I. What is the Enneagram? 1. Where did the Enneagram come from? Is it scientific? The Enneagram is one of the newest personality systems in use, and emphasizes psychological motivations. Its earliest origins are not completely clear - the circular symbol may have originated in ancient Sufi traditions, and was used by the esoteric teacher George Gurdjieff (1866-1949). However, it is most likely that neither the Sufis nor Gurdjieff taught a system of personality types. The modern version of the Enneagram personalies emerged in the 20th century, from Oscar Ichazo who was a student of Gurdjieff, but whose personality system stands apart from Gurdjieff's teachings. Ichazo taught his system to many pupils in Arica, Chile, of whom Claudio Naranjo is the most prominent. In the last few decades, the system has undergone further change, incorporating modern psychological ideas in the writings of Naranjo, Helen Palmer, Kathy Hurley/Theodorre Donsson, and Don Riso/Russ Hudson.

Scientific testing of the Enneagram has a long way to go. The RHETI is a widely used test and has been subject to scientific tests that showed internal consistency, but not accuracy. Other tests may be more accurate (see comparison here). The Enneagram's underlying structure is based on testable ideas about motivations and emotions (see A Directional Theory of the Enneagram).

2. What is the Enneagram useful for? The Enneagram is mainly a diagnostic tool of one's emotional outlook on life. It will not cure one's problems, but may help point out their underlying fixations. It is also useful as a guide to how other people see the world differently. The Enneagram has become particularly popular within the self-help and personal growth movements, but other professions use it as well, including therapists, teachers, psychologists, managers, and businesspeople.

3. How do I find my Enneagram type? There are a number of tests. The most accurate (and cheapest) may be the Essential Enneagram Test, by David Daniels (see here for a comparison of tests). But ultimately the best way to determine your location on the Enneagram spectrum is to understand the system, and understand yourself. The tests will take you only a small part of the way toward that goal.

4. Don't people's personalities change all the time? I have not heard of anyone's Enneagram type changing after early childhood, though I can't rule out the possibility. Most often, what changes is one's understanding of the personality one had all along. Major life changes most often involve discovery of inner strengths, and admission of weaknesses, that one actually had all along.

5. Doesn't the Enneagram just put people into boxes? Actually it's the other way around, as Riso points out: the Enneagram shows you what boxes to get out of. Most people are not aware of their own fixations, or how powerfully they affect our consciousness.

6. What are the Enneagram Wings? The 9 types can mix like colors on a palette. However, mixtures with numerically adjacent types are particularly frequent and striking, and are called "wings". Hence, a 5's wing will either be type 4, or type 6 (or occasionally both). A 9's wing will either be type 8 or 1. It is also possible for someone not to have a strong wing, or to have elements of both wings. A small number of people I've met seem to have non-adjacent types as their wings, but this appears relatively uncommon.

7. Is one's Enneagram type inherited? Somewhat. Most twins are different Enneagram types, although many are adjacent types.

8. Is your Enneagram type your whole personality? No, even though well-meaning, enthusiastic Enneagrammers may give that impression. Tom Condon has remarked that one's Enneagram type is analogous to one's national origin - i.e. it is part of one's identity, while still leaving considerable room for individual variation.

9. What are the self-preservation, sexual, and social instinctual variants? There are three instinctual variants which describe different social spheres where one’s attention can be directed:
self-preservationist - focused on issues of survival and personal space.
sexual - concerned with one-on-one relationships
social - concerned with group issues.
These variants are independent of one’s Enneagram type. Any type can be any variant, and vice versa, giving 27 combinations. For example, while 9s seek harmony, peace, and reduction of conflict, self-preservation 9s seek it through solitary means (hobbies, nature, and daily routine), while sexual 9s pursue these goals through one-on-one interactions, and social 9s may seek harmony through group activities.