HOW TO FIND YOUR TYPE
Tips to remember:
- Be completely honest with yourself.
- Focus on core fears and desires; not just behaviors.
- Your type doesn't change but it does show both security and stress patterns.
- No type is better than others.
- Your type description should make you feel slightly uncomfortable.
- You can have characteristics from every type (they are all interconnected) but you will
truly resonate with YOUR type.
What not to do:
- Choose based on only current behavior.
- Pick your "best self" or aspirational type.
- Type based on stereotypes (ex. just because you have high standards or are a "type A" person
doesn't mean you're an Enneagram Type One aka "The Perfectionist").
- Select the "best-sounding" type.
- Identify with only the "positive" traits.
- Type based on current stress behavior.
- Relate only to surface level behaviors.
- Identify with only "negative traits".
- Pick based on career/skills.
DISCOVER YOUR TYPE
Type One: The Perfectionist
Core Fear: Being corrupt, defective, or imperfect.
Core Desire: Being good, right, and balanced.
Common characteristics:
- Strong inner critic constantly evaluating self and others - Clear sense of right and wrong with strong moral compass - Natural eye for improvement and optimization - Detail-oriented, organized, and methodical - Feel personally responsible for making things right - Self-disciplined and hardworking - Physical tension when things aren't "right" - Passionate about creating positive change - Difficulty relaxing or being spontaneous - Sometimes rigid in viewpoints - Repress anger until it erupts - Compare reality to ideal standards - Excellent at creating systems and procedures - Struggle accepting imperfection - Value efficiency and structure When you’re stressed: - Become emotionally reactive - Feel misunderstood and different - Withdraw into self - Focus on what's missing - Become envious of others - Dramatize feelings - Feel defective and flawed When you feel safe: - More spontaneous and playful - Embrace new experiences - Express joy freely - Stay optimistic - See multiple possibilities - Welcome adventure - Feel light and energetic
Type Two: The Helper
Core Fear: Being unwanted or unlovable
Core Desire: Being loved and appreciated
Common characteristics:
- Naturally attuned to others' needs and emotions - Remember important details about everyone - Give to receive love (often unconsciously) - Create intimate connections easily - Pride themselves on being indispensable - Generous with time and energy - Difficulty identifying own needs - Warm and emotionally supportive - Excellent interpersonal skills - Struggle saying "no" - Feel guilty prioritizing self - Good listeners and advisors - Can become manipulative through giving - Build strong relationships - May neglect personal needs When you’re stressed: - Become controlling/overbearing - Manipulate to get needs met - Feel rage - Guilt trip/emotional blackmail - Adopt a victim mentality - Become passive aggressive - Withhold love when feeling unappreciated When you feel safe: - Express personal feelings deeply - Connect with own identity - Value authenticity - Become creative and original - Feel emotions fully - Honor uniqueness - Embrace introspection
Type Three: The Achiever
Core Fear: Being worthless, unsuccessful, or exposed as a fraud.
Core Desire: Being valuable and worthwhile.
Common characteristics:
- Highly adaptable to what's valued in different contexts - Excel at reading social situations - Efficient and goal-oriented - Natural leaders and motivators - Image-conscious and successful - Drive for excellence and achievement - Quick to spot opportunities - Struggle with authenticity - Competitive and ambitious - Difficulty accessing feelings - Fear of failure - Work hard to maintain image - Inspire others to achieve - Focus on measurable results - Charming and persuasive When you’re stressed: - Become disengaged and numb - Procrastinate important tasks - Lose sense of identity - Avoid conflict passively - Minimize problems - Feel stuck and lethargic - Merge with others' views When you feel safe: - Become more committed and loyal - Trust close relationships - Work cooperatively - Value security - Show dedication - Express doubts - Seek connection
Type Four: The Romantic
Core Fear: Having no identity or significance.
Core Desire: Being unique, authentic, or significant.
Common characteristics:
- Deep emotional awareness and expression - Feel fundamentally different from others - Strong creative and artistic inclinations - Drawn to depth and intensity - Create meaning through experiences - Highly attuned to beauty - Value authenticity and honesty - Struggle with envy and comparison - Comfortable with melancholy - Fear being ordinary - Rich emotional life - Strong empathetic abilities - Search for personal significance - Desire to be understood - Romantic idealists When you’re stressed: - Become overly helpful - Seek external validation - Repress own needs - People-please excessively - Become overly needy - Hide true feelings - Become emotionally manipulative When you feel safe: - Become more principled - Focus on what's right - Channel emotions productively - Seek improvement - Value order - Act with integrity - Accept reality
Type Five: The Investigator
Core Fear: Being helpless, overwhelmed, or incapable.
