Has the popular personality test gone too far in defining who people are?
When meeting someone new on Azusa Pacific’s campus, there seems to be an unofficial checklist of questions we need to run through in order to “fully know” someone. This conversation tracker includes asking: where are you from? What’s your major? Where did you live freshman year? And, most recently, what’s your enneagram?
Ah yes, the enneagram. In its simplest form, the enneagram is a personality test that places individuals into a “type” depending on their fears, desires, processing of emotions and other psyche factors. The enneagram dives deeper into analyzing people’s personalities with “wings” and “healthy versions” of a type. Essentially, the enneagram is like a horoscope for Christians.
There are nine distinct personalities, or “types,” to the enneagram, each with their own descriptive title. They are The One, The Reformer; The two, The Helper; The three, The Achiever; The Four, The Individualist; The Five, The Investigator; The Six, The Loyalist; The Seven, The Enthusiast; The Eight, The Challenger; and The Nine, The Peacemaker.
People all over have grabbed on and ran with the enneagram trend. There are meme accounts dedicated to roasting each type. On Instagram, there’s no shortage of doodle collages showing each type with the verse and biblical character that best matches their type. My favorite are posts that show what movie, character or quote would be assigned to what type.
Personally, I see significant benefits to the enneagram. Because unlike horoscopes, which are based solely on birth dates and star alignments, the enneagram’s goal is to give people more insight and guidance on themselves in order to progress into their best selves.
When I first got the results from my enneagram test, I immediately fell into a deep internet dive of every article, podcast and video I could find on my type. Like others who have taken the test, I enjoyed reading the flattering points of my personality, and even when reading the more negative aspects, I found myself thinking they were surprisingly accurate.
However, that’s not to say the enneagram is the final judge of one’s personality. This is where tests like the enneagram and Myers Brigg have the potential to become dangerous. When we place people in boxes, we limit their potential and coerce them into fitting one, strict definition of a single personality trait.
While I have found the enneagram to be one of the better personality tests, it still has its pitfalls. Towards the beginning of my enneagram journey, I latched onto the positive traits of my type and then pushed them to the boundary. My type, at its best, thrives on staying busy with a healthy work-life balance. When I first read this, I focused on the “busy” component of my personality and then used that to build my identity. I’d fill my planner with as many to-dos’s as could fit and prided myself on projects I put additional effort into.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with having things to accomplish and working hard. But, where I lost sight of the enneagram’s purpose is when I thought to be busy was one of my personality traits. Each type in the enneagram has its pros and cons, but where it becomes a problem is when people define themselves by their results.
No one can be completely defined by a test and several descriptive words picked by two men. Even those who perfectly fit a type’s description can have flashes of another type. Just because someone is a One who’s defined as a perfectionist with high self-control can let loose and move towards a Seven who thrives on spontaneity.
That’s the beauty of being human: we don’t have to be defined by anything. True, there may be certain traits or self-distinctions we hold close and use to identify ourselves with, but the core of our personality is fluid.
Tests such as the enneagram aren’t detrimental by themselves; it’s only when people use them to corner themselves into being something preordained by someone else. When personality tests are used for self-reflection they can be a wonderful catalyst for personal development. It’s just a matter of recognizing that people’s personalities cannot simply be defined by a four-letter combo or single number.
If you want to know your personality type you can take the test here!