“You must give to the giver”, my dad always said. He was referring to ‘Type 2- The Giver” or “The Helper” of the Enneagram personalty mapping tool. I’ve been learning a lot about the tool recently. I’ve also been telling a lot of people about it. It’s a bit complicated. This post is intended to give an introduction and provide a few resources.

The Enneagram with Riso-Hudson Type Names

My dad was right; I am a ‘2’. After a weekend workshop it is clear to me and also made me a little uncomfortable. I didn’t like reading such intimate details about me. And it also intrigued me…

A fun and interesting take on the Enneagram types at a party:

The following type descriptions are directly form the Enneagram Institute website and link back to said site for more details.

The Nine Enneagram Type Descriptions

Click on any of the titles below to read detailed descriptions about each of the nine Enneagram types. 

1 THE REFORMER

The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic

2 THE HELPER

The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive

3 THE ACHIEVER

The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious

4 THE INDIVIDUALIST

The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental

5 THE INVESTIGATOR

The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated

6 THE LOYALIST

The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious

7 THE ENTHUSIAST

The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered

8 THE CHALLENGER

The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational

9 THE PEACEMAKER

The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent