- My actual posts will likely be very inconsistent and spread out
- I am one of those pathetic adults on the internet who has a tumblr typology blog. Knowing the typical audience of tumblr, I will not be taking dms, all discussion will be kept to public posts and asks. Anonymously asks are fine
- I’ve been working with typology for ~10 years. I’m still an idiot and will assume you to be as well
- I take asks and requests, but my response time is sometimes slow because of school/work
- Focus will primarily be on the enneagram unless the questions you’re asking are related to other theories
- I do not follow one specific author for any theory I work with
- Will not be doing a lot of fictional character or irl person typings, as I do not go outside. All my fictional typings are on personality database, I do not guarantee they are well done
Navigation:
Basic Blog Info
About me
Ask Page
Main/Non-Typology Blog
Plans and Feedback
Aesthetics/Information Sets:
Resources: For a variety of typology theories, consistently being updated
Good Type Examples: Examples of people and characters I think exemplify their typing.
Asks from my main blog (since there are more mbti/enneagram specific asks here)
it's time again for the ✨#ADHDCosmicTakeover!✨
my comic this year is about pinballing helplessly between interests and the frustrating feeling of being a "jack of all trades, master of none"
(but who said i have to be a "master" of anything anyway? fuck off!)
thank you so much to dreamadoodles for organizing this year! pls check out the tag to see more comics from other contributors 🌠
In general, I think the image types are hard for people to conceptualize. Being heart last is more common than being heart first (or probably even heart second). 3 descriptions can fall short, but outside perhaps being geared a bit too much towards the social instinct, 3s and 3 fixers who don't see themselves in 3 are more often in denial of their 3 traits than misinterpreting the descriptions (or assuming subtype descriptions are all encompassing).
3s are hardworking, type A individuals who push themselves to be the very best: This description is definitely fitting for some 3s, but is not a requirement for being a 3 core or even a 3 fixer. As an image type who uses external merits to derive worth, this type can fall into the pattern of wanting to "look good" or maintain an image even when they do not have the skills or energy to actually maintain that image. Wanting to do as little as possible to get what you want, control your self image, or maintain what you wish to maintain isn't anti-3 nor even uncommon with type 3. A 3 might not even want to be "the very best" as much as it just wants something to "prove" their own worth or something that they can tie to their self image that is good. Being "above average" but realistically understanding that you cannot be the best is still a 3 oriented sentiment.
Type 3 specifically wants to look good and will do anything to maintain their image: Again, this can fit some 3s but misses describing others. 3 influence (and in general, strong heart influence) seeks to control their image both in how they are perceived and how they perceive themselves to be. For 3s especially, this is based on traits that are seen as valued to them, will help them to reach their goals/get them what they want, or will be valued by others. If the 3 values being, say, intimidating, or are consistently getting pigeonholed into being seen as something they have no control over, the image they present or the self they cultivate may not be what is typically described as appealing or even good. If the 3 is constantly labeled as "lazy, villainous, or cruel," a 3 could integrate these traits into their presentation purely to provide a false sense of control over their own image. 3s may even find it appealing when others are disturbed or repulsed by them, as it bolsters that they are what they value. There is always an external tie of course, but this tie is not always a conscious one. On the other side of things, 3s are not necessarily immoral, unconcerned for their relationships, and willing to entirely throw their principles away for what they desire. Morality and principle are something that most people have regardless of type. While 3 cares about the image and their presentation, they still care that they are something that they can see as having worth. Being someone who only cares about how they're perceived and cannot match that with how they truly are is something many 3s struggle with and particularly moral or principled 3s aren't going to give up on morality, especially if being good and having a strong sense of reliability and moral code is how they view themselves to be. It's also worth noting that not every 3 is actually good at knowing how things will come across (even if they are oriented around their image), there's a lot of 3s that lack awareness of how their behavior actually gets interpreted by others and will actively make themselves look terrible.
3s only do things for the sake of their image: This is a common sentiment expressed by 3 fixers who will defend not being a 3 influenced when they mistype as 5, especially if they are academically oriented or enjoy learning/researching. 3s and those influenced by it are especially attuned to what is valued. In this example, intellect, being a lifetime learner, and being useful/self sufficient are all things that are both socially valued and things that people tend to like in general. 3s have interests too and, as assertive types, are connected to what they want. 3s will also go after what they want and what they genuinely enjoy because they enjoy it. They will often do it in a way that will bolster their self worth and has some (often unintentional, unconsciously set up) tie to the external, but like every type not everything is exclusively to feed the fixation.
