How long did it take you to figure out your Enneagram type?

[yeves]

With 9 types, wings, and 6 subtypes it seems like such a labyrinth of quandary and confusion.
How long did it take you to find your way through it and find your type? How confident are you about typing or are you still in the process of searching?

[seriousguy]

I am pretty sure about my tritype, but always have a doubt about my core type, basically 6 vs 4, and so I obsessively seek validation from people online on what they see in me, and agree with them for a while to see how the new "form" works, and then suddenly goes into the circular thinking and "what ifs" and "it could be" without going anywhere and then get exhausted, and then leave the matter for a while, and then start obsessing about it and the cycle continues. It was easy to figure out the tritype though, basically I need to meet a few people with the same types within each triad (gut, image, head) and see the recurring trends in them, the way they are moving and approaching the life (i.e., what things are causing them insecurity) and try to figure out how I am dealing with the issues pertaining to gut, image and head. And, considering fixations don't change overtime (and only the intensity / focus is transferred between the types within tritype), I realized that I have always belonged to the 146 tritype.

Instincts are not difficult to determine either in my case, basically I used the similar strategy (i.e., seeing the trends in people with different instincts) plus I put emphasis on where I spend my energy, and I realized I am really self-absorbed and don't have much energy to maintain the groups and general social connections, and that I relate more to synflow than contraflow (this decision is also taken after meeting several types from each category).

[lemontrees]

I took a test which resulted in 2 or 6 - neither of which were convincing enough that I "believed" the enneagram. Then someone on this forum mentioned that E4 was related to envy- I related very well to envy so I gave the enneagram another read. It was shockingly close to home, so I believed it immediately.

[ashlesha]

I vaccilated between 4, 6, and 9 for several years.
But my instincts have always been pretty solid for me.
I'm not too concerned about my tritype.

[Socionics Is A Cult]

When I first read about the enneagram several years ago, I readily identified with E5: the main issue was whether I was w4 or w6. I also believed myself to be of the 459 triad (with differing thoughts on the ordering of those types over time).

I now consider myself to be a E9 although I am less settled on that then I was before. E1 was the alternative type that I felt I had to keep in mind, partly due to the thoughts of others (by which I mean I thought that their perception had at least some truth to it). I have even more recently been considering 5w4 again and to a lesser extent 6w7: my current view is that the enenagram is not a very good "system" for representing personality, and that I will probably not be able to find an enneagram type that captures my personality in a clear, distinct, and yet concisely "full" way. So the answer to the OP question is several years plus, and that is an ongoing process.

With my stacking, I have probably considered myself as Sp/So for several years without having any strong reason to think I might be something else. So/Sp is the one other contender, based primarily on the specific suggestion (or typing) of others, as well as the view from others that I strike them as So-leading. I have in addition entertained Sx-leading, but this has generally been out of a sense of feeling like a fish who has no concept of water due to its perceived universality (Sx-leading is not something I readily understand, it is something of an unknown to me, and yet, it does not feeling like something I am absolutely not).

[Contra]

I basically still don't really know.

[lynn]

i'm still not really sure. i'm either 459 or 469. the enneagram tests i tried don't work for me. i always get something like e6 sp-first and score extremely low on so-stuff (i mean status, hierarchy, groups ... eh ..)

[GuavaDrunk]

E9 hit the mark very early on. It describes some long-standing habits very well. Had some short periods of feeling I was really E5 after all, then E4 truly, then decided it was just a sign of getting acquainted with new parts of myself and that the core type hadn't changed. I'm very sure of my core type.

Tritype I didn't bother with for a long time; the descriptions didn't ring much of a bell, and I had trouble picking a fix in the heart and head centres. Figured something with no 3 and no 6, but other than that no real idea apart from likely being double-withdrawn.

This year I happened to read some descriptions about 947 for the first time: it's an excellent description of the up-and-down feeling of switching between over-emotionality and fantasising, and metaphorically running off with the fairies to do (read about ) anything new and exciting, anything but work, anything but what's fixed, all the while travelling through the basic cycle of laziness with regard to important things. It *feels* deep down like it fits what I actually do, and accounts for some seeming contradictions.

