The Enneagram Personality Test

Used in psychology, business and self-help settings around the world, the Enneagram helps you better understand your core fears and motivations, so you can become a more fulfilled person at home, work and in relationships.

Learning your Enneagram type can illuminate how you view the world through your own unique lens -- and help you discover the roots of who you are (based in part on your childhood experiences) and why you approach life the way you do. That knowledge can help light up your life decisions, career choices and relationships in dramatic ways. The Enneagram helps us to better understand ourselves, be more empathetic to others and find our distinct paths to personal happiness and growth.

The Enneagram describes nine personality types and maps each of these types on a nine-pointed diagram which helps to illustrate how the types relate to one another.

The centers of intelligence, or triads, are a foundational part of the Enneagram. The nine types of the Enneagram are divided into one of three centers of intelligence: Heart Types, Head Types and Body Types.

• Heart types (Types Two, Three and Four) depend on their emotional intelligence to understand their own reactions and connect with others.
• Head types (Types Five, Six and Seven) depend on their intellectual intelligence to make sense of things and navigate the world around them.
• Body types (Types Eight, Nine and One) depend on their instinctual intelligence to follow their "gut" and respond to threats and opportunities.

These centers, also called Enneagram triads, help us to understand our type’s gifts and challenges, as well as why other types see and interact with the world in drastically different ways. They also help us understand why we get stuck in certain patterns of thinking and behaving and why we may struggle to understand or communicate with others. 

“Wings” is the term given to the two Enneagram types found on either side of your core type. For example, a Nine’s wings are Eight and One, a Seven’s wings are Six and Eight, and a Four's wings are Three and Five. Enneagram wings represent related personality styles which we can transition into, in order to develop new facets of ourselves.

Some people refer to wings as a subtype (i.e., “I’m a 4w3”). However, most modern practitioners take issue with using wings in this way. While we may resonate more with one wing or another, both offer opportunities for growth. When we shift from seeing wings as part of “our type” to seeing them as opportunities for growth, we open up greater possibilities for ourselves.

When using wings for growth, look at the characteristics of the type behind you first before the type ahead of you (for example, if you’re a Three, you would look to Two first and then Four). Learning to integrate characteristics from both types into your personality will help you become more well-rounded and effectively handle problems. 

Many people identify strongly with the description of one or both of their wings, in addition to their primary type. Understanding the influence of the Enneagram wings can help to add more nuance to one's understanding of themselves.

Each basic type in the Enneagram is also connected by two lines to two other basic types. Each line has an arrowhead on it, one pointing towards the primary type and one pointing away. 

Arrows represent the aspects of our personality that we need to develop to become more whole and balance out the limitations of our core type. The first line, pointing toward the core type, connects to the type which the person has left behind or repressed in childhood; the characteristics of this type must be re-integrated for the person to develop. This is called the “against” arrow. 

The second line, pointing away from the core type, connects to the type which the person may grow into once they are ready to reach a higher state of development. This is called the “forward arrow.” In the example below, you can see that for a Type One, the “against” arrow moves from Seven to One and the “forward” arrow moves from One to Four. 

We can also think of arrows as where we go when we feel secure or under stress. Using the example above, the One will move toward Seven when they feel secure, acting more playful and spontaneous. The One will move toward Four under stress, and may be more moody and self-conscious. 

These connecting lines highlight how each basic type possesses indispensable strengths, but at the same time has darker sides that are full of challenges. The inclusion of these lines moves the Enneagram from a purely descriptive personality model to one that is dynamic, showing how personality can change under different conditions. 

Want to dive even deeper into the Enneagram? Read about Enneagram Defenses, Passions and Fixations.

According to the Enneagram, each of the nine personality types is defined by a particular core belief about how the world works. This core belief drives your deepest motivations and fears — and fundamentally shapes a person's worldview and the perspective through which they see the world and the people around them.

Our core beliefs are not necessarily incorrect, but they can be limiting and operate as “blinders” for people. Understanding our Enneagram type and how it colors our perceptions can help us to broaden our perspective and approach situations more effectively.

Understanding a person's Enneagram type helps us to see why they behave the way they do. Each Enneagram type has a set of core beliefs that will consistently motivate them to take particular actions and guide them to make certain decisions. Behavior that may seem confusing or contradictory can often be explained when we understand a person's Enneagram type.

The Enneagram also helps us understand how people react to stress. By describing how each Enneatype adapts and responds to both stressful and supportive situations, the Enneagram shows opportunities for personal development and provides a foundation for the understanding of others.

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