3s are prideful and shameless: Oh they will certainly present this way, but the majority of 3s will be pretty connected to their sense of shame. It's kind of the same thing that happens with 9, as the 9 archetype is often depicted as being very disconnected from anger to the point of lacking awareness of it, but in reality most 9s struggle heavily with passive aggression and internal anger. 3s are often just as aware and connected to their internal insecurity and desire to be worth something as they are of their prideful, arrogant nature. 3s are ones that will overestimate their own own abilities, but many are painfully aware and moved by not being good enough or feel as though they are behind in some way.
Sp 3s are [insert countertype/Naranjo description]: I usually don't go directly after Naranjo or countertype, but the big thing I've noticed that this particular description is missing sp3s connection to the assertive triad and over eliminates the image orientation. This description is consistent with the way a lot of sp3s see and try to present themselves, as sp does remove a bit of the external orientation 3 typically has and brings emphasis on trying to generate a strong sense of self worth through competition with the self. For those typing exclusively off of the descriptions though, it's worth noting that these descriptions tend to also strongly resembles the 6 mindset. Even if this type often will take issue with their own image orientation and often does present and think of themselves as "anti-vanity" or even genuine, every image core will be focused on image, presentation, and identity as is typical of the heart triad.
This is a casual server for interesting people to talk to others. Self-growth is encouraged. If you like playing games with others, also a thing here. If you wanna debate people, don't be afraid to randomly bring up a topic. We are bored and want new ppl, so come check us out. Open your thoughts to our minds.
https://discord.gg/inanis-oculus
I enjoy these sort of things, but if you want me to join you’ll have to not be on anon. There are too many scams going on right now
Engaging in Typology and Interest Groups Before Adulthood
I’ve thought about this for awhile, but while typology can be an excellent source of information for building empathy, providing entertainment, and self development, there certain things to remember when engaging in the content and community, especially if you are ~17 or younger. Some of what I’ll mention directly regurgitates basic internet safety and information you’ve already heard because I also had heard it all before and still fell into many of the same pitfalls I'll mention here (and also, some people just have garbage parents or are genuinely lacking the skills to operate the internet safely, so consider this a public service announcement). Remember this is a general description and some of what I mention may be general enough to also include experiences that are entirely fine, but please be sure to keep an eye out anyways.
In spoilers because this could potentially be triggering to those who have had shitty experiences on the internet. I mostly cover the dangers surrounding being in a developmental stage of your life, overidentification, pathologizing behavior, and creepy people on the internet If this has something in it that directly harms you and I need to tag, lmk?
The Dangers of Identification With Labels and Groups: Yeah I know, this one's been repeated a million times. You of all people would never take typology that seriously or use it as a means to form your identity. I won't repeat that you need to consistently reinforce the idea that typology is a method of exploring yourself and kind of akin to a puzzle or toy rather than a labeling system that actually does a great job of describing you. There are even adults hyper identifying with the system to the point where it effects their lives, like please don't assume that by default you're not going to do that. Some people genuinely are but like... Do not just make the assumption that you are an outlier and are not susceptible to misinformation and locking yourself in a box. Self aware people aren't the ones making these mistakes, it is impossible to be completely self aware anyways.
I think a big thing though is to reinforce that if you are in the age range I described, you are in a developmental stage of your life. Especially 12-17 is that age when you are actively forming an identity, you are behaving "cringe as hell" and exploring your own behavior, responses to things etc. Typology is primarily a tool to help adults who have already started habituating their own behavior, can take time to introspect and find their own pitfalls, and most of all have already made mistakes throughout their lives. Typology makes it very easy to pathologize your own behavior in the expectation that you should be chronically improving your life. If you are finding yourself chronically disappointed with how garbage your behavior is, you need to take a step back from typology (or whatever other group your into) and let yourself have normal learning experiences. Teens can be absolutely garbage but like... You're supposed to make mistakes and be kind of terrible and stupid, like that's a normal thing for your age group.
