How To Type Other People

I'm going to be completely honest here, and the truth of the matter is...

It really can’t be done!!

When I just started out, I will admit I was guilty of wanting to type those around me. I obsessively tried to get friends, family, and even strangers to take various tests as I was beyond excited to know if I had guessed an individual's type correctly. Now that I understand the enneagram more; I know that the enneagram is so much more complex than what I previously believed.

This blog is NOT intended to help you determine the Enneagram profile of anyone else, it’s hard enough to type yourself! The Enneagram asks us to take a magnified look of ourselves and uncover our true, underlying motives that drive our external behavior. Even for as long as we know someone (say a spouse of 30 years)- your closeness to the person compromises your own objectivity and bias. All we can truly identify are our own projections of another person. That being said; this can also be extremely helpful to you and provide some insights on how you navigate relationships. For example, as a sensitive four with a five wing, I am particularly defensive around the enneagram 1’s ‘perfectionistic’ and ‘moralistic’ energy. Knowing I am experiencing someone as a 1, allows me to approach the relationship with a higher level of compassion for the both of us. As easy as it would be to be able to place a number on a partner, or a friend or a collegue; it simply cannot be done as simply as some enneagram coaches believe. We are more than our labels, than our numbers or our Myer Brigg's or our strength finders. The enneagram is not about putting ourselves or our loved ones in a box with a bright, colorful label saying "FIVE." The enneagram is about taking ourselves out of our limiting beliefs and exploring the complexities of our loved ones, and our own inner world.