# What's up with enneagrams?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-enneagrams/712971>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 18, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-enneagrams/712971 "2015-02-18T02:22:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-enneagrams/712971/1 "2015-02-18T02:22:38Z")

</div>

[Enneagram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality) tests are popular in some circles of assessment, leadership, coaching, etc. - I’m wondering where they come in useful or non-useful, whether there’s a certain amount of woo or non-woo involved (obviously I’ve read the wikipedia article - wondering if anyone has more detail/background/interesting experience.)

Thanks in advance!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-enneagrams/712971/2 "2015-02-18T03:52:28Z")

</div>

There is a big overlap in application with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Neither are 100% crap, but especially in the way that they are applied by Human Resources/job types (e.g. non-psychologists) it is closer to 100% than 0%. Basically there might be some elements of truth, but that doesn’t mean that the justifications, explanations, etc. are all accurate.