Free Personality Test : What Is Your Enneagram Personality Type?

You are responsible, perfectionist, fixated on improvement

You are essentially looking to make things better, as you think nothing is ever quite good enough. This makes you perfectionist who desire to reform and improve; idealists who strive to make order out of the omnipresent chaos.

You have a fine eye for detail. You are always aware of the flaws in yourself, others and the situations in which you find yourself. This triggers your need to improve, which can be beneficial for all concerned, but which can also prove to be burdensome to both you and those who are on the receiving end of your reform efforts.

Your inability to achieve the perfection you desire feeds your feelings of guilt for having fallen short, and fuels your incipient anger against an imperfect world. You, however, tend to feel guilty about your anger. Anger is a "bad" emotion, and you strive sincerely and wholeheartedly to be "good." Anger is therefore vigorously repressed from consciousness, bursting forth in occasional fits of temper, but usually manifesting in one of its many less obvious permutations - impatience, frustration, annoyance and judgmental criticality. For this reason, you can be difficult to live with, but, on the high side, you tend to be loyal, responsible and capable partners and friends.

You are serious person; you tend to be highly principled, competent and uncompromising. You follow the rules and expect others to do so as well. Because you believe so thoroughly in your convictions, you are often excellent leader who can inspire those who follow you with your own vision of excellence. Reform movements are frequently spearheaded by you.

You are often driven and ambitious, and are sometimes workaholics. But whatever your professional involvement, you are definitely active, practical person who get things done. You are natural born organizer, listmaker who finish everything on the list, the last one to leave the office, the first one to return, industrious, reliable, hyout and dutiful.

The relentlessness of your pursuit of the ideal can make you tense people who have a hard time relaxing and who unnecessarily deny yourself many of the harmless pleasures of life. You tend to be emotionally repressed and uncomfortable with expressing tender feelings; you generally see emotionality as a sign of weakness and lack of control. You are seldom spontaneous. You have multiple interests and talents however; you are self-reliant and seldom run out of things to do.

You who need to be needed

You essentially feel that you are worthy insofar as you are helpful to others. Love is your highest ideal. Selflessness is your duty. Giving to others is your reason for being. Involved, socially aware, usually extroverted, you are the type of person who remember everyone's birthday and who go the extra mile to help out a co-worker, spouse or friend in need.

You are warm, emotional person who care a great deal about your personal relationships, devote an enormous amount of energy to you, and who expect to be appreciated for your efforts. You are practical person who thrive in the helping professions and who know how to make a home comfortable and inviting. Helping others makes you feel good about yourself; being needed makes you feel important; being selfless, makes you feel virtuous. Much of your self-image revolves around these issues, and any threat to that self-image is scarcely tolerated. You are thoroughly convinced of your selflessness, and it's true that you are frequently genuinely helpful and concerned about others. It's equally true, however, that you require appreciation; you need to be needed. Your love is not entirely without ulterior motive.

You often develop a sense of entitlement when it comes to the person closest to you. Because you have extended yourself for others, you begin to feel that gratitude is owed to you. You can become intrusive and demanding if your often unacknowledged emotional needs go unmet. You can be bossy and manipulative, feeling entirely justified in being so, because you "have earned the right" and your intentions are good. The darkest side of your type fixation appears when you begin to feel that you will never receive the love you deserve for all of your efforts. Under such circumstances, you can become hysterical, irrational and even abusive.

Because you are generally helping others meet your needs, you can forget to take care of your own. This can lead to physical burnout, emotional exhaustion and emotional volatility. You need to learn that you can only be of true service to others if you are healthy, balanced and centered in yourself.

