I recently had the joy and enlightened experience of attending an Enneagram party. It was an opportunity for myself and my fellow tennis team to learn more about each other and ourselves.
Understanding Enneagram
The Enneagram Of Personality is a map of the human psyche. It is taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. If you were to draw a circle and mark nine equidistant points on its circumference and then designate each point by a number from one to nine with nine being at the top, you would have the map. Each point represents a personality type. What makes Enneagram model so interesting is that the personality types also connect to each other through inner lines.
Knowing Your Type
The best way to find out your type is to take an Enneagram RHETI (Riso-Hudson Enneagram Indicator) test and follow it with an IVQ test (Instinctual Variant Questionnaire). You will need to take each test in one sitting. But don’t worry. The questions are fairly easy to answer, based on your personality type choosing the natural or best answer for you.
As I binged the second season of Euphoria I was able to detect which personality type was most like each character. To get you familiar with Enneagram types, here are the nine types with Euphoria characters as examples.
The Nine Types
1.) The Reformer- Maddie
Maddie is the pageant queen perfectionist with a manipulative edge. She wants everything to be perfect. And exactly her way. Her relationship with Nate is a toxic one. She shows compassion at times but often feels threatened by the world around her. Her guard is up and she is ready. So look out Cassie…
2.) The Helper- Cassie
Cassie is a sweet people pleasing girl. But she often makes bad decisions. She comes from an abusive family and her toxic relationship with her father has added to her poor choices in men. Like hooking up with Nate, her best friends ex.. uh bad idea.
3.) The Achiever- Nate
Good looking and the star quarterback, Nate tries to protect his reputation by guarding his father Cal’s dark secrets. He often uses his looks and his bully strength to get what he wants. Which is Maddie, no Cassie, no Maddie but also Cassie or Jules… what??
4.) The Individualist- Kat
Sensitive Kat is literally looking for herself. She feels lost even when she finally finds the love she has always desired. Her moods swing as fast as her self confidence drops. Upon discovering she has no idea who she is and doesn’t like herself, feels it is time to break her boyfriends heart (Ethan) because she thinks her lack of love for herself is preventing her from loving him fully.
5.) The Investigator- Lexi
Booksmart, loyal, inquisitive and concerned for those around her. Lexi is the ultimate younger sister to the scattered Cassie and hover friend to the self destructive Rue. Her drive to develop a school production is bringing out the best in her. However, her curiosity puts her along the fringes of danger as she finds herself crushing on the local school drug dealer, Fezco. Can she remain responsible and find a healthier love in the soon to be available Ethan perhaps? Hmm..
6.) The Loyalist- Rue
In complete and utter self destruction mode since her father passed away, Rue (played by Zendaya) has found security and comfort in drug use and isolation. Her loyalty to herself, drug use and Jules are the driving forces that keep her moving daily. Will she completely explode or will she realize she can channel that determined energy into a healthier lifestyle?
7.) The Enthusiast- Cal
Nates Father and a successful Real Estate Mogul. Cal has found himself at his perfect seven fork in the road. FOMO. Fear of missing out on emotional connections with men due to the fact that he wound up realizing his sexuality in high school right when his girlfriend (now wife) discovered she was pregnant. Sneaking around to sleep with men and transgenders Cal seeks more than a double life. His mid life crisis takes a final turn and just like that, he walks out on his two teenage sons and wife. The alternative for Cal is self destruction and pain. Which as a seven, he wants to avoid at all costs.
8.) The Challenger- Fezco
High school dropout and drug dealer Fezco is confident that he and his younger brother will survive. He protects Rue and considers her family. Fezco sells drugs to be self reliant. And makes a point of posturing with Nate and beating him up because he felt that Rue and her friends were threatened by him. Not a drug user, just a dealer, Fezco, does his best to stay in control of his circumstances. And offers Rue tough love when she is withdrawing and tries to steal from him. His big heart has drawn Lexi’s interest. Let’s hope for her sake that he stays away from her.
9.) The Peacemaker- Jules
Easy going and reassuring, Jules just wants to love and to be loved. She has placed herself in an unfortunate situation with Rue. She wants her clean and she won’t settle but Rue has been so loyal to her. She does not want to lose her. And she has believed Rue when she said she was sober. Now she knows better and that as a couple reunited, they have been living a lie. By avoiding conflict, Jules has had to see the ugliest side of Rue. Jules wants things to remain as they were. But if Rue does not get treatment soon she may die.
Next Steps
Not that you have a beginners understanding of the Enneagram personality types and a zest to binge Euphoria, you can learn more about yourself and those close to you by taking the The RHET and IVQ tests. From there, you will be able to recognize your type and where you go to when you are stressed and where you go when you are in growth mode. If you are interested in hosting your own Enneagram party, check this site out Evolving Enneagram. Our guide, Angela Eby was amazingly relatable. She is friendly, knowledgable and is happy to work with us further so that we can develop a comprehensive understanding of the Enneagram. You can contact her here.
