For starters...
Right now, I'm no typology expert. Honestly, I've only been into it for around just over 2 months. Despite that, I believe I understand enough to blog about it, and a simpler form of guidance on how to enter the world of enneagram is what I believe many newcomers need. Trust me, you’ll need to brace yourself to enter the busy, term-ridden city of smog that is typotok. (one of the most active typology social media communities, it’s mainly tiktok and dedicated discord servers in which you’ll find most nerds lurking.) This is going to be a simple, not particularly strict post on how to begin typing yourself, where to find resources, and general tips + warnings you should start out knowing. Only enneagram will be touched in this, but look out for other systems + general typology stuff in the future!
Terms you should know:
Core: Your main type and the one you relate to the most.
Wing: One type either side of your core that you relate to at least somewhat, written like 5w6, five being the core. The types are numbered with intention and although it's not a definitive incorrect buzzer, if you really don't relate to either possible wing, you should look into another potential core just in case. You'll see wings a lot, but a sizeable crowd do not believe they exist.
Subtype: This is made by pairing your core and your primary instinct (from the instinctual variants), it looks into how your core needs/motives change how your enneagram traits act.
Tritype: The most relatable type from each of the main triads (gut,head,heart) put in order of most to least applicable and looks at all aspects of an enneagram
Trifix: The same components as your tritype, but the order in which they are placed works differently and it only talks about the use of each types fixations (see here for the creator of the tritype's explanation on the differences)
Instinctual Variants: three core instincts that denote what drives you and what you care about most (see here for more info, I chose it because its simple, but read more than this and ignore the chakra stuff unless you're already into that )
The main triads: The 9 enneagram are sorted into three main triads: Gut: instinctive centre, driven by anger | Heart: emotional centre, influenced by shame | Head: analytical centre, motivated by fear
Mistype: When you believe you are one type, but later you discover you are wrong. No matter how much you think it won't happen to you, it will. Prepare to feel utterly stupid.
I don't believe I've missed any important ones, however if I have feel free to leave a comment!
Typing yourself and getting familiar with the system
The Enneagram is a system with nine core types, that are paired with the three instinctual variants to make sub-types, and you type yourself in many different fashions such as wings and tritypes. I won't be explaining the entire system here, but I will provide a sort of map for where to go.
Before any of that, I must very pointedly stress that you do not type yourself using tests. And even more importantly, you never type yourself using ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot. Some do, and they are a disgrace to everything typologists stand for. (that's hyperbole but seriously, don't T-T)
First of all, read the type descriptions. Pace yourself and don't go reading any full books yet, but find something that gets you plainly acquainted. Even though it includes subtypes (which you don't need to figure out until later) I think this document provides a concise, accurate description of each type and how it acts in different lights. Do not simply skim through, or only read up on types that sound like you. To gain a well-rounded viewpoint and a deeper understanding, you should research all types no matter what. This also helps if you're concerned with typing others, something with which I greatly struggle. You will have a tritype alongside your core, so having avenues to go down in terms of that will help.
I know it seems rather idiotic, but I'm not joking when I say tiktok is one of the best resources when starting out. So many people post summarized explanations, glossary-style term info and good tips. Also, look out for any typology accounts with a linktree, they often have a plethora of useful links for deeper writing about different systems and pdfs of important books (each system is originally developed by a single person/group, but others build on it and have different views). The most discussed + referenced books are the ones by Claudio Naranjo, but Oscar Ichazo was the one whose theories were built off of originally. I heavily advise you to check out @jupiiter444 on tiktok, their linktree is PACKED with relevant links (this includes other main systems too, not just enneagram, so go back when learning new ones!) Actually, on second thought, I can just give you the link now. However, keep the user in mind, in case you ever want to do some reading on this when you only have your phone.
A rudimentary but effective way of clearing the fog on what to consider first is looking at the names given to each type. Make sure you are looking at the ones for just the core types and not the subtypes, a good few subtype names tell you a load of nothing. Then, pick around three that seem to describe you best. Get to know each one on a detailed level, and if none feel like you, then pick again from the remaining types. For example, I did this and picked E9, E7 and E3. I've gone through changes since then, but eventually I ended up back where I started with these three as my tritype, so the method seems to work well enough. Please note that across different books, videos and sites, the names will differ. For example, some people call E3 The performer, whereas others call it The achiever.
You could also use a similar method, but instead use the three triads. Choose one, look into its types, pick a most likely contender for a core or fix. Once this has been repeated with each triad, revise the traits, fears and reactions of the three types and compare to see which one is your core. Not only does this help you in discovering your core type, it's also extremely effective with figuring out enneagram typings that use more than one type.
Or, of course, you could just look into each one (look at the description, read the book, watch videos) in turn from 1-9 and decide that way. The previous methods I mentioned streamline it and prioritize studying based on likelihood. However, people get into typology because they find it interesting, so it's expected that sooner or later you gain a full understanding of every type and not just your own. Doing it this way makes a point of that, and I think the basic route is just as good a route as any!
Common mistakes/misconceptions:
- Rule breaking when people struggle to type themselves: Some people blatantly break rules and claim "it's what describes me best!" and "humans can't be put into boxes, we are complex." Examples of this include putting two types from the same triad in your tritype. No matter how fitting you think it is, I fear it is invalid. Typology is all about categorising humans down to comprehendible core concepts, basically 'putting them in boxes', so pick one that actually exists and sit in it.
- Common misinformation about instinctual variants: I see these being said and believed all the time, so I'll save you the trouble of some mean intellectual-elitist (head triad /j) getting mad at you in a comment section. You will have a primary/dominant and secondary/auxiliary instinct (like this: Sx/Sp) and you will be blind in the other. Your tritype does not have subtypes, everything follows the subtype of the core type. Despite what you may see, only your core has a subtype, and the other elements of your tritype only represent the overall core of the type. When using chibi designs that are often done by subtype (most people use the community-wide loved set by matrix) you should make all of them your primary instinct. Most common mistakes I see people make regarding this are A: allowing one fix to be your secondary instinct and B: having one subtype of each instinct. Although, Katherine Fauvre is always updating her theories so if you largely follow her then she may have a different take on this, my knowledge of this is word of mouth so I can't really speak on that.
- Typing based on subtypes: I believe I said something similar earlier on, but don't type solely by reading the description of a certain subtype. First fully understand and analyse the triad and the core type.
- Not reading the books: I know I mentioned multiple shorter sources and tiktok, and those things are great in the early days, but they are often very compressed or sometimes plain wrong. Do not neglect the official works and books, especially considering most are written by the pioneers and inventors of enneagram as a whole!
- Contradiction: Some people get overly caught up in contradictions between types in different systems, and even though these can be good pointers on where to look/check next, do not get too stressed about them! Sometimes, people can act as if certain contradictions automatically mean your mistyped, when it just means you have to be really sure in your typing and that you aren't a stereotypical example of that type! Although, I see a lot of discourse about enneagram and MBTI contradictions, and the majority seem to say they exist and can highlight mistypes (For example, an extroverted enneagram like E2 and an introverted mbti/cog-func like infp) One place you will never find contradictions is a tritype/trifix. If it is one type from each triad, then it is valid, so any combination following that rule is possible!
That is all the teaching and prompting I have for you today, I hope it helped and I wish you luck on your quest to become a typology scholar! As I am not at that level yet myself, I can only impart introductory knowledge. Nevertheless I think any sort of instruction is of use as the weird nerd community with what looks like HTML code in their bio's is a scary place to be when you don't know what to look for.
Farewell from Tabby <3
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