When using the Enneagram for self‑assessment, biases can quietly distort everything, especially confirmation bias.
 
One behaviour is just a data point. 
 
Confirmation bias is the tendency to notice and remember evidence that fits what we already believe, and to ignore what doesn’t. 
 
Applied to the Enneagram, this can look like:
 
“I did something assertive once, so I must be an 8,” or “I cried today, so I can’t be a 5.”
 
In reality, any single behaviour is just a data point, not proof for or against a type. Every pattern can be kind, angry, organised, messy, emotional, or detached at times; what matters is what keeps repeating.
 
Another trap is a “No True Scotsman” move: 
 
“No true 4 would do that,” “A real 9 never gets angry,” etc. 
 
This protects our idea of the type instead of updating it in light of actual people, and turns the Enneagram into a closed system where counter‑examples are always explained away.
 
Hypothesis, not verdict. 
 
A more useful approach is:
 
Observe yourself across different situations and over time: what do you tend to pay attention to, and what do you habitually strive to feel (Perfect, Connected, Secure, etc.)?
 
Form a type hypothesis (“Maybe I’m most often striving to feel X, with this instinctual focus”), then keep testing it against real‑life reactions rather than clinging to it as an identity.
 
Treat your current best guess about type as a working model, not a verdict. If new data contradicts it, adjust the hypothesis instead of forcing yourself, or the Enneagram, to fit the old story.
 
 

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