Why are you your enneagram type?

[theMime.]

Explain your reasoning here.

[Mediator Kam]

My parents picked it out from a catalog and thought it sounded nice.

[Phaedrus]

I agree with a lot in that description, jxrtes. There is only a minor problem with it: 5 is not a wing of yours, it is your main type. 4 and 6 are your wings.

[Ezra]

Much of my life has been based around three key issues: aggression, power struggle and strength.

Aggression I've always been very aggressive as a person. Not physically; but mentally and verbally. Often people will completely misinterpret pure enthusiasm as an attack on their person. I enjoy heated debates, and if I raise my voice to heat the debate further, so do they, but they often take it personally, and I'm sat there thinking "woah, chill". The reason for this is because of my aggression. If they see aggression as a primarily negative instinct, they will perceive my positive feelings for my going on the offensive.

Power struggle Even when I'm not "in charge", I know how to accurately assess the situation in terms of power dynamics. I know who is in charge, and who doesn't have any chance of getting into a powerful position. This ranges from playground politics to running the country. I recognise it very easily. Often I'm happy taking a backseat if I can see I have little chance, because I recognise that no one will be able to have any control over me, and I refuse to follow as such, but also because I realise no one will follow me. As a kid though, I could get people to follow me. I knew what groups I could handle and/or manipulate to my advantage, and what groups I couldn't. I knew who I could involve in my games, plans and ideas, and who I couldn't.

Strength Some people think strength of character is a good thing. This is true to some extent. However, when it gets to the point where people actually shy away from you because you're "too much" in some way, then it's not a good thing. It works disasters for your social life; it really does. It's very subtle; almost imperceptible, but if you recognise you, it hits you like a bullet. It's not like people just go "I don't like you" and disappear. They gradually don't talk to you, or talk to others in a different way, like they're better friends. Which is why the friends I currently have really mean a lot to me.

This isn't the only place in myself where strength plays some part. There's also a great deal to do with strength as an ideal. Strength is not going around hitting people after you've built your arms up at the gym. Strength is not inanely starting a fight with those who provoke you. True strength is found in other abstract ideals, like restraint, willpower (in productive, constructive activities and actions), self-sacrifice, and the ability to take humiliation. I've always had strength at the back of my mind as an ideal to pursue. Okay, I may be loud. I may be dominating. I may be forceful. But these are destructive things; they have nothing to do with real, genuine strength.

[strrrng]

Ezra, your aggression strikes me as very contrived...

[Gilly]

How does one ACTUALLY determine an Enneagram type? How did you decide yours?

[Mediator Kam]

I don't know my enneagram shit in the slightest, but I found my type by first taking those tests and taking the first two-three types I could be, and just reading on them profusely.

[strrrng]

I've been called the enneagram guru . I suggest just reading and understanding properly. Tests suck.

[Mediator Kam]

I liked the little charts in the book by Palmer, I think it was called Understanding the Enneagram? Just seeing visually how energy was focused and stuff was really helpful and ultimately lead me to be much more confident in my type.

EDIT: Ok, I lied. I don't really know my enneagram shit. I played eenny meeny miney moe on the cover of Understanding the Enneagram...

I forgot, I saw that Palmer book at my local thrift shop. I read the 2 and 9 desciption, but my ESI mother balked at me reading any more because any type of gram is Satanic.

True story.

[Nexus]

I forgot, I saw that Palmer book at my local thrift shop. I read the 2 and 9 desciption, but my ESI mother balked at me reading any more because any type of gram is Satanic.

True story.

Like pentagrams, but enneagrams are 9/5 as satanic. BTW I'm a self-preserving 5 with a 6 wing.