Lifestyle March 27, 2020
We won't lie, Enneagram Charts are confusing, but this guide will help you understand how to break down your personality type.
There’s no better way to describe an Enneagram Chart other than complicated. At it’s simplest, the chart separates the human psyche into nine distinct personality types based on behavior. Even after taking a personality test based on the Enneagram Chart, it can be confusing. So, we’ve taken the chart and broken it down.
This isn’t just a personality test, it’s considered a tool of modern psychology. The purpose of the test is to understand yourself, so you can better understand your relationships. The types are used in developing team building and communication within a business. Many people also find a use for the chart at the spiritual level.
A chart on Kathy Escobar’s website lists 12 categories to define the personality types. Each category helps decipher why a specific personality type acts the way that they do. Here is a snippet of the categories: basic fear and desire, a hidden complaint, virtue, fixation, deadly sin, saving grace and an unconscious childhood message.
Each personality type is has a number, which connects to a spot on the circle. The numbers are always in the same place because it helps determine wings and centers of that personality.
The Enneagram Chart has three centers. Each center holds three personality types whose common trait is that center. The Instinctive Center houses types eight, nine and one. The Feeling Center holds two, three and four. The Thinking Center contains five, six and seven.
The wings of an Enneagram Chart are specific to the individual’s personality type. The two numbers immediately next to your personality number are your wings. They are the “second side” or compliments to your dominant personality number. It’s important to take the wings into consideration when looking at personality as a whole. The Enneagram method is adamant that no one is represented wholly by a single number on the chart. Instead, one number is your dominant personality, and the other numbers quietly build your personality.
The three instincts listed are self-preservation, sexual and social. Everyone has all three instincts, one takes dominance in your personality. The self-preservation instinct has to do with the need to meet resources to be comfortable. Those who are led by the social instinct are adaptive. They make themselves fit into any social situation. Personality types led by sexual instinct thrive with stimulation and close relationships.
The Enneagram Institute talks about each part of the chart in depth, but it’s not the best place to start. A good beginner’s spot is Rachel Dawson’s blog where several podcasts, books, and websites have been compiled.
The Enneagram Chart can’t be understood overnight. It takes time, dedication and research to fully understand what your Enneagram personality means. Start by taking the test and finding your dominant personality type, and base your research off of the initial finding.
