enneagram book
i've taken enneagrams before, via metamanda's tests (results 1, results 2), and i think i know why those results didn't feel all that accurate to me. those tests were designed to choose one polarity over another.
if the results from this book, which was recommended by a therapist, are accurate at all... it's more accurate to say that i have a lot of things that add together to make my personality, rather than leaning towards one thing over another (which is why taking those online tests was hard, they kept making me CHOOSE).
more in the extended (results, my thoughts on it, etc)
i tried very hard to prevent my gaming the answers, having parakkum check my answers and such to make sure i was treating myself fairly.
the results:
it really seems like i'm everything except a questioner, a kind of inverse-parakkum.
1 - The Perfectionist - 18/20
2 - The Helper - 15/20
3 - The Achiever - 16.5/20
4 - The Romantic - 15/20
5 - The Observer - 16/20
6 - The Questioner - 12/20
7 - The Adventurer - 19/20
8 - The Asserter - 17/20
9 - The Peacemaker 15.5/20
it's interesting... by and large, a lot of my characteristics tend to work against each other to keep out negative tendencies. at my best, i am enthusiastic, adventurous, self-assured, ambitious, hard-working and inspiring to others. at my worst... well.... let's say i try to keep myself well away from people then.
my ultimate weakness is from self-defeating depression and anxiety that can render me useless or the tendency to forget to slow down.
it was a little eery to read the book, which seemed to describe me all too well. it made it want to burn it because i felt like all my inner workings were revealed and exposed. but i sense that it would be a handy tool to further my understanding of self and how i interact with others.
i think the major deficiency of the online tests, which in prior occasions led me to unsatisfactory results and skepticism for enneagrams, was that they make you answer questions in either/or forms between polarities. you either avoid conflicts or embrace conflicts. when in actuality... i don't see a lot of occasion for conflicts, but if i disagree on something strongly, i will stand up. and it was this kind of sensitivity in the questions from the book that i appreciated. after all, an online test would have a hard time trying to come up with an answer for someone like myself, a personality strongly disposed to everything except a certain number.
i found the book, The Enneagram Made Easy very enlightening and helpful. it highlights the strong points as well as the weak points of each number and in which direction you tend to leans towards when feeling strong as well as feeling stressed. it's a good way to see what to watch out for in yourself. i found that if i was honest with myself, a lot of what the book had to say was quite useful.