What medical specialty is ideal for you based on your Enneagram type?
We previously covered medical specialties based on Myers-Briggs and The Big Five. Today, we’re breaking down the Enneagram. Any guesses which type I most relate to? Leave a comment below.
But before we get started, we need an important disclaimer. Please take this video with a grain of salt. All personality tests have limitations, and we covered those scientific limitations. This is meant as a fun conversation starter and an exercise in better understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, and preferences.
Any personality type can find success in any specialty, but there are some very real factors that will make it more or less difficult for you. For example, someone who is motivated by success will be more drawn to competitive specialties than someone who is motivated by deeply connecting with other human beings.
View the Enneagram, and any personality assessment, as a non-scientific lens to assess and better understand your own personal preferences.
Now, what is the Enneagram, and how do you determine your Type?
Understanding the Enneagram
The Enneagram is a personality assessment designed to help people understand their motivations, core values, and the unconscious patterns that influence their behavior. It breaks people down into 9 distinct Types:
- Type 1 is the Reformer, motivated by principles and a strong sense of right and wrong.
- Type 2 is The Helper, motivated by a love of people and a desire to be loved.
- Type 3 is The Achiever, motivated by a desire to succeed and be recognized.
- Type 4 is The Individualist, motivated by a need to be authentic, distinctive, and expressive.
- Type 5 is The Investigator, motivated by their thirst for knowledge and desire to be competent.
- Type 6 is The Loyalist, motivated by their need for security and deep connection.
- Type 7 is The Enthusiast, motivated by new experiences and living life to the fullest.
- Type 8 is The Challenger, motivated by a need for control and the freedom to make their own decisions.
- Type 9 is The Peacemaker, motivated by their need for harmony and avoiding conflict.
While the test asserts that we all have each of the 9 Types within us, one is more dominant than the others.
But there’s more to the Enneagram than just the 9 Types, as each person also has their own wing.
Wings are the numbers on either side of your Type. This is represented in a continual circle, where Type 1 can be 1 wing 9 or 1 wing 2, and Type 2 can be either 2 wing 1 or 2 wing 3, and so on. This creates greater distinction between the 9 types, giving 18 options total.
For the purposes of matching medical specialties, we will stick to the core 9 Enneagram Types, but we’ll mention some key differences about the wings when relevant.
Healthy vs Unhealthy
What’s unique about the Enneagram is it seeks to understand people at their best and worst so that you can improve and better understand your weaknesses.
This is in contrast to other popular personality tests like Myers-Briggs and The Big 5, which focus primarily on the positive characteristics of a person.
For example, a healthy Type 1 is an inspiring leader, guided by personal integrity—think Captain America. An unhealthy Type 1 can become inflexible, dogmatic, and punitive in their pursuit of what they believe to be right—Think Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter.
Another example of how types can be either healthy or unhealthy is seen starkly in Type 8. In their pursuit of control, 8s can make for powerful villains like Maleficent, Magneto, and Fire Lord Ozai. But healthy 8s make for fearless leaders who defend and protect others, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in real life or characters like Nick Fury, Ellen Ripley from the Alien series, or Darrow from Red Rising.
Again, personality tests are not scientific and should always be taken lightly. But if you have a rough idea of the characteristics you tend to align with, you can then learn about the unhealthy patterns you may fall into when stressed, unhappy, or afraid.
Type 2s can become needy, overbearing, and manipulative. Type 3s can become arrogant, envious, and opportunistic. Type 4s can become self-destructive and indulgent.
There are tons of factors that go into choosing the ideal medical specialty for you, but your motivations, values, stress tolerance, and communication preferences make some specialties a better fit than others. As you prepare yourself for residency—or medical school, if you’re a hopeful premed—Med School Insiders can help you every step of the way. There’s a reason we’ve become the fastest-growing company in the space with industry-leading satisfaction ratings.
So, how do you determine your Enneagram Type?
Determining Your Enneagram Type
There are various quizzes you can take online to get a better sense of your Enneagram. The best quizzes won’t assign you a Type, but rather provide a scale of how much you relate to each Type. You will likely be strong in more than one.
From there, you can read more about each Type, what motivates them, what causes stress, and how they interact with others. Which one sounds the most like you? It may take some time to explore all of the possibilities.
Once you narrow down your Type, your wing is determined by the number on either side that you scored the highest in.Type 3 can be wing 2 or wing 4, for example. Type 4 can be wing 3 or wing 5. It’s always a number on either side of your Type.
If you are confused between two Types you scored high in and can partially relate to, the Enneagram Institute breaks down misidentification with other types, taking a deep dive into why they are commonly confused and how to differentiate your own Type.
If you’re not sure of your Enneagram, you’ll have a better sense after we walk through each Type and the best-suited medical specialties.
Type 1: The Reformer
First, Type 1 is the Reformer.
These types are rational, idealistic, principled, purposeful, self-controlled, and perfectionistic. They prize ethics and fairness and have an eye for detail. They are often leaders who have a commitment to community and no problem telling others what to do.
