[nikkiannpet]

I'll be 17 in less than a month, and I haven't been on the forums for a long time. But the enneagram always manages to pop back into my life. Anyway, I feel like I'm growing into myself which made me wonder: I'm still fairly young, so when would it be an appropriate time to type yourself? When does your personality crystalize? Also, I read that your true nature is most likely how you were as a child. I was wondering if you should type yourself based on those instances during childhood. I used to have a very simplistic idea of the world, and in some ways I still do, but life hits me pretty hard. If something affected me, I drag it with me my whole life, and remain simplistic about subjects that have not done anything to harm me. LOL I just added that bit of information because I wondered if type 6s are like that. Thank you!
Edit: Another thing, as a teenager you're probably susceptible to insecurities, and care more what people think...At least I do to some extent :/ So does that make you harder to type yourself? ex. a teenager who is a 4 or 6 might just be young so they're easily depressed/anxious because of hormones and lack of life experience.

 

[Impact Calculus]

I think it's probably best to type yourself when you're a teenager because that's when we're most close to our ego. I would recommend typing how you were in the past. Your perception of who you were then vs who you actually were is likely to be muddled and unconsciously biased.

Like myself, there are plenty of teenagers who do just fine in typing themselves. I would go with what your current motives, ego, and fears are.


Oh, and if I had to guess, I would type you as 6w7.

I guess the entire question is indeed framed around security, but some of the more 6ish doubt repeats several times throughout your post. I also see some 7ish charisma here.

Anyway, it should work just as well, and especially so when you understand the motives of each type.

 

[Paradigm]

I tend to want to wait until someone is about 20-22 or so. There's a lot of "teenage angst" that gets in the way of typing. I probably would've typed as a 4 or 5 if I had done it back then due to my strong introverted tendencies (which were magnified in high school).

Of course, any sort of personality system requires a lot of proper self-awareness, so as long as you have that you're probably fine. Some 17-year-olds would have better luck self-typing accurately than a lot of 30-year-olds.

 

[mpobrien]

I typed myself for the first time in my Junior year Religion class; the Enneagram was a part of our curriculum. I asked our teacher if we were too young to be typed accurately and he said that he thought we were at the best age to be typed because high school really brings out your true personality. The 1's with a 100 average who fret over everything, 2's manipulating their friends and going out of their way to help others, 3's in every club racking up achievements and looking good doing it, 4's writing sad poetry in the literature club, 5's in the library reading up on their favorite topics, 6's worrying about things, 7's never doing homework and out partying all the time, 8's seriously considering the military, 9's helping to balance everyone out in high school "Drama." Of course those are all based on stereotypes, but you get my point. I don't think you're too young, I was 16 and 2 years later I still agree with my typing of myself.

 

[Emerson]

When it comes to typing yourself on the eneagram be careful to avoid the bias that: (All INTX's are 5s) and all INFX's are 4's. Once you have your enea sorted out I found it much easier to sort out my MBTI. Like I'm an INTJ 4w5 while I have an INFP friend who is a 5w4 without a doubt. Strange world I suppose.

But yeah typing when you're a teen is best from what I'd say... Totally didn't just turn 20 or anything.

 

[nikkiannpet]

Thank you, everyone!
@Impact Calculus, being an ENFP seems to give the impression (at least from what I assume) that I'd have a 7 in my tritype, but many argue I'm more 6w7. Maybe the reason why I an identify with 7 is I worry about many things, including what 7s fear. And I can skip from one subject to the next; I get bored pretty easily. My mom has made it her duty to protect me from things that hurt her in life, so I'm very sheltered. I'm on constant surveillance, if I don't tell her where I am for five minutes I'm grounded, I can't hang out with most girls or guys if she thinks they party, etc. Most of my life I didn't think ahead, and because of that I'm subject to sitting in my room, doing nothing. It's been like this for a while, so I don't have the best social connections with people my own age. This is why I feel like a caged animal, although I could just be upset I can't play, play, play like my fellow classmates.
@mpobrien, but I feel my school turns everybody into robots! I go to one of the Top 100 schools in the nation, and it can really damage a student. I'm half Asian, and I feel alienated because my school is full of them, I think 88%? They're all so ambitious, and I am too, but I think I'm a lot more emotional. I realized I should care about my future too late, so half of my high school records (though they aren't incriminating) could have been more than what they are. I feel very defeated and ashamed of myself.
Because of my high school experience, I don't know if I'm sx/so or so/sx. I've been bullied every year since 4th grade, and now it's because I have only guy friends that are in the "popular" group. I have a pretty large distrust of girls, and some guys for this reason. It's hard to tell my instinctual variant because now that girls are seemingly out of the picture for me, I try more than I did before to appeal to the guys in my grade, though I have a boyfriend.
I was wondering if anyone felt their instinctual variants, wings, maybe core types changed after high school upon a new self evaluation? I know types don't change, but when are we who we really are? Thanks again I wrote all this on my ipad, so excuse any errors :3

