Self- and other-perception are very different things. I have however seen a lot of undifferentiated personality trait reporting since I came to this forum. That is perhaps one reason for their coming here. The assumption is that everybody has to be a single type, when this is not necessarily the case.
Riso has the most complete description of the 9 enneatypes. The key motivations of the types should provide some strict standards for identifying your type, if possible. So my question is: which of Riso's key motivators describes you best?
type 4: "Want to be themselves, to express themselves in something beautiful, to find the ideal partner, to withdraw to protect their feelings, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else."
type 5: "Want to be capable and confident, to master a body of knowledge and skill, to explore reality, to remain undisturbed by others, to reduce their needs."
Edit: Riso also has this to say on the issue of typing the Four: "It is important to note that most of these [Four] personality traits function by negation. Fours may not know who they are, but they certainly believe they know who they are not."
4:
want to be themselves: definitely
express themselves in something beautiful: i love and appreciate beautiful things, but i'm more of an observer than a creator. i like relating myself to things other people have created, but not doing it myself as much.
find the ideal partner: yes , although i think even if i found him i'd probably find something wrong with him and keep doubting it
withdraw to protect their feelings: yes i have a few memories i think about all the time to make myself feel a certain way, and i never share them with anyone else
take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else: mostly, sometimes i get over or forget about things surprisingly fast though
5
be capable and confident: well.. i'd love to be either of those things but don't think i am at all.
master a body of knowledge or skill: i know a lot about a few things, wouldn't consider myself a master of anything. but i definitely like being able to know what i'm talking about before i do
explore reality: yes, i feel like i'm studying life instead of living it sometimes
remain undisturbed by others: vast majority of people, yes
reduce their needs: i hate feeling needy, and whenever i do i try my best to stop it. i have a weird relationship with dependency because i really don't want it at all, but sometimes feel like i can't take care of myself and i need it.
and i very much identify with being able to say what i'm not, or what i dislike a lot easier than describing who i am.