How to type yourself correctly
There are two kinds of people: those who shrug at the Enneagram…and those who have typed themselves correctly! Once you’ve accurately discovered your type and wing, the Enneagram’s wisdom becomes infinitely more profound. Here are some best practices for making that happen.
Step 1: Read up on each type’s core fear and desire
All of Enneagram theory rests on the type’s core fear. Your core fear is something you’re fearful of and attempt to avoid, to the extent that it’s consistently influencing your thinking and behavior.
Sometimes we aren’t aware of the degree to which we’ve structured our lives around our core fear. For example, an 8 may feel like they’re not afraid of being controlled, because they own their own business and live in such a way that no one can have power over them — but they don’t realize they’ve spent their entire life compensating for their underlying fear.
Ask yourself, “Which of these types’ core fears are reflected in my life?” You may be in a situation with a micromanaging boss and relate to the fear of being controlled, but has that been true throughout your life? Or have you been more driven by the 3’s fear of being without inherent value, pushing yourself to be the highest-performing research scientist in your field, with a podcast to boot?
Your type begins at birth, and how you live is the biggest testament to what you fear and desire. If the core fear and corresponding desire of the type do not resonate, then you probably haven’t landed on the right type yet.
Step 2: Read up on each type’s growth pattern
One of the most decisive ways to type yourself is to read about each type’s growth pattern, aka the levels of development. Growth is a spectrum ranging from Level 1 (extremely psychologically healthy) to Level 9 (extremely psychologically unhealthy), describing each type’s behaviors and thinking patterns when they’re at their best and worst.
Growth accounts for the complex diversity of moods and apparent contradictions that each type possesses. A 1 at Level 2 of health may be wise, altruistic, and light-hearted…whereas a 1 at Level 7 of health may be rigid, angry, and self-isolating.
You may be reading through a specific type’s growth section and think, “Yep, that’s me when I’m feeling good,” and “Yep, that’s me when I’m being a d***.” If you align with the growth spectrum of a certain type, that’s a solid indication you’ve found your match.
Hint: be honest. It may not be fun to read about the worst parts of you, but they often provide the most significant clues for identifying your type, because each type reveals their core issues and fears in distress.
Step 3: Read up on the subtypes
A subtype is a base type and wing combination that adds color to your overall personality. Each base type has two corresponding subtype possibilities.
If you’re a 2 with a 1 wing (2w1), you may feel like the general 2 descriptions are 75% accurate but don’t fully hit home.
The missing bit can likely be explained by your wing, which blends some of the thinking and behaviors from an adjacent Enneagram number. Upon reading the 2w1 subtype description, you may be pleasantly surprised at how well it describes you, because it accounts for not just your “2ish” other-focusedness and connecting abilities, but also for your “1ish” strong moral compass and mission-orientation.
Step 4: Read up on the instincts
Exploring Enneagram instincts is another way to hone in on your type. Instincts describe the area of life that you tend to pay the most attention to: Self-Preservation (physical safety and comfort), Relational (one-to-one connection), or Social (group and social acceptance).
Read each type’s type-instinct combinations (e.g., Self-Preservation 1, Relational 1, and Social 1) to get a flavor for the different ways a 1 may come across.
Some types naturally have a lot of overlap, so instincts can be a subtle but important demarcator to complete your typing. For example, if you feel like you could be either a 1 or an 8, the description of a 1 with a Relational instinct may resonate fully: a Reformer who is not afraid to fight to the end for what they believe in.
Final note
Once you find your type, your Enneagram journey can truly begin. We’re thrilled to be on that ride with you!!