When it comes to weaknesses, a Type 1’s perfectionism can lead them to be highly critical of themselves and others. They expect the same attention to detail and rule following from those around them—and don’t dare be late. They can become self-righteous and have difficulty accepting criticism because they already know best.
Overall, they are guided by their strong belief in right and wrong and desire to strive higher, while always staying consistent in their ideals.
Famous Type 1s, real and fictional, include Al Gore, Michelle Obama, Hermione Granger, Captain Picard, and Captain America.
Medical specialties that best align with Type 1s include family medicine, internal medicine, pulmonology, transplant surgery, and medical management careers.
1 wing 9s are more diplomatic and care about making a true difference in the world with their career. 1 wing 2s care more about working closely with others. When considering all career paths, becoming a doctor is commonly listed as an ideal career path for Type 1 wing 2s.
Type 2: The Helper
Type 2 is the Helper.
They are demonstrative, generous, people-pleasing, and possessive. They are a caring, interpersonal type who desire love, appreciation, and acceptance from others. They thrive in warm and welcoming environments where they feel needed and appreciated.
For weaknesses, Type 2s can easily take on too much as they try to please everyone around them. They can be a bit too much socially for some people and can get needy, demanding, and manipulative if they aren’t getting the attention they crave.
Overall, they are guided by their deep love of people and desire to be loved in return.
Recognizable Type 2s include Mr. Rogers, Mother Teresa, Hagrid, Sabrina Spellman, and Sailor Moon.
The best-suited medical specialties include OB/GYN, pediatrics, family medicine, and palliative care. Type 2s are also well-suited for nursing.
2 wing 1s are committed to selflessness and look for careers where they can directly help others. When looking broadly at all career paths out there, 2 wing 1s are commonly cited as making great nurses and excelling in any job dealing with palliative care. As a doctor, they thrive better in a patient-facing specialty. 2 wing 3s are a bit more ambitious, seeking prestigious careers where they can work with others to achieve lofty goals.
Type 3: The Achiever
Type 3 is the Achiever.
Type 3s are ambitious, image-conscious, charismatic, adaptive, and action-oriented. They are inspired by opportunities and increased responsibility. They are self-motivated and enjoy motivating others.
On the downside, they can be overly competitive and insensitive to others. They take failure very hard and often overwork themselves. They are also image-conscious and can put too much stock into what others think of them.
Famous 3s include Tom Cruise, Beyoncé, Patrick Bateman, Jaime Lannister, and Gilderoy Lockhart.
Overall, they are guided by their desire to succeed and want to be recognized and celebrated for their achievements.
For medical specialties, it may come as no surprise that type 3s are drawn to plastic surgery, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, and medical entrepreneurship.
3 wing 2s are more likely to use their ambition to help others and lead collaboratively, whereas 3 wing 4s have more creative tendencies. They adapt to different environments and situations and work tirelessly to achieve their goals.
Type 4: The Individualist
Type 4 is the Individualist.
They are creative, imaginative, empathetic, and sensitive. They are reserved around others yet still expressive and dramatic. They tend to have an artistic temperament but are excellent at understanding and intuiting the feelings of others. They desire to create, play with ideas, and leave a lasting impact on the world.
The weakness of 4s is that they can be emotional and moody and, at times, withdraw to their own internal world. They tend to prioritize emotional needs before anything else and can struggle with self-pity and indulgence.
Overall, type 4s are guided by their need to be authentic and distinctive—They must be able to express themselves. 4s are extremely connected to their own feelings and deeply wish to connect with others.
Famous 4s are often musicians, writers, or artists, including Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Luna Lovegood, and Loki, the God of Mischief.
From a medical standpoint, 4s are not your typical doctor type, as they tend to go for more creative jobs. However, any personality type can find their way to a medical career. The best-suited specialties for 4s are psychiatry or global health.
4 wing 3s have more of an entrepreneurial sense and may be inspired to launch their own startup or virtual private practice, whereas 4 wing 5s are more cerebral and will be more drawn to specialties that involve solving puzzles, such as radiology, pathology, or rheumatology.
Type 5: The Investigator
For type 5, we have the Investigator.
Type 5s are reserved, cerebral, logical, innovative, and perceptive. They like to work independently and tend to be isolated. They enjoy facts and ideas more than people, thriving in work environments where they have plenty of space to think, ideate, and be alone. They are natural problem solvers who enjoy puzzles and acquiring new knowledge.
On the downside, 5s can lean too far into facts, lacking emotion and sometimes coming across as cold or disinterested in others. They often have deep insecurities about their ability to succeed, which makes them withdraw from the real world into their own heads.
Overall, they are guided by a thirst for knowledge and a desire to be independent. Figuring everything out and understanding all of the facts helps protect them from the physical world around them.
Famous 5s include Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen Hawking, Emily Dickinson, Hannibal Lecter, and Sherlock Holmes.
For medical specialties, type 5s are drawn to less social specialties, like radiology and pathology, as well as specialties that are intellectually stimulating, including neurology, infectious diseases, or a career as a medical scientist.
