Overview
Abstract
The Enneagram program allows users to take a personality profile test and chart the results. This greatly simplifies and speeds up the test-taking process, and eases in analysis of the results.
The Enneagram program was designed with the Rhiso/Hudson test in mind. In this test, the user is presented with a series of forced-choice questions; two questions, one of which the user must choose as best describing his/herself. The RHETI is not the only such test, and the Enneagram will work with any similar test given an appropriate test data file.
Features
- Rapid, easy way to take a personality profile test 1
- Web-enabled, so distributable via web browser
- Does a basic interpretation of the results, including calculating your primary triad and harmonics
- Allows saving in middle of test
- Allows saving profile Results are given in four forms:
- An enneagram diagram showing the traditional circular graph.
- A bar graph, showing the results for the nine types
- A table, showing some statistics about the results of the test, with sorting on any statistic
- An analysis of the results of the test
Screenshots
Here are some screenshots of results.
Operation
Testing
2The user is presented with a series of forced-choice statements; each choice consists of two statements, one of which the user must selected by clicking on the most appropriate statement. While taking the test, the user should try to choose statements that are appropriate to how the user has been for most of his or her life, ideally how the user was during the ages of 18 through 26. This is to avoid the problem of current events in the user's life affecting the results; our enneagrams change over time, and current situations can affect how we percieve ourselves. For the core test, to determine the core or basic personality type, we want to minimize the effects of current situations, so choosing a more remote period allows us to be more objecting when viewing ourselves.
Choosing a statement will cause the program to move forward and display the next choice. This continues until all questions are answered. In the upper-left corner of the window is a number set, which shows which choice out of the total number of choices, is being presented. The Back button can be used to move to the previous choice, and a different choice can be selected than what was previously selected. The Back button can be pressed as many times as desired, and in this way the user can move all the way to the beginning of the test; however, all questions that are backed up over must be answered again when the user begins to move forward again.
The Save and Load buttons can be used to save and restore a test, in case the user wants to quit the program and continue from where s/he left off at a later date. The Load button can also be used to load a results file, to skip the test and display a previously completed test results.
Results
When all questions have been answered, a window will open showing the results of a test. In this window is an enneagram diagram. The core type has the number in green and with a circle around it. The primary wing has a blue curved line leading from the core type to the wing. The current stress/security point is in red, with an arrow on the line leading from the core type to the stress/security point. Next to the diagram is a bar graph, with the results of the test charted by value.
Below the diagram and graph is a table with some summaries of the test shown; the top row is the enneagram type ( Type); the second is the score for that type; (Score) the third is the sum of the scores of the types in the triad of the type (Triad); the fourth is the sum of the scores of the type and it's wings (Tripple); the fifth is the sum of the scores of the type and the two types connected to it by lines on the enneagram ( Branch); and the sixth is the sum of all of these results (Total ). Clicking on any row will sort the table, in ascending order, by the values in that row.
Below the table is a brief description of the type. The Load and Save buttons can be used to load or save the results of the test,
Status
Copyright
The RHETI is copyrighted material. At this moment, I do not have permission by the authors to distribute the RHETI with the program, so the test-taking part of Enneagram will not function. However, the program can still be used to chart the results of a test. In this case, the test will be skipped, and the user will be taken to a crude data-entry window, for entering the results of a previously taken test. The interface is extremely crude, as it was hacked together to allow use of the program without the testing feature. Also missing are verbose descriptions of the type in the results window, since this is also copyrighted material.
Anybody who wants to submit either type descriptions or a test that is without copyright, please feel free, and I will include it in the distribution. See for more information.
Known Bugs
-
There are a number of what Microsoft would call "undocumented features", or
"issues." This, by the way, is undiluted stupidity. Bugs are bugs,
and it is highly arrogant and ethically dishonest to call bugs "issues."
-
When there are points that have identical scores, one is chosen arbitrarily. This means that if you score 26 in five and 26 in nine, and 26 is your high score, you will either be typed as a 5 or a 9. Eventually, Enneagram will be intelligent enough to make an educated guess about which is more appropriate, based on the scores in other points. The next quick fix, however, will be to allow the user to choose between two points. This "bug" affects the choice of core type, wing type, and stress/security type. This bug will not be noticed if none of these points have duplicate scores. - Some of the GUI interfaces are crude
- Window sizing and placement needs work
- Sometimes one of the bar graph points will register 0. ???
-
The entries in the table are not weighed properly, and may be misleading - Printing does not include the table
-
Sometimes the bar graph is truncated when printed - Some types of updates (EG: loading results) don't update the diagram or graph properly. After loading a new results file, resize the window to force a redraw.
- Center the bar graph
To Do
- Add better interpretation of results for choosing core type and wings
- Allow user input when ambiguous results are encountered
- Either get permission to redistribute test, or break dependancy on the RHETI and get another test from elsewhere. Dr. Rhiso has told me in no uncertain terms that the RHETI will never be allowed to be distributed with this program, and that it is illegal for you to copy the data even for your own use. Well, that's their legal prerogative. As a result, efforts are underway to develop a free version of the test. If you are interested in contributing, please see the submissions section.
- Print table
- Add diagram features: stress/security points
- Background for numbers in bar graph
- Saving multiple test results in one file, for graphing multiple tests for comparison
- Improve test results input dialog
- Allow the user to choose from multiple tests and type descriptions files.
- Add random pairing of questions
- List the types of the wing/S/S/Harmonic in table
- Convert nums in table to H/MH/M/ML/L
- Get feedback from users and have prog interpret results
- Small arrows on diagram; no arrow to integration; some other marker for dominant S/S
- Horizontal H/M/L lines on bar graph background
- Base interp on total, rather than high score (?)
- Why is the table taking up so much space?!?
- Normalize inputted test results to 32
- Build web page for program
If you have information you would like to have work with Enneagram, you can do it one of two ways:
- Send me the information along with a copyright notice and a disclaimer allowing me to redistribute the information, and I will include it in future distributions and on the web site.
- Make the information available on your web site and send me a URL link to the page, and I'll put the link on the Enneagram page.
It is best to format the information properly, but in the second case, it is critical. I will not link to unformatted data.
There are two formats for data; both are XML and are very simple. You can use a GUI editor, or edit the files by hand.
Test data file format
The tests are in the following format: <questions> <pair> <choice value="..."> ... </choice> <choice value="..."> ... </choice> </pair> </questions> The value attribute must be set to the enneagram type that the statement represents. The choice tag set should contain the statement to be displayed. Repeat the pair tag for each forced-choice pair. Example: <questions> <pair> <choice value="8">I like telling people what to do</choice> <choice value="9">I don't even know what I want to do myself</choice> </pair> <pair> <choice value="4">I like sculpting</choice> <choice value="5">I like inventing new sculpting tools</choice> </pair> ... </questions> Don't forget those closing tags!
Type data file format
The type descriptions are a little more complicated. Look at the types.xml file for an example. A long description of the type can appear in text after the <short>...</short> tag set, and before the </type> closing tag.