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Planet Now
Blog on Effective Environmental Communication
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I recently had a minor identity crisis. After years of identifying as a Type One (the Reformer) on the Enneagram test, I realized I may now be a Type Five (the Investigator)! The Enneagram system categorizes people into nine personality types based on their worldviews and emotions. I was assigned to take the test for The Branding of Me class (for which I’m writing this blog) at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. While I’ve been interested in personality type tests like the Enneagram for years, even teaching a Splash UNC course about them to high schoolers, I decided to take it again for fun. I figured I would get Type One like I always had. This time, though, Type Five appeared as my top Enneagram type. At first, I blamed my “incorrect” answer on being tired and taking the test right before going to bed. Upon closer look at the description, I realized Type Five is actually a good fit. Type Five describes people who are curious, independent problem-solvers. They spend a lot of time (sometimes too much time) deep in thought. What really stood out to me about the Enneagram Institute’s description of Type Five is that their key motivations are “to possess knowledge, to understand the environment, [and] to have everything figured out as a way of defending the self from threats from the environment.” While this description was likely referring to a person’s surroundings (school, work, etc.), it aligned exactly with what I’ve been doing in school the past five years. I’ve been studying environmental issues, especially climate change, to figure out how to mitigate this problem and its devastating effects. I’ve found strategic communication as a solution and have continued to study it so I can advocate for slowing climate change and its threats. Until now, I’ve confidently identified with Type One as someone who cares a lot about doing what is right and creating justice in the world. We are perfectionists, sometimes to a fault. The “sense of mission” that is common for this type definitely relates to my goal to help solve climate change and reduce environmental injustices. I still think Type One can be a fit for me - most people find that they fit with multiple Enneagram types! Each type takes on the characteristics of another type when stressed or growing. An interesting connection is that the Type One acts like a Type Seven when experiencing growth. The Type Five acts like a Type Seven when experiencing stress. I thought that reviewing the Type Seven personality type and seeing whether it better matches a growing or stressed version of myself might help me compare my two types. Reading the description of that type - someone who is spontaneous, extroverted, and optimistic - seemed much more like a growing than stressed version of myself, making me feel more like a Type One. Ultimately, I plan to keep learning about both Type One and Type Five and seeing what personal insight they can give me, whether about my career or life in general. Enneagrams are valuable because they help us reflect on ourselves, our strengths, and areas for growth. They can also influence how we feel about climate change and the types of messages that resonate with us. I wrote more about connecting Enneagram types to environmental messaging in a previous blog post.
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Welcome to my blog! It is a combination of posts from my strategic writing (spring 2022) and personal branding (spring 2023) courses at UNC. I hope you will enjoy reading the posts and learning about the environment and communication.
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