The Danger of Blaming Your Issues on Typology: In the same way that typology pathologizes behavior, it also makes things that are not normal seem very normal. Naranjo, the guy that wrote a bunch a good portion of the basis for the enneagram studied personality disorders as just an example, so many of his descriptions will include depictions of abnormal behavior. It makes it seem normal Now to clarify, I am not telling you that if you relate to a personality description there is something very wrong with you. More than likely actually, there is not.
Examples from people who struggling and are using typology to avoid your problems:
"I am deeply ashamed of myself and hate my life, I always wish someone would love me but I am deeply defective. This is because I am an enneagram 4"
"I am an enneagram 6 because I experience crippling anxiety non-stop and/or cannot remove myself from the idea that other people can or want to hurt me or am deeply afraid I might hurt others and make mistakes"
"I am inferior Se because I am prone to addictive and dangerous behavior such as binge drinking, thrill seeking that endangers my health, almost get hit by cars every 5 seconds because I have the attention span of a newt, etc. Eheh I am so quirky."
"I am inferior Fe. I find it ok to be an asshole constantly to others and hurt others. This is because I do not understand feelings or think they are stupid. I am entirely fine with this because it is just an aspect of typology. "
"My [family member/person I hate] is this type because they [insert behavior that is directly dangerous towards you] That is so [typology] of them ahahahah"
I purposely phrased these to be funny, but also I have actually seen people say these things and be 100% serious about them. None of these are actually related to typology... Like at all. And tbh, you can think these things or experience these things at points in your life without there being anything seriously wrong with you or your life even If this is you though, please seek help or like... Take a break from typology. If you are concerned, literally just shoot me an ask and and ask. You can also ask the adults in your life or like... Friends if you're unsure if what you're experiencing is normal or not. Please do not assume that what you are experiencing is abnormal but like... Good merit is, if it is causing you or others harm or you are feeling miserable all the time, it's probably an issue.
Interweb Creeps and Echo Chambers: When interacting with any interest group, be it blogs on tumblr, forums, etc., always be aware of your age compared to that of the community and assert appropriate boundaries in dealing with them. Lots of great people in the community and there is lots of good opportunity for mentorship and advice reception from responsible adults, but as it is advertised as a tool for self growth, typology in particular is great at attracting creeps, those disenfranchised by their lives, and those looking for a tool for affirmation. I have had the unfortunate opportunity of talking to multiple people within the community who engaged when they were on the younger side only to be taken advantage of by adults in ways that were not always overtly and obviously dangerous. This danger is often exaggerated because typology as a whole is very personal in nature leaving people open about their experiences in a way that can quickly generate a feeling of intimacy and connection.
Dynamics to watch out for
Everyone around you has the exact same beliefs as you do. Even if your beliefs are "good" and the people around you seem to be reasonable and logical people, this is how echo chambers are formed. The community can be overall positive and helpful, but being in a position where everyone shares your opinions will also weaken your own ability to tolerate even benign, contrasting opinions without you knowing you've lost that ability
You are consistently providing therapy and support for the people you are speaking to online. Honestly, getting support on the internet is find and you can also provide support to others without it being an issue. There's an issue when you are getting nothing in return/it is one sided, you are feeling drained, or you feel as if you stopped speaking to this person, they would harm themselves. This is known to be damaging in excess and can result in problems as simple as compassion fatigue and as severe as traumatic experiences.
The person you are speaking to presents themselves as all knowing, guru like, and as if they can solve all your problems or save you from your personal situation.
You are in a near exclusively a community where no one else is in your age range. Honestly, this can be harmless if done right, but people can sometimes fall into the issue where they are treating themselves as not their age and expecting themselves to be capable in areas they are not or unaccepting of their own personal development because everyone around them is in a different developmental phase than they are.
can you explain in your own words what being a 639 is like?
This is really tough to do without a prompt (imo, I don’t have enough Fi to answer this well haha). If whatever I write for this doesn’t satisfy you/you have remaining questions that I didn’t answer, please let me know because this is very general and drives my Ne batshit.
For me, being triple attachment in general is like being ultimately adaptive and, by extension, ultimately inconsistent. It’s really ironic, because as a triple attachment type, you’d expect me to be (cognitively at least) attached to things and ways of doing things, to be really great at relating to things, feel really comfortable with things as they are and overly yielding to problems, very connected with and aware of culture and norms with an intense desire to “fit in” or “be accepted” (etc etc etc) and realistically I am none of those things. I’m really just an inconsistent and highly non-committal blob that never had a distinct mechanism for dealing with fear, shame, nor anger (the closest one to consistent is fear and that’s probably because a) that’s my core and b) I lean heavy enough to my wing to get pegged as a 5 by anyone that hasn’t interacted with me on tumblr or perC).
