TL;DR: I’m a type 4, with a 5 wing. My second-highest scoring type was a type 6.
I’ve been seeing enneagram tests popping up everywhere as of late. Unsurprisingly, I had absolutely no idea what “enneagram” meant. After a friend of mine, also an influencer, posted about it repeatedly, I decided to see what the hype was about.
“The Enneagram of Personality, or simply the Enneagram, is a model of the human psyche which is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types.”
Now, most of us have probably taken a generic personality test such as the Myers-Briggs. I had taken it for multiple classes including AP Psychology in high school and even a strategic writing class my senior year of college. I never found the results all that representative of who I am.
However, the enneagram test seems different. You can take the test for free online after a simple google search and get your results after a few minutes. The test analyzes your answers to give you your top enneagram type as well as tell you which other types you lean towards. Since no one is truly one pure personality type, the Enneagram also gives you “wings” – one of the two personality types your type is adjacent to. This helps you to better understand other sides of your personality.
I am most likely a type four – “The Individualist.” Here are the words that resonated most with me:
“Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity.”
While it’s difficult to admit, this pretty much described the worst parts of me to a T.
A four’s basic desires are to “express themselves and their individuality, to create and surround themselves with beauty, to maintain certain moods and feelings, to withdraw to protect their self-image, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else, to attract a ‘rescuer.’”
My wing was identified as a type five, “The Investigator.” In a way, I feel like this may better represent my personality than a type four. Investigators are alert, insightful, and curious. I’m the type of person who notices everything, and asks questions so I know what’s going on around me and what those close to me are truly thinking. And, like the description says, I tend to become preoccupied with my thoughts (which explains why I’ve struggled with anxiety for much of my life, only to find it’s worsened in the last year). Basic fears are described as feeling helpless, useless, or incapable. Type fives “want to possess knowledge, to understand the environment, to have everything figured out as a way of defending the self from threats from the environment.” And that pretty much rang true to who I am – I want to know everything, even if knowing the truth can sometimes mean getting hurt.
My second-highest score was for a type 6 – “The Loyalist.” Again, this described me quite well. Loyalists are committed and desire security. They can become defensive and anxious, and often complain about stress while simultaneously running on that stress. They fear being without support and guidance, and crave security and support. They have trouble listening to their own mind and having confidence in making judgement.
While you’ll never hear me connecting my zodiac sign, Virgo, to my personality, I can safely say I’m buying into this whole enneagram thing. Sometimes, just reading a description of your personality type, flaws included, can help you better understand your feelings and why you are the way you are. I know that reading about your weakest points can be extremely difficult, but seeing that these things are totally normal gave me a confidence boost that I so much needed.
For a quick test, click here.
Let me know your type below!