The Enneagram Institue takes an interesting approach to understanding people's behaviors, motivations, values, thinking styles, problem solving preferences, and so forth. By taking individual differences into account, they map out the basic motivations of each personality orientation.
The nine personality types of the Enneagram are what we actually see in everyday business and organizational life. None of the types is superior to any other - each has its strengths upon which you can capitalize, and weaknesses you may need to work on.
An Overview of the Nine Personality Types:
Type 1: The Reformer: Principled, purposeful, self-controlled & sometimes perfectionistic
Type 2: The Mentor: Caring, generous, people-pleasing & often intrusive
Type 3: The Achiever: Adaptable, self-developing, efficient & possibly image-conscious
Type 4: The Designer: Intuitive, expressive, individualistic, temperamental & often self-absorbed
Type 5: The Investigator: Perceptive, innovative, curious, secretive & detached, often eccentric
Type 6: The Troubleshooter: Committed, responsible, loyal, diligent, likable, anxious & indecisive
Type 7: The Enthusiast: Spontaneous, versatile, talkative, upbeat & possibly scattered or impulsive
Type 8: The Challenger: Self-confident, decisive, willful, & potentially commanding or hard-driving
Type 9: The Peacemaker: Calm, reassuring, agreeable, accommodating & at times complacent
To find out your type, take the free sampler at the
Enneagram Institute's website. This website is addictive... You've been warned!