You focused on the presentation of success, to attain validation

You need to be validated in order to feel worthy; you pursue success and want to be admired. You are frequently hard working, competitive and are highly focused in the pursuit of your goals, whether your goal is to be the most successful salesman in the company or the "sexiest" woman in your social circle. You are often "self-made" and usually find some area in which you can excel and thus find the external approbation which you so desperately need. You are socially competent, often extroverted, and sometimes charismatic. You know how to present yourself, are self-confident, practical, and driven. You have a lot of energy and often seem to embody a kind of zest for life that others find contagious. You are good networker who know how to rise through the ranks. But, while You do tend to succeed in whatever realm you focus your energy, you are often secretly afraid of being or becoming "loser."

You can sometimes find intimacy difficult. Your need to be validated for your image often hides a deep sense of shame about who you really are, a shame you unconsciously fear will be unmasked if another gets too close. You are often generous and likable, but are difficult to really know. When unhealthy, your narcissism takes an ugly turn and you can become cold blooded and ruthless in the pursuit of your goals.

Because It's central to your type fixation to require external validation, you often, consciously and unconsciously, attempt to embody the image of success that is promoted by your culture. You get in trouble when you confuse true happiness, which depends on inner states, with the image of happiness which society has promoted. If you have a "good" job and an "attractive" mate, you might be willing, through an act of self-deception which is also self-betrayal, to ignore the inner promptings which tell you that neither your job, nor your mate are fulfilling your deeper needs. Even the most "successful" You, who generally appear quite happy, often hide a deeply felt sense of meaninglessness. The attainment of the image never quite satisfies.

You are an identity seeker, who feel unique and different

You tend to build your identities around your perception of yourself as being somehow different or unique; you are thus self-consciously individualistic. You tend to see your difference from others as being both a gift and a curse - a gift, because it sets you apart from those you perceive as being somehow "common," and a curse, as it so often seems to separate you from the simpler forms of happiness that others so readily seem to enjoy. Thus, You can manage to feel superior to others while also secretly harboring some degree of longing and envy. A feeling of being a member of the "true aristocracy" alternates with deep feelings of shame, and fears of somehow being deeply flawed or defective.

You are emotionally complex and highly sensitive. You long to be understood and appreciated for your authentic self, but easily feel misunderstood and unappreciated. You have a tendency to withdraw in the face of a world that seems harsh or crude, and are often somewhat moody or temperamental. You are emotionally centered and spend much of your lives immersed in your internal mental landscapes, where you feel free to cultivate and analyse your feelings. A desire to manifest this internal world often leads you to an interest in the arts, and some do become actual artists. Whether artistic or not, however, most you are aesthetically sensitive and concerned with self-expression and self-revelation, whether it be in the clothes you wear or in the overall nature of your often idiosyncratic lifestyles.

You are somewhat melancholic by disposition, and under stress tend to lapse into depression. You also tend to be self-absorbed, even under the best of circumstances, but when unbalanced, easily give way to a self-indulgence which you perceive as being fully justified as a way to compensate for the general lack of pleasure you experience in your lives. Rather than look for practical solutions to your difficulties, You are prone to fantasizing about a savior who will rescue you from your unhappiness.

You are a thinker who tend to withdraw and observe

You essentially fear that you don't have enough inner strength to face life, so you tend to withdraw, to retreat into the safety and security of the mind where you can mentally prepare for your emergence into the world. You feel comfortable and at home in the realm of thought. You are generally intelligent, well read and thoughtful and you frequently become experts in the areas that capture your interest. While you are sometimes scientifically oriented, especially with the Six wing, just as many You are drawn to the humanities and It's not at all uncommon for You to have artistic inclinations.

You are often a bit eccentric; you feel little need to alter your beliefs to accommodate majority opinion, and you refuse to compromise your freedom to think just as you please. The problem for You is that while you are comfortable in the realm of thought, you are frequently a good deal less comfortable when it comes to dealing with your emotions, the demands of a relationship, or the need to find a place for yourself in the world. You tend to be shy, nonintrusive, independent and reluctant to ask for the help that others might well be happy to extend to you.