Core Desire: Being competent, capable, or self-sufficient.
Common characteristics:
- Need to fully understand before acting - Maintain clear boundaries with others - Value privacy and independence - Deep curiosity and specialization - Minimize needs to avoid dependency - Analytical and perceptive - Rich inner mental world - Detach from emotions - Conservation of energy - Fear of depletion - Prefer observation to participation - Process through intellect - Strong need for competency - Avoid emotional demands - Collect knowledge for security When you’re stressed: - Become scattered and impulsive - Seek constant distraction - Jump between activities - Avoid depth - Act without thinking - Pursue pleasure compulsively - Escape through excess When you feel safe: - Assert themselves confidently - Take decisive action - Use power effectively - Lead others - Trust their instincts - Show strength - Protect others
Type Six: The Loyalist
Core Fear: Being without support, guidance, or safety.
Core Desire: Having security, certainty, and support.
Common characteristics:
- Highly attuned to potential dangers - Loyal and committed to people and causes - Question both authority and own judgment - Excel at troubleshooting problems - Strong sense of duty and responsibility - Value trusted systems and traditions - Scan environment for threats - Skeptical and cautious - Need for certainty - Anticipate problems - Seek guidance from trusted sources - Protective of loved ones - Struggle with anxiety - Question motivations - Natural devil's advocate When you’re stressed: - Become image-conscious - Work compulsively - Seek validation through achievement - Compare themselves to others - Hide insecurities - Compete for attention - Fear failure When you feel safe: - Feel inner peace - Trust life's flow - Accept multiple perspectives - Mediate conflicts - Stay grounded - Welcome differences - Find harmony
Type Seven: The Enthusiast
Core Fear: Being deprived or trapped in pain
Core Desire: Being happy, satisfied, and free.
Common characteristics:
- Always planning next adventure or experience - Quick-thinking and idea-generating - Reframe negatives into positives - Fear missing out on opportunities - Enthusiastic and high-energy - Natural charm and optimism - Avoid emotional pain - Keep options open - Multitalented and versatile - Difficulty with commitment - Escape into future plans - Scattered attention - Seek new experiences - Love variety and change - Resist limitations When you’re stressed: - Become critical and judgmental - Focus on rules and order - Point out others' mistakes - Feel rigid and tense - Seek perfection - Control details - Repress spontaneity When you feel safe: - Deepen their focus - Pursue knowledge thoroughly - Value contemplation - Observe carefully - Think objectively - Study systematically -Maintain boundaries
Type Eight: The Challenger
Core Fear: Being controlled, harmed, or violated.
Core Desire: Protecting self or maintaining independence.
Common characteristics:
- Strong physical and energetic presence - Direct communication style - Protective of those perceived as weak - Natural leaders and decision makers - Strong sense of justice - Take charge in crisis - Test others' strength - Access to anger - Fear vulnerability - Control environment - Challenge authority - High confidence - Assertive nature - Confront problems - Value honesty When you’re stressed: - Withdraw from conflict - Become mentally focused - Detach from feelings - Avoid interaction - Hoard resources - Fear depletion When you feel safe: - Express care and warmth - Help others genuinely - Show emotional support - Create connections - Give generously - Nurture relationships - Value intimacy
Type Nine: The Peacemaker
Core Fear: Loss, separation, or conflict.
Core Desire: Having inner and outer peace.
Common characteristics:
- Natural ability to see all perspectives - Merge with others' viewpoints and energy - Create harmony in environment - Avoid conflict and confrontation - Difficulty knowing own preferences - Good mediators and listeners - Minimize problems and tension - Comfortable and reassuring presence - Resistance to change - Self-forgetting tendencies - Stubborn procrastination - Patient and steady - Easy to be with - Value comfort - Seek peace When you’re stressed: - Become anxious and doubtful - Seek constant reassurance - Question everything - Fear abandonment - Project worst outcomes - Need guidance - Lose self-trust When you feel safe: - Take decisive action - Set and achieve goals - Present themselves confidently - Value efficiency - Complete tasks - Seek success - Lead effectively