Identify Your Enneagram Type
This snapshot of each type offers a starting point for identifying your Enneagram type by focusing on motivation and stress responses rather than behavior alone. You may see one clear type or a few that resonate—both are normal. Once you have 2-3 that stand out to you, read more about each one and see if that also helps narrow it down.
1 – The Perfectionist
Deepest insecurity: Being wrong, bad, or morally flawed
To stay connected, I learned to… be good, responsible, and self-controlled
What guides my decisions: What is right, ethical, or correct
Under stress: Critical, tense, rigid, self-judging
2 – The Helper
Deepest insecurity: Being unlovable or unwanted
To stay connected, I learned to… be helpful, needed, and emotionally available
What guides my decisions: How others will feel or be affected
Under stress: Overgiving, resentful, ignoring own needs
3 – The Achiever
Deepest insecurity: Being worthless or a failure
To stay connected, I learned to… succeed, perform, and impress
What guides my decisions: What leads to success or approval
Under stress: Overworking, image-focused, disconnected from feelings
4 – The Individualist
Deepest insecurity: Being fundamentally flawed or missing something
To stay connected, I learned to… be emotionally honest and unique
What guides my decisions: What feels authentic or meaningful
Under stress: Emotionally intense, withdrawn, self-comparing
5 – The Investigator
Deepest insecurity: Being overwhelmed or depleted
To stay connected, I learned to… stay self-contained and observant
What guides my decisions: Logic, understanding, conserving energy
Under stress: Withdrawn, detached, mentally overactive
6 – The Loyalist
Deepest insecurity: Being unsafe or unsupported
To stay connected, I learned to… stay alert, loyal, and prepared
What guides my decisions: What feels safest or most reliable
Under stress: Anxious, doubtful, worst-case thinking
7 – The Enthusiast
Deepest insecurity: Being trapped in pain or limitation
To stay connected, I learned to… stay upbeat, busy, and future-focused
What guides my decisions: What preserves freedom and possibility
Under stress: Avoidant, scattered, emotionally bypassing
8 – The Challenger
Deepest insecurity: Being controlled, harmed, or vulnerable
To stay connected, I learned to… be strong, independent, and protective
What guides my decisions: Instinct, power, self-protection
Under stress: Controlling, confrontational, hardened
9 – The Peacemaker
Deepest insecurity: Losing connection or creating conflict
To stay connected, I learned to… accommodate, merge, and go along
What guides my decisions: What maintains or restores peace and harmony
Under stress: Disengaged, numbing, passive
FURTHER RESOURCES ON THE ENNEAGRAM from Eden
Learn more about the Enneagram System, Wings, Triad, Growth & Stress
See how Attachment Styles & the Enneagram intersect for your type
Listen to Eden’s Inside Out Podcast with Whitney Russel Stabile on each Enneagram Type and Corresponding Relational Patterns