Never bothered with tests much, I find them boring and frustrating to take: "Which of the several possible interpretations of this question should I answer, and how do I know I'm not, consciously or not, engineering my answers/selected meanings?" Secondly they don't seem as good as learning the theory and paying attention to your own patterns, the latter being a good exercise in general anyway. And finally, to be entirely truthful, having to figure out my opinion about a bunch of random crap (or useful crap) can be irritating all on its own.

[weirdleftovers]

It took me months to sift through all the websites of information. Every enneagram test I took said I was a 5w4 dom, which isn't true. Finally, two websites helped: one explained how each enneagram type looks through the three instinct variants and the other was a recording of one of Naranjo's lectures, which cleared things up further. I'm anti another lay person telling me my type, but that's probably my sx,E4 coming out. (I have little tolerance for online, typology enthusiasts who act as if they have doctorates in psychology and this is part of their life's work).

I'm not extremely good at typing others, especially if I don't like the person. I'm very confident about my tritype, wings and dominant type. I once read a post where the OP said no one can tell you your type but you. Essentially, you are what you say you are. This personality typing is for our benefit. Lying about your type isn't beneficial and eventually you should notice this and stop.

[chrys]

I began as a 5, then a 4, then considered 5 and 9 equally possible, then decided 9 fit best, then considered that maybe I could be a 6, then forgot about enneagram and never reconsidered 9. Basically I'm still haven't chosen my Enneatype.

[yeves]

I was introduced to enneagram three years ago and after going through types 5,4,and 9 I've stopped at 6. But I'm still doubting my type and was wondering whether this is normal. It was reassuring to read the replies in this thread The friend who introduced me to enneagram said doubt is a 6 trait.

[chrys]

I was introduced to enneagram three years ago and after going through types 5,4,and 9 I've stopped at 6. But I'm still doubting my type and was wondering whether this is normal. It was reassuring to read the replies in this thread The friend who introduced me to enneagram said doubt is a 6 trait.

wow same enneagram cycle as me xD it'd be so cool if we ended up being the same sociotype too :3 I could easily be SLI or SEI

[yeves]

wow same enneagram cycle as me xD it'd be so cool if we ended up being the same sociotype too :3 I could easily be SLI or SEI

totes I was told that 6 is the most common type for Si egos

[maniac]

totes I was told that 6 is the most common type for Si egos

i dont see why that would be. if any enneagram type is more common than another then i would guess 9 for si

[huiheiwufhawriuhg]

When I read about the enneagram type 4 for the first time it was an imidiate hit, I knew that I wouldn't ever find a better fit for me. I never doubted being a 4.
It was also easy for me to figure out my gut type, because 8 is the complete opposite of me and 1...well it is the opposite of me as well. So the only thing that made sense was a 9.
I had really hard time with figuring out my head type... I sort of relate to all of them and none of them at the same time. I was type as 479, 469 and 459...all of them. But I guess 469 makes most sense after all.
When it comes to my stackings, I had a hard time too, but only because I couldn't clearly understand what they are about. I have very low sx instinct, but my sp is even worse... so I guess so/sx just makes sense.

[The Exception]

I am still questioning it after about 15 years of contemplating it. Okay, I haven't been questioning it constantly. I'll go through periods of time when I'm quite sure alternating by periods of doubt.

When I first got acquainted with the enneagram I self-typed as 1w9 and a test confirmed that. Then I switched over to 5w6, then to 9w1, then back to 5w6 and now I'm back to seriously considering 1w9.

While I'm very intellectual in my interests at the core, I don't really do the withdrawing and holding back information like the type 5.

I am a perfectionist by nature with the 9 wing adding some easygoingness to balance it out so I'm not placing unreasonable demands on people. Really I'm my own worst critic and harder on myself than others. I still have strong standards of what is just and fair and how people *should* behave. I try hard not to be too imposing about this unless something is truly incorrect in which I may intervene. Living according to my ideals is probably even a stronger motive for me than trying to understand everything but they are both high up on my list.

