What is an enneagram test?
The Enneagram is a personality theory that groups people into one of nine main categories. While the categories go by number, each number represents a different archetype.
The test characterizes nine strategies that the human mind uses to develop a worldview and perceive themselves and others. Basically, that’s a scientific way of saying that your personality is built around how you process the world around you and what strategies you use to do that.
While some people may focus on repressing their emotions to make those around them more comfortable, others may prefer to fully feel those feelings and share with others to better process what their emotions are telling them. Based on how you react to different situations, you will fall under one of nine types, or a secondary personality type, to better describe yourself.
What are the nine categories?
The nine categories that are usually used in enneagram tests are:
- The Reformer: The Rational, Idealistic Type — Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
- The Helper: The Caring, Interpersonal Type — Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
- The Achiever: The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type — Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
- The Individualist: The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type — Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
- The Investigator: The Intense, Cerebral Type — Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
- The Loyalist: The Committed, Security-Oriented Type — Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
- The Enthusiast: The Busy, Fun-Loving Type — Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
- The Challenger: The Powerful, Dominating Type — Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
- The Peacemaker: The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type — Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent
How is the test used today?
The tests are used mostly by millennials to connect to themselves and to find comfort in turbulent times. Some companies may use the enneagram test to see what sort of employees they have and what kind they would want to know more of. This obviously is not the best to way to identify the traits of the employees, but it will give employers a rough aggregate on who they want to see in their company in terms of roles.