Those who have spent some time studying MBTI, socionics, and enneagram types usually notice that they overlap in several traits, making it easy to mis-attribute traits from one system to another. Here are a few common "crossroads":
- SO-first need for connection with the greater social scene may be mistaken for extroversion. SO-last stackings, to the contrary, highlight traits commonly attributed to introversion.
- Social instinct is sometimes mistaken for Fe, ethics in general, and "Aristocratic" trait in socionics. This is because stackings with SO instinct have a proclivity to interpret events within socio-cultural context and may exhibit a pronounced interest in 'soft' sciences.
- Social, inclusive, friendly, and sometimes bubbly nature of SO-firsts and SX/SO can lead them to be taken for Ethical types.
- SX-first craving for enlivening, intense experiences and sometimes lowered barrier to confrontation can be mistaken for extraverted sensing (Se) and extraverted feeling (Fe). SX-firsts may inadvertently draw attention to themselves in a way that overlaps with socionics Fe-HA. SX/SO stackings often exhibit contarian, revolutionary attitudes that is often confused for belonging to Beta quadra. On a more rare occasion SX emphasis and insistence of their personal preferences, likes and dislikes, is also mistaken for preference for Fi.
- Self-preservation (SP) instinct's focus on practical and pragmatic matters may be easily confused for sensing and logic. Income and salary concerns, planning, scheduling, budgeting, can be mistaken for strong sensing orientation, Si/Se, as well as extraverted logic, Te. In particular SP/SX's interest in things that serve as common denominators of life (family, food, daily activities and chores, etc.) can lead them to consider themselves to be Sensing types.
- The dry sobriety in communication of SX-last stacking can lead them to view themselves as Logical types. This is further reinforced if their main enneagram type is within the head triad.
- Eneagram's head triad, 5-6-7, can be mistaken for T-preference.
- Adventurism and search for more satisfying experiences of enneagram Type 7 can be confused for extraverted sensorics, Se, resulting in erroneous typings of ENxPs and ENxJs - as ESxPs.
- Focus on emotional needs, friendship and family bonds, and social obligations of type 2 can be mitaken for preference for extraverted ethics (Fe).