How Personality Type Can Correlate with Self-Advocacy

Who else is super into the Enneagram Personality Test!? I’ve been really diving into it lately and made some interesting comparisons between my personality type and the way I advocate for myself as someone with chronic illness.

Before I dive in, I’d love to know what Enneagram Type you are! Let me know in the comments at the bottom of this blog post.

Jenna sitting at work desk, wearing headphones, and smiling at camera

Being an Enneagram 9 (The Peacemaker)

I hate conflict.

Arguments and confrontation and tension make me so uncomfortable my face turns red. This is actually a common quality for people with my personality type. I’ve been obsessed with the Enneagram Personality Test, and I am a 9 on the Enneagram.

According to the Enneagram Institute, 9s want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict. We want to create harmony in our environment, avoid conflicts and tension, and resist whatever would upset or disturb us.

Another common quality for us 9s is that we typically don’t like to draw too much attention to ourselves.

So, for me, this combination looks like this:

Withdrawing from conflict and arguments rather than engaging in them
Not speaking up in group settings unless I have something I really want to share
Staying silent rather than disagreeing with someone (again, unless it’s something I’m passionate about)

Examples of Self-Advocacy

But, living with chronic illness has forced me to break out of this natural cozy habitat of withdrawal and peace. I credit much of my personal growth to living with IBD.

Instead of my infusion nurse pumping the Benadryl pre-med into my veins at the fastest rate on the machine (yes, this actually happened during my second infusion ever. I passed out and they sent me to the ER) I tell them to pump as slowly as they can.

When my GI does not submit my prior-authorization when he said he would, I call multiple times a day until it’s done and then ask for a confirmation number.

When my insurance sends me a letter approving my 1mg dose of Entyvio (umm, it’s 300mg, buddy) I get short and tell them to fix their mistake before my next infusion.

Personal Growth

These examples may seem insignificant or come naturally for some of you (I admire that) but they are moments of growth for me.

They force me to engage in conflict. Sometimes even to initiate it. They encourage me to be vocal and share my opinion. They help me get comfortable in the uncomfortable and stop caring about what others think. Oh, the nurse is annoyed this is the third time I’ve called today? Boohoo. My chronic illness has taught me to not apologize for advocating for my health.

And for Enneagram 9s, this is a huge accomplishment! The fact that I’m more comfortable doing these things now doesn’t mean that I’m no longer a 9 on the Enneagram—that doesn’t change. But it does mean that I more naturally draw on the healthy qualities of other personality types.

I love how chronic illness doesn’t change WHO I am, but it forms and molds and morphs me into the strongest version of myself.