Hi, friends! I thought it might be kind of fun to share a little about my Enneagram scores with you.
I find that I tend to talk about this type of thing with soooo many of my friends IRL so I thought why not chat about it with you all?! Plus, I would LOVE to hear what your Enneagram is if you’ve already taken the test.
If you’ve never heard of The Enneagram Institute (or test) before, please visit their website for way more information that has been more thoughtfully written than I could ever explain properly.
But the Cliff Notes version is it’s a personality test where the types are a single number. Maybe you’ve seen memes of this online? If not, you must be following way different people than me. 🙂
There are free and shortened versions of the test you can find online, but I took the RHETI version on their website. It has 144 questions and cost $12.
Again, take a free version if you like, but I personally thought the $12 version was well worth it as they email you a 26-page document afterwards that is all about your top three scores with lists of tips, advice, and ideas for self improvement.
Just FYI, we don’t have an affiliate or make any money from you taking the test; I’m just sharing my experience and opinion for fun here.
To me that’s what any personality test can be useful for—a self-improvement tool. Sometimes, I’ve heard people use their “personality type” as basically a way to justify their behavior. Or even worse, they will view their type/score as a limitation.
They will say things like, “Well, I’m just a type “XYZ” so I can’t change _________.” I really think this is missing the point.
I really want to understand myself and those I am close to, and I also want to grow as an individual for my own happiness and hopefully to grow the happiness around me (for those my life can affect in some way).
Anyway … here’s my scores from the test:
I probably identify the most with Type 3, but I certainly felt a lot of connections and saw things in the Type 9 description that felt like me too.
Obviously, all the types are awesome—this isn’t a Griffindor or Slytherin thing. 🙂 But I did feel sort of proud of my type(s).
Type 3 – I love that I am a driven, goal-oriented person. I’m proud of things I have achieved in life so far, and I look forward to many more of years of to-do list making. Ha.
I also recognize that I do have a tendency to value what I can accomplish more than I value just me. I can take it really hard when I fail. I do have a lot of negative self talk in my head that I have been working on changing and will continue (probably for life, and that’s OK).
One bit of advice that my type document gave me was to take time out of my day to connect with others and generally to work on my social awareness and be more social. I can get very caught up in all the things I want to accomplish that I have in the past neglected my relationships.
One of my goals this year is simply to get more lunches (or coffees, or happy hours) with individual friends or very small groups. I want to invest more in the people I care about in addition to all the “doing” I am prone to do.
Type 9 – I actually think I have a very healthy mix of this type in my life. I think when I was younger (like high school and early college age), I was more prone to “just getting along” and not necessarily expressing my true feelings to those I was close to.
I think I’ve grown a lot in this area over the last 10 years or so, and I am much more assertive and honest.
That being said, I do think my gut reaction to fights or emotionally difficult situations is sometimes to disengage. So I can still grow in this area.
One piece of advice my type document gave me is to workout frequently. Interesting, right? But it talked about how this can help me be more aware of my body and emotions. Probably good advice for everyone, but I’ll take it!
If you haven’t heard any of Ryan O’Neal’s (Sleeping At Last) songs about the Enneagram types, you need to! Ryan is such a talented musician—it’s very possible you’ve heard one of his songs in a movie or TV show already.
But, he creates really moving personal work and I love his thoughtful exploration of the types through his music. His Type 9 song isn’t out yet, but listening to the Type 3 song definitely had me feeling all the feels.
He talks about the songs and the types in his podcast (and on our podcast) and I LOVE how he describes the project as nine stories of redemption. That’s exactly what it should be.
Let’s learn better how to love ourselves and love everyone around us; not limit ourselves or create dividers.
I also think it’s hilarious that my lowest score was Type 7— that’s Elsie’s type. So, that’s probably why we make such a good team. xo. Emma
Love this! I’m a 6 and it’s definitely spot on.
Wanted to share that I used Cloverleaf to take my Enneagram. It’s the full version of the assessment and it’s free, figured I’d pass it alone in case any one doesn’t want to pay.
https://cloverleaf.me/enneagram
You should check out Human Design if you haven’t dove into that yet. Jenna Zoe’s Education on the concept is really solid and it’s a lot to unpack but I find is super helpful in conjunction with the Enneagram. Her app My Human Design makes it easy to delve into.