You are sensitive; you don't feel adequately defended against the world. To compensate for your sensitivity, You sometimes adopt an attitude of careless indifference or intellectual arrogance, which has the unfortunate consequence of creating distance between yourself and others. Trying to bridge the distance can be difficult for You, as you are seldom comfortable with your social skills, but when you do manage it, you are often devoted friends and life long companions.

You are usually somewhat restrained when it comes to emotional expression, but you often have stronger feelings than you let on. Few person know what is going on beneath the surface, as You have an often exaggerrated need for privacy and a deep seated fear of intrusion. Because of your sensitivity and your fears of inadequacy, You fear being overwhelmed, either by the demands of others or by the strength of your own emotions. You sometimes deal with this by developing a minimalistic lifestyle in which you make few demands on others in exchange for few demands being made on you. Other You make your peace with the messiness of life and engage it more fully, but you almost always retain your fears that life is somehow going to demand more of you than you can deliver.

You conflicted between trust and distrust

You essentially feel insecure, as though there is nothing quite steady enough to hold onto. At the core of your personality is a kind of fear or anxiety. This anxiety has a very deep source and can manifest in a variety of different styles, making you somewhat difficult to describe and to type. What all you have in common however, is the fear rooted at the center of your personality, which manifests in worrying, and restless imaginings of everything that might go wrong. This tendency makes you gifted at trouble shooting, but also robs you of much needed peace of mind and tends to deprive the personality of spontaneity. The essential anxiety at the core of your type fixation tends to permeate the personality with a sort of "defensive suspiciousness." You don't trust easily; you are often ambivalent about others, until the person has absolutely proven herself, at which point you are likely to respond with steadfast loyalty. The loyalty of you is something of a two edged sword however, as you are sometimes prone to stand by a friend, partner, job or cause even long after It's time to move on.

You are generally looking for something or someone to believe in. This, combined with your general suspiciousness, gives rise to a complicated relationship to authority. The side of you which is looking for something to believe in, is often very susceptible to the temptation to turn authority over to an external source, whether it be in the form of an individual or a creed. But your tendency towards distrust and suspicion works against any sort of faith in authority. Thus, two opposite pulls exist side by side in the personality of you, and assume different proportions in different individuals, sometimes alternating within the same individual.

The truly confounding element when it comes to typing you is that there are two fundamentally different strategies that you adopt for dealing with fear. Some you are basically phobic. Phobic you are generally compliant, affiliative and cooperative. Other you adopt the opposite strategy of dealing with fear, and become counterphobic, essentially taking a defiant stand against whatever you find threatening. This is you who take on authority or who adopt a dare devil attitude towards physical danger. Counterphobic you can be agressive and, rather than looking for authorities, can adopt a rebellious or anti-authoritarian demeanor. Counterphobic you are often unaware of the fear that motivates your actions. In fact, you in general, tend to be blind to the extent of your own anxiety. Because it's the constant back drop to all of your emotions, you are frequently unaware of its existence, as you have nothing with which to contrast it.

You are a pleasure seeker and planner, in search of distraction

You are essentially concerned that your lives be an exciting adventure. You are future oriented, restless person who are generally convinced that something better is just around the corner. You are a quick thinker who have a great deal of energy and who make lots of plans. You tend to be extroverted, multi-talented, creative and open minded. You are an enthusiast who enjoy the pleasures of the senses and who don't believe in any form of self-denial.

You are practical person who have multiple skills. You know how to network and to promote yourself and your interests. You often have an entrepreneurial spirit and are able to convey your enthusiasm to those with whom you come in contact. When you are able to focus your talents, you are often highly successful. Focusing does not always come easily for You, however. Your tendency to believe that something better awaits you, makes you reluctant to narrow down your options or to pursue your aims with true devotion.

The central problem for You is that your pursuit of pleasure is compulsive. You are fear types who are specifically afraid of the power of negative states of mind. These you avoid by seeking distractions in the external environment: by multi-tasking, by keeping your options open, by engaging in stimulation seeking of all kinds. For this reason, You are more prone than most to addictions of all sorts, whether it be to shopping, gambling, drugs or whatever.

