It ' s not perfect , but we can refine how it all works by exposing ourselves to as many other people and their experiences as possible . We start with our friends and larger social tribe . Then our loved ones . Then our family . Then we start exploring our others . Not all of us go in deep although some jobs require insane levels of practical understanding but by the time we ' re adults , few of us rely only on projection and othering . <| sep |> indeed , but only an idiot would bet against it . <| sep |> ever seen a dickstika ? <| sep |> No believed the catholic priests were involved , until it got out . <| sep |> Agree . It shows off your emblem nice too . <| sep |> And therein lies the problem I don ' t treat or see the enneagram the same as Big 5 . The Big 5 is about describing simple surface traits , not deeper character motivations . The enneagram does the latter , not the former . Okay , so surface traits have no link to deeper motivations ? That ' s interesting because Naranjo and every other Enneagram writer describes trait clusters that go with these motivations . So while I get what you ' re saying about not being able to pinpoint a single type in a few minutes , you can at least rule out stuff . Because who would be type X if their actions and demeanor sabotaged their coping with this basic fear ? It ' s like someone claiming to be a 3 and going to a formal meeting in pajamas . They would just know better . Or an 8 being so phlegmatic , dry , and softspoken that they don ' t seem like they care that much about presenting a tough exterior to combat vulnerability . this isn ' t a matter of seeing past layers to see a real you , but this is about recognizing that the personality does consist of layers of emotional content . The Big 5 cannot do this . It describes that a person may be anxious , but it doesn ' t describe why that person is anxious . And that ' s what the enneagram cares about , describing the whys , not the hows . That ' s why , if you for example go to any enneagram homepage , it says stuff like Basic fear Fear of being harmedcontrolled . The Big 5 cannot explain stuff like this , because it only cares about measuring surface traits . Sure , but like I said , that why should make sense , especially when people go on autopilot . Something about this scenario doesn ' t make sense Why are you acting so vulnerable ? Because I hate being controlled and vulnerable ! Which happens a lot when people claim to be some type of way deep within their psyche .