Also, I identify with the 7 point of integration and the 4 point of disintegration for the 1.



I do have both 1w9 and 5w6 in my trifix. It's just a matter of which one is dominant and I'm leaning towards 1 right now. The heart fix- I struggle with determining if it's 3 or 4. Stacking, I can never quite nail down if more sp/so or so/sp.


P.S. I hope kill4me stays out of this thread.

[Muddy]

It didn't take me long at all to figure out my enneagram type, unlike my socionics type which I still can narrow down between LII,ILI, SLI or ILE. 5 9 and 4 are the only types even possible when you break it type by type. I don't run over people like an 8 and I'm not at all conscientious like a 1. A care too little image or helping people to be a 2 or 3. Security isn't a priority to me like is would be for a 6 and I'm not really adventurous enough to be a 7. That only leaves 5 9 and 4.

[anndelise]

I've had mixed feelings about enneagram for, i dunno, I'll say 6 years or so. Basically from my first introduction to it. Regarding descriptions, either the actions will describe me but the motivations are way off, or the motivations will be accurate but the actions way off. The 6 description is too so-instinct for me, but the rest of it somewhat describes me. I do need a sense of security, and constantly fear the lack of. And I constantly doubt and question. And i do ask people for their thoughts and perceptions, but not to conform to theirs nor to cozy up to them. But to try to see where I might be off about something, what am i not seeing, what might i be misinterpreting, etc. I,ll ask a variety of people, not ones that are too similar to each other. If they all express similar thoughts as mine then I feel less crazy. But i also value when they show me something i might have missed or not considered much of. But that also doesn't mean i accept what they say as being what's there, nor does expressions similar to my own thoughts mean i stop questioning.

I also notice how 9 and 4 also describe aspects of myself. Not in good ways, mind.
And i know that 8 and 3 are completely NOT me. (Not necessarily a good thing, either.)

When i was healthier, in my younger years, before all the shit went down, 7 would have better described me. And probably 1 in my tritype back then. So this confused me for a while, bcz if i was healthier and less neurotic again i could see them applying to me more.

[Jerdle]

Core type: First time I discovered it.
Stacking and wing: ~1 week later, when I took a test.

[GuavaDrunk]

Addendum: So I found a better tritype, and am contemplating a different instinct stacking. However the core type has absolutely not changed.

The search goes on~ Speed seems highly dependent on how much you have invested in not noticing certain aspects of yourself.

[epheme]

When I first discovered enneagram I took a bunch of tests and got a bunch of different types. Then when I started reading into it, it was pretty obvious that I'm a 9w1, so it didn't take long.

Figuring out my tritype took a little longer, but I finally settled on 479, and would say I'm 80% on this. I also considered 469 because I suffered a lot from anxiety when younger, but I don't really relate to most of 6 descriptions, motivations, etc, so I think it's anxiety of a different sort, if that makes sense.

[Pookie]

it takes awhile. You have to know it well enough to see the boundaries of the concepts, or else you'll constantly juggle types and never land on one with certainty.

[Grendel]

I got a bunch of different type descriptions from different sources. I started out saying "Oooh, I'm an 8 because I'm a cunt." Then I learned about the 6-8 type confusions and realized they entailed trains of thought I was all too familiar with. I finally caved, decided to be honest with myself, and admitted I was a 6. Mainly because I'm a pussy, and 8s aren't.

I noticed more and more 6 traits in myself than that of any other type as time went on. There are still some major inconsistencies, but the similarities far outweigh them.

Then I started getting thrown into situations where I had to improvise. Got more anxious than ever before -- an anxiety that could only be the core fear.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Like lungs I also was ambivalent about 4, 6 or 9. Ultimately decided 9 was best. Maybe I am just a beret wearing narc art fag 4. I don't know. I can't care much either.

[The Exception]

Now I'm in between 1w9 and 9w1 for my gut fix. I lean slightly towards 9w1 at this moment.

[Froody Blue Gem]

A system so based around basic fears/motivations, and it's a pretty intricate system, mistypes are really easy.

