Me, Myself, and My Enneagram Type

Personality tests have always been interesting, but I never thought they would be trendy.

The Enneagram test is very popular right now, and I’m here to give you an overview… so the next time someone says, “That’s so type two of you,” you can know what on Earth that means. 

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Enneagram tests not only tell you about yourself, but also about how you interact with others. Each type interacts with other types differently, so it’s fun to find out what types your friends are and read about your relationships with each other. The test can also tell you how you react in stress and growth periods. Type eights, for example, tend to disintegrate to an “unhealthy” type five and become very secretive and fearful in times of stress. However, when eights are growing, we become more like a “healthy” type two, becoming much more caring than what we normally show to the world.

While everyone has one type, there are also “wings.” What are wings, you might ask? Well, since no one person fits exactly into a type mold, wings help account for that. Within a type eight, you can have a wing seven, like me, or a wing nine. Basically, they mean that your personality can drift towards the traits of a type seven or a type nine. So, an eight wing seven can also be called “The Maverick,” which exists within “The Challenger” type.

Now, for all of you wondering about each type, here is a brief overview from the Enneagram Institute. 

Type 1: The Reformer; a rational, idealistic type

Type 2: The Helper; the caring, interpersonal type

Type 3: The Achiever; the success-oriented, pragmatic type

Type 4: The Individualist; the sensitive, withdrawn type 

Type 5: The Investigator; the intense, cerebral type 

Type 6: The Loyalist; the committed, securely orienting type 

Type 7: The Enthusiast; the busy, fun loving type

Type 8: The Challenger; the powerful, dominating type 

Type 9: The Peacemaker; the easygoing, self-effacing type

I’m going to be real with y’all – I wasn’t super happy when I found out what type I was. Type eights can be seen as aggressive, overly confrontational, and impulsive. To make matters worse (or so I thought), I am an eight wing seven, which was described in one article as the “roughest and toughest personality.”

I looked at all the other types and was jealous. “If I could only be more like (fill in the blank) type, people will like me.” My personality has always been pretty big, and people are easily intimidated by me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I was scared of you when I first met you.” This insecurity about being too much for people, coupled with the most aggressive personality type, made me want to change my type so badly, until I really looked into the good things associated with my type.

We have an extremely strong internal determination, are very independent, and feel an innate desire to change the world. We are called the “Challenger” type because we believe in challenging ourselves and those around us to be better. I (very slowly) learned more about why my type made me who I am and how I could use this awareness to grow. Knowing I can be dominant helps me be aware of when I should pull back, and knowing people can be intimidated by me reminds me to smile more (hello, resting angry face). Let me tell y’all, taking a spoonful of humble tea and being willing to really look into myself was tough. But learning about myself, what makes me tick, and my redeeming traits was a lesson I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Thank goodness for type eights. 

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Want to know which type you are? Take this test (it’s long, so block out some time). Here is the best, totally free one that I’ve found. There are several out there that you can pay $10-20 to take as well, but we’re all in college here. We like free things.

Be well, Auburn. 

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Photography: Reese B.