I recently read something on Facebook that talked about how this certain person tries to be relatable in conversations by giving an anecdote of their own. For some, this can be seen as trying to be a one-upper, but to this person, they are just trying to show that they understand what you’re talking about.
I really felt that. I’ve never felt good at conversations, when I’m nervous I’ll end up talking about myself a lot. But it’s really because I’m just trying to show someone I’m listening by giving my own relatable story.
This is the habit of a type 4 enneagram. So I took a quiz! I am a type 4/5 enneagram. A type 4 is a strong creative who prides their self on being unique. You can read more about them here. The part of it that stuck out to me the most was the emptiness type 4’s feel. They have a hard time being satisfied because of their constant need for creativity and exploration of the inner self. They can also be self absorbed and defensive to criticism….which I am.
Type 5’s are curious and I think this goes hand in hand with my constant exploration of the inner self. You can read more about them here. Type 5’s can be extremely hard to crack as they don’t often open up. They draw clear boundaries and can be very withdrawn, which I hugely identify with.
Finding out my enneagram was eye opening and comforting to me. True to my types, I feel alone a lot and I feel very misunderstood. But it’s a place I kind of put myself. I am in constant confusion over how the world can work the way it does, how there is life and death, and how this is the life I’m supposed to lead.
Do you know your enneagram? Tell me about it in the comments!
Rosie Culture 
It’s been a while since I took the test and if I remember right, I’m a 5w6, which definitely made sense at the time. When I’ve mentioned it to people who know me, they’ve told me it definitely fits my personality.
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Interesting… I’m going to take the test
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let me know what you get!
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Eight is my strongest, with type 3 & 4 following closely 😀
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I love that enneagram gives you more than one! I think it’s hard to nail down a person to one kind of personality.
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Totally. Especially with their descriptions, which I thought were limited.
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I was a Type 1, which, as much as I was able to copy, said “Ones are defined by their belief that everything must be in order, and by their feeling that they must always be “right.” They show great commitment and determination to improve conditions that they find need improvement, and they are forward in encouraging others to improve their performance, too.”
So, yeah.
At their core, Ones are the “model children” of the Enneagram world—dutiful, responsible and perfection-seeking. At the same time, they are idealists, in the sense that they believe they know exactly how to perfect the world and they wonder why others do not see it. Many Ones proselytize about the one true set of rules; the one true course of action; or how things “ought” to be. They are often drawn to positions of teaching, advocacy or inspirational leadership where they can share their vision and seek to reform the world. As teachers, they are creative, exemplary and motivating.
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Do you classify yourself as a perfectionist? I feel like my personality is so far from type 1
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Very much so, although I’ve actually mellowed over the years from a stark raving mad perfectionist to a mere perfectionist.
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😂😂
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I think I’m pretty similar to you. I should probably take the test to find out what kind of ennagram I am.
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It’s kind of nice to know there are other people out there with similar personalities!
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Right? Even though as introverts we would probably never get around to talking about the similarities. Thank goodness for writing, or some people would never know what kind of person I was.
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I love personality tests like the Myers Briggs, the Gallup 5 Strengths Test, and the SDI color test…. but I’ve still never done an enneagram type test! I really need to though because it seems so interesting!
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Never done an enneagram test, in fact never heard of it before now. Be interesting to have a go though, may have a look around and see if I can find one to do.
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I love the Enneagram! I like it even better than Myers-Briggs (even though more people are familiar with Myers-Briggs) because the Enneagram talks more about core motivations and insecurities as it relates to behavior than just the external behavior itself.
I am a 4w5 SX, and using this to learn more about myself as well as recognizing others’ types in the Enneagram has really helped me to understand more where other people are coming from, even if I don’t always agree with their behaviors or opinions. So cool that you are starting to explore the Enneagram! Lots of cool Insta/Twitter accounts and other resources online to learn more. Always excited to chat about it!
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I just started looking into the accounts that talk about them more! There’s so much to explore
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I had seen other people posting on social media about their type and I finally took a quiz thanks to your post. I’m by far a Type 1 perfectionist, which I’m not surprised by haha. Then Type 2 Giver and Type 3 Achiever are a close tie for second.
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I just took the quiz and I was mostly a 6 with a little bit of 2. The 6 fit me for the most part. It was interesting to read the different types.
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I love hearing everyones results! Makes sense for a lot of people
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“I feel alone a lot and I feel very misunderstood. But it’s a place I kind of put myself. I am in constant confusion over how the world can work the way it does, how there is life and death, and how this is the life I’m supposed to lead.” So relatable ❤
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I need to take the test to see where I’m at. I do know that I’m aware and cautious of it. On Thanksgiving one of our family members was frustrated that she was turned down for nursing school for the third time. I explained, using myself as an example, how my novel was rejected over 100 times before a publisher signed me. My point was to keep trying and seek other ways to reach your goal.
I’m always careful if and when I talk about myself. The last thing I want to do is overshadow a conversation. I probably think to much about it which is why I rarely mention my book in a crowd.
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I need to be more careful too, but sometimes I wish people would just give feedback lol I’d just like to ask someone is my anecdote helpful or do you feel that it’s me being a one upper or something?
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Ah I have taken this exam before but I can’t remember what Type I am. I totally talk about myself, trying to relate, but I do notice some people think I am trying to one-up them, when I’m really I’m not! Type 4 sounds a lot like me.
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The Enneagram is crazy interesting to me at the moment. I went to a 3 day course last year and discovered I’m a true Type 9: The Peacemaker.
This means my greatest fears are feeling both internal and/or external conflict. I aim to make everyone feel heard and can truly understand everybody’s point of view. This can be frustrating for a Type 9 as they often feel unheard themselves and struggle to find who they really are instead of absorbing personalities from those around them.
Have you looked into what type you move to when you’re [mentally] healthy and unhealthy?
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I’ve read a little bit about the levels of development! Very eye opening because while it’s nice to know your type and that there are other people out there, it’s kind of scary to see what level you are and if you’re healthy or unhealthy
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I’m a 6w7 Type with the social instinct. I totally identify with the fear or anxiety about pretty much everything. I find that I can actually act more like a 3 (my stress) which makes me prone to overworking. I really value my family and friends and enjoy taking on lots of responsibility and feel a strong sense of a “calling” to go help people. I find that I often feel outside of myself, as though I am simply instructing myself what to do and how to act due to the pretty much constant anxiety I am very self-aware. I’ve struggled with sharing my own opinions and trusting that what I say is valid, as the Social 6 prefers to be very “by the book” almost to hide themselves behind facts and concepts and theories to impress others, but don’t think they themselves are impressive, just their hard work and intelligence is just a piece in the larger community which they take on a deep responsibility for. I guess I can also hide behind the “group” which is like a constant desire to be a bystander rather than involved. With that said, I’m pretty positive and loving socializing with friends (perhaps a contradiction?) and often talk with strangers, perhaps bringing out that Wing 7.
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Love this! I am a 4 w 3 🙂
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