Enneagram Journey: Libby Moore

I love personality tests. I’m endlessly fascinated with what makes people tick - why people are the way they are. I’ve completed so many over the years…

Meyers-Briggs–ISTJ

DISC - The Stabilizer - SC

Color Personality - Green - science-minded, balanced and practical*

DUET - Dolphin

Hogwarts House - Hufflepuff

Shoe - The Ballet Flat

*I was a little offended with this one at first. I work in music. ALL of my fine arts friends were Orange and artistically minded. What’s the deal? Why not me? Fast forward 15 years and my specialization is in voice pedagogy and vocology–the study of the teaching of singing and the science of the voice. READ: Teacher. Researcher. Scientist.....well then.

I love these tests because they are insightful, endlessly interesting to talk about, and just plain fun and whimsical. (I really truly am a human ballet flat, very practical and versatile.) When I was introduced to the Enneagram, I was of course drawn to it right away. “Tell me why I am the way I am!”

However, what I found wasn’t just another whimsical personality quiz. It was so much more than that. Most other personality profiles stop at “This is it! This is who you are!” The Enneagram gave me a pathway to growth and health. It allowed me to more easily recognize negative patterns when I’m in stress and to seek a more positive outcome by moving towards healthier behaviors.

My particular type is the Enneagram 6, sometimes called the Loyalist or the Skeptic. We 6’s are in the thinking triad and very much in our heads. We are concerned with security and safety, and fear being without support and guidance. Because of this, we sometimes don’t have confidence in our own thoughts and judgements, leading to a tendency to second guess ourselves and want to check with our special panel of authority figures.

We’re super committed and responsible people - that’s where the “Loyalist” nickname comes from. This can sometimes be to our detriment, going down with the proverbial ship. We can be community builders and very engaging people. We can also be anxious and suspicious, filled with worry and having a tendency to overreact. (Who me? No way…)

We are a cluster of opposites. We can be sweet and sour, fearful and courageous, trusting and distrusting, provokers and defenders, aggressive and passive, believers and doubters…

Knowing all of this about my type, and then some, gives me language for all thoughts swirling around in my head. In my case, it’s called anxiety. Being able to name that feeling then allows me to pause and seek other information about what’s causing these negative thought patterns. The Enneagram gives me a starting place to explore different possibilities. Am I feeling unsupported or lacking guidance? Am I not trusting myself? Am I overreacting? [The answer is probably YES.]

The Enneagram has also helped me see the good. I can at times be a harsh self-critic and overlook all the good because I’m not living up to my own extremely high standards. I’m also better able to understand my spouse and other people close in my life. It gives me more compassion and understanding of others, especially when it comes to core motivation, or why they behave or react in the way that they do. I just try to not use it as ammunition, “You’re such a 9!”