Type Comparisons

Explore Type Similarities and Differences

Determining your Enneagram type is a process of self-discovery. While two types may look similar from the outside, when we examine them more carefully we see that their inner motivations and concerns are quite different. This helps differentiate between them.

Types that are connected on the Enneagram symbol share certain qualities. Non-connected types can also have characteristics in common. If you are uncertain about your type, it’s helpful to look at both the similarities and the distinguishing features that set them apart. As you read the type pairings below, you’ll see how the following relationships contribute to similarities in types:

Enneagram symbol over a background of the world
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Type Comparisons

The pairings below, adapted from The Essential Enneagram book by David Daniels, MD and Virginia Price, MD, distinguish every Enneagram type from every other type, 36 comparisons in all. Each pairing shows what’s most similar ­– and different – between the two types, highlighting the subtleties of the Enneagram and the inner observation needed to find our own type.

Type 1 (compared to all other types)

Type 2 (compared to Types 3-9)

Type 3 (compared to Types 4-9)

Type 4: (compared to Types 5-9)

Type 5: (compared to Types 6-9)

Type 6: (compared to Types 7-9)

Type 7: (compared to Types 8-9)

Type 8: (compared to Type 9)