What Your Enneagram Personality Type Incredibly Reveals About Who You Really Are
You're more than just your personality; you're also your passions.
rick734's Images via Canva | Karolina Grabowska via Canva | fcscafeine via Canva | Tima Miroshnichenko via Canva | Nejron via Canva | ASphotowed via Canva | Syda Productions via Canva | Helgy via Canva All humans have what is known as a personality, which the American Psychological Association defines as our "individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving."
Over the centuries, various philosophers, psychologists, schools of thought, and the like have broken our understanding of these differences down further into personality types and disorders, which are further explained by groups of distinct personality traits, each of which explains the way we handle everything and anything from criticism, self-care, romantic relationships, friendships, family, vulnerability, energy, and so on.
The Enneagram system is one such means of classification, which, according to the Enneagram Institute, "can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type."
Those who study this system believe that each of us "emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type ... [By] the time children are four or five years old, their consciousness has developed sufficiently to have a separate sense of self. Although their identity is still very fluid, at this age children begin to establish themselves and find ways of fitting into the world on their own."
Moving into adulthood without having recognized the basis of your own unique personality, limits your potential in life, as you will not be able to survive without your ego.
The Enneagram, thankfully, serves to help you find your personal passion and purpose in life by, among other things, helping you become aware of unhelpful habits and patterns you love out unconsciously, but which no longer serve you.
Thankfully, you have, right within you, the wisdom to discover your passion and purpose in life, and the Enneagram can help you unlock the wisdom that is already there.
Is one type more likely to be successful under particular circumstances than another? The answer is both "Yes" and "No."
Each type brings specific skills, which are the gifts that come quickly to you. However, if you get to a place where you can be healthy in most of the nine types, there is no limit to what you can do.
Your goal should be becoming as self-observant as you can, watching out for old patterns that surface in times of stress.
Your personality alone is not your true self, and by using the Enneagram to discover more about your passions and potential, you can achieve and be your best self.
As you read through the list of nine types below, pay attention to your instinctive center (located in your belly), the emotional center (located in your heart), and the thinking center (located in your head). When you are able to stay present with who you are, you will know what you need to be about.
Here is what your enneagram personality type incredibly reveals about who you really are:
1. The Reformer
You know there is a better way to live life and you have a passion for making the world a better place. You often are intuitive and have a strong connection to the unknowable that connects us all.
Learn how to notice your inner critic, that loud negative voice that tries to prevent you from doing things that you have never done before. This negative voice can prevent you from having new experiences out of your ego’s need to keep you safe. You are now an adult and are most capable of taking care of yourself.
Watch out for the times when you become fearful of not doing your job correctly. It is okay not to do everything exactly right. If you are too focused on perfection, you may miss opportunities to have new experiences. New experiences can lead to finding your purpose or passions in life.
When you are well, you will be able to hear the inner voice of your soul. The sound of your true self is gentle and quiet and you'll learn how to notice the difference between this voice and the voice of the inner critic. It will let you know when you have found your purpose and passion. You will know it when you see it.
2. The Helper
You have a purpose to bond with others and help them. You love to make a difference in the lives of the people you meet and intuitively know what other people sometimes need, better than they know themselves.
Watch out for the times you put other people’s needs before your own. There will be times when you need to do this, but this can not become a regular habit. Otherwise, you will burn yourself out. Remember your relationship with yourself is just as important as the relationship you have with your family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers.
At your best, you are a gift to the world offering generous hospitality wherever you go. The gift is that you provide it without any expectations. It feels good to help when you can.
3. The Achiever
You have a passion for being successful at whatever you do. Your purpose is to encourage colleagues, friends, and families on their life journey. You are an excellent mentor who enjoys making a difference in the world.
It is easy for you to forget who you are. You get so caught up in being whatever you need to be successful that you ignore the real you. If you are going to find your passion and purpose you need to be who you are. You need to risk being vulnerable.
At your best, you are a caring mover and shaker in the world. You bring energy and compassion to whatever you do. You also have a natural desire and passion to mentor those you care about helping to bring out the best in themselves.
4. The Individualist
You have a passion for creating beautiful things whether that be through home decor, clothing, painting, ceramics, computer design, architecture, and more. You love to relate to friends, family, and colleagues at a deep level. Your feelings and emotions are essential to you and you desire to share them with others.
However, you need to be careful that you don’t get too comfortable with an emotion that you get stuck in it. You will never be able to find your passion or purpose if you can not be present at the moment.