I think one of the most consistently attachment things about me is my lack of connection to myself (which also relates to being sx blind and soc stupid). From an early age, I remember conceptualizing that my most basic needs, desires, and interests (all things which I would consider to contribute to one having a sense of “self”) was not only inconvenient, but detracted from those I really cared about when expressed. At some points, pushing my agenda or even doing something purely because I enjoyed it felt like it would (and quite realistically could have situationally, unfortunately enough) put blood on my hands. I’ve always been oriented towards solving the problems of the person I care about and maintaining them, so there really was no purpose in cultivating a true identity or defense mechanisms separate from that (and it was horrifying to even think of the consequences of doing such a thing). Of course I have things and have had things that are distinctly self derived (ie. my early goals most notably), but even those are not entirely separate from that attachment. Unconsciously, I’ve seemed to center my life around that one thing, and that centering can eventually be tracked back to the fear of loosing that single thing I have centered my entire life around, which is likely a defining aspect of triple attachment, particularly triple attachment lead with 6.
Is every 639 going to relate to the above? Probably not in whole, as what I mention there is relatively... Extreme. But really that “special thing” that makes triple attachment is a lack of focus on the self (even if you had sx in the picture, it would still be like this, though this is why the tritype tends sx blind) and a strong, likely unconscious connection to something external in which you center your life around to a significant degree. With triple attachment there’s a sense that whatever is “the sense of self” isn’t worth much or isn’t focused on, so altering it as you please, even to an unrecognizable degree, isn’t a problem until it is. Comparatively to others of my tritype, I tend to have a great deal of ambition and desire to create change (ie. I don’t relate at all to ever feeling as though my needs were met or being comfortable with the way things are, or being able to deny the way things are) and am also incredibly dry and internally focused since my tritype and wings border the competency and withdrawn triads. This triad in general is greatly modulated by it’s wings, regardless of core.
And of course, when you center your life around something external, you’re going to adapt, deconstruct, and reconstruct yourself in order to maintain that connection. For me, it was to make sure that thing continued to exist, for others it could be to belong, to bring a sense of purpose or motivation, to create a sense of identity that you actually like and is liked by others. Observe the problem, adapt to the problem, realize what you changed didn’t work and try again until there’s nothing left of the original.
You start out with a drop of paint on an empty canvas and throw anything that seems like it will work with that drop at whim. You’re not the only one throwing things at it either. In the end you have something that’s not an empty canvas. Maybe you’ve altered it so much it no longer even seems like a canvas. Maybe you turned the canvas into a chair or something because you had no use at all for the canvas or because the paint drop initially sort of looked like a chair and you went with it. But somehow, you can connect what it’s become to that little drop of paint in the beginning.
This is like really solid about my experience as an attachment type, no clue when this was posted. Must have been at least 3 years ago. Be it kind of mixed with shitty life experience of course lol. Giving this a comment to explain that this blerb, which is the most comically 9 thing I’ve ever read, is from a 9w1 3w4 6w5 sp/so rather than a 639 and I think is a decent example of an extreme attachment type mindset and what is sometimes called “attachment to disconnect.”
To not settle with less than you deserve, to do as you wish, to not be restricted. The 7 looks up at the sky and recognizes its their limit, nothing less will do, nothing less is permissible. Heaven above might as well exist, and no god will keep those gates locked. The 7 will rattle, kick, punch, and eventually jump any fence because the grass is always greener on the other side.
Anywhere but whats now. That is the goal. That is the idea that brings the possibility of more of everything. Desperation to experience something else, the thing that others are experiencing, the great thing that everyone is talking about. Anywhere but here, because everything thats to see has been seen. All the wonder has been dried up to a single focused aching mass of what disguises itself as boredom. In reality, its not that fairy tale, its not that fun, its disappointment.
You've jumped the closed gates of heaven only to find yourself locked outside again. The 7 is always locked outside, always missing out, but desperately trying to get in and find what it has been missing.
