The Enneagram: the best personality test

Why are we fascinated by personality tests ?

Personality tests have fascinated the general public for decades. Whether it's a question of discovering “what a novel hero you are” or assessing your character traits, these tests offer a fun way to explore your personality. Why is it so popular? On the one hand, they promise to reveal something new about ourselves - an irresistible promise of inner discovery. On the other hand, they create a sense of belonging: belonging to a type or profile makes us feel understood and less alone in our quirks. In short, these tests feed our natural curiosity and need for connection. Among them all, one tool stands out for its depth and transformative power: the Enneagram. In this article, we'll find out why the Enneagram is so fascinating, and how it stands out as one of the best personality systems for self-knowledge and self-fulfillment.

What is the Enneagram ?

The Enneagram is an original personality typology model describing nine main profiles and their interrelationships . The word comes from the Greek ennea (nine) and gramma (sign), literally “nine-point figure”. . These nine points, equidistantly distributed on a circle, are linked by an inner line forming a nine-pointed star. . Each point corresponds to a particular personality type. Unlike other approaches, the Enneagram is less concerned with visible behaviors than with the deeper motivations behind them. . In other words, it's not so much what you do that defines your type, but why you do it - the unconscious fear or desire that largely guides your actions.

This geometric symbol illustrates the dynamic structure of the system . Indeed, the nine Enneagram types are not isolated categories, but connected points indicating possible evolutionary paths between them. . Thus, each main type is connected to two others: one towards which it tends in the integration or personal growth phase, and another towards which it slides in the disintegration phase under stress. . These lines and interactions give the Enneagram a unique evolutionary dimension, which we'll describe in greater detail below. For now, let's remember that the Enneagram presents nine basic profiles, numbered from 1 to 9, each associated with its own worldview, motivations and behavioral patterns.

The nine personality types

• 1 : The Perfectionist – idealistic, moral and organized, striving for constant improvement.
• 2 : The Caregiver – altruistic and empathetic, likes to help others and seeks acceptance.
• 3 : The Performer – success-oriented, ambitious and adaptable, it wants to be valued.
• 4 : The Individualist – original and sensitive, in search of authenticity and personal identity.
• 5 : The Investigator – curious and detached, motivated by knowledge and autonomy.
• 6 : The Loyalist – secure and far-sighted, in search of security and loyal to its group.
• 7 : The Enthusiast – optimistic and adventurous, eager for experience and freedom, fears boredom.
• 8 : The Challenger – confident and direct, likes to take the lead and fears weakness.
• 9 : The Peacemaker – accommodating and serene, seeks inner harmony and shuns conflict.

Each of these nine profiles has its own strengths, fears and modus operandi. According to the Enneagram, we all have a basic type that takes shape early in childhood and guides the way we react to the world . We can recognize ourselves to some extent in each profile, but one of them should stand out as the one that most accurately describes us . This is our main enneatype, the one whose fundamental motivation resonates most with our personality.

Where does this 9-type model come from  ?

The Enneagram has eclectic origins, blending ancient wisdom and modern psychology. According to some authors, its roots go back more than 2,500 years to the teachings of Eastern philosophers and mystics . Traces of a nine-point system can be found among Sufis in the 14th^th century, and even in schools inspired by Pythagoras . However, the Personality Enneagram as we know it today was formalized in the XX^th century. Philosopher Georges Gurdjieff introduced the Enneagram symbol to Europe in the early 1900s, emphasizing its esoteric character. Later, in the 1960s-70s, psychologist Oscar Ichazo and psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo developed the concept of the nine personality types, incorporating psychological insights . Ichazo, originally from Bolivia, taught his system in South America, and Naranjo passed it on to students in the United States, laying the foundations for the worldwide dissemination of the Enneagram. Since then, numerous authors (Don Riso, Russ Hudson, Helen Palmer, etc.) have refined the model and written reference works. Today, the Enneagram is used in personal development, coaching, popular psychology and even in some companies - while retaining its dual heritage as an ancestral tool and a modern approach to personality.

