How to Find Yourself Among the Enneagram Styles?
Read the descriptions of the styles in the following Blog squares. You’ll see attributes both negative and positive that might be yours. You will fairly quickly eliminate about 6 styles as not being you. Then work with the 3 that might be you. Some people find themselves immediately, such as the 1s, 2s and 5’s. You might ask your partner or a close friend what they think. The 6 Guardian/Doubters have the most trouble finding themselves as they are our Questioners, our Worriers about what is true or right or might go wrong. When I teach an Enneagram Seminar with panels, the 6s always sit on more than one panel to try it out. We all ask questions of the panels and laugh at our differences.
I have found that online tests to identify your Enneagram are 50% accurate and give a client no real insight into themselves. At the end of this section you’ll find questions about everyday life that I ask in my Enneagram Seminars. We tend to respond with our Enneagram style in these actual situations. For example: walking into a restaurant with friends a 2 Giver will ask, “where do you want to sit?”, while an 8 Boss will charge ahead, find the best table and rearrange the chairs. The 6 Guardian/Doubter will usually want to sit against the wall as it is safer and so on different for each Enneagram style..
I found great relief in knowing that I am a 2 Giver, not able to make plans for others without asking them. My 8 Boss friend in college easily made plans for all of us without regard to whether it would work for everyone. I used to feel inadequate in decision-making until I understood my Enneagram style as compared to hers. I can now let my 8 friend decide and let others deal with it for themselves -without any guilt!