What's My Type?
Point One: Perfectionist/Reformer/Idealist
At Point ONE you have an incredibly strong sense of how things should and ought to be. A sense of “what good looks like”. Deep down there’s idealism.
People at Point One feel acutely and painfully aware of a critical gap between how good things could be and where the world falls short. Attention goes to filling the gap: whatever needs to be addressed or improved. This drives them to constant action, constant doing! Quick to make an assessment, self-referencing and generally confident in their own opinion, those at One tend to use the language of right and wrong. Others may see a perfectionist who sets stringent, high standards, but for those at One, you will probably tell us you are just aiming for “good enough”.
Being conscientious is a natural survival strategy. Point One hallmarks include responsibility, integrity, clarity, pragmatism, structure and skill in turning ideas into practical action.
You can develop by taking time to relax and play, learning to accommodate imperfection and tuning down the sound of a harsh inner critic. It’s about softening into a world where you don’t need to try quite so hard. Believing that play and relaxation are one of life’s great gifts. You may discover that less is more and start enjoying the ride so much more.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Two: Helper/Giver/Befriender
At Point TWO, you need to feel seen, valued, liked, appreciated and above all needed by the people around you. You see the world in terms of relationships and your place within them. Attention goes to the quality of connection. This links to a sense of well-being that rests in the world of emotion.
At Two, people take pride in a natural ability to anticipate others’ feelings and needs and seek to be caring, helpful, generous and empathetic.
It’s vital to be in favour with the people who really matter, so smooth-talking may result. There is often an imbalance of ‘give and take’, so it can be harder to receive help from others and to recognise their own feelings and needs.
Being indispensable is a natural survival strategy. At Point Two you are gifted at reading the emotional climate, noticing the networked connections between people that are becoming stronger or weaker in the ebb and flow of life.
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You can develop by beginning to notice and recognise your own needs and starting to factor them in, to take them seriously – believe they matter! It often begins with learning to say ‘no’. It’s challenging, but it changes the way you live life and brings you new-found freedom.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Three: Performer/Achiever/Succeeder
At Point THREE you need the world to see your positive, efficient and successful approach to life. You’ll be positive, optimistic, competitive in many different situations and generally will like to win.
Attention goes to gaining approval – for doing a good job – and to delivering results. It feels vital to sustain a successful image, although this image can vary hugely from one setting to another. People at Point Three also enjoy reflected glory from their team or family. Good communication feels critical, in order to make fast and effective connections, whether one-to-one or across wider groups and networks.
With their radar is fine-tuned to the question ‘how am I coming across right now?’ people at Point Three naturally adapt their style, tone (and even clothing) to each new situation. They compare themselves to role model figures. Energetic, industrious and fast-paced they value feedback on personal productivity. Targets, milestones, metrics and markers of progress are positive incentives. Driven to stay busy, it’s vital to “keep the show on the road”.
There’s a danger that feelings are ignored as inconvenient, slowing things down. As high achievers they are impatient with roadblocks and feel agitated when the pace slows Admitting to problems, or worse still to failure, can be highly stressful. Maintaining that successful face – no matter what – can cost them dear..
At Point Three, your gifts lie in seeing and holding the vision: enthusing, motivating, building relationships and networks to drive teams and projects with high pace energy, not just at work but in family and personal life as well.
You can develop by slowing down and avoiding burnout. By valuing yourself for who you ARE (not just for what you DO or how you APPEAR) you begin to feel more grounded and gain a stronger sense of self that helps you open to all that life brings.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Four: Romantic/Artist/Individualist
At Point FOUR you ride an emotional wave where everything is felt intensely. The intensity of authentic connection, the pain of separation, the contrast between belonging and rejection: these are things you love and loathe. You can thrive on the margins.
At Four you may tell us, in a voice warm with nostalgia, that you feel homesick, lamenting a long-lost homeland or future dreamscape, just out of reach. It’s a world of paradox. Deep feeling is welcome, be it joy or pain, highs or lows.
Everyday calm seems attractive yet is rejected or disrupted – how dull! At Point Four people yearn to be different and unique, separating themselves from the crowd, yet may feel the pain of not belonging.
Everyday calm seems attractive yet is rejected or disrupted – how dull! At Point Four people yearn to be different and unique, separating themselves from the crowd, yet may feel the pain of not belonging.