At your best, you help others celebrate the unique individuals they are as well as help them recognize the importance of their own beauty. You have a gift of turning the ordinary into something unique and beautiful.
Your uniqueness helps others to celebrate their individuality.
5. The Investigator
You have a passion for learning about something that moves you in detail. You get great pleasure in sharing your excitement with others. You are a great observer so you see things that many of us miss because we are not paying attention.
Too often, you allow your fear of looking stupid to get in the way of them sharing what you are learning. However, people need you to share your valuable wisdom with them, even when it does not feel complete to you. You can spend too much time in your imaginary world where passions and dreams are never found.
At your best, you pass on your passion for learning. You are persevering, analytical, wise, objective, perceptive, and sensitive. You share your gift of observation where there is tension, conflict, calm, and understanding. You can help groups move into greater health.
6. The Loyalist
You have a passion for making the world safer and compassion for all you meet. You have a desire for everyone to get along with each other and you love sharing your sense of humor. Your purpose is to make sure what needs to be done, gets done.
Fear and anxiety too often get in the way of this personality type. Anxiety is the fear of something that may happen and it usually doesn't happen.
When you are in a place of tension, you are not living fully in your body, emotions, and mind. There is no way you can see what your passion and purpose are when you feel disconnected from who you are.
At your best, you are courageous. There is nothing that can stop you from doing what needs to be done to make the world a better place. Whatever you decide to work on will get done and done well.
7. The Enthusiast
You have a zest for life. You are curious, open, playful, and adventurous. There is so much to experience in the world and you want to experience as much of it as possible. You are open to whatever comes your way.
If you fear getting in touch with any negative, uncomfortable feelings, you are going to miss much in life. You are going to run from adventure to adventure trying to hide from your pain. The trouble is these feelings will only get worse until you face them.
At your best, you are a person who lives your life to the fullest. You want to experience as much as possible because it makes your life more abundant. You bring a sense of curiosity to all you meet. You are a lot of fun to be with and you are not afraid to try something new.
8. The Challenger
You have an energy that few can keep up with. You know what you need to do and this gift of insight comes naturally to you. Part of your purpose in life is to stand in solidarity with those who are short-changed. You have great compassion for all you know to be in need and the ignored.
You need to be careful about how others experience you. You never intend to act aggressively but too often people feel intimidated by your behavior. Don’t be afraid to show your vulnerable side. Find safe places and people to help you be vulnerable.
At your best, you are a mover and shaker in the world. You intuitively know what needs to be done and you don’t like to mess about when there is something important to do.
You love it when people join you and trust you know what you are doing. You have a big heart that desires to help anyone struggling through life.
9. The Peacemaker
Your passion is to bring peace to the world. Your purpose is to help people understand each other and you are amazing at knowing what it feels like to be in other people’s shoes.
While you may be quiet, you are always observing what is going on. Your mission is to bring peace wherever you are.
Knowing and understanding the different perspectives of people can be onerous at times. It can be hard to make a decision when you know how it is going to impact other people. It is especially hard when you don’t like upsetting anyone else. You risk getting to the point where you don’t express what you need because you are fearful of upsetting others.
At your best, you are an excellent mediator and hard worker for peace in your family or the world. You are great at helping people to understand different points of view. You are fantastic at helping people to find ways to resolve conflict if the parties are open.
You can read a room well so you are great at bringing people together for the good of the world.
The Enneagram is a great tool to help you find your passion and purpose in life.
It helps you liberate yourself from all the walls you have put up to keep you safe. When your walls come down, you become open to your true self. When you are grounded in your power through your three energy centers, you will know what you need to do.
Your passions and purpose will become self-evident whenever you need to change the focus in your life.
You have all nine Enneagram types here to review, and while your type may give you clues as to what your passions and purpose are, that doesn't necessarily mean you should limit yourself to these particular interests.
When you are healthy, the universe is open to you.
You may be surprised by what your passions and purpose turn out to be.
The Enneagram helps you be honest with yourself, so you can enter into any pursuit with an open heart, mind, and body. You will be able to tell yourself if this is an excellent choice to make.
You will also know when it is time to make a change, so just because you are passionate about something now, that doesn’t mean it will never change in the future.
Finally, the Enneagram helps you be at your best so you can be compassionate with yourself when you miss the mark. It encourages you to try again, so you can learn from what didn’t go as well before. You get clues on what you need to do to get healthier.
The more you feel better about yourself, the kinder you will be to others.
Roland Legge is an author, certified spiritual life coach, and teacher of the Enneagram. He helps people connect to their inner selves and find alignment with their highest purpose and values.