 

[MuChApArAdOx]

MBTI/ENNG will give the most accurate reading after the age of 21. Your brain only finishes developing then, so.....i have no idea of your ENNG, i can't recall seeing you around here before.

 

[mpobrien]

@mpobrien , but I feel my school turns everybody into robots! I go to one of the Top 100 schools in the nation, and it can really damage a student. I'm half Asian, and I feel alienated because my school is full of them, I think 88%? They're all so ambitious, and I am too, but I think I'm a lot more emotional. I realized I should care about my future too late, so half of my high school records (though they aren't incriminating) could have been more than what they are. I feel very defeated and ashamed of myself.
Because of my high school experience, I don't know if I'm sx/so or so/sx. I've been bullied every year since 4th grade, and now it's because I have only guy friends that are in the "popular" group. I have a pretty large distrust of girls, and some guys for this reason. It's hard to tell my instinctual variant because now that girls are seemingly out of the picture for me, I try more than I did before to appeal to the guys in my grade, though I have a boyfriend.
I was wondering if anyone felt their instinctual variants, wings, maybe core types changed after high school upon a new self evaluation? I know types don't change, but when are we who we really are? Thanks again I wrote all this on my ipad, so excuse any errors :3

My school was ranked 9th nationally recently, in terms of private schools, and 1st in New York, but we're not really cranking out robots, and we only have a handful of asian students so I can't really relate there. It may not be that your school is turning you into robots, but that all of the students in your school may share a common personality type. You know how people tend to type, for example, Japan as a 3? Your school as a whole could be 3's, or 1's or whatever. Based on what you've written I think you're a 3. This is an excerpt fron Naranjo's instinctual variant type description of SO 3, maybe it helps?

 

[nikkiannpet]

@MuChApArAdOx, oh yeahz I lurked a lot. I find that I'm not as opinionated, or if I am, I wouldn't want to argue or debate so I just read through threads :3
@mpobrien Mm, that's probably true. I know as a kid I always wanted to be the center of attention, and I loved talking and socializing. But I always get along better with adults than people my own age (in person, I'm sorta internet awkward sometimes). My family has connections in just about every industry, so I learned at a young age how to talk to people with power, even though I was unaware of what was really happening. With teens, I have to observe what kind of humor they like, and I'll FINALLY say something and they're pleasantly surprised. But I'm too reluctant for fear I'll be rejected. So I tend to cling onto a particular person and get some sort of validation/benefit from them. Although if a cluster of girls say "Gahh I wish I was like you," I generally don't manipulate it that way xS
In terms of being popular or prestigious, I want to be successful (good college, rich, etc) and I'll tell you something semi embarrassing: When I was a kid and heard music, I would envision myself singing the song to a bunch of people, or just performing in general. I still do that and it's lame but ^^ I always feel like I'm uber cool and then I realize I'm not lol. So, I would want to be socially prestigious, but a little closed off from the world. Like, I'll talk with who I want to, people I have a connection with, while everyone else I'm generally on good relations with and they can just stand back in awe--in a nutshell. But I've lost most of the confidence I was born with, and it kills me. I've always been sensitive, but now it's just baaad.

 

[Owfin]

I'm a teenager and I've found both MBTI and Enneagram insightful and I definitely think I'm plenty "ready" for it at this point. Interestingly, I joined just before a major change in my attitude that resulted in my confidence there. Feeling like your talents are useful definitely helps in identifying exactly what those are, and then you can look to why you like those skills or enjoy this or that, helping you type. An example would be my interest in philosophical questions like "What is good?" over "What's the meaning of life?" having some roots in my sensing preference for looking to see what things are. But I couldn't have found that out if I hadn't participated in discussions on those things.

