The Riso-Hudson QUEST
This was all taken directly from the book The Wisdom of the Enneagram - The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson (Bestselling co-authors of Personality Types.
The Riso-Hudson QUEST
Instructions:
For the QUEST to yield a correct result, it is important that you read and follow these few simple instructions.
*Select one paragraph in each of the following two groups of statements that best reflects your general attitudes and behaviors, as you have been most of your life.
*You do not have to agree completely with every word or statement in the paragraph you select! You may agree with only 80 to 90 percent of a particular paragraph and still select that paragraph over the other two in the group. However, you should agree with the general tone and overall “philosophy” of the paragraph you select. You will probably disagree with some part of each of the paragraphs. Do not reject a paragraph because of a single word or phrase! Again, look at the overall picture.
*Do not overanalyze your choices. Select the paragraph that your “gut feeling” says is the right one for you, even though you may not agree with 100 percent of it. The general thrust and feeling of the paragraph as a whole is more important than individual elements of it. Go with your intuition.
Group I (Choose A, B, or C)
A. I have tended to be fairly independent and assertive: I’ve felt that life works best when you meet it head-on. I set my own goals, get involved, and want to make things happen. I don’t like sitting around – I want to achieve something big and have an impact. I don’t necessarily seek confrontations, but I don’t let people push me around, either. Most of the time I know what I want, and I go for it. I tend to work hard and to play hard.
B. I have tended to be quiet and am used to being on my own. I usually don’t draw much attention to myself socially, and it’s generally unusual for me to assert myself all that forcefully. I don’t feel comfortable taking the lead or being as competitive as others. Many would probably say I’m something of a dreamer – a lot of my excitement goes on in my imagination. I can be quite content without feeling I have to be active all the time.
C. I have tended to be extremely responsible and dedicated. I feel terrible if I don’t keep my commitments and do what’s expected of me. I want people to know that I’m there for them and that I’ll do what I believe is best for them. I’ve often made great personal sacrifices for the sake of others, whether they know it or not. I often don’t take adequate care of myself – I do the work that needs to be done and relax (and do what I really want) if there’s time left.
Group II (Choose X, Y, or Z)
X. I am a person who usually maintains a positive outlook and feels that things will work out for the best. I can usually find something to be enthusiastic about and different ways to occupy myself. I like being around people and helping others to be happy – I enjoy sharing my own well-being with them. (I don’t always feel great, but I try not to show it to anyone!) However, staying positive has sometimes meant that I’ve put off dealing with my own problems for too long.
Y. I am a person who has strong feelings about things – most people can tell when I’m unhappy about something. I can be guarded with people, but I’m more sensitive than I let on. I want to know where I stand with others and who and what I can count on – it’s pretty clear to most people where they stand with me. When I’m upset about something, I want others to respond and to get as worked up as I am. I know the rules, but I don’t want people telling me what to do. I want to decide for myself.
Z. I tend to be self-controlled and logical – I am uncomfortable dealing with feelings. I am efficient – even perfectionistic – and prefer working on my own. When there are problems or personal conflicts, I try not to bring my feelings into the situation. Some say I’m too cool and detached, but I don’t want my emotional reactions to distract me from what’s really important to me. I usually don’t show my reactions when others “get to me.”
Remember your letters that you have chosen.
Your 2-digit code will be one letter from Group I and one letter from Group II. If you are having difficulties choosing only one letter from each group, then you might be a mixture of two personality types. Go ahead and remember both combos and look at the results and see which fits you better. Example: B fits me, but both Y and Z fit me. Therefore, I would have the combinations BY and BZ.
