Am I an Enneagram type 1?
1’s Core Motivation – I am striving to:
- Be good, do what is right and have everything “just so”
I focus my attention on:
- What is right or wrong, good or bad, correct or incorrect
- Fixing what I perceive is wrong, deficient, lacking or imperfect
- Improving myself, others, situations and processes
I avoid:
- Making mistakes and “coloring outside the lines”
- Being irresponsible, inappropriate, reckless
Typical characteristics and strengths:
- Responsible
- Hardworking
- Organized
- Conscientious
- Discerning
- Ethical, principled
- High standards
- Focused and clear
- Goal-oriented, strive for excellence
- Reliable, dedicated, consistent
- Practical
Typical challenges or blindspots:
- Judgmental, quick to judge, reactive
- Critical, overly-critical (especially of self and those closest to you)
- Demanding
- Impatient
- Perfectionist, nit-picky
- Angry, resentful, easily frustrated
- Harsh, sharp
- Lots of “should-ing”
- Inflexible, rigid, stuck thinking
- Negative, nay-saying, pessimistic
Typical patterns and behaviors:
- Working hard, being reliable and having integrity are important to me.
- I have a clear sense of what is acceptable and righteous. I am guided by self-defined standards, rules, beliefs and principles. I see opportunities for improvement everywhere.
- People count on me to do a job well. I feel like there is little to no room for error. When I do make a mistake, it can be devastating.
- I tend to get easily annoyed and disappointed by others failing especially when I am under stress.
- I have a hard time delegating. “If you want something done right you have to do it yourself” isn’t a saying. It is a fact.
- I have a hard time relaxing. Work and responsibilities come before play. By the time I am done working, there is often no time to play. I rely on others to help me have fun.

Considering your wings and arrows may help clarify nuances of your type.
- 1’s Wings: 9 and 2. Most of us “lean” more toward one of our two wings, sharing some behaviors with that type.
- Growth Arrow: 7 – 1’s “move” toward 7 adopting 7ish behaviors and patterns for growth and development.
- Stress Arrow: 4 – where 4’s may go when they are experiencing acute stress or difficulty. Here we see the 1 demonstrate “low-side” or unhealthy type 4 behaviors.
Not sure what Enneagram type you are? Please contact me to learn more about Enneagram typing.