To read more about levels of health, storytelling, conflict management, & for an interactive test to help determine your type, my book, THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE ENNEAGRAM, based on the pillars of Home, Love, Work, & Play, is now available in North America, Australia, and Europe. Order here with my partner vendors, or pick up a copy at your local bookstore.

Enneagram Overview: a brief explanation

The Enneagram is a personality typing system and a powerful tool for understanding ourselves and the people in our lives. It consists of 9 Personality Types. Everyone is considered to be one single type, although one can have traits belonging to other ones.

We get the word Enneagram from from the Greek words ennea (nine) and grammos (a written symbol), the nine-pointed Enneagram symbol represents nine ways we relate to ourselves and others. Each Enneagram type has a different pattern of thinking, feeling and acting that arises from a deeper inner motivation or worldview.

Wings

No one is a 100% made up of just one personality type. Each individual has a mix of their basic personality type, plus one of the numbers on either side of their main enneagram number. For instance, if you are a Type 3, you would either have a dominant mix of a Type 2 or Type 4 in with you main Type as a 3.

Essentially, your wing is the “second side” of your personality. In order to fully understand your personality, you must take into consideration which wing you are.

Centers of Intelligence

The Enneagram describes three centers of intelligence - Gut, Heart, and Head. In each center, there are three Enneagram Types and each center will describe the main imbalances that exist in each personality type. Here’s a breakdown of the centers:

The Gut Center: Comprised of Types 8, 9, and 1. In this center, these Types have an instinctual-based reaction and share the common emotion of anger. A Type 8 will externalize their anger, a Type 9 will repress their anger, and a Type 1 will internalize their anger.
The Heart Center: Comprised of Types 2, 3, and 4. In this center, these Types have a feeling-based reaction and share the common emotion of shame. A Type 2 will externalize their shame, a Type 3 will repress their shame, and a Type 4 will internalize their shame.
The Head Center: Comprised of Types 5, 6, and 7. In this center, these Types have a thinking-based reaction and share the common emotion of fear. A Type 5 will externalize their fear, a Type 6 will repress their fear, and a Type 7 will internalize their fear.

Testing

For Enneagram tests, I like to recommend one for a free version and one for a paid version; although nothing takes the place of genuine soul-searching, it’s good to have a solid place to start. Contact for more info on coaching, and follow along on social media (@enneagramenthusiast everywhere) for extra, applicable tips for everyday life.

Enneagram Overview: a brief explanation

The Enneagram is a personality typing system and a powerful tool for understanding ourselves and the people in our lives. It consists of 9 Personality Types. Everyone is considered to be one single type, although one can have traits belonging to other ones.

Wings

Essentially, your wing is the “second side” of your personality. In order to fully understand your personality, you must take into consideration which wing you are.

Centers of Intelligence

The Enneagram describes three centers of intelligence - Gut, Heart, and Head. In each center, there are three Enneagram Types and each center will describe the main imbalances that exist in each personality type. Here’s a breakdown of the centers:

The Gut Center: Comprised of Types 8, 9, and 1. In this center, these Types have an instinctual-based reaction and share the common emotion of anger. A Type 8 will externalize their anger, a Type 9 will repress their anger, and a Type 1 will internalize their anger.

The Heart Center: Comprised of Types 2, 3, and 4. In this center, these Types have a feeling-based reaction and share the common emotion of shame. A Type 2 will externalize their shame, a Type 3 will repress their shame, and a Type 4 will internalize their shame.

The Head Center: Comprised of Types 5, 6, and 7. In this center, these Types have a thinking-based reaction and share the common emotion of fear. A Type 5 will externalize their fear, a Type 6 will repress their fear, and a Type 7 will internalize their fear.

Testing