The Enneagram (Self-)Typing Process
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If you get intrigued when you first hear about the Enneagram, your next step is going to want to figure out your type. After all, it all starts with that very special discovery about yourself!
There are four methods to discover your type, and they are not mutually exclusive:
1. Reading an Enneagram book:
Pros: Slowly getting to know each type - one by one - will naturally encourage you to self-reflect, and wonder at each chapter if it’s your type. At the end of the process, you’ll have a decent understanding of the system and of each type, and will probably have figured out a couple of solid options for your type.
Cons: It’s a bit tedious to go through a whole book and having to read about all nine types right at the beginning of the journey.
Suggestion: For a shorter read, grab “The Essential Enneagram” by David Daniels. If you’re up to jumping in the deep end of the pool, go for “The Wisdom of the Enneagram” by Don Riso and Russ Hudson.
2. Doing one or several tests:
Pros: It’s a quick and compelling way to get some insight on your type. You can find some good tests online and in some books.
Cons: Tests are notoriously inaccurate. You can increase reliability by answering the questions as if you were in your late teens or early twenties because this is when your personality was at its strongest. Regardless, please take the results with a grain of salt, and explore further if you’re going to start working with your type. Furthermore, no test can teach you anything about the Enneagram or the types; you will just end up with some numbers.
Suggestion: Consider doing the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI).
3. Scheduling a Self-Discovery Interview:
Pros: This method is collaborative – your Enneagram Coach or Teacher will ask you a lot of questions to help you narrow down the nine types to the 2-3 most likely candidates. Because it’s a well-trained human being asking you questions, following up and interpreting your answers, the options offered at the end will most likely have your type among them. At the end of the interview, you will be well-equipped to find out your correct type with a bit more of exploration on your own.
Cons: You will only learn about the few types that you resonate with, not the others, unless you start a more in-depth study on your own. It will also cost more than a book or a test, and you will have to locate a certified Enneagram Coach or Teacher with whom you will feel comfortable to do this self-discovery interview.
Suggestion: Consider working with me! I’m not only a certified Enneagram Teacher but I’m also certified as an Integral Coach - working 1-1 is my specialty and the passion of my life. I’ve supported a lot of people in discovering their type, and I offer a sliding scale to make typing interviews accessible to everyone. Contact me here.
4. Participating in a multi-week discovery program:
Pros: The combination of learning about the whole system, having time to explore options, participate in type panels and work with others in a small group over a few weeks offers an unrivaled method to not only discover your type, learn about all the dimensions of the Enenagram, but also see the other types in action in the group. It’s how we teach our curriculum at Enneagram Prison Project, and I love it. I also design my own programs as online multi-week adventures because I strongly believe that the discovery of all the dimensions of the Enneagram is best done in a community, and by absorbing smaller chunks of information over a period of time. And with Zoom, we can do all of this from the comfort of our home. Win-win-win.
Cons: This requires a much greater investment of time and money, as well as finding an Enneagram Teacher who organizes such programs near you or online. Currently most Enneagram programs take place as intensives on consecutive days.
Suggestion: I’m currently co-facilitating an 8-week program with a colleague in French, and I’m in the process of designing a curriculum in English. What I’m bringing to the world of Enneagram trainings is a well-rounded integration of what the greatest Enneagram scholars have developed, as well as the creation of compassionate, confidential and collaborative groups to explore together. Ask me when my next program is launching!
