You wake up Sunday morning and you hear something odd. Guttural moans and groans are coming from your backyard. You rush to the window and gasp. Your entire neighborhood is under attack by flesh-hungry zombies! What do you do?
While most people would panic, your Enneagram type quietly decides your next move — whether you’re grabbing your loved ones, raiding your weapon stash, or taking a selfie with the undead.
This is why I use this scenario in most of my team workshops: crisis reveals core motivations faster than anything else.
I admit that some of the reason is also selfish because I freaking love zombie movies! However, I do think it’s an interesting way to show how everyone sees the world in different ways.
What a Zombie Apocalypse Reveals About Your Personality
When you boil it down to the basics, the Enneagram is about perspectives. This ancient personality typing system suggests that there are nine distinct ways people perceive the world. It says your core motivations (your main fear, desire, weakness, and longing) impact the way you interpret your life
None of the perspectives is right or wrong. It’s the awareness of one’s perspective that gives you a tool through which to see yourself and others more clearly.
How Each Enneagram Type Reacts to Zombies
Your Enneagram type decides your zombie strategy long before you do.
Enneagram Type 2 and Type 9
You may see those zombies outside and immediately gather your loved ones around you. Community is how you approach and survive impossible situations! I find this is usually the reaction of Type Twos, the most interpersonal type on the Enneagram, or Type Nines, willing to sacrifice anything to sustain connection with others.
Enneagram Types 3, 6, and 8
Others leap into action. (Threes, Sixes, and Eights, I’m looking at you) You raid your arsenal of zombie-fighting weapons and prepare for war. Finally, all those rewatches of “I Am Legend” are paying off.
Enneagram Type 5
In one workshop I did, every person answered that they would bunker down at the residence of the sole Type Five in their organization. The Five was a technical engineer who smiled shyly at his coworker’s confidence in his ability to protect and survive insane conditions.
Enneagram Type 1
Type Ones are usually the individuals who have some follow-up questions for me. Have the zombies breached the front door? Are we utilizing the skills we currently have or can we imagine a different set of skills that might aid in our survival? Where is the rest of my family located? Exactly how much food do we have stored in the pantry?
Enneagram Type 7
A rare individual might pose for a selfie with a zombie. (A thrill-seeking Type Seven, perhaps?) While it may be the last selfie you ever take, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Enneagram Type 4
And I inevitably get a Type Four in every group who says, “I give up immediately. The zombies can have me. I wouldn’t survive five minutes.” Hey, I admire the authenticity!
Further Resources to Explore Your Core Motivation
If you want to keep exploring why you do what you do, these curated articles, videos, and tools will help you deepen your understanding of core motivations, fears, and instinctual patterns.
Understand Your Motivation (Articles + Guides)
- The 9 Enneagram Types In-Depth — a deeper look at each type’s core fear, desire, and behavioral patterns.
- Enneagram Wings Explained — how your wing influences how your motivation shows up in daily life.
- Core Motivations of the 9 Types — You’re not your behavior: understanding your core motivations.
- What Steak Shows us About our Motivations — Why we do what we do.
- The Zombie Apocalypse is Here — What do you do? (according to your motivations)
- Subtypes Guide — free PDF explaining the three instinctual drives that shape your reactions, stress responses, and priorities.
Watch & Learn (Video)
- So, We’re All Emotionally Messy (YouTube) — a breakdown of the Triads and how they shape your instinctive reactions (including steak‑ordering and zombie‑apocalypse behavior).
- The Core Fear of Every Enneagram Type — a practical look at the subtle fears that drive your choices, habits, and stress patterns.
- Enneagram Types Explained Through Procrastination — it’s less about laziness and more about motivation, fear, and how you’re wired.
Listen & Learn (Podcasts)
- Understanding the Enneagram — over 8 hours of teaching on core motivations, stress behaviors, and how to identify your true type.
Find Your Type (Quizzes + Typing Tools)
- Free Online Enneagram Test — answer the questions and I’ll email you your results (no carrier pigeons available, unfortunately).
- Typing Guide — a step‑by‑step PDF to help you determine your type using motivation rather than behavior.
- Enneagram Triads — use your emotional center to narrow down your number.
Go Deeper (Books)
- My Enneagram: A Visual Guide to Find Your Personality Type, Stress Less, and Live Your Dreams
- How to find your Enneagram type—including not one but two quizzes that go way deeper than any cookie-cutter online quiz will go.
- How to use the Enneagram to identify your biggest areas of growth.
- Tips, tricks, and exercises to setting your goals—and achieving them!
- How the Enneagram can improve communication between you and the closest people in your life.
- The Road Back to You — A classic introduction to the Enneagram that helps you identify the “why” behind your patterns.