The search for true love is compelling, as is self-fulfilment through a relationship with a special partner. Here, they long to be fully seen and understood but may pull back, fearing exposure, dreading abandonment.
Distant ideals draw them like a magnet but on coming close, are disappointing. Super-sensitive to their environment and the emotions of those around them, people at Point Four may feel thin-skinned, even porous. They have the gift of bringing beauty and emotional depth into our lives, through art, or simply by making the moment special: a touch of theatre maybe.
You can develop by gaining a better balance of mind-body-emotion. Through mindful self-awareness you can observe the emotional wave without it being an all-consuming ride. You’ll begin to find relationships get stronger, life is calmer and there’s new-found inner strength.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Five: Observer/Thinker/Specialist
At Point FIVE you are concerned with remaining self-sufficient, level-headed, calm and well-informed about anything you have to deal with.
It’s vital to know what’s required of you; how much time, energy and attention is demanded and when you’ll next have uninterrupted time alone to re-charge.
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When it’s noisy, crowded, or overly emotional the pressure mounts and the need for time alone feels still more pressing. It’s easy to withdraw into a newspaper, a book, a laptop, the data on your phone. Or simply to disappear into the mind.
A quiet exterior belies an active inner world. In apparent stillness, your mind is rarely still and moves fast, reasoning, evaluating, linking ideas and concepts, forward planning. Interruptions jar the senses and require a re-focusing of attention.
People at Point Five are often reserved, sometimes slow to act or even to share a view unless invited in. It’s important first to gain a full and balanced view and helps to have notice of a question. Time and space to think. Emotion clouds the picture. Being well-informed is vital! Only then can a full account be offered. Surprise visitors – surprise events – are generally unwelcome. It’s good to keep different parts of life clearly delineated, if not firmly apart.
At Five you have the great gift of maintaining a steady hand, standing firm, consistent, loyal, level-headed, when all around are in turmoil.
You can develop by stepping more readily into action and into life, with encouragement and support. Seeming unemotional, there’s deep sensitivity beneath the calm exterior: a recognition that may surprise both you and others. It’s helpful to become more aware of how much you long for the warmth of company and connection. As you begin to allow these feelings – and many more besides – so you become better integrated within yourself and better able to take your place within the living web of life.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Six: Loyal Sceptic/Devil’s Advocate/Questioner
At Point Six your mind is on ‘fast forward’ with a pragmatic focus on what’s happening now and how it will all play out in future. “If this, then that and that too…” You run it through, quick as a flash, from from A-Z.
Your radar is constantly tuned to potential risk in the world around. Your mind whirring in constant motion as you look for certainty in an uncertain world. It’s vital to stay alert. It makes sense to be scanning, planning and well-prepared for all contingencies.
You may be accused of pouring cold water on others’ plans with “yes but..” and “what if?” But you’re simply being realistic, looking out for them. Who and what can be relied on? In a world of misinformation, you must search, check and ask advice.
So many questions - it’s a good thing you’ve a dry sense of humour. Trusting or challenging authority. Risk-averse or risk-taking. Fearing the worst, yet calm and capable if disaster does strike.
At Point Six you may be a gifted project manager, organiser and risk-assessor, with highly tuned skills in scanning and observation. You’ll often stand up for those society has marginalised or neglected. You’re a loyal and trusted colleague or friend.
You can develop by recognising your own courage and inner authority, drawing confidence from your good decisions and positive past action. Practices for physical grounding and deep breath work help. As you become steadier and more self-assured you gain faith in people and the world around you. Life becomes less stressful and more relaxed.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Seven: Epicure/Enthusiast/Optimist
At Point Seven your internal world brings fireworks, sparks flying in all directions as the mind spins and turns with future possibility.
There’s a high-energy buzz to life that needs sustaining. Ideas are the stuff of freedom and your imagination is a constant companion, tempting you with exciting future options, drawing you away from the limiting and sometimes painful reality of the present moment.
Attention quickly moves up, out and away. “What’s next? What are the options? There must be a way out. A way around this task that’s quicker, lighter, more fun.” Scanning for ideas, opportunities and escape routes, people at Seven love life to be playful, spontaneous and full of variety.
