At EnneaQ, we believe true self-understanding comes from both ancient wisdom and modern research. That’s why we bring together two different but complementary ways of seeing yourself: the Enneagram and the Five-Factor Model, commonly called OCEAN.
OCEAN: Research That Crosses Cultures
The OCEAN model — sometimes called the Big Five — is the gold standard in modern personality psychology. It describes personality through five broad, observable traits:
- Openness (your curiosity and comfort with new ideas)
- Conscientiousness (your discipline, organization, and reliability)
- Extraversion (your energy and your need for social and environmental stimulation)
- Agreeableness (your compassion and cooperation with others)
- Neuroticism (your emotional stability and how you handle stress)
These five traits are not just convenient labels. They emerged from decades of rigorous research tracing all the ways people describe themselves and each other. In the 1940s, early factor analysis of human adjectives suggested we tend to talk about personality in clusters. By the 1980s and 1990s, research by psychologists like Lewis Goldberg and others solidified these five factors as consistent across languages and cultures [1].
One of the strengths of OCEAN is that it’s not static. It’s used today in psychology, sociology, education, and leadership studies — as well as in practical fields like workplace development, well-being research, and cultural comparison. Studies have confirmed the Big Five dimensions in dozens of countries, making it one of the most cross-culturally validated frameworks we have [2].
Most importantly, OCEAN shows you traits that evolve. For example, many people become more conscientious and less neurotic as they age — life experiences and deliberate choices can shift your profile over time. That’s why we see OCEAN as research with room to grow — a flexible tool for seeing where you stand now, and how your traits can develop.
Why We Still Use the Enneagram
The Enneagram isn’t a scientific model in the same way — it’s a wisdom tradition: a living framework shaped by centuries of spiritual, philosophical, and psychological thought.
Its roots stretch deep. Echoes of the nine “types” appear in early Christian mysticism through Evagrius Ponticus in the 4th century, who described patterns of thought and passion that shaped later teachings on virtue and vice. Medieval Sufi teachers described nine ego traps. In the 20th century, Oscar Ichazo organized these ancient ideas into a system of nine personality fixations, and psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo expanded the model, connecting it to modern psychotherapy and personality studies [3].
So while the Enneagram isn’t lab-tested like OCEAN, it persists because it asks questions that research alone can’t always answer — about our core fears, blind spots, and deeper motivations. Where OCEAN shows your how, the Enneagram explores your why [4].
At EnneaQ, we see the Enneagram as a tool for curiosity and reflection — not a box that defines you, but a lens that helps you understand the patterns underneath your traits.
Why Use Both?
Personality is layered. You’re not just a list of traits or a single type — you’re a living story of motivations, habits, fears, and strengths. OCEAN gives you a broad map; the Enneagram helps you see the terrain beneath.
That’s why your EnneaQ profile combines both frameworks. This gives you a clearer, more balanced reflection: grounded in research where it matters, and rooted in timeless insight where research still hasn’t fully mapped the heart.
Want to Go Deeper?
Your EnneaQ results bring both models together — so you can see how your traits, tendencies, and motivations shape the way you lead, love, and grow. If you’re curious about how it all works, you can start with our Overview — it explains how your responses are analyzed, how your privacy is protected, and how to get the most from your reflection.
Ready to begin? Start your first scenario set — no login required.
References
- Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The Big-Five factor structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(6), 1216–1229.
- McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1997). Personality trait structure as a human universal. American Psychologist, 52(5), 509–516.
- Naranjo, C. (1994). Character and Neurosis: An Integrative View. Gateways Books.
- Hook, J. N., Hall, T. W., Davis, D. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., & Conner, M. (2021). The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(4), 865–883.
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