🍹Poolside Chat🍹: How to Find Your Enneagram Type

You bring the questions. I bring my thoughts, and those cute little drink umbrellas.

Aug 23, 2024

Can someone please tell Starbucks that it’s still summer and for the love of flip-flops, not to take that away from us?

I’m not quite ready for Pumpkin Spice. But I am ready to sit by the pool with you fine people and talk about the Enneagram for a few.

Come on over.

Welcome to 🍹Poolside Chat🍹, where we dip our feet in the water, sip on something tropical, and talk about a thing that matters to you.

How it works:

I'll choose a reader question for each month's edition of 🍹Poolside Chat🍹
Ground Rules for all 🍹Poolside Chat🍹 Comments: (1) Love wins (2) Honor each others' stories and perspectives (3) Offer your perspective as one possibility of many (4) I'll delete disrespectful comments (5) Love wins.

TODAY’S QUESTION
I’ve been trying to figure out my Enneagram type, but I’m feeling a bit lost. I took an online test and was typed as a 1, but my friend who knows the Enneagram thinks I might be a 4. Both of those types seem true in some ways but not fully accurate. Is it possible to be more than one type? If not, what steps would you recommend for figuring out my actual type?

I’m glad we’re talking about this! With the Enneagram, the fun (and the work) really begins once we’ve accurately found our Type. But that’s not always a straightforward endeavor.

Reasons people struggle to find their Enneagram Type

People are complex! Not every sentence of every Type description will apply to everyone of that Type. Look for 90-95% agreement with the Type description. Enneagram wisdom says you are only one Type. While you may have behavioral characteristics of multiple Types, your true Type is the one that aligns to your core motivation.
Bad online tests, bad online info. So many free or cheap Enneagram tests litter the internet. Unfortunately, many do a poor job of typing. Likewise, a quick Google search for “Enneagram” will churn out a real mixed bag of content. It’s hard to know whether you’re reading Type descriptions from a deeply informed source.
Blind spots. The Enneagram shines at making the unconscious conscious. In learning about your Type, you will start to see things about yourself that were previously hidden. When you read something in your Type description that doesn’t resonate, be willing to wonder, “How might that be true of me?” (Side note: this reminds me of the very cool Johari window, an intriguing model of self-awareness.)
Subtypes. Every Enneagram Type can be further broken down into 3 Subtypes (ex: Self-Preservation 7, Social 7, or One-to-One 7). The Subtypes of a single Type can appear quite differentiated and sometimes even run counter to the general pattern of the main Type. (These Subtypes are called the “countertype”, and there’s one for every Enneagram Type). Many Enneagram tests and Type descriptions do not account for the Subtypes, so lots of people have been mistyped or are unable to find themselves in the 9 main Type descriptions.

3 Ways to Find Your Type

Learn & Discern

The Enneagram has existed for centuries, and only in the last couple of decades have Enneagram assessments emerged. You can find your Type the old-fashioned way: learn about the Types and discern which one is a fit.

My top recommended Enneagram website is CP Enneagram, and the book I evangelize is The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up, which describes the Types and Subtypes in an accessible way, then guides readers to apply the Enneagram for growth.

Bonus option: The book The Complete Enneagram contains in-depth Subtype descriptions and a helpful appendix comparing each pair of Types to help you choose between them. A similar resource – free and online – can be found here.

Narrow in on the 2-3 most likely Types for you, then try each one on for a week. As you go through this discernment process:

Observe yourself in action. Look for the key patterns of that Type showing up in your thinking, being, and acting.
Probe your true motivations. Watch for behavior patterns, but even more importantly, check in with how the core fears and desires of each Type might be driving you. You can see a handy graphic with the Core Motivations and Key Strategies of each Type in my previous post, Liberate Yourself with the Enneagram.
Get curious about blind spots. Can you see a pattern you initially dismissed now that you’re looking for it?
Phone a friend. Check in with a few friends or loved ones who know you well and will be honest with you. Share the descriptions of the top Types you’re deciding between and ask what evidence of each Type they’ve witnessed in you.
Be patient. Some people take months or even years to find their true Type. Ian Cron, one of the most prominent Enneagram teachers alive today, describes in this podcast episode his winding journey to discovering he is a Self-Preservation 4 (one of the most frequently “missed” Subtypes!)

Take an Assessment

While “learn and discern” is how people have been finding their Type for ages, quality modern Enneagram assessments can be a helpful way to narrow in on a few top Types or even identify your true Type. Just know the assessment result is always a data point, never the infallible truth.

I do not recommend any of the free or low-cost Enneagram assessments, including the popular RHETI (as it does not account well for Subtypes). I do recommend the following assessments:

CPS Enneagram Compass ($45)
iEQ9 ($60)

I personally use the CPS Enneagram Compass in my coaching and team development work, and I’ve found that around 85% of the time, the top-scoring Type turns out to be the client’s true Type. 95% of the time, the Compass catches the true Type in one of the top-two-scoring Types.

Complete a Typing Interview

When I went through training to become a certified Enneagram practitioner, learning to conduct Typing Interviews felt like an amazing superpower! A Typing Interview is a great option for anyone who has tried assessments and the “learn & discern” approach and still feels unsure, or for anyone who wants a partner in understanding their Type and Enneagram inner work more deeply.

When I do Typing Interviews, I start with the CPS Enneagram Compass assessment, then use the interview time to discern between the top 2-3 scored Types. I ask questions that get at the heart of the differences between Types and dig deep into the nuances of the Subtypes. Usually, people feel confident in their Type by the end of this conversation, although sometimes they still need to check it out in real life before making a final call.

FYI, I’ve launched a new offering recently that combines an assessment, Typing Interview, and a Growth Mapping process in one package. In Growth Mapping, we look at the one big shift you’d like to make in life or work, then based on your Type and Subtype, I recommend an “Enneagram Key” – a single aspect of the Enneagram system that, if engaged, could help you make that one big shift. Learn more below and REGISTER HERE.

Discerning Between Type 1 vs. Type 4

Finally, back to the original question, here are a couple of specific resources to help you land on Type 1 or Type 4.

Read this comparison of Type 1 vs. Type 4.
Read about the Subtypes of Type 1 and 4 here. Note that the Self-Preservation 4 is often mistyped as a 1, and the One-to-One (aka Sexual) 1 is the most expressively emotional of the 1s and could in some cases appear 4-ish.

May you find your true Type and be confused no more!

Readers, what are your big Enneagram typing questions? For those who know their Type, what has helped you figure it out?