The benefits of the Enneagram for self-knowledge and personal development

If the Enneagram is attracting so much interest, it's because it offers concrete benefits to those who use it to grow. Here are a few of the model's major contributions:

• In-depth self-knowledge - The Enneagram helps us to put our finger on our unconscious motivations - that “motive that drives us to repeat the same patterns of behavior” and of which we were not always aware . By identifying our profile, we can better understand why we react in a certain way, what fears or deep-seated desires guide our choices. It's a real awareness-raising tool.
• Understanding others - By discovering that there are 9 different worldviews, we develop an open mind. The Enneagram invites us to consider other possible points of view, rather than thinking that everyone operates as we do . We better understand the way our loved ones, colleagues or partners operate, which naturally leads to more empathy and less judgment.
• Improving relationships and communication - Knowing yourself and the enneatypes of your interlocutors enables you to adjust your communication. We learn to adapt our communication style to the other person's sensitivity . For example, some types prefer to be direct, while others need more tact and patience . The Enneagram thus offers a language for understanding each person's relational needs, which improves the quality of relationships, whether professional, friendly or romantic. By anticipating what may hurt or motivate the other person, we can avoid many misunderstandings and conflicts.
• Developing your potential - The Enneagram is not just a static photograph of your personality: it's a tool for personal development. Each profile highlights our strengths and weaknesses and indicates a path for growth . By understanding our automatisms, we can work to break out of our comfort zone and develop complementary qualities. For example, a Type 4 (Individualist), by becoming aware of his or her tendency towards envy or melancholy, can work to cultivate greater objectivity and emotional balance . Similarly, a type 8 (Challenger) will learn to develop empathy, a type 2 (Helper) to set limits, and so on. The Enneagram offers a roadmap for inner growth by transforming our weaknesses and fully releasing our talents.

In short, using the Enneagram enables us to know ourselves better, understand others better and improve the quality of our day-to-day interactions . It's a consciousness-accelerator that helps us avoid our habitual pitfalls and become the best version of ourselves.

Enneagram vs. MBTI, DISC & Big Five

There are, of course, other personality tools, the best-known of which are undoubtedly the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), the DISC and the Big Five. How does the Enneagram differ from these tests?

MBTI : This indicator defines 16 personality types based on 4 cognitive preference dimensions (Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, Judging/Perception). The MBTI profiles how you perceive the world and make decisions, and these types tend to remain relatively stable over a lifetime . It is widely used in professional contexts, for example to promote teamwork or leadership . The Enneagram, on the other hand, takes a different approach: it focuses on the individual's deep emotional motivations, fears and desires, rather than on his or her mental preferences . What's more, the Enneagram emphasizes personal development and an individual's potential to evolve, whereas the MBTI proposes more fixed types.

DISC : The DISC model categorizes behaviors into four main styles: Dominant, Influential, Stable and Conscientious. It is widely used in business to improve communication, team management and sales. DISC focuses on the way a person acts or interacts in a given, often professional, context. Unlike the Enneagram, it does not address deeper motivations or unconscious mechanisms. The Enneagram therefore enables a more introspective and evolutionary exploration, whereas DISC is a highly pragmatic behavioral tool, focusing on adaptation to the relational context.

Big Five : The so-called “Big Five” model describes personality along five independently treated dimensions (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism). It's not a test with categorical results, but a continuous profile: everyone falls somewhere along each axis (e.g. more or less extroverted, more or less open-minded, etc.). The Big Five is now the dominant model in scientific personality research, as personality is seen as a set of measurable traits rather than discrete types . Here again, the Enneagram distinguishes itself by offering nine distinct archetypes (with their internal nuances), making it a more narrative and introspective tool. You could say that the Big Five describes who we are on certain traits, while the Enneagram explains why we act as we do, thanks to its nine types motivated by specific fears/desires .

