a mental blind spot? How do you recognize the unconscious driving force behind an automatic habit? Start by looking in the mirror — the mirror represented by the boxes in Table 4-3 — and ask these questions:
Is there a box, or boxes, in which you (strongly) recognize yourself?
Are there boxes in which you don’t recognize yourself that you can exclude from the start?
TABLE 4-3: Where Do You Focus Your Attention?
| I focus on others — their plans, wishes, and points of view or anything else that distracts me; on keeping the peace; and on (not) being seen. | I focus on having power and control, fighting (in)justice, protecting others (all or nothing, the truth), and being able to gain or grant respect. | I focus on attractiveness in the future or in the past, elements of my life that I’m missing or separated from, desire and connectedness, and not being rejected. |
| I focus on the wishes and needs of others, being needed, being attentive and available, reciprocating, and being nice to others. | I focus on distinguishing between right and wrong, determining what can be improved and what has to stay the same, and being clear, careful, and responsible. | I focus on achieving a goal, carrying out efficient solutions, making myself invaluable to others, being the best person I can be, seeing myself through the eyes of others, and gaining the recognition I deserve. |
| I focus on rational solutions; knowledge to be gained; and facts, analyses, and (hidden) expectations that others may have of me, my time, and my energy. | I focus on what can go wrong or pose a danger; on drawbacks, risks, and secret plans; and on whom I can trust. | I focus on interesting, appealing, and positive ideas, options, possibilities, and projects; on fascinating concepts; and on any new beginning. |
Finding an anchor to act as your type's good foundation.
The difficult part of finding your type is learning to interpret what you perceive. In determining your dominant type pattern, the important aspect is the degree to which you, for example, value perfection as a Type 1 and the extent to which that limits your freedom to act.
Spending a great deal of time working on a presentation can likely be done only by someone whose attention is so focused on perfection that they can’t stop as long as they see anything that can still be improved. The Perfectionist group includes people to whom perfection is the top priority and whose focus is therefore continually (at least several times a day) directed toward things that aren’t good (enough) and must be improved on. Someone who simply delivers a perfect performance, like Christina in the example in this section, doesn’t belong to the Enneagram Type 1 only because of this achievement. To determine whether you belong to this Enneagram type, you need to consider whether your attention is directed mainly toward perfection and improvement. Conversely, it’s just as possible that someone has this Enneagram type but isn’t actually capable of achieving perfect performances. What matters are the underlying driving force and the desired goal — not the actual implementation.
Finding your type can lead to various complications. If such complications were to occur, the support of an Enneagram trainer might help. Here are a few examples:
Two types can show the same behavior or be similar to each other in certain respects. You recognize yourself in this behavior but can’t find out the underlying reason in your case.
People who belong to the same type can appear differently to the outside world. They might then recognize themselves in the type description but not in other people of the same type.
You have acquired and discarded all sorts of habits in your life. Maybe you were raised by parents who were of different types from you but conveyed their strengths to you. This makes it difficult to recognize what is actually at the core of your being and what you've acquired.
In books about the Enneagram, including this one, the individual types are described only in summary, which expresses the lowest common denominator of that type. The books present an average version of this type, so to speak. This isn’t really possible any other way because every type shows a great variety. If such books are to remain readable and fulfill their goals, the authors have to limit themselves by focusing on the common denominators rather than the exceptions. Reality has many more layers, and your version of the type can vary greatly from the average.
Working with Enneagram tests
In the world of the Enneagram, you will find many different analyses and many kinds of tests. Tests often appear in the questionnaire format, though they don’t have to be that way. You'll also find others, such as the Stanford Enneagram Discovery Inventory and Guide (or SEDIG test), by Dr. David Daniels and Virginia Price.
Short but sweet
The good thing about the SEDIG test is that self-observation plays a role. As a result, the execution itself can contribute to your growing self-awareness. This simple test represents a first encounter with the Enneagram — a first bit of help on the way to finding your type, in other words. The SEDIG test is short and convenient, which is why many Enneagram trainers use it as an introduction in their workshops. After you get to discuss a short text about each type, you’re asked in which one you most recognize yourself.
Measuring means knowing
You'll find on the Internet many Enneagram tests made up of a series of questionnaires. Some are good, and some are not-so-good. The goal is to distinguish one from the other. Psychology has developed in a direction in which tests are highly valued, where people apply the principle “Measuring means knowing.” Psychology has also developed a heavily medicinal perspective, in which the right diagnosis matters. When it comes to physical illnesses, doctors need a diagnosis that’s as precise as possible in order to determine the right treatment. The same applies to psychologists and psychiatrists. Testing and learning how to diagnose play a big role in psychological studies. Tests were developed to minimize, as much as possible, the risk of an incorrect diagnosis.
