enneacents
small insights
deep transformation
guidance from Accredited Enneagram Practitioner and Life Coach Kara Koon
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Because the smallest shifts create the biggest change.
How to find your type
The Enneagram is a model of nine personality perspectives. We all access all nine types to some degree, but one type — your core type — drives your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors most of the time.
Finding your type can be straightforward for some, but for others, it takes time. The journey is rewarding!
Start exploring:
Choose a type that resonates with you. A quiz can be a helpful first step. I like Truity’s Enneagram personality test for its visual pie chart results. Paid questionnaires, like the iEQ9 Enneagram questionnaire, can give more detailed insights.
“Try it on,” like testing a new pair of pants. Observe how often your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors match that type.
Notice yourself under security, like everything is right with the world, versus emotional stress. Patterns often shift depending on the situation.
Spend some time observing your motivations. If it doesn’t feel right, try another type. The key is noticing your underlying drives, not just external behaviors.
It's all about the underlying drive
You may not relate to ALL of the traits/behaviors associated with your enneagram type - and that’s okay - because the key to your enneagram type is the underlying and unconscious motivation (not external behavior).
This is why it's very difficult to guess another person’s type - because type is determined by unconscious drives, which others cannot see.
Learning the Enneagram is often more effective than reading a lot of self-help books because it provides individualized insight into what is driving our thinking, feeling, and behavior patterns and shows us a view of our growth path from behind our own specific lens.
9 Motivations
the driver (desire) for each type
Type 1: to have integrity and wholeness, to be correct
Type 2: to be loved, liked, and appreciated
Type 3: to be valuable and have success
Type 4: to be oneself and authentic, to find meaning
Type 5: to be competent and capable
Type 6: to be secure, safe, and supported
Type 7: to be happy and satisfied, to experience pleasure
Type 8: to protect oneself, to be strong and independent
Type 9: to be at peace and experience harmony
Essence
From the time we are born, we develop coping skills to handle conflict and frustration. Combined with our genetic predispositions, these shape our personality type.
Our personality can help us cope — but it can also move us away from our true, foundational nature, our inner Essence. We sometimes forget the core of who we are.
By becoming aware of our coping patterns (especially those that don’t serve us) and the motivations behind them, we move closer to experiencing the Essence of our being.
Reactions to learning your E-type
You might feel unexpected emotions when you learn about your Enneagram type.
Maybe you thought everyone experienced the world the way you do — and discovering differently can be surprising.
You might feel relieved to understand why you operate the way you do. It can be comforting to know that there are others who see the world similarly, and you are not alone.
Some emotional turbulence may arise when seeing personal, even lifelong, struggles outlined clearly.
Remember that you are on a PATH away from ineffective patterns, and a move toward liberation - accessing resources you didn't know were there.
Whatever your reactions, know that I send you mounds of positivity as you continue your journey of self discovery.
Verbally processing what you learn
Learning your Enneagram type can bring up deep memories and strong feelings about how personality has impacted you over the years — and how it affects you now.
It can be important to process your insights by talking to someone — a coach, therapist, family member, spouse, or close friend.
Please reach out and talk to someone!
No enneagram type is better than another
No enneagram type is better than another
You might notice biases — favoring or disfavoring certain types. Over time, it becomes clear that the most important factor is self-awareness, integration, and “health”.
Your biases will be untangled as it becomes clearer that each Enneagram type is simply a different yet equally valuable perspective on the world.
Understanding this allows us to feel compassion for those who are still growing in self-awareness, regardless of Enneagram type.
It also allows us to be compassionate with ourselves, recognizing that our own growth is ongoing.
Next...
Navigating Life with the Enneagram: The Enneagram as a Map
Understanding the 9 personalities: The 9 types
Make Big Shifts with the Enneagram: the Enneagram as a Tool
Copyright© 2022 Kara Koon. All rights reserved.
*website photos credited to unsplash.com
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