Discovering Your Personality Type : The Essential Introduction to the Enneagram, Revised and Expanded

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: If you have read Personality Types then this book is even better. It actually shows you who you are by a series of questions. I remember because it showed me I was wrong about my own self (after just reading Personality Types)! So, needless to say, this book along with Personality Types is all you will ever need to learn to about psychology.

Rating:
Summary: A clear and common-sense introduction to a profound topic
Review: This book is an excellent introduction to the Enneagram. The information on each of the types is deep and systematic. Hudson has included information on the Instinctual type and how it shows up in each of the 9 personality types. For people who are interested in who they would be "compatible" with, the Instinctual type is more important than knowing someone's fundamental type.

I've taken several Enneagram seminars including one taught by Russ Hudson himself. I recently recently reread portions of this book; I was struck by both the quantity and the precision of the information in this small book. Reading this book and then reading the Riso/Hudson "Wisdom" text would give a strong foundation into this topic.

This book contains the obligatory test with scoring information. Tests are good, but they're hardly a definitive way of learning your type. The ego really doesn't like to have you investigate it and will do what it can to obfuscate the process. When you learn what your type is, you will know -- and know that you know. You may be able to do this from the included test, but don't be surprised if that's just the beginning of your journey. Discovering your own type is useful, but there's really no hurry.

The funniest thing about the Enneagram is its name. It's a personality type system that has been around for thousands of years which, to this reviewer, has the fundamental ring of truth. This book takes a profound topic and discusses it in a clear common-sense way. Understanding the Enneagram will alter how you relate to other people and how you relate to yourself.