Some people take a quick look through the Enneagram type descriptions and immediately recognize their type. Others reading the same descriptions just can't decide.
You may wonder why you have such difficulty finding your type while it came so easily to others. Just know that most people type themselves wrong at first. So those people that seem so sure of their type after reading the descriptions often find out later that they were wrong.
Typing yourself may simply take time because to do it correctly often requires learning about and understanding the types first. It's also about being honest with and better understanding yourself.
You may see aspects of yourself in more than one Enneagram type. You may also find that not all aspects of a type fit for you.
You're really all nine Enneagram types, just to varying degrees. When you're looking for "your type" you're looking for your dominant type; the type most like you.
People who are new to the Enneagram types often look at how people behave. Note that Enneagram type is found in the "why" behind the how.
Two people of different types can behave in similar ways, even have similar goals, but behave that way for different reasons, different motivations.
People can seem different in different situations. You may be one way at work, another in a relationship, and still another when you're off doing your own thing.
If you were to look at those situations separately then you might see yourself as multiple types. Look underneath the behaviors for a consistent motivation that can be tied to type across all situations.
As we get older we also develop other ways of being which are beyond our dominant type. This means sometimes it can be easier to glimpse our type by looking at how we were when we were younger.
Be careful going back too early in your life though. There may have been many other influences on your personality besides type during your teenage years and earlier.
It's easy to get carried away with trying to identify other aspects of Enneagram type besides your basic type (e.g., wings, centers, instincts, etc.). These other aspects of type build upon your basic type.
If you don't know your basic type then you may just be compounding your confusion by looking at all these other concepts. Have patience with finding your basic type. There'll be time later to dig more deeply into the rest.
Leave some doubt about your type at first. You may find later that you've typed yourself incorrectly. Leaving some doubt keeps you open to other possibilities.
Two negatives can result when you've typed yourself incorrectly.
You can soften the effect of these two negatives by remaining open to the possibility that's not your type.
You may be tempted to use a test as a shortcut for determining your type, but tests are nowhere near 100% accurate. However, they can provide a starting point for discovering your type by narrowing down the possibilities.
Don't assume the test result is accurate. Hold the type loosely and confirm for yourself whether it's accurate.
Some tests list not only the top scoring type but also the scores of other types. Explore the top three or so scores with these tests to see if one of those is your type.
Related Article: Are Enneagram tests accurate? If not then what are they good for?
Because type 9 is able to see multiple points of view or merge with others it's easy for type 9 to see themselves in multiple types.
A doubting or questioning mind is a feature of type 6. This can lead to an uncertainty or questioning of one's type.
People having trouble deciding on a type often end up identifying with one of these two types.
Although difficulty finding your type can sometimes indicate not being honest with or knowing yourself very well, it could also be that you're not well described in any of the nine types.
The general type descriptions are often slanted toward certain features of a type that may not apply to everyone of that type and omit features that only apply to certain variations of a type. These variations are often described in terms of such concepts as wings, tri-center, and subtypes.
Although it's best that you stick to your basic type at first to avoid complicating things, it may be that you can more easily find your type by exploring these variations and subtleties of the types that the general descriptions are missing.
Related Article: The Enneagram describes 9 basic personality types. Is 9 enough?