Hmmm. I don’t have any better or other categories for this. ‘Science?’ No. I don’t have an ‘assumed or supposedly science’ category. Most likely I’ll be indexing my blog for my Indexing & Abstracting course this semester. I started on my thesaurus today. Hmm. I will have a ‘survey’ concept though.
Anyway ….
Jenica’s a "Type 8", or so she claims. Enneagrams. Intro to Enneagrams (I needed it.)
Here’s the important spread of the 9 types:
- Type 5 Thinker — 7
- Type 1 Reformer — 6
- Type 4 Romantic— 5
- Type 6 Skeptic — 5
The short, least reliable test only has a reasonable shot at getting one of the high scores as your type, but a decent shot at getting it in the spread.
Use: "The Enneagram is mainly a diagnostic tool of one’s emotional outlook on life."
A probabilistic spread is probably best because if you mix up parts of these types they do explain me in a way. But. There is some major complexity for me in this test. The gist of the problem is many of the questions could be answered either way depending on if it was about how I was and don’t want to be or about something I want to be but haven’t yet become or even something else. I guess what I’m saying is there is some complex temporal variance going on in how I answered or wanted to answer many of the questions. I should have recorded my answers for all of the questions and then taken it over. The problem is larger though, because there are varying permutations of different answers. And I’ve been working too hard. [Damn. This post has become hard.]
So what am I in this version?
World View: The world is invasive and confusing. I need privacy to think.
Basic Desire: to understand the world
Basic Fear: of being overwhelmed by the world
5s identify more strongly with their thoughts than any other personality. To others, 5s are known for their sharp intellect, strong need for independence and privacy, and intensity of their
cerebral interests. … Whatever their profession, 5s bring a strong desire to investigate, observe, and understand an issue deeply and provocatively.Unfortunately, the average 5′s independence often leads to social isolation, and the 5′s need for intellectual control can also be off-putting to others. Many 5s develop a cynical worldview, which
sharpens their perceptions but also intensifies their isolation. Their independence makes their thinking very idiosyncratic, leading to either brilliance or weirdness, or both.
5s are supposedly the "prototypical scientists." And I’m not. More the critic of science, me. Perhaps my philosophy of science bent is the result of my twisted 5ness.
World View: The world is an imperfect place. I work toward improvement.
Basic Desire: to be right
Basic Fear: of being condemned
Reformers are the most compulsively rational of the types, and the perfectionist is another name for this type. Average 1s are driven by their "inner critic", an inner set of standards that tends to be quite rigorous, and independent of what other people tell them. Hence, the average 1 is very self-critical, and also critical of others when they expect the same high standards of others that they have imposed on themselves.
I’m not sure I’d label my basic fear as condemnation. I don’t like being wrongly condemned, and it seems to happen. But basic? Not even close. Aah, though. To. Be. Right. This is an old and at times basic desire. I’ve learned, though, that is completely the wrong goal and often unattainable. Understanding and opening to other viewpoints is more important. Working together we can better the world; but not by being ‘right.’
Now for the tie between the Romantic and the Skeptic.
World View: Something’s missing. Others have it. I’m different from them because I don’t.
Basic Desire: to understand self
Basic Fear: of being defective
More than any other type, 4s seek to
understand themselves. They may probe their own emotions to an unusual
depth, seeking authenticity of feeling and self-expression. They don’t
settle for the ordinary or shallow, and are disturbed that most everyone around
them does. The importance they attach to their inner feelings makes them
highly individualistic and original.
Don’t exactly agree with the argument in the world view, but the basics are pretty well basic. I just don’t think that the only argument you can generate from those two premises is the one they did.
Type 6 Skeptic/Loyalist:
World View: The world is a threatening place. I need to look to authority, but I question it.
Basic Desire: to be secure
Basic Fear: of being abandoned
Average 6s place safety and trust above all
else, making them among the most loyal of the Enneagram personalities. Of
course, each type’s greatest strength is also their greatest weakness, and the
6s capacity for loyalty can be devastating if they put their faith into
something malicious or unreliable. A 6 that has been "burned"
by someone they trusted can become permanently wary of others, or of their own
judgment.The average 6 is a somewhat difficult type
for many other types to understand. The 6′s thoughts can range widely,
often in strongly self-contradictory ways, …6s are extremely loyal to those they trust,
and may fight for them more strongly than they would for themselves. Like
the 2, who also orients their lives toward others, 6s can be unusually
self-sacrificing, …
OK! What idiot labeled that short description the Skeptic? Which damned skeptics does that describe? Loyalist better describes the longer version and maybe even the shorter one. Well, I am a skeptic, in many varied and nuanced ways. Just not this "kind." Now I am a loyalist; but I’ve been pretty good about picking who to guard. And yes I know that’s a martial metaphor. "…thoughts can range widely,
often in strongly self-contradictory ways, …." No. Never my thoughts.
Anyway, thanks for an entertaining evening Jenica. I’m not big on the meme thing, but it might be interesting if others let us know what they think of their results and/or of the test instrument itself.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Jenica // Feb 9, 2006 at 11:59 pm
When I did this initially, for Synergy, they had us do a much longer test, with the explicit instructions of thinking about how we are, in our lives now. Not how we wish we could be, or how we used to be, but what our current reality was. Which, you’re absolutely right, can change everything.
And, also, every time I see a reference to the Enneagram, there’s a different test, and a different set of 9 descriptors. Sometimes I’m a leader, sometimes I’m a challenger, sometimes I’m a protector, but it’s always an 8. I’ve got strong 3 and 5 tendencies.
Honestly, it’s just another self-assessment like every other subjective self-assessment. But at a moment in my life when I needed some guidance, it was a tool that offered some insight into my character. And it had a big impact. Mostly, I remember it and check in on the Enneagram because of the memories it triggers for me of a time when iI needed to make some changes and choices, and was prodded to do so.
But I kinda like being THE LEADER.
2 Mark // Feb 10, 2006 at 12:15 am
Yes, I realize this is the internet version. I’d be interested in taking the longer version, but as you say, “it’s just another self-assessment….”
And, at least sometimes, I enjoy being the thoguhtful, idealistic, loyal one.
Again, an interesting diversion to begin my weekend. [There will be sporadic "work" work throughout though.] And it helped me think about some things a bit more and stitch a few things together.