Personality Types and The Enneagram

Something I have always found interesting is personality types, and the way they are studied and categorized. In my PSY 101 class however, I wanted to melt into a puddle and leak away under the door. It was terribly boring to hear about all the scientific studies and biological facts behind why we act the way we do. Sometimes, it even felt dehumanizing. Many believe we act and interact with others only as a means of survival.

That is just too depressing for me. I want to see and experience the color of life, not box it into means of instinct and survive skills.

In saying this, I favor the Enneagram when it comes to reading about personalities. This model is criticized mostly because it is very much open to interpretation. It is not generally taught in an academic course. In fact, it's one of those methods that are taught at self-help seminars. However! It is not complete nonsense that some male created while having fun with pot. Much of the Enneagram makes sense. I promise.

The Enneagram works like this: each person has one dominant type (see the above photograph) and one wing. The wing is connected to the dominant type (see above) and the person only shares certain traits with the wing's type. This is a nice site that explains about the Enneagram:

http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/intro.asp#.UYsKT0pvBD4

Warning! This site offers tests to discover your personality type, but seriously, there are tons of free tests on other sites. Do not spend ten dollars on free questions.

So then, what is the point of even bringing the Enneagram up for discussion? Well, it is quite interesting. And, if you happen to be into personality and all, it is refreshing to read about something that does not contain black and white numbers. This model is based more on emotion and how well an individual knows oneself. Also, for the writers/actors out there, the Enneagram can help in fleshing out a character. When writing about someone who is completely foreign to you, it can help to have a tool that gives you insight to what kind of person you are creating. No, this is not going to write your novel, but it is a method of knowing where your characters come from and why they make the choices they do.