I believe that it took me about 2 and a half years to find my type, and digging deeper down the rabbithole. When I first discovered ennea, I was more interested in other systems of typology, and didn't dig very deep, until someone else struck up a conversation with me about it. Then I was more motivated to read up on it. I still have an alternate/second type option if my current one turned out to be not so accurate. First I typed as 4w5, but then looking more into 5w4 on someone else's suggestion, it fit worlds more.

I was leaning more towards 5w4 for a while, and it's hard to find good 9 descriptions. It was also partially being in denial of my 9, even though a lot of people suggest it. And someone very special to me had suggested 5 in the first place. I relate to the motivations of them both strongly, but 9 influences me a lot in my social interactions, and how I lean towards positive outlook. I am very extreme on the withdrawn scale, am an outside observer of the world, and take security in knowledge, and learning about what interests me. So I relate a lot to 5ish fears and handling anxiety in a 5ish way. Taking other systems such as socionics, and MBTI into account also helped, how they play into my ennea, as well in the instinctual stackings. I waffled between 4 and 2 as a heart fix in my tritype for a while. My instinct stack, I've been settled on since I discovered that aspect. I briefly questioned if I could be an sx second, and I sometimes question so/sp but sp/so is most acurate.

I'm solid on being 95x sp/so or 59x sp/so, but it's my heart that there are alternate options for.

[SGF]

Took me about a year. Everyone was telling me I was a CP6 and it was obvious to them... but I couldn't see it or get beyond the description to the core motivations. Once I did tho.. it made complete sense.

e_e I also have one of the worst tritypes 6-4-8 So (basically H!tler's tritype & instinctual variant).

[maniac]

until I took a serious look at descriptions and not just doing a test for fun. but I knew my type the first time I read the description

[Aster]

forever, because I’ll never be sure

i just see it as speculation

[Sol]

My 1 E-type was supposed by @maniac and it seemed as fitting good from the start. Though, I'm skeptical to Enneagram typology as a system still, I notice that it has interesting and mb useful elements.

[them]

when i read that #5 was called observer/thinker

[SGF]

About a year.. type 6 is difficult to figure out, because:

[Nobody]

When I found out about tritype and the Head, Heart, Gut triads. Then it was easier to paint a more complete picture.

[eiemo]

I still do not really know. I initially thought I was an enneagram 3, then I thought that I was a 1 (I waffled between 1w9 and 1w2), and then I thought that 3w4 could fit. I started to suspect that enneagram 4 could fit due to my enviousness, creativity, and emotionality. However, the core desire for me to have a personal significance and to be unique doesn't fit me. I also do not become clingy in stress, which is a hallmark of 4s. If anything, I behave like a 4 in stress. My perfectionism and criticalness resembled the traits of an enneagram 1. I suspect that my tritype is 136 (1w2-3w4-6w5), but I'm not certain.

[Number 9 large]

With 9 types, wings, and 6 subtypes it seems like such a labyrinth of quandary and confusion.
How long did it take you to find your way through it and find your type? How confident are you about typing or are you still in the process of searching?

took me like 2,5/3 years

[Lolita]

Had friends who knew more about it and helped me with it. I read Naranjo but I don’t really care to apply it to myself and let my friends helped me on it. I guess maybe 2 years?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scarlett]

I still remember my enneagram test result the first time I tried it:
"You are most likely a type 3. Taking wings into account, you seem to be a 8w7."

Hahaha. How is that even possible. Even the system was confused.

But it didn't take long for me to figure it out. I was curious, did some research for a few days and that's it.
I always know I have really high 8 and 3. But comparing the two, my 8 is higher.
I value my achievement a lot, but power it still number one for me. I want to be in charge at all times, I want to be in control.
But I know I'm not 8w7, I'm less confrontational than them, I'm definitely an 8w9, which is very rare. Combine with the LIE itself already quite rare for a female. Plus, the subtype Ni.

Anyway,
after 8, 3, then it's 5. Which I can confirm easily. That's how I found my tritype. 835.

[Adam Strange]

I still remember my enneagram test result the first time I tried it:
"You are most likely a type 3. Taking wings into account, you seem to be a 8w7."

Hahaha. How is that even possible. Even the system was confused.

