Customer Reviews

Discovering Your Personality Type: The New Enneagram Questionnaire

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The enneagram is a personality typing system; individuals fall into one of nine personality types (reformer, helper, motivator, artist, thinker, loyalist, generalist, leader or peacemaker). Individuals can predict & analyze their thoughts & behavior based on their personality type. When I first learned about enneagram, I thought it was some kind of hocus-pocus new-agey alternative fluff, but the typing system has a strong historical grounding and it makes so much sense.

This book is helpful if you're new to the concept of enneagram, or if you're familiar with the enneagram but want to discovery or confirm your type. I would not recommend it if you know your enneagram personality type already and are interested in learning about the type . The book provides a simple 144-question survey somewhat remniscent of those interest tests we all took in high school (would you prefer to play tennis or keep score in a tennis match? conduct research in a lab or sell books?). Each question gives two choices; you must choose one -- sometimes it is tough, but the forced choice leads to an answer.
The book is most useful as a typing and diagnostic tool. The descriptions of the nine different personality types are short, barely enough to scratch the surface. Once you know your type, you'll probably want to consult one of Riso's other works to learn more about what the type means.

This test will either tell you what your type is, or help you narrow it down to a choice of two. You can also take the test answering as you think an acquaintance would answer, giving a strong clue to that person's type. I only came across one case where the test wasn't helpful, where an individual scored evenly for almost every type. In my case, a different enneagram test pointed to an incorrect type, but this test pointed correctly at my type. And that's the purpose of the book.

I must say that I disagree with the earlier negative review. I was turned on to the Enneagram and Mr. Riso's work by a friend and have been a supporter ever since. This is not about a cult religion or an alternative belief system. It is about seeing the whole picture of yourself, positives and negatives. The Enneagram test enabled me to see the things about myself that I didn't want to see and the things that friends and family may not want to tell you personally. An invaluable tool for self discovery. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that the personality type descriptions tend to be a little short. (A problem remedied by Mr. Riso's book "Personality Types"). For those looking for a quicker read, I highly recommend this book. If a more insightful description of your personality type is what you are looking for, try Mr. Riso's book "Personality Types".

Having read widely in the fascinating Enneagram literature, I find this test indespensable in accomplishing the actual typing of a person. People and their friends often wish for one Enneagram label or another to apply to them, and Enneagram typing from general reading is susceptible to this *major* distortion. This 144 question, thought provoking, multiple choice test -- which forces a choice between the answers presented for each question -- often including either *no* answers appealing to the examinee, or *too many* appealing answers -- gives the examinee less opportunity to answer by prior self-streotyuping, and less of a hint of what Enneagram types correspond to which answers. "Forced-choice" testing, widely respected in psychological testing circles, can be uncomfortable when no answers seem a happy fit, but they are a good testing format. Even in other excellent books by Riso and Hudson -- also my favorite Enneagram writers -- the shorter quizzes don't compare in clarity to this. Don't skip this in your efforts to type yourself or a friend.

This book also contains a short exposition of the Enneagram approach and types. This part is cursory, and reading one of Riso and Hudson's lengthier books will be far more satifying for this information and analysis. Helen Palmer's work is also excellent, but she takes a darker, more pessimistic view of human beings. Hudson and Riso, while recognizing each type's darker sides, present a far more balanced analysis.

As a long-term student of personality typing, I would describe this book as a "serviceable introduction" to the basic ideas behind the Enneagram. Although perhaps not as publicly well known as the Myers-Briggs personality typing system, the Enneagram is a remarkably accurate system for determining your basic personality type.

This slim volume (120 pages) centers around the 144-item "Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator" (RHETI) which is one of the "standards" for determining your Enneagram type. This particular book uses Version 2.0 of the RHETI-- which makes it a couple of "generations" old as of this writing-- but I don't believe the age of the test will have a negative effect on its usefulness in accurately determining your type. The RHETI is a "forced answer" format quiz that forces readers to choose between two statements (not necessarily related)-- statements that sometimes can be very difficult to find a clear choice between.

In addition to the RHETI itself, instructions and score sheets, the book includes a VERY brief introduction and history of the Enneagram, as well as fairly minimal "thumbnail" descriptions of each of the nine Enneagram personality types. There's also a VERY basic introduction to the interpretive tools for understanding your type, including Wings, integration and disintegration, and levels of health. However, if you're interested in learning about the Enneagram in ANY kind of depth (and perhaps already know your type), I'd recommend Riso and Hudson's "Personality Types" instead, which is one of my most frequently used and valuable reference books on the subject. On the other hand, if you just want a "quick and basic" evaluation, then THIS book is for you!

I am generally a big fan of Riso and Hudson's books-- they seem to provide a more "balanced" view of the human psyche than other experts in this field. Helen Palmer's works are also noteworthy.

Overall: I'll give it 7 out of 10 bookmarks, based mostly on the fact that it's really not TRYING to be anything but a very basic introductory book. Enjoy!

Take the test...Either by buying this book or visiting the website. I think its worth the time to take the test, because a person could easily misjudge their type. When I began reading Personality Types by Hudson and Riso I thought I might be a type 2. But after taking the test I found that I was a type 4.

This book doesn't offer a lot of additional information about the types, but is perfect for someone who wants to find out their type and read a little bit about what it means.

I think this is also a great resource if combined with "Personality Types"...Which I believe is Hudson and Riso's best book along with "The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The complete guide to psychological and spiritual growth for the nine personality types."

Take the test and you'll find out not only your primary type, but your wing AND your levels in all the other types which can be VERY revealing. For example, as a type 4 if I show high levels of 2 then that actually means I'm going in the wrong direction psychologically....Or that maybe I've been in a situation that demands 2 behavior...Or that I've been interatcting with someone who is a 2. In addition, you can retake the test in the future to see where your levels are at.

A must have in your enneagram library and even a fun gift for those who don't know anything about enneagram.

Easy yet informative -- and worth its weight in gold! A small book with the power to literally transform your life. A must-read.

This book is helpful if you're new to the concept of enneagram, or if you're familiar with the enneagram but want to confirm your type. I would not recommend it if you know your enneagram personality type and are interested in learning about the type. The book provides a simple 144-question survey somewhat remniscent of those interest tests we all took in high school (would you prefer to play tennis or keep score in a tennis match? conduct research in a lab or sell books?). Each question gives two choices; you must choose one -- sometimes it is tough, but the forced choice leads to an answer.

The book is most useful as a typing and diagnostic tool. The descriptions of the nine different personality types are short, barely enough to scratch the surface. Once you know your type, you'll probably want to consult one of Riso's other works to learn more about what the type means.

A revised and expanded version of this classic Enneagram book has been published. It is titled, "Discovering Your Personality Type: Revised and Expanded" and has a publication date of May 20, 2003. It is available from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/061821903X/theenneagraminst/

This book is handy for those who need a test to find their enneagram number. It's much better though to read one of the other books that describe the nine spaces, than to take a test. Riso and Hudson have written other books which describe nine levels within the nine types, anyone who takes the time to read these will probably find oneself in there. However, some don't like to read or do better with something like the questionaire. This one isn't bad, (there are better one's out there) but it can be a handy resource on one's bookshelf. Serious students on the enneagram would probably want a copy, however, if resources are limited or one is just starting, another book would be better.