Yet to be locked out is better than to be locked in a cage of ones own making. To a 7 forcing yourself into a routine, into a stale life, into the sobriety of the real world, would be like checking themselves into their personalized hell. The type is rejected by heaven itself, but whats so bad about that? Whats so terrible about feeling good? To be with a full stomach and a content heart? Isn't it a human right to live as you please? The 7 rejects punishment and suffering. They were not put on this earth to fade away miserably according to someone's standard, but how?
How can one escape the dryness of their throat when they swallow, the burning in their stomach, or the pulsing at the back of their head? To a 7, the burning in their stomach is the anticipation of a meal they can't wait to eat. To a 7, the pulsing at the back of their head is but a temporary buzz before their next shot of tequila. To a 7, the dryness of their throat is the joy of refreshment soon to come.
The ability to rewrite their reality into something exciting, fun and worth living for is what gives the 7 the strength to continue. To take things lighty, is to live like a 7. To embrace silliness and to reject the serious nature of life, is to live like a 7. Everything can be transformed from a frown into a smile if you turn it upside down, all you need to do is stand on your hands and not think too hard about it. Don't confine yourself to the boring and think outside of the old shoebox of critical thought
Sorry for the inactivity by the way. As per usual, my blogs activity levels is based on how hyperfixated I am on enneagram at the given moment and I am currently more fixated on the never ending possibility that I could fail grad school. Asks are always open, content will come and go in bursts.
I have the unfortunate opportunity to be on personality database. Here is a list of characters I have typed that I believe are good case studies for their enneagram core. If anyone is ever interested in a more detailed write up of any of the characters, feel free to shoot me an ask and I can describe my thought process in more depth. Some sections are stronger than others. These sections will update regularly:
A question came up recently about the notion of isolation in the types. A feeling of separateness and focus on personal uniqueness/social deviance is often attributed to types such as 4 and 5 a bit excessively. In reality, the vast majority of people see themselves as individual and separate from others and can fixate on this in both positive and negative fashion. 9, 6, and 3 are especially inclined towards this, but for 9 it becomes at times more difficult to distinguish because of the fact that they are also part of the withdrawn triad. This leads the majority of 9s, especially those who have faced social isolation or any form of rejection, to mistype as 4 or 5.
9 is a type that goes back and forth between the desire for autonomy/“that place where they can just exist and be” that comes with being a withdrawn gut type and the desire to connect and align that comes with being an attachment type (which, due to how that sort of desire is interpreted culturally, is typically not recognized consciously as much). As much as 9 in the withdrawn sense wants to be separated, unaffected, and and that option to be alone, they rarely want to be fully and truly isolated or disconnected. Part of why 9 falls asleep is because it is trying to get both of these things and the methods that they use disconnects them from reality, putting them asleep to their life. When 9s do get into the position where they are consistently rejected or actually isolated, they do tend to fixate on it and are often really not super happy with that because there is an unconscious desire to have some form of connection in the attachment sense. 9 doesn’t constantly want to deal with the resistance that that causes or loose the access to the things they want that comes with having that isolation, so they can really fixate on that feeling of isolation and segregation from society when it happens. There can in general focus on areas where they are segregated from that they want access to. And they can align with the segregated image as well, kind of like the concept of the cp6 does where it seems to be pushing away or taking pride in that segregation. They can even be consciously very prideful of this. But that alignment is still very 9, attachment, and common among 9s in isolated positions
5 and 4 are a bit different in that there’s this arrogance instead. 4, regardless of whether or not it actually has anything irl that is pushing it away or genuine isolation specifically is trying to be segregated. There’s the “oh woe is me” that comes with the 4 that may whine about being misunderstood, but their whole self conception is shrouded in that they are deep and inaccessible and that the external is at fault for being too shallow. 4 takes a certain pride in being disturbing or off-skew and even when they are not will push to be or to find depth in a world that seemingly doesn’t have it. Don’t get me wrong, 4s probably seek connection as well in a fantastical sense but it’s with like depth or an abstracted landscape of people who give them or connect them with depth. 5 thinks people are not capable of seeing and investigating what they can, problems isolation would come from that. They are autonomy seeking and reject influence of any kind. The 5 sentiment when yearning for connection is this desire to be understood, this desire for others to see and to be aware and to have that mutual understanding if anything. They are not looking to connect or be part of things and automatically view themselves as separate and uninfluenced so it’s less of a fixation, more of a “why aren’t they seeing that?”
