In a conversation last week, MGLN and I were chatting about Meyers Briggs personality tests when she asked if I had ever done Enneagram testing. I recognized the word, but wasn’t sure if I had ever done that type of test. I have taken Meyers Brigg, DISC and others for work before so I might have had an Enneagram test done but can’t recall if I did.
Not knowing is like having an itch and not scratching it. So I turned to google this week to learn about Enneagram testing and personality types. I found this site to be quite helpful: www.truity.com. I ended up taking the free Enneagram test here as well as a second Meyers Brigg test.
The questions on the Enneagram test were similar to those on the MB test. The results are reported according to a different set of standards and types.
Here’s my results:
- On MB, I once again came up as ISTJ. That’s the same result from two different sites in a few weeks.
- On Enneagram I came up as a 5. As I read through the description, I think Enneagram nailed my profile.
According to Truity, here are characteristics of an ISTJ (excerpted by me for brevity):
- …responsible organizers, driven to create and enforce order within systems and institutions. They are neat and orderly, inside and out, and tend to have a procedure for everything they do. Reliable and dutiful…
- …steady, productive contributors. Typical ISTJs know just where they belong in life…
- …like to know the rules of the game… value predictability…rely on their past experience to guide them, and are most comfortable in familiar surroundings…trust the proven method, and appreciate the value of dedicated practice…
- …hardworking and will persist until a task is done…logical and methodical…enjoy tasks that require them to use step-by-step reasoning to solve a problem and bring order to their own small parts of the world.
- …serious, conservative air... (prefers)doing something useful even in social situations as they’re often more comfortable taking charge of a task than they are chatting up strangers…
- …practical and no-nonsense, and rarely call attention to themselves…clothes and possessions tend to be chosen based on utility rather than fashion…
- …popular hobbies include concentration games like chess and Trivial Pursuit, pursuing physical fitness, and playing solitary sports…
And here, for most of my life, I just thought I was a weirdo because I preferred to do different things than most of my peers in school, work and life.
Instead, I was an ISTJ.
Here are the characteristics of an Enneagram Five:
- …desire to conserve their energy and to avoid being drained by engagement with the outside world.
- …focus on being knowledgeable and competent so that they can be as self-sufficient as possible.
- …enjoy expanding their intellect, while minimizing their physical and relationship needs.
- …withdraw from relationships and maintain a minimalist lifestyle…
- …motivated by a desire to be competent and possess a strong understanding of their environment which drives them to a nearly constant state of learning and knowledge accumulation.
- In-depth knowledge on specific subjects of interest
- Thinks extensively before speaking
- Has clear boundaries between family, friends and work
- Withdrawn and extremely independent
- …work spaces are typically minimalist
- …fiercely non-conformist and care little about trends or accepted ways of progressing through the stages of life.
- …self-sufficient… crave freedom and autonomy from outer world influences.
- …little regard for social niceties and customs …
- …during times of uncertainty and confusion…holds a calm and steady mindset to analyze and figure out the best course of action…
- …energized by sending hours alone, tinkering with personal projects and research…
All of these personality traits from both tests described me with an uncanny degree of accuracy.
That’s interesting. But I already knew what my characteristics, values, beliefs and preferences were. What’s the point of doing this besides navel gazing?
That’s where this website really shined for me.
It provides in depth analysis of personality types in relationships. It lets you “match” your type with another personality type to identify areas of compatibility, potential communication issues, guidance for understanding where the other person is coming from, etc.
Since I happen to know MGLN’s MB type, I read through her personality characteristics and then “matched” us to better understand commonalities and differences. I found this quite useful in helping me understand better where she might be coming from and how I might be (umm…am) misinterpreting what she says sometimes.
It’s quite fascinating.
I’m curious to learn what her Enneagram type is. I have a guess, but it’s just speculative.
I wish I had paid more attention to this stuff when I was working. I really wish I had learned about it when I was a young teenager. It would have helped me know myself better. I would have made better education, career and lifestyle choices.
Most importantly, I wouldn’t have struggled as much with the thought that I was the odd man out for so many years.
I don’t struggle with that at all today. I learned through experience (mostly lots of mistakes and failures) who I am, what I believe and what is important to me. I like being the weirdo that I am.
I wonder, if I had been exposed to the MB and Enneagram stuff earlier, if I might have had an easier time learning these lessons. Perhaps not. Maybe I needed to experience the failures as much as gain the knowledge before I could learn.
But it did get me thinking, I’m going recommend this site to my friends and I’m going to encourage my sister to try it for her teenage son too.