The Enneagram is a personality typing system with nine primary personality types, each having a secondary wing. It serves as a tool for self-discovery and understanding interpersonal dynamics, commonly used in workplaces and among Christians. The document discusses how to identify one's type, the influence of personality traits, and the impacts of health on personality characteristics.

1. The Enneagram:
finding your type
Sarah Downey (@SarahADowney)
Adapted from Mia Patton (@MiaSierra)

2. The Enneagram is a personality typing system that
emerged near the 4th century.
Like any personality assessment, it's not science. Yet
it's a useful tool in understanding your and other
people's tendencies in order to anticipate conflicts and
harmonies in relationships.
In it, everyone has a primary personality number from 1
to 9, with a secondary wing to either side of it. E.g., you
can be a 9/1 or a 9/8, but not a 9/4.

3. The Enneagram has seen popular adoption in two
primary places: workplaces and Christianity. There
is no inherent religious focus in the Enneagram.
My focus in this presentation is on work and
personal relationships.

4. Each type has a characteristic role, giving a quick
high-level description of their tendencies:

6. The quick and dirty way to
type yourself
The following slides give a visual glimpse into the key characteristics,
motivations, and fears of each type. It's designed to give you a quick
overview of each so you can begin to hone in on which one fits you.
However, the most accurate typing method is to skim through the Personality
Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery book referenced on the final
slide. If you have a decent idea of what your primary type is, read the sub-
sections in the book. For example, if you think you're a 1, read the specific
section on the 1/9 and the 1/2 to see if either speaks to you.
In my experience, people may relate to a type but it's not until they read the
specific sub-type information that they feel a true sense that the description is
accurate.

7. Successful people tend to think they’re 3’s
Women get overtyped as 2’s because they tend to inherit caretaker roles
People type as they want to be, not as they truly are; be honest with yourself
Wings have significant influence
Common mistyping reasons

11. This is a little forced, but maybe it'll resonate:

13. Or this, as applied to tech CEOS (note that I
couldn't find a 4 or 2, so let me know if you can
help with that):

15. The lines on the Enneagram show where each type goes when a person is
healthy or unhealthy.
If you are healthy, you move in the direction of integration and take on the
good characteristics of the type to which you move. If you are unhealthy (i.e.
extremely stressed), you move in the direction of disintegration and take on
the bad characteristics of the type to which you move.
For example, healthy 8s move to 2 and become more focused on others,
selfless, and heroic. Unhealthy 8s move to 5 and become reclusive and
obsessive about hoarding knowledge and resources.

17. The triads are a bit much for a simple typing exercise, but for our purposes,
understand that certain groups of types act in similar ways.
Decisionmaking: 8s, 9s, and 1s act on instinct. 2s, 3s, and 4s act on
feelings. 5s, 6s, and 7s act on thinking.
Instinctual reactions: 8s, 9s, and 1s get angry. 2s, 3s, and 4s feel shame.
5s, 6s, and 7s feel fear and anxiety.
Triads

18. What is your type?
What is your subtype
(primary + wing)?

19. More Enneagram resources:
Enneagram of Personality Wikipedia
Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-
Discovery, by Don Richard Riso with Russ Hudson
InsideOut Enneagram: The Game-Changing Guide
for Leaders, by Wendy Appel
Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator Test
(RHETI)