The whole enneagram feels isolation, actually. 8 disintegrates into 5 and 1 disintegrates into 4. So, 8 and 1 feel a constant sense of isolation which they are pretty open about every time life is stressful – and life usually is stressful.
The only types I could see not feeling much isolation are 2 and 7, but this is only before they develop. 2s and 7s definitely feel isolation deep down but they are Optimist types whose defence mechanism is denying how isolated they feel, along with denying other negative emotions. 2 integrates to 4 and 7 integrates to 5 (both “isolated” types) and part of this integration is getting in touch with their dark feelings of isolation instead of using constant activity to deny them.
Correct, this is what I meant by the vast majority of people see themselves as separate and individual. I specifically specified the withdrawn types because this feeling of separateness and focus on being isolated is often falsely attributed to 4 and 5 and 9 just tends to constantly mistype when they are isolated.
8 I’ve found usually does not find isolation stressful in this way. 8 is heavily autonomy focused and unconsciously will separate themselves from others since they are extensively self reliant. While I think anyone can become disenfranchised by a sense of separateness, 8 in particular usually conceptualizes this in the positive. Frankly in poor health, 8 would be more likely to glorify this sense of isolation since it proves their self sufficiency.
1 by comparison I could see being bothered by it. Not in the “why don’t I fit in :( or connect to anyone” sort of way, but in the “why doesn’t anyone else give a fuck/do things correctly?” sort of way. There is still the superego sense of superiority that comes with sticking to one’s since of principle, even if that principle isn’t traditionally moral or “right.”
I think 2 at least compared to 7 would likely be more attuned to their sense of isolation. Part of 2s connection to the positive outlook triad is expecting that nurturing others will yield them connection and an unremovable space in peoples lives. This tendency to push themselves into other people’s lives in the way that they do can result in self isolation and avoidance from others. It also makes the 2 feel pretty vulnerable when they share the parts of themselves that “aren’t good” or in line with them inserting themselves into others lives, which can be pretty isolating. Therefore, even without integration, I don’t think it is uncommon for 2s to connect to a sense of isolation, though they might not express it outwardly and may try to ignore that it bothers them.
For whatever reason, 7 does commonly mistype as 4 or 5 though, so I imagine 7 is not uncommonly disconnected from its sense of separateness from others or at least that sense of individuality. 5 and 4 in particular (and honest, probably 8 too) are just the types to be over associated with it, which is kind of comical considering how human the notion is and how prideful those two types are about their sense of isolation.
A question came up recently about the notion of isolation in the types. A feeling of separateness and focus on personal uniqueness/social deviance is often attributed to types such as 4 and 5 a bit excessively. In reality, the vast majority of people see themselves as individual and separate from others and can fixate on this in both positive and negative fashion. 9, 6, and 3 are especially inclined towards this, but for 9 it becomes at times more difficult to distinguish because of the fact that they are also part of the withdrawn triad. This leads the majority of 9s, especially those who have faced social isolation or any form of rejection, to mistype as 4 or 5.
9 is a type that goes back and forth between the desire for autonomy/"that place where they can just exist and be" that comes with being a withdrawn gut type and the desire to connect and align that comes with being an attachment type (which, due to how that sort of desire is interpreted culturally, is typically not recognized consciously as much). As much as 9 in the withdrawn sense wants to be separated, unaffected, and and that option to be alone, they rarely want to be fully and truly isolated or disconnected. Part of why 9 falls asleep is because it is trying to get both of these things and the methods that they use disconnects them from reality, putting them asleep to their life. When 9s do get into the position where they are consistently rejected or actually isolated, they do tend to fixate on it and are often really not super happy with that because there is an unconscious desire to have some form of connection in the attachment sense. 9 doesn't constantly want to deal with the resistance that that causes or loose the access to the things they want that comes with having that isolation, so they can really fixate on that feeling of isolation and segregation from society when it happens. There can in general focus on areas where they are segregated from that they want access to. And they can align with the segregated image as well, kind of like the concept of the cp6 does where it seems to be pushing away or taking pride in that segregation. They can even be consciously very prideful of this. But that alignment is still very 9, attachment, and common among 9s in isolated positions
5 and 4 are a bit different in that there's this arrogance instead. 4, regardless of whether or not it actually has anything irl that is pushing it away or genuine isolation specifically is trying to be segregated. There's the "oh woe is me" that comes with the 4 that may whine about being misunderstood, but their whole self conception is shrouded in that they are deep and inaccessible and that the external is at fault for being too shallow. 4 takes a certain pride in being disturbing or off-skew and even when they are not will push to be or to find depth in a world that seemingly doesn't have it. Don't get me wrong, 4s probably seek connection as well in a fantastical sense but it's with like depth or an abstracted landscape of people who give them or connect them with depth. 5 thinks people are not capable of seeing and investigating what they can, problems isolation would come from that. They are autonomy seeking and reject influence of any kind. The 5 sentiment when yearning for connection is this desire to be understood, this desire for others to see and to be aware and to have that mutual understanding if anything. They are not looking to connect or be part of things and automatically view themselves as separate and uninfluenced so it's less of a fixation, more of a "why aren't they seeing that?"