But it didn't take long for me to figure it out. I was curious, did some research for a few days and that's it.
I always know I have really high 8 and 3. But comparing the two, my 8 is higher.
I value my achievement a lot, but power it still number one for me. I want to be in charge at all times, I want to be in control.
But I know I'm not 8w7, I'm less confrontational than them, I'm definitely an 8w9, which is very rare. Combine with the LIE itself already quite rare for a female. Plus, the subtype Ni.

Anyway,
after 8, 3, then it's 5. Which I can confirm easily. That's how I found my tritype. 835.

@Scarlett, why do you think you couldn’t be an 8w7? In my time here on the forum, by far most of the LIE’s have reported themselves as 8w9 rather than 8w7, so if that is any indication, 8w9 is not rare.

Every time I’ve taken an enneagram test, the results were 8w7. And yet, I don’t feel confrontational. Well, maybe I am a little bit, it’s hard for me to judge, but I think it’s more likely that the common reputation of 8w7’s is cartoonishly wrong.

Sort of like the cartoon version of SLE’s is gas-station robber and rapist.

My full enneagram test results are 8w7, 3w2, 6w7. Tri-type of 837. I believe that the great majority of LIE’s test as either e8 or e3.

[Scarlett]

@Scarlett, why do you think you couldn’t be an 8w7? In my time here on the forum, by far most of the LIE’s have reported themselves as 8w9 rather than 8w7, so if that is any indication, 8w9 is not rare.

Every time I’ve taken an enneagram test, the results were 8w7. And yet, I don’t feel confrontational. Well, maybe I am a little bit, it’s hard for me to judge, but I think it’s more likely that the common reputation of 8w7’s is cartoonishly wrong.

Sort of like the cartoon version of SLE’s is gas-station robber and rapist.

My full enneagram test results are 8w7, 3w2, 6w7. Tri-type of 837. I believe that the great majority of LIE’s test as either e8 or e3.

Because 8w7 and 8w9 are different.
So let's just compare the wings 7 and 9 here, because we know they both are enneagram 8. Both are action oriented. Both trust their anger. Both like power.

But the 8w7 is aimed at freedom, hence the wings 7.
They wanna be free to do what they wanna do, and want others around them to be free to do what they wanna do as well.
They believe that this eventually provides peace. They don't want anyone applying constraints on anyone's behaviour. They're more vocal, opinionated, aggressive.

And the 8w9 is aimed at peace, hence the wings 9.
We want the environment to be peaceful and everyone to feel at ease.
We believe that this environment eventually brings freedom. So we let things go until lines are crossed, then we will crush you. We're more laid lack and protective, very sensitive to the issue of boundaries. Something like "Stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours."

[Adam Strange]

Because 8w7 and 8w9 are different.
So let's just compare the wings 7 and 9 here, because we know they both are enneagram 8. Both are action oriented. Both trust their anger. Both like power.

But the 8w7 is aimed at freedom, hence the wings 7.
They wanna be free to do what they wanna do, and want others around them to be free to do what they wanna do as well.
They believe that this eventually provides peace. They don't want anyone applying constraints on anyone's behaviour. They're more vocal, opinionated, aggressive.

And the 8w9 is aimed at peace, hence the wings 9.
We want the environment to be peaceful and everyone to feel at ease.
We believe that this environment eventually brings freedom. So we let things go until lines are crossed, then we will crush you. We're more laid lack and protective, very sensitive to the issue of boundaries. Something like "Stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours."

Yes, your 8w7 description fits me well. I want my freedom and I’m sensitive to even slight intrusions on it. I’m not sure it brings peace. There is no peace, there is only cessation of warfare.

Your description of 8w9 might be good, I don’t know. It seems a foolish way to live to me. Things could get out of hand. I think it’s important to monitor other people’s business. To thoroughly understand it. Not to interfere, but rather to anticipate.
I have prediction matrices around everyone I know.

Incidentally, I’m just downloading my thoughts here without filters. I do that sometimes, particularly with other LIE’s. When you play chess, everyone can see the pieces. It doesn’t change the game.