Enneagram vs. the 16 Types

Recently, I’ve gone on an Enneagram journey. In the past, I’ve made varying assumptions about Enneagram, which I was hesitant to state absolutely, knowing that personality systems tended to suffer from stereotyping and surface-level information. I’m glad I kept myself fairly neutral on the subject, because I have learned a thing or two. In this article, I will attempt to clearly distinguish what Enneagram defines in comparison to the 16 personalities, since many people (like me) may not realize that they’re trying to define very different things, and not personality as a whole.

The 16 Personalities

I’ll start here because Practical Typing is solely dedicated to this subject, so it should be fairly straightforward. I’ve titled this section “The 16 Personalities” generally because it literally applies to any personality theory system based on the Jungian cognitive functions. (Myers-Briggs, Socionics, etc.) So…

What is the purpose of the 16 personalities?

To define one’s cognition, or way of thinking.

Seems fairly obvious right? Any system rooted in the cognitive functions defines cognition. It does not define personality as a whole. A more accurate word to use (other than cognition, of course) would be “mentality”. See Personality Type is a Misnomer for more information on the subject.

Overall, any personality system rooted in the cognitive functions should indicate how one perceives or translates information (perceiving functions), and how they make decisions based on that information (judging functions). The actual information that they intake can vary greatly based on factors like life experience which can cause decisions to vary greatly from person to person, even among the same type. As a result, no two people will look the same, even if both are the same type. There are definitely trends and patterns among types, but those are not absolute.

Among the vast array of stereotypes and misinformation that this system is subject to is the belief that one’s personality type can change. The reality here is that in a system based on cognitive functions, one’s type should not change; it should mature and develop over time, making one’s “personality” type less obvious. See, we all have a default way of thinking, which starts primarily with our top two functions. We prefer those two, and lean on them the hardest. As we mature, we should develop down our function stack, learning to utilize those lower functions in a healthy way. An ISTP leaning heavily on Ti-Se and barely touching Ni-Fe will look very ISTP. However, an ISTP that can dip down into Ni and Fe, may start looking like another personality within different contexts. That is healthy. That is development.

What do the 16 personalities not define?

Skill sets. Hobbies. Virtues. Morals. Beliefs. Abilities. Intelligence. Overall personality. Social extraversion. General disposition. Lifestyle. Choices.

Enneagram

Now, for Enneagram. I used to speculate that this system had more to do with temperaments, which given what I know now, that’s not entirely inaccurate. However, it’s an extremely shallow descriptor. So…

What does Enneagram define?

One’s trauma reaction or default coping mechanism.

People like to wear their Enneagram type like a badge of honor, but what many of these people may fail to realize is that Enneagram is not a display of strength or capability. It doesn’t show off what you’re good it, or your great virtues. It defines your weaknesses and insecurities. It shines a light on your bad or unhealthy behavior. You may relate to a variety of types within the system, but one in particular should hit you the hardest. One in particular should focus in on your greatest insecurity or fear, and your reaction to it. This really shouldn’t be a point of pride. It’s more like a lifelong struggle.

This article isn’t designed to be an overview of the Enneagram system, so I’m not going to delve into the 9 types, their core fears, the 3 triads, and etcetera. However, what you need to understand here is that Enneagram is specifically catered for personal growth via facing the most negative version of yourself.

As mentioned earlier, Enneagram also suffers from stereotypes and bad information. It took me a while to weed through all of the information out there, and figure the core factors. See, in every system, there’s a lot of information that’s variable or speculative. Trends or anecdotes, shall we say. The key to really understanding a personality system is distinguishing trends versus the key determining factors. What are the absolutes? What variables carry the greatest weight?

The core of Enneagram seems to be centered around negatives: weakness, insecurity, fear, coping. It’s about ego and instincts. It ultimately appears to be more important that you relate to the negatives than the positives, if you are to type yourself accurately. Of course, as you grow and develop, you should resemble your Enneagram type less and less. As with the 16 personality systems, this doesn’t mean that your Enneagram type has changed, but simply that you’re in a much healthier state. So, not relating to your type’s weaknesses currently isn’t necessarily an indicator that you’re mistyped, assuming you can point to a time in your past that does support being that type. As with every personality system, this requires you to be honest with yourself, rather than just picking the most desirable option.

Is There Crossover?

In the past, I used to look at the Enneagram types, compare them to the 16 personalities, and think that the only certain types should parallel to each other. I never thought that, for instance, an INFP had to be a type 4, but I assumed many would trend toward that type. However, I did tend to think that certain of the 16 personalities should never have certain Enneagram types. For instance, type 4 always sounded like the embodiment of Fi, whether that meant an IXFP or an unhealthy IXTJ. I internally questioned any non-Fi user who was typing as a 4. Type 9 always sounded like Fe. Type 8 sounded like EXTJs, or perhaps EXTPs. Etcetera. I could go on, but you get the point.

However, after seeing how greatly the Enneagram types can vary, given instinctual stackings, countertypes, and the fact that there is a lot of anecdotal information associated with the types, I’ve softened on that position. Are there going to be trends? Most likely. I’ve done no independent research of my own, so I can only speculate. Is it possible certain types between the systems will be mutually exclusive? Before recently, I would have said “definitely”, but now I’m not so sure. I feel like I would need a greater understanding of every single Enneagram sub-type to lean ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on this. One might say that theoretically, since the systems are measuring different things, any combination of types should be possible. But on the other hand, given that each of the 16 personalities tends to be predisposed to a specific set of weaknesses, one could speculate that that should only allow for certain Enneagram types. However, as I said earlier, I no longer have a solid opinion on this matter.

In Summary…

Ultimately, Enneagram and the 16 personalities measure different things, and that’s important to realize. Both can be used for personal growth, and understanding those around you better. Some may find Enneagram to be more beneficial, while others may prefer the 16 personalities. Of course, many opt to dive into both systems. Just remember that neither is truly a personality system in the general sense. They each measure something very specific, and in order to actually find yourself, you need to focus on the parts of each system that actually matter, rather than cherry-picking the best of both to get your ideal combination.