If you haven't heard of the Enneagram by now, get ready! The Enneagram is essentially an advanced and deeply rooted personality assessment. More than just a test, it allows everyone to identify with one of 9 total core types. The types themselves are distinguished not by personality traits and behaviors, but core motivations behind those actions. The Enneagram has surged in popularity over the past few years because of its usefulness in building self-awareness and relating better to others. And as a side effect, there have been tons of new books about the Enneagram and how to use it. But here's the thing: if you've ever picked up one of these Enneagram books, you know the drill. You look in the table of contents to find the chapter on your type number, flip over and read about your number, and then put the book down forever. Maybe you are empathetic and read about the numbers of your closest friends, but let's be honest, we're usually more intrigued to learn about ourselves.
That's why we're so thrilled for the new set of Enneagram books from well-known Enneagram coach, Beth McCord. There are 9 books in the collection - one for each Enneagram type. They are all in lovely bright colors, and include journal prompts throughout. With the new books that just came out, we found Chasers with as many different Enneagram types as we could find to share:
- What they wish other people knew about their Enneagram type
- How learning about their own Enneagram type has benefitted or encouraged them
- How learning about others' Enneagram types has helped you relate to others
Type 1: Savannah
- As a Type 1, I wish people knew that my tendencies toward perfectionism and order are because I want to make the world a better place and be a light for good. I may not be the most flexible, but I strive for integrity and love to advocate for others.
- Learning about my Enneagram type has been both fun and informative, allowing me to laugh at the stereotypes associated with Ones but also put some of my core motivations and characteristics into words. I love reading the countless Instagram accounts dedicated to the Enneagram and seeing other Ones essentially say, “Me too!” It reminds me that some of my motivations are really valuable, and it also reminds me to relax and be content knowing “perfect” can be a desire without ever being a destination.
- The Enneagram has been awesome in helping me understand the other personalities in my friend groups, workplace, and family. Knowing each type’s desires and what makes them tick helps me become a better communicator, and reminds me (and other Ones) that not everyone has to operate the way I do! It helps me find common ground with other types and celebrate our differences.
Type 2: Ashley
- I wish people understood that just because type Two’s are often willing to help, solve a problem, be the friend to lift spirits, and still manage a bright outlook; does not disregard the fact that we too need help, even when we can't ask for it. We need people in our corner to lift us up and help carry what can feel heavy, too. Carrying others' burdens is sometimes easier than feeling our own.
- Learning about my Enneagram type has helped me reevaluate my relationship with myself. I've gone from someone who feels a lot of emotions, to someone who is able to be in touch with their emotions and now has tools to learn where they stem from.
- My fiancé is an Enneagram 6, and learning about his number has helped me be more intentional in our relationship. Because I know about his inner workings on a deeper level, due to the Enneagram. I am able to show him love, respect, and appreciation, or approach a disagreement or have a hard conversation in the way he best processes it. Rather than the way I would want those things to be presented to me!
Type 3: Chelsea
- It takes threes a long time to build trust – to stop performing and actually open ourselves up to being known. If we let you in, know that it’s a gift and to treat us tenderly. We might come across as overly self-confident but inside we’re just little tender pups.
- As a three, a lot of my personality, which might be unhealthy, is praised by society. I’ve been performing, tackling goals, and racing to benchmarks since I was a little girl and the people loved it. However, I was unknowingly finding my identity in how well I could perform instead of in who I actually am. I don’t know if I would have pin pointed this in my life without the Enneagram.
- Learning my family’s Enneagram numbers has been revolutionary for my compassion toward them. Before their tendencies would just make me super angry. However, now when my Dad takes literally five years to make a decision, I remember that he’s a six and has been running contingency plans in his head for ten different options. He isn’t trying to annoy us, he’s trying to protect us from danger.
Type 4: Shea
- Sometimes I think Fours can be dismissed as overly emotional or unrealistic, which causes people to roll their eyes or laugh when we share a thought or idea. In reality, I do sometimes express an opinion more passionately or emphatically in a given moment than it actually warrants, or I can lean into the “stereotypes” of a Four. But that doesn’t mean the opinion or idea doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously! Responses like, “well, of course YOU would think that,” or “that’s such a Four thing to say,” cut us to the quick because they dismiss something personal that we’ve chosen to reveal. Rather than trivializing, please treat our self-divulging with care. Take our thoughts and ideas seriously, even when they seem melodramatic or unrealistic to you. Consider them with an open mind and heart, and respond with the intention to connect with us more deeply. We’ll love you forever for it.
- Believe it or not, it took me a while to accept that I was a Four because I couldn’t identify with the “negative” emotions associated with it. As a person of faith, I felt that it was “wrong” to be angry or sad, because those feelings meant I wasn’t trusting God or loving others the way I was supposed to. I embraced my type during a difficult season when I couldn’t escape from my negative emotions, and it gave me permission to experience and deal with the full range of my emotions – and to realize that I could feel angry or sad (or any other emotion) in a way that glorified God and brought healing to myself and others.
- So much! It has helped me have grace for those who struggle differently than I do, and to understand and respect the core values of others. In my last living situation, I lived with a type Two, Three, and Six, and we were different in so many ways! But when we stopped long enough to listen and ask questions, we could always find common ground in our values and experiences and work together to find solutions that allowed us to collaborate in our strengths and love one another in the most important ways.
Type 5: Nicole
- We can be pretty blunt about things. We don’t like to sugar coat things and we often don’t see the point in telling white lies. We’re your painfully honest friend. If we don’t want to come hang out because we’d rather stay at home, we’re going to tell you. We can obsess about topics we care about and want to know everything we can about them. Which means we’re also the friend that is full of seemingly useless information about a myriad of topics.
- I shared the Enneagram with my family. A lot of us shared the same numbers, but it also helped us communicate and understand each other. For example, my mom thought going through my things and organizing them and throwing things out was helpful to me, but to me it felt like a violation of my personal space and belongings. When we would have disagreements when I was younger, we both couldn’t fully understand where the other was coming from. I wish we would have had the Enneagram then to help us; we could have avoided a lot of bickering about pointless things if we would have just understood each other a little better.
Type 9: Lydia
- Type Nines don't necessarily need to mediate other people's relationships, but because we naturally see both sides of every story, it can be easy to feel like there's a simple solution. The main thing Nines need from other people, though, is to be listened to and included. We want to always respect others and let them make the decisions because it's often easy for us to go with the flow, but it also leads to being steamrolled, a lot. Just be conscious that if I haven't spoken up, it's not because I don't have an opinion or an idea; it's because I've been waiting for you to finish talking so I don't have to interrupt.
- Learning about my Enneagram number has been interesting because it shows me that there are other people in the world who feel the way I do. I've always been shy, but even having grown out of the worst of it, I still have a complex about being ignored. But knowing why I'm wired that way and how to be conscious of it helps me take better care of myself.
- Knowing about other people's Enneagram types gives me so much more grace for humanity. Other people just have different needs that drive them, and something that isn't a big deal to me might feel like the end of the world to someone who's brain goes somewhere else beyond the problem I see.
What do you think of these new Enneagram books? Let us know your favorite thing about them in the comments!
Page Chaser is operated by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. (HCCP), the publisher of the Enneagram Type Collection books by Beth McCord.