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What’s Your Type?

One of my fascinations, turned most usable tool in my artillery, was research into personality. Getting to know yourself is great insight on how to understand others.  

The predictability of human interaction was opened to me once I realized the benefits of understanding personality types. There is an endless supply of info on this topic in books and online. There are many free personality tests and metrics you can find by just googling it. Each will give you slightly different insight. Two I have found most useful have been discovering your Enneagram number and the Myer Briggs. There are free options online for both. Do search and find your fit (or take a few).

Enneagram will place you in a number 1-9:

1. THE REFORMER (sometimes referred to as The Perfectionist)
   • The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
2. THE HELPER
   • The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
3. THE ACHIEVER
   • The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
4. THE INDIVIDUALIST
   • The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
5. THE INVESTIGATOR
   • The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
6. THE LOYALIST
   • The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
7. THE ENTHUSIAST
   • The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
8. THE CHALLENGER
   • The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
9. THE PEACEMAKER
   • The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent

Personalities will relate to traits from each number, but you will align more with one or two. Your answers to a series of questions will be quickly analyzed. Each system has their own way of presenting the data. Some will give you percentages of how much you fall into to each category and which is your dominant. Most commonly with Enneagram, you will be given a number and a wing. The wing will be the number before or after your dominant number. This will tell you where you stand but also where you lean. When the traits of your dominant personality are not serving, you will revert to the traits of your wing naturally.

The Myers Briggs test is similar in nature. The Myers Briggs is sometimes also referred to as MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator). The shorten title is fitting because the results of this analysis will be given to you in the form of 4 letters.

Extraversion vs. Introversion

How do you gain energy? Extraverts like to be with others and gain energy from people and the environment. Introverts gain energy from alone-time and need periods of quiet reflection throughout the day.

Sensing vs. Intuition

How do you collect information? Sensors gather facts from their immediate environment and rely on the things they can see, feel and hear. Intuitives look more at the overall context and think about patterns, meaning, and connections.

Thinking vs. Feeling

How do you make decisions? Thinkers look for the logically correct solution, whereas Feelers make decisions based on their emotions, values, and the needs of others.

Judging vs. Perceiving

How do you organize your environment? Judgers prefer structure and like things to be clearly regulated, whereas Perceivers like things to be open and flexible and are reluctant to commit themselves.

ENTJ The Commander Strategic leaders, motivated to organize change	INTJ The Mastermind Analytical problem-solvers, eager to improve systems and processes	ENTP The Visionary Inspired innovators, seeking new solutions to challenging problems	INTP The Architect Philosophical innovators, fascinated by logical analysis
ENFJ The Teacher Idealist organizers, driven to do what is best for humanity	INFJ The Counselor Creative nurturers, driven by a strong sense of personal integrity	ENFP The Champion People-centered creators, motivated by possibilities and potential	INFP The Healer Imaginative idealists, guided by their own values and beliefs
ESTJ The Supervisor Hardworking traditionalists, taking charge to get things done	ISTJ The Inspector Responsible organizers, driven to create order out of chaos	ESFJ The Provider Conscientious helpers, dedicated to their duties to others	ISFJ The Protector Industrious caretakers, loyal to traditions and institutions
ESTP The Dynamo Energetic thrillseekers, ready to push boundaries and dive into action	ISTP The Craftsperson Observant troubleshooters, solving practical problems	ESFP The Entertainer Vivacious entertainers, loving life and charming those around them	ISFP The Composer Gentle caretakers, enjoying the moment with low-key enthusiasm

Myers Briggs will give you in depth insight to your traits, why your brain works the way it does, and will even break it down almost to the point of scarily accurate into each niche of your life- overall, strengths and weaknesses, romantic relationships, friendships, parenthood, career paths, and workplace habits. One of my favorite resources on the subject is https://www.16personalities.com/ .

While Enneagram and Myers Briggs have similar analyzing procedures, they give different insight to the overall making of your personality. Discovering this can open your eyes to your strengths and pitfalls that you have been suppressing all this time. It can bring attention to your less desirable traits allowing you to identify and correct them soon as they surface. Having your spouse take this as well and investigate how personality types interact with each other can open up new love languages and possibly strengthen relationships.

A few years ago, I tested on Enneagram and was a straight 2 -no wing. My husband was a 9w1. Reading on how a 2 and a 9 can fight, love, and problem solve felt like someone had been hiding in our house and observing our every move. IT WAS SPOT ON! CREEPY!! Knowing his number and reading into the personality trait has allowed me to approach situations in a way he will be receptive of. I have a better understanding on how to love him in a way he receives it and meet him on his level. He has been able to do the same for me.

I say this was a few years ago because it was. Life changes and it changes fast. Priorities, responsibilities, and experience will cause shifts in personality. Taking test from different sources can result in minimally different outcomes. Try as many as you want and retake them every few years. If you always answer with brutal honesty, and are taking it from a reputable source, your answers will probably always stay close. A few years ago I was a #2 Helper (no wing). A few years ago, I was also knee deep in baby world and could not even remember what work life was. I have recently retested and am now a 2w3 (#2 wing #3 – The helper/achiever). I think this is a way more accurate picture of my personality, but at the time I can see why the achiever part of me was not coming through. That being said, on Myer Briggs I have always fallen in The Teacher category since college.

After you have discovered your number, start looking into the other personality traits and the best ways to interact with them. If you are able, have your team or coworkers take the tests and share their results. Learning more will help you easily classify people into a type without having to see their results. Keep an open mind though. I have been looking into this topic for years and will still frequently get it wrong because you can only see what people portray. (That is part of a personality type too. Just wait till you find it.) The ability to meet people where they are will help you immensely in business, parenting, love, and life. I feel like the knowledge I have gained has helped me form relationships faster, easier, and deeper. I have better intuition and efficiency in my communication. I can better identify those that will be more open to visual or audio, those that will probably object ideas and those that will go with the flow, who will be the workers on a project and those I know will skate by and I can delegate accordingly. This is an insight that you too should start getting together for your back pocket!

Sources: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

https://www.truity.com/myers-briggs/about-myers-briggs-personality-typing