I'm sure there's something that you enjoy practicing or showing your skills in. Find a place where you can exercise that hobby.

 

[Surreal Snake]

Teenagers are still developing so i would think 21 plus would be best.

 

[nikkiannpet]

I'm a teenager and I've found both MBTI and Enneagram insightful and I definitely think I'm plenty "ready" for it at this point. Interestingly, I joined just before a major change in my attitude that resulted in my confidence there. Feeling like your talents are useful definitely helps in identifying exactly what those are, and then you can look to why you like those skills or enjoy this or that, helping you type. An example would be my interest in philosophical questions like "What is good?" over "What's the meaning of life?" having some roots in my sensing preference for looking to see what things are. But I couldn't have found that out if I hadn't participated in discussions on those things.

I'm sure there's something that you enjoy practicing or showing your skills in. Find a place where you can exercise that hobby.

Literature, psychology, law, theater, journalism, etc. (And I'm secretly obsessed to be a VS model LOL) I'm not writing my best at the moment, also because I type slow as firetrucks on the Ipad, but I have a strong inclination for writing than math. Everyone at my school is math oriented, and they strive to be engineers, doctors, or business leaders. I'm a huge fish out of water. I get sooo jealous of my boyfriend (who is also my own true best friend) because he doesn't always have to hang out with me, he has loads of people at his disposal; he's very intelligent in all fields I'm weak in, and he has an identity. Even though he claims he's lost and lonely, he can be himself. When I went on vacation to Mexico, I made friends with these guys that liked me for who I am, and for once I wasn't with my boyfriend as a social crutch. They all teased I would be some future lawyer or work at the FBI (which would be totally cool).
Is it better to type yourself before you find your instinctual variant?

 

[nikkiannpet]

MBTI/ENNG will give the most accurate reading after the age of 21. Your brain only finishes developing then, so.....i have no idea of your ENNG, i can't recall seeing you around here before.

Does it help that I've always tested as ENFP (even at school) for years? when I first took the Enneagram test, I got a 6 but identified with 3. Later on I got mixed up with 7 and 4, too.

 

[EternalNocturne]

Teenagers are still developing so i would think 21 plus would be best.

I respectfully disagree.
I am currently 18, and an ENFP.
Even going back to when I was 8, I was very future focused, inventive, musical, extroverted, kind, etc.
I realize that some people take a while to become who they truly are (I have a younger brother who's appearing to be a really ill tempered ISTP, I hope he grows out of that.. No offense to the ISTPs.).. But some people know who they are, and simply, are who they are.. Even at a younger age.
I am more mature than the year before, but my personality is still the same.
I'm a lot like I was then, only I am now more confident, a better musician, actor, inventor/innovator, etc.
So I would say it's worth less to type the "teenagers" who are still finding out who they are, but there are definitely some who know who they are, and will likely stay the same when they are older.

And of course, on the flipside of the wandering personality type teenagers.. If you know what their current type is, it's quite possible that you'll be able to know how to help them to mature into whatever type they are supposed to be. Wisdom is fantastic, but it's far better if you says the words that are applicable to who they are, even if that's just who they are for a moment.. That is especially aimed at those who are a parent/major figure in their life.

Well, that's just my take on the subject.
My view may be somewhat unrealistic in some areas, partially due to the fact that most teenagers aren't like me.
I was coming up with inventions and business ideas, planning how I was going to move out at 17 (my mother objected), how I was going to live my life, back as far as the age of 13.
I was home schooled, raised by two high IQ intuitives (INFJ and ENTJ).. And I've always been quite independent in who I am and what I want in life.. That's just who I am.

 

[nikkiannpet]

@OcarinaOfTime I agree with you, too. I've been typed generally the same (ENFP 3w4 6w7 9w1 sx/so) but it wasn't until I became an officer of NAMI club at my high school did I have to go back into the Enneagram, and not just out of my own personal inquisition. That's why I'm trying to evaluate myself again to see if age "changed my type." As for MBTI, my school counselor typed me ENFP but I had Ne and Fe...
That's why I was wondering if I could get some help here :3