Enneagram Testing is Helpful for Relationships

by Sierra Sparks, MFT on 07/21/17

Therapy is a way to get in touch with yourself, get to know yourself and get to know other people as well. Another way is through personality testing like the Myers-Briggs personality test and the Enneagram.

The Myers-Briggs a few times to help direct me in career choices but not as often used as a tool for self-discovery.

There is a great book: The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. Reading this book, one can be better understood as to why they react in certain ways to life events, relationships, etc.

What Is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram is a model of human personality that involves nine interconnected personality types. Each personality is represented by a number.

The Nine Types

Here are the nine personality types as described by Cron and Stabile:

Type One: The Perfectionist. Ethical, dedicated and reliable, they are motivated by a desire to live the right way, improve the world, and avoid fault and blame.

Type Two: The Helper. Warm, caring and giving, they are motivated by a need to be loved and needed, and to avoid acknowledging their own needs.

Type Three: The Performer. Success-oriented, image-conscious and wired for productivity, they are motivated by a need to be (or appear to be) successful and to avoid failure.

Type Four: The Romantic. Creative, sensitive and moody, they are motivated by a need to be understood, experience their feelings and avoid being ordinary.

Type Five: The Investigator. Analytical, detached and private, they are motivated by a need to gain knowledge, conserve energy and avoid relying on others.

Type Six: The Loyalist. Committed, practical and witty, they are worst-case scenario thinkers who are motivated by fear and the need for security.

Type Seven: The Enthusiast. Fun, spontaneous and adventurous, they are motivated by a need to be happy, to plan stimulating experiences and to avoid pain.

Type Eight: The Challenger. Commanding, intense and confrontational, they are motivated by a need to be strong and avoid feeling weak or vulnerable.

Type Nine: The Peacemaker. Pleasant, laid back and accommodating, they are motivated by a need to keep the peace, merge with others and avoid conflict.

Each Type Has a Deadly Sin. This is because each strength often has weakness or can become out of balance into something possibly unhealthy.

Your Type and Your Marriage/Relationship

By looking at your type you can begin to look at how you interrelate in relationship to others. This often comes from early childhood modeling and/or possible traumas.

To test yourself: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/dotest.php

Need Counseling? Contact us for therapy in Grass Valley and/or Nevada City area 530-913-5054