# How accurate do you think Enneagram personality Theory is?



## ntfbfi (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi, I recenlty have done the Enneagram personality test. It shows I am a type 4 with no stand out wing. The thing is i don't think I fit into the description. Moreover, it contradicted with the result of another personality test that I have also taken.
Does it happen to you too? What do you think about it?


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## shanoxilt (Dec 5, 2008)

I think all current personality tests are pseudo-science. 
enneagram - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com


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## shanoxilt (Dec 5, 2008)

Personality Tests 
http://www.indiana.edu/~jobtalk/HRMWebsite/hrm/articles/develop/mbti.pdf



> personality tests
> 
> Keirsey.com promised that the discovery of my personality type would be a quiet moment of self-revelation; but for me it was more like a quiet moment of self-love. I became engorged with pride at my own personality description; I fell in love with the passionate, sensitive, loving, intelligent, and yet cruelly overlooked creature it described. I was an INFP, an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiver, a "Healer Idealist", a poet and visionary, a modern-day Sir Galahad, the second coming of Jesus. I was an INFP, and as I did the personality test several times more, I deliberately answered to make myself even more an INFP. And each time I just got more confirmation of what I wanted.
> 
> ...


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## ntfbfi (Sep 6, 2009)

I am stunned; I believe I had thought about this theory more or less in a unconscious way. However, I thought about it when it happens to others but never question it when it comes to me. I guess I am as shallow as others. I only believe what I want to believe.


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## Psilo (Apr 29, 2009)

Personality theories aren't science. That doesn't mean they're useless.

I think the biggest trap is to fall into using the theories as the end definition, instead of as a vague guide.

I don't get the enneagram. I've tried since many people here are gung ho about it. The definitions seem arbitrary and I cant actually see them in action in people. The enneagram does not serve my needs so I don't use it. There are plenty of people who can make it work for them, and that's cool too.

MB does. MB labels aspects of people I've understood for a while and makes it easier for me to understand people. What it doesn't, and can't, do is define people. To use any system to define people is limiting. I'm not a purist and I take liberties to match the theory to my experience, not the other way around. 

It's all in about what you are looking for and what you want. If you want a how-to guide for people, it doesn't exist. If you want a scientifically backed system, it doesn't exist. If you do find a system that serves your needs, great. It's only what you choose to take out of it.


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## 480 (Jan 22, 2009)

Currently all personality tests, are just tests. The tests are limited because they seek to guess at the way your mind works by asking questions based on global variables that typically apply... but not always. The enneagram tests are especially poor because the theory is based reasons and motives for doing things... and the tests attempt to match you up with questions that measure trait qualities that it assigns to certain types. 

Take aggressiveness/assertiveness for example. The tests put that under type 8. But many enneagram types can be aggressive/assertive. So the tests give those types very strong 8 scores, and may even type them as 8... but they're not 8.
(type 3, 7w8s, 6w5s, some 5s... even 2s can be very assertive)

It's irresponsible to base a negative opinion of a system on tests. Take a look at the theory, check out the profiles... and decide for yourself. Or don't... doesn't really matter to me.

For what it is worth, people that mistype as 4s most often end up being type 9.

9 - Enneagram Type Nine: The Peacemaker

There's a logical and measurable reason for this that you'll have a hard time finding in the profiles. 9s have the foggiest sense of self... meaning a type 9 can often look inward not see much, and wonder "Who am I?". This often leaves type 9s feeling as though they need to find some sense of identity. The tests check for type 9 with questions about calmness. The tests ask questions about identity and a 9 wants to know who they are. So they answer in a way that reflects wanting to find out their identity. The difference is type 4s *create* identities for themselves, they don't need to seek it. I've never heard of a 4 mistyping as a 9.


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## Marino (Jun 26, 2009)

Yeah, these theories are made to put names to things that would otherwise be without titles. I find seeing things written out help me understand them much better as opposed to having to learn from experience with people. There is no scientific basis, but that does not mean they are useless. That would be similar to calling poetry useless, or any subjective writings for that matter.


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## Verdant Hollow (Aug 25, 2009)

Enneagram doesn't work at all for me. I don't fit into any of the numbers or their wings nicely at all. Also, unlike MBTI, I don't see the informal reasoning behind the categories. The "connections" between the different types seems even more vague, casting more doubt.

MBTI works somewhat better, but it's still really loose. You do see patterns with people though, and many of its major predictions pan out pretty well. You notice Ns hanging out with Ns more often. You know where on a college campus to go for your INTPs, ISTJs, ESTJs, ISFPs, etc. It's not science, and it doesn't work for everyone, but it's a nifty little informal guide to personalities


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