Accurately identifying your Enneagram type really does matter, and here’s why. Mistyped people pay attention, although unintentionally, to the wrong things (or misinterpret why they do something) and subsequently pursue a development path that isn’t going to support their growth and transformation. Mistyped people also misunderstand or misinterpret their own impact on others, making it challenging to truly understand and improve human interactions using the insights of the Enneagram.

There are many reasons that contribute to the challenge, but also the beauty, of accurate typing. One of these factors involves overlays on our type. The two overlays that occur most frequently are country (culture) overlays and family overlays. Not every country has a clear Enneagram type, and Enneagram teachers may disagree about the type of a certain country. My assessments come from two sources: my personally having visited the countries multiple times, and from discussions with Enneagram professionals who live and work in those countries.

Country: Bali

Bali is most likely a Two culture, with its celebrations of rituals such as birth, death and rebirth and the overall friendliness, warmth and hospitality of its people, both among one another and to strangers. The Balinese have rules, but they are almost always about relationships – for example, smile at one another, touch this person in this manner but don’t touch this person in that way, solve interpersonal problems in private and never in public, and do not embarrass another person under any circumstances. The Balinese ask people they meet questions such as “Where are you going?” and “Are you married?” and do so, not to be intrusive but to create openness and to get to know you. They believe that losing your temper or using a loud voice is vulgar and rude, as is pointing your index finger at anyone for any reason. This culture is very strong overlay on all Balinese.

Mexico is possibly Enneagram Two country because the culture is warm, friendly, people-focused, with families and events centered around food and congeniality/hospitality.

A person raised in a type Two country or by parents who adhere to the customs of that country, even if they no longer reside there, may have a type Two overlay on their own type that needs to be explored and understood so their actual type can be identified.

Family overlays

Not every family has a strong family overlay, but those that do have had one person in the family system, usually a person in a position of perceived authority, who has had a pervasive influence on all the children in that family, not just one child. That person could be a mother, father, grandparent, uncle, aunt or even the eldest sibling. If the family overlay is type Two, the children focus more on others than themselves, tend to give more gifts and feel guilty when doing things for themselves.

About Ginger

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, author of nine Enneagram books including The Art of Typing, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications. TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com