The fear of missing out is very real, so the pace is fast. You can charm to disarm, spin things – frame them - any which way. Fast-thinking, fast-talking, multi-tasking, juggling ideas and options. The fantasy of doing something is sometimes more compelling than the thing itself. Wanting it all, at Seven you can miss the moment, miss life as it flies by. Deep, present experience, the emotions of the moment can elude, bringing the risk of being too deep, too painful. Keep it upbeat! High energy, high pace, self-determined fast action is the spice of life. The idea of continuity and of rest is a tedious necessity, seeming like a prison-sentence.
People at Seven are often gifted strategists, highly skilled at future-search activities, creative thinkers and innovators who see patterns and perspectives others miss. Self-determining and self-evaluating, there is less concern for others’ opinion. They bring optimism, positive energy and lift the mood.
You can develop by learning to pause and breathe more deeply. It helps to bring structure, rhythm, and to apply yourself more consistently. Settle into doing just one thing, even when this goes against the grain. When you allow your heart the freedom to feel and experience more fully you discover how things change. Relationships grow stronger and more meaningful. Freedom takes a new form as life gains breadth AND depth, not just superficial variety, but real substance.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Eight: Protector/Boss/Challenger
At Point Eight there’s a raw energy, a fighting spirit, a life-force to be reckoned with. You stand firm and strong in the conviction that injustice demands action and must be addressed.
It’s a gut response: sensed in the body and acted on without a moment’s hesitation. Half measures are not an option: it’s all or nothing.
Extremes are familiar, there’s a hunger for more. It may be all action or all rest. Being grounded, having self-assurance, knowing where you stand and where others stand too.
People at Eight square up to life, to people and what's demanded by situations. Warm-hearted and hugely protective to those on their team/side, they make the greatest of friends and allies. Lose their trust and there’s no going back. Beneath the powerful exterior there’s often a huge and sensitive heart that’s well-protected.
A leadership vacuum is quickly filled, not necessarily through a desire to lead, but by a desire NOT to be controlled by others, especially someone ineffectual. Your power may be instantly sensed by others as a big, charismatic energy and you’ve been told you can be too much. Or you may bring a reserved, quieter strength that’s less visible.
At Point Eight people are often gifted leaders and motivators, relentless in their commitment and staying power, skilled at driving project teams into sustained action. But when not on form, it can be the total reverse for self and others.
You can develop by softening. Notice the urge to control, the impulse to act. Try pausing and breathing through it. You might experiment with allowing others to come a little closer. This gives you the chance to connect with them in new ways. This can lead you to stronger friendships and a sense of greater support.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]
Point Nine: Mediator/Peacemaker/Negotiator
At Point Nine you need calm, comfort and a strong felt sense of peace and harmony, both within you and in your surroundings. This includes the people you’re with, the physical space you’re in and the wider organisation or community. You experience it as one, merged and whole.
When everything is connected, flowing, all parts heard, respected and allowed their place, then there’s ease and wellbeing. Disrupt any part of the whole – someone or something is upset or out of kilter - then there’s immediate unease.
Every voice matters, is valid and deserves a hearing. Even your own, although you may be the last to speak. Naming an issue brings the risk of upset or conflict, so it’s generally easier to stay quiet.
Active on others’ behalf, you may have a stop-start, hold-back pattern: a reluctance to take action with regard to your own needs. You may not notice what these needs are? And when you do, you occasionally feel angry that they’re not met. Or perhaps may be stubbornly resistant, quietly resentful or irritated.
At Nine people find their comfort zone in being drawn along, following the flow while focused on others’ agendas. Decision-making is a collaborative affair. They may be reluctant to be seen, or to take public credit.
At their best, people at Nine are gifted mediators, facilitators and leaders who excel in collaboration and service. They enable the best possible contribution of team or family members. They bring a sense of calm combined with an exceptional ability to listen and hold the space for others.
You can develop by recognising and valuing your own needs and agendas as much as you value others’. Allow your voice to be heard – your voice also matters! Notice yourself going to sleep on your feelings and desires, including buried anger. By being more aware, you can discover your power. It’s a life force you’re holding back on, yet it’s badly needed: to benefit the world around you and YOU yourself.
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[On this website we use Type or Point. You’ll also hear people talk about having an Enneagram Style, Pattern, Base or Home-base.]