You usually have a high opinion of yourself and your talents; you tend to focus on your strengths and virtues and to downplay your flaws and vices. You are often a bit self-centered which manifests in an unfounded feeling of entitlement. As You don't want to confront your own darker emotions, you also have difficulty acknowledging the pain that others experience, so that you sometimes have a hard time seeing the reality of other person. The extent of your flight from negative emotions is really a measure of your mental health; the more that you flee from them, the more your strength grows and the more likely you are to erupt into consciousness in the form of an anxiety disorder or a severe depressive episode.

You're taking charge, because you don't want to be controlled

You are essentially unwilling to be controlled, either by others or by your circumstances; you fully intend to be masters of your fate. You are strong willed, decisive, practical, tough minded and energetic. You also tend to be domineering; your unwillingness to be controlled by others frequently manifests in the need to control others instead. When healthy, this tendency is kept under check, but the tendency is always there, nevertheless, and can assume a central role in your interpersonal relationships.

You generally have powerful instincts and strong physical appetites which you indulge without feelings of shame or guilt. You want a lot out of life and feel fully prepared to go out and get it. You need to be financially independent and often have a hard time working for anyone. This sometimes necessitates that you opt out of the system entirely, assuming something of an outlaw mentality. Most You however, find a way to be financially independent while making your peace with society, but you always retain an uneasy association with any hierarchical relationship that sees you in any position other than the top position.

You have a hard time lowering your defenses in intimate relationships. Intimacy involves emotional vulnerability and such vulnerability is one of your deepest fears. Betrayal of any sort is absolutely intolerable and can provoke a powerful response on the part of the violated Eight. Intimate relationships are frequently the arena in which your control issues are most obviously played out and questions of trust assume a pivotal position. You often have a sentimental side that you don't even show to your intimates, such is your fear of vulnerability. But, while trust does not come easily to you, when you do take someone into the inner sanctum, you find a steadfast ally and stalwart friend. Your powerful protective instincts are called into play when it comes to the defense of family and friends, and You are frequently generous to a fault in providing for those under your care.

You are prone to anger. When severely provoked, or when the personality is unbalanced, bouts of anger can turn into rages. Unhealthy You are frankly agressive and when pushed, can resort to violence. Such You enjoy intimidating others whom you see as "weak" and feel little compunction about walking over anyone who stands in your way. You can be crude, brutal and dangerous.

You are keeping peace and harmony

You essentially feel a need for peace and harmony. You tend to avoid conflict at all costs, whether it be internal or interpersonal. As the potential for conflict in life is virtually ubiquitous, your desire to avoid it generally results in some degree of withdrawal from life, and many you are, in fact, introverted. Other You lead more active, social lives, but nevertheless remain to some to degree "checked out," or not fully involved, as if to insulate yourself from threats to your peace of mind. Most you are fairly easy going; you adopt a strategy of "going with the flow." You are generally reliable, sturdy, self-effacing, tolerant and likable individuals.

You tend to adopt an optimistic approach to life; you are, for the most part, trusting person who see the best in others; you frequently have a deep seated faith that things will somehow work out. You desire to feel connected, both to other person and to the world at large. You frequently feel most at home in nature and generally make warm and attentive parents.

Your inability to tolerate conflict sometimes translates into an overall conservative approach to change. Change can provoke unpleasant feelings and disrupt your desire for comfort. Less healthy You seem incapable of motivating yourself to move into action and bring about effective change. When change does come however, as it generally will, You find that you are usually well able to adapt. You tend to be more resilient than you give yourself credit for. In fact, You tend not to give yourself enough credit in general, and your self-effacing attitude often seems to invite others to take you for granted or to overlook your often significant contributions. This can cause a subterranean anger to build inside your psyche, which can erupt into consciousness in occasional fits of temper which quickly blow over, but which more often manifests itself in passive agressive footdragging. Being overlooked is often a source of a deep sadness in you, a sadness that you scarcely ever give voice to.