This is an opinion article piece. Allie Richter is a senior at Mendham who writes for Arts and Entertainment. All opinions expressed in the following editorial are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Patriot. 

As we head into the start of a new year, many people are often trying to reflect on themselves and learn more about themselves so that they can grow and accomplish the goals that they have set. What ends up happening is by the end of January they are burnt out and don’t know why they aren’t succeeding at these goals. This is because they aren’t aware of their strengths and weaknesses and what makes them, them. A great tool for understanding a person and how they behave is by looking into the Enneagram test and looking at their personality through that. 

So you may be asking, what is the Enneagram? The Enneagram is a way of personality typing and According to Truity.com, it “Describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions”. There are nine different personality types that the Enneagram describes and it maps each of the nine types on a nine-pointed diagram which shows how they are all related. All of the nine personality types are defined by a core belief that they hold about how the world works. This belief shapes a person’s perspective of the world, which can be limiting, but once a person understands what their core belief is it is easier for them to be open to more perspectives which can help them become more well-rounded individuals. Also by studying the different Enneagrams it helps understand a person’s strengths and weaknesses and what motivates them in life and having this knowledge is essential for achieving your goals. The Enneagram also helps people understand how they react to stressful situations and learning this creates a strong foundation for personal development.

Out of the nine Enneagram types, they are split into three categories which are heart types, head types, and body types. Heart types are the ones who depend on their emotions and tend to react with them first when in situations. They are very empathetic people and value trying to understand their own and others’ emotions and want to have strong connections in their lives. The three types that are in the category are The Helper(type two), The Achiever(type three), and The Individualist(type four). The head types use their intellectual intelligence to help them make sense of what is going on around them in the world. They like to analyze everything and need to have control in their lives. The three types that are head types are The Investigator(type five), The loyalist(type six), and The Enthusiast(type seven). The last category is the body types of the Enneagram. These types tend to follow their gut in a lot of situations they face. They are very intuitive and are always seeking comfort from those around them. They can be either overly controlling or overly passive. These types are The Challenger(type eight), The Peacemaker(type nine), and The Reformer(type one). All of these different types have different core beliefs that make them both similar and different from one another. If you want to find out what type you are click here. 

The Enneagram is an amazing tool to help individuals learn more about themselves and help develop their personalities, and can help a person learn what motivates them and how they can use that to their advantage. These tests have been used in many different areas like counseling, education and even businesses use it. According to medium.com the CEO of Shopify uses these tests because “We want to find out what areas people have a fixed mindset on and try to get them to acquire a growth mindset.” If you really want to see some change in your life this year and achieve those new years goals, I suggest sitting down and taking an Enneagram test right now and starting your research. Learn what your core beliefs and motivations are and use those to help accomplish everything you have planned for 2021!