So interesting that you identify with 3 and 9, because they share a line! 9s go to 3 in security. If you haven’t read any of Suzanne Stabile’s enneagram books, I think you would love them!
I’m a 2w3, but sometimes I wonder if I’m not more 3 at heart and my Midwestern upbringing in the church steered me towards type 2 qualities.
I agree this test is so useful and fascinating, and I loved your podcast episode(s) about it!
I love the enneagram! It’s been incredibly helpful personally and professionally. I’m a 6w5, and my husband is a 7w6, and we are able to give each other so much more grace understanding our individual motivations!
We are compadres Emma, I’m also a 9 and a 3 and I can definitely identify with this : )
I am so behind in the world of Enneagrams and personality tests! I suppose a lot of reluctance came from putting myself in a box and as you mentioned above, Emma, the people around me who have “justified” behaviors based on their results. Your outlook was super refreshing and has me totally reframing personality tests as you said, for self-improvement. Thanks for giving me a new perspective.
i love that you’re into the enneagram! we’ve been into it for years, have done all the seminars and now go to couples enneagram meetings!
i got so excited when ryan started his series! 😀 😀 😀
i’m a 7 and my fiance is a 2. it’s a tough match, but a really good one 😀 <3 <3
Really interesting that your lowest could be Elsie’s Highest! I wonder which came first – that is, maybe her type shaped you and vice versa. Siblings are so critical to our development!
Great post! Enneagram is so interesting. I had not ever heard that word until I saw this blog post today! Learn something new everyday.
-Kate Christine
https://daysofkate.com
I personally prefer Myers-Briggs to Enneagram, but I am also a Type 3. When I was reading up on 3s I canme across something that said we can become “human doings” instead of “human beings” and that resonated with me SO MUCH. It’s definitely something I have started working on recently. I agree wholeheartedly that these tests should be used as a tool for introspection and self-improvement. Learning more about myself has really helped me restructure my life over the last year or so.
I am totally a 9.
I really appreciate this insight! I always wonder if I’m a 4 based on circumstances in my life and if I’m meant to be another type I identify with. I’m ENFP and sometimes that doesn’t seem to add to 4 types.
Ok so I thought this part was funny, you take pride in being a 3! Why? Because being recognized as such is in its own way an achievement! I’ve not heard of enneagrams in respect to numbers but very familiar with their descriptions.
Huge fan of personality tests here!! And a proud ENFJ :). I will definitely check this out though, thanks for the recommendation!
Woof Xo,
Michelle & Watson
https://www.watsonandwalls.com/blog/west-hollywood
So funny, I was just revisiting my type this morning after listening to a podcast on it. I have a book on it as well. I am a type 9 as well, and they say that you take on 3 characteristics when you are at your healthiest, so kudos to you! My husband is a 3, the enneagram says we make a great match and I tend to agree!
I’m a 4w5 and I love talking about the Enneagram too! I’ve been reading The Road Back to You and really enjoy it so far.
Hi Emma!
I’m also a 9, and find that I channel a 3 when I’m feeling healthy… I work with a coach who gives me a program with practices to help my 9 be healthy and happy! It’s been really great, and one of my favorite resources is the Enneagram in Love & Work book. The cover art is pretty outdated, so don’t judge it on that. I forced my husband to take the test (he’s a 3) and I was really shocked to see how accurate their depictions of the strengths and weaknesses of our relationship were. It’s also really great for work relationships, and has totally helped me understand my business partner better.
If you’re really in the mood to nerd-out, I also got the Wisdom of the Enneagram book, which was totally worth it. Not gonna lie, my husband thought I was a total freak when that arrived in the mail, but it’s been great for me! Haha
Love the Enneagram and it’s grown me so much in empathy for people I interact with. I’m a 7 and the Enneagram has helped me in more ways than i know to count! One thing to note is that we are never two numbers BUT have characteristics of a number in healthy or unhealthy seasons. For example, a 9 displays characteristics of a 3 (confidence, wooing, etc) I’m health. On the flip side, a 3 moves towards the less fun parts of a 9 (apathy or sloth) in a less healthy season. This might be helpful for you to consider as you determine which of the two numbers you truly are!
Some parts of the Enneagram seem pretty close, although I still think the Myers-Briggs is the most accurate for me. I’m a 6 BTW.