Type 1 is likely one of the more uncommon types within the enneagram system. We often joke of the overtypings of 5s and 4s and proceed to forget that type 1 is also strongly overtyped. The fact is that few if any enneagram authors were of the type 1 personality type, therefore much of what is written about the type is lacking this first person experience associated with the type. This becomes very obvious in descriptions of 1 which almost entirely ignore 1s connection to the body triad and, at times, portray the type as if it were of the head triad. When learning the enneagram, it becomes especially important to understand this difficulty and begin to reconceptualize our understanding of type 1 in particular.
1) Type one is "insert head type description here": Many descriptions portray 1 almost as though it were a head type rather than a gut type, which leads to a lot of 6s and probably even 5s mistyping as such. While 1s can be cautious, worrisome, cerebral and even theoretical/thoughtful, the core of the gut center revolves around instinct and body orientation. Anger and frustration for the 1 is often felt intensely and in the body sense. One of the best self descriptions I’ve heard from a 1 about this experience was the comparison of the self to a tuning fork, with “wrong” being identified as a dissonance between the self and reality. While 1s sense of ideality as well as their sense of right/correct or wrong/incorrect can be intensely logical, have solid reasoning, and be thought through in great detail, the 1s sense of ideality does not stem from the mind, but from the body and that either intuitive or sensational sense of ideality and non-ideality. This type is most often incredibly decisive and trusting of it's sense of directionality unlike the head types who will bolster their sense of judgement through impulse, intense research, external affirmation, or other means because the core of type 1 is not a distrust of internal guidance. The type literally only has possibility for positive outlook wings as well as a strong line to 7, a positive outlook type. This manifests as this incredible sense of self trust in their own ideas and ability to assert judgement and provides a driving force for action and movement since, despite cynisism or pessimism, there is often assumption that ideality is something that can be reached for or even obtained. This is the strongest distinguishing factor between 1 and other types consistently mistyped as 1.
It should be clarified further that “body sense” does not imply that all 1s need to be “sensing” types in the mbti sense or are remotely connected to their body in the physical or traditional sense. Ideality can be abstracted in the intuitive sense, body sensations can be entirely filtered through an abstract lens in the sense that a 1 may not be able to describe it as it exists physically, etc. The distinction must be made that the gut triad in general comes with this arrogant “I just know” sort of mentality that distinguishes it from the heart and head triads.
2) Type one represses anger and is often inclined to come across as composed: It is not uncommon for 1s style of anger to be misinterpreted as repressed, especially considering how uncommon this type actually is. Textually, it can be difficult to find a word that is distinctly fitting for their style of anger. While 1 often prioritizes objective and clear thought, this types vice is still wrath. Perhaps this anger and rage may be internally justified as something that the 1 does not consider rage (ie. nitpicking, organizing, criticism, an explanation etc) or the 1 may even truly believe they are as cool headed and emotionally detached as many suspect themselves to be, however the 1's wrath is externally oriented and palpable. Wrath exclusively directed at the self, but not caught by others or a type that only manifests as being internally frustrated or critical of others alongside little to no external expression is a 9 thing. Repressing anger to maintain a clearheaded, objective stance is also more of a 9, 6, or even 3 trait rather than a trait that is primarily 1. 1 type anger is controlled, directional, and centered (rather than diffused and internally brewed as in the 9 