5 wing 4s definitely prefer to work alone, playing with facts and ideas. They will likely thrive in an environment where they can independently work on their own innovative medical research. 5 wing 6s also prefer to work alone, but they’re a bit more social. They remain calm under pressure, which makes them excellent problem solvers and troubleshooters.
Type 6: The Loyalist
Type 6 is the Loyalist.
This type is engaging, trustworthy, hard-working, practical, and extremely loyal. This loyalty is for people they are close to as well as ideas, systems, and beliefs. They excel in environments where they feel safe and supported. They foresee problems, which can be helpful in a team setting, but it also causes them to see the negative and worry about the future.
Their weaknesses include being prone to anxiety and insecurity. 6s can be pessimistic and fear looming deadlines or major life events.
Overall, they are guided by their need for security and connection with others, and they are very protective of the people they care for.
Well-known 6s include Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Black Widow, and Katniss Everdeen.
For medical specialties, type 6s are well-suited for anesthesiology, family medicine, internal medicine, and radiology.
6 wing 5s tend to lean toward specialties with less patient interaction. If you’re a 6 wing 7, specialties with more patient and colleague interaction will be a better fit.
Type 7: The Enthusiast
Type 7s are the Enthusiast.
They are energetic, optimistic, distractible, versatile, and spontaneous. They tend to be natural extroverts who love meeting and interacting with people. They are a busy, fun-loving type who often grow bored if they are not sufficiently and consistently entertained.
As a weakness, 7s can grow bored easily, which can lead them to not follow through on ideas. They can struggle to commit to plans and can be impulsive and scattered. They are the type that’s most likely to be late.
Overall, they are guided by their love of new experiences, new ideas, and new connections. They aim to enjoy life to its fullest.
Famous 7s include Elton John, Lil Nas X, Peter Quill, Mr. Peanutbutter, and Harley Quinn.
For medical careers, 7s are well-suited for patient-facing specialties that have plenty of variance in the day-to-day, including emergency medicine, pediatrics, trauma surgery, and working for or as the founder of a medical startup.
7 wing 8s will be more inclined to take on leadership roles, whereas 7 wing 6s work best as part of a team.
Type 8: The Challenger
Type 8 is the Challenger, sometimes called the Protector.
8s are decisive, assertive, self-confident, courageous, and action-oriented. They are unafraid of confrontation; in fact, they sometimes seek it out. Known as rugged individualists, they like to get down to business, enjoy a challenge, and do not like to be told what to do. They are natural leaders who are eager to stand up for what they want or believe in.
That said, they are known for being capable of great good or great evil, being the hero or villain depending on where their convictions lead them. Their boldness and powerful personality can be intimidating and may come across as rude, as they have a tendency to disregard the feelings of others.
Overall, 8s are guided by a need for control and fear of feeling or appearing vulnerable. They desire freedom and independence, and they don’t like to follow the rules.
Well-known 8s include Gordon Ramsay, Martin Luther King Jr., Tony Soprano, Wolverine, and Captain Janeway.
8s are drawn to specialties like cardiology and most surgical specialties, including general surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, and trauma surgery. They also may be drawn to entrepreneurship, especially if they can leave a lasting mark on the world.
While both wings make for strong leaders who take charge, 8 wing 7s are more action-oriented and perform well under stress. Emergency medicine, trauma surgery, or even a career as an EMT or paramedic may be an ideal fit. On the other hand, 8 wing 9s are supportive leaders who are more attentive to the feelings and perspectives of others.
Type 9: The Peacemaker
And finally, Type 9 is the Peacemaker.
They are easygoing, agreeable, and optimistic. They are natural peacekeepers and mediators, which also means they don’t enjoy competition or confrontation. They are calm, adaptable, and have the ability to see multiple people’s perspectives at once.
Their commitment to harmony can have its downsides, leading 9s to sometimes ignore or minimize conflict. They go out of their way to avoid confrontation, leading them to act passive-aggressively in certain circumstances.
Overall, they are guided by their need to create harmony and avoid conflict. They aim to preserve things as they are and resist whatever could upset or disturb the peace for themselves and others.
Famous 9s include Keanu Reeves, Ronald Reagan, Chadwick Boseman, Luke Skywalker, and Uncle Iroh.
Well-suited specialties include pediatrics, OB/GYN, palliative care, psychiatry, and global health.
9 wing 1s tend to lean more into activism, mediation, and supporting the team, whereas 9 wing 8s tend to want to lead the team while also connecting with and uniting the team members under them.
What Enneagram Type Are You?
What Enneagram Type are you, and does it align with the specialty you’re most interested in or have already pursued? Let us know in the comments below.
After you decide on a specialty, you’ll need to match into residency, which is no small feat. From residency application editing to tutoring to gaining research experience to mock interviews, we’ve got you covered.
We’d love to be a part of your journey to becoming a future physician. Learn more at MedSchoolInsiders.com.
Since you enjoyed this video, check out our Myers-Briggs Medical Specialty Breakdown and Big 5 Specialty Breakdown.