Complementary approaches: There isn't necessarily one “best” universal tool, because it all depends on how it's used. MBTI and DISC are prized for better team communication or career guidance, while the Big Five is used for objective psychological assessment (particularly in recruitment) . The Enneagram, on the other hand, excels as a guide to personal growth and in-depth understanding of oneself and others . In fact, many people use these tools in a complementary way - they can each offer a different and enriching insight into the complexity of the human personality.

What makes the Enneagram unique? ?

Beyond its popularity, the Enneagram has several unique characteristics that explain why it is often considered one of the most comprehensive and transformative personality tests:

• Motivation first: As mentioned, the Enneagram doesn't just describe how you are, it seeks to reveal why you are the way you are. Each type is defined by a central unconscious motivation (a fundamental quest and fear) that guides our behavior. . For example, type 3 (Performer) wants to succeed at all costs and will fear failure or insignificance, type 6 (Loyalist) seeks security and fears abandonment, and so on. This “internal motor” approach makes the Enneagram particularly profound: it helps to bring our inner mechanisms to light, rather than remaining on the surface of outer attitudes.
• Dynamic profiles (evolutionary paths) : The Enneagram considers personality to be alive and evolving. Our traits are not fixed, but vary according to our level of stress or security . Each type thus has two arrows: one pointing towards another type whose characteristics it adopts in the integration phase (positive evolution or blossoming), and the other towards a type whose shortcomings it adopts in the disintegration phase (under pressure or in regression) . For example, a highly self-actualized type 9 (Peacemaker) may become more assertive and effective, like a type 3, while under stress he or she may display the anxiety and self-doubt of a type 6 . These evolutionary paths offer everyone a direction for working on themselves: they show what we look like when we're growing up, and what we need to watch out for when we're not doing well. Few tests offer this kind of personal development mapping within the model itself.
• The concept of wings: Another specificity of the Enneagram is that no one is an isolated pure type . Each of us is also influenced by the types adjacent to ours on the circle, known as wings. Your basic type is flanked by two possible wings (for example, a type 1 has a wing 9 or 2, depending on his personality). In general, one of the wings is dominant and colors the basic personality by adding nuances, sometimes even contradictory traits . Thus, a type 1 (Perfectionist) with a 9 wing will be more relaxed and diplomatic, while with a 2 wing he'll be warmer and more helpful in addition to being a perfectionist. Wings contribute to making each person unique, even among individuals of the same enneatype.
• Levels of development: Finally, the Enneagram incorporates a notion of the type's “levels of health”, developed by Don Riso and Russ Hudson. Each profile can be experienced on a continuum ranging from a very healthy, balanced expression of its traits, to an average expression, to very dysfunctional behaviors in an awkward or extreme state . These 9 levels of development describe how attitudes of the same type change according to the person's degree of maturity or stress . This is a crucial aspect: two individuals of the same type may seem very different if one is psychologically fulfilled and the other in great difficulty . Taking these levels into account adds vertical depth to the model: the Enneagram doesn't just give nine fixed labels, it also shows the possible upward (liberation, improvement) or downward (blockages, self-destructive behaviors) evolution within each type . This ties in with the idea that the Enneagram is a genuine tool for personal progression, not just another test.

By bringing these elements together - a typology based on motivations, mechanisms of wings and arrows of evolution, and levels of development - the Enneagram offers a nuanced and dynamic reading of personality. This is why its followers say that it is not a simple test, but a map of the soul's journey, accompanying the person in his or her transformation over time.

Concrete examples of types

To better visualize what these profiles cover, let's take a few simplified examples from among the nine types:

Type 1: The Perfectionist

- Let's imagine Alice, who always wants to do well. She sets herself very high standards and has a keen sense of organization and detail. Type 1s strive to be good, flawless and fair, being disciplined and demanding of themselves and others . Their main challenge is to deal with the frustration or anger that comes from anything that derails them from their high standards (mistakes, injustices, imperfections) . For example: Alice may spend her evening polishing up an already very good report, because one little mistake or inaccuracy is unbearable for her. In a team, it's the conscientious colleague who spots the forgotten typo or the procedure not followed. Her integrity and reliability are appreciated, even if her critical side can sometimes be intimidating. Deep down, the Perfectionist acts this way because he wants to be a good person and fears doing wrong or being wrong.

