to general personality type systems, the Enneagram is focused on the innermost qualities of people and essentially how we are wired – mind and soul. The Enneagram is all about assisting people in better understanding the way we do things and why we do them.
Contrary to popular belief, the Enneagram is not just a quick test to figure out your type, and you’re done. Sometimes the journey to finding your type is long and difficult. Many people think that they could be every type at one point or another. Others even mistype themselves for long periods of time. However, knowing yourself and developing an understanding for your core motivations in life enables you to find a distinct difference between your type and the rest of them. No type is better than the other, nor are any considered a “bad” type. Each type, 1-9, is different and unique in its own way. Each one has the good, the bad, and the indifferent.
When one comes to discover and understand their type, it is like finally feeling understood.
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When one comes to discover and understand their type, it is like finally feeling understood. That is how finding your type should be like. When you step back and say “wow, there are other people like this too?”, it is the most validating feeling. Some things aren’t so pretty and positive about your type, and sometimes that is where people lose interest in the Enneagram. However, these are the things that make you, you. The purpose of the Enneagram is to help you understand your faults and how you can grow from them. They are important traits that play a part in how you think and behave every single day.
Along with this, many have found that finding your type is easy, but accepting and understanding all that comes with it is hard. Everyone has weaknesses, and the Enneagram tends to magnify those. This is not to make anyone feel bad or change who they are, but rather to make them aware of these things and to challenge them. The Enneagram is designed to promote honesty with yourself and others so that we can have meaningful relationships in the world, as well as with ourselves. When you begin to be honest with yourself, you can grow in amazing ways. Stepping outside the comfort of habits is something that the Enneagram has gradually helped many people do along the way.
As for everyone who is curious about the Enneagram, I highly recommend looking deeper into it. Forget the silly tests and the “personality traits” – I encourage you to simply read about it. Develop a curiosity for it. At the very least, you’ll learn something new, and maybe even something great will develop from it.