Type 2: The Caregiver

- Bruno is the good friend you can always count on. Spontaneously a good listener, he'll know how to comfort you and won't hesitate to do you a favor. Type 2s are generous, caring people who tend to take care of others before themselves . They have a deep desire to be loved and appreciated, and a fear of not being worthy of love or of being rejected . This drives them to be indispensable and to fulfill other people's needs, sometimes to the detriment of their own needs, which they find difficult to express. Example: Bruno is the one who will organize his colleague's surprise birthday party, or take care of the logistics at family gatherings without being asked. He takes pride and happiness in supporting others. On the other hand, he may sometimes do too much or expect too little in return. Learning to say no and to receive help in turn is part of his growth path.

Type 9: The Peacemaker

- Finally, let's take Camille, the group's mediator, always on the lookout for harmony. Type 9s are peaceful, accommodating and seek to keep the peace around them . They aspire to inner serenity and balance, and fear conflict and separation above all . To preserve this harmony, they tend to avoid confrontation and adapt to others, sometimes to the point of forgetting themselves. Example: in meetings, Camille is the one who tempers heated debates, makes concessions or proposes compromises to please everyone. In her family, she's the one who likes to play the role of peacemaker, defusing tensions between loved ones. On the other hand, her desire to please and avoid disputes can lead her to suppress her own needs and opinions. Her personal challenge is to dare to assert her voice, even if this means causing minor disagreements - because in trying to avoid conflict, the Peacemaker risks missing out on herself.

These summary portraits give a flavour of each type. Of course, each individual is more complex than these caricatures: a Peacemaker type 9 is not just calm and easy-going in all circumstances, any more than all Perfectionists are obsessed with tidiness. Everyone integrates elements of their own wings and evolves according to their own experience. Nevertheless, many people are struck by how finely the Enneagram can describe patterns of behavior they recognize in themselves or in those close to them. It's often a relief to say “Ah, I'm not weird: others function like me!” and a source of inspiration to evolve, observing how others of my type have overcome their difficulties.

Take an Enneagram test online for free

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Beware, however: the Enneagram, more than a simple test, is a tool for personal discovery. The result of the questionnaire is only a point of reflection, not an absolute verdict set in stone. We recommend that you read the descriptions of the suggested types carefully, and see which one really resonates with your experience . Sometimes, the test may give you the wrong type, either because you've answered according to what you'd like to be, or because some neighbouring types can be confusing. So take time for personal reflection: explore the profiles of the two or three types that came out on top in your test, discuss them with people close to you who know you well, observe your reactions in different situations... This process can take time, and that's normal.

Above all, keep in mind that the Enneagram is not designed to put you in a box. As one expert puts it, it's first and foremost “an inner journey that enables you to understand how you function... not a fixed label” . The aim is not to say “I'm Type X so I'll never change”, but rather to use this knowledge as a starting point. Every profile has strengths to develop and weaknesses to work on - and we all have the capacity to evolve. In fact, you may well recognize traits in more than one type, which is perfectly normal, since no human being is monolithic . Your basic type is simply the one that best corresponds to your deepest motivations at the time, but it can evolve as you work on yourself.

In conclusion, taking an online Enneagram test is an excellent way to find out more about your personality. Do it in a fun and open way, then use the results with discernment. The Enneagram is at its best if you approach it with humility and curiosity: the test won't tell you who you are for sure, it's up to you to make the most of what it reveals. Armed with this advice, all you have to do is try your hand at the adventure: ready to discover which of the 9 faces of the soul could be yours? The journey has just begun, and it could well change the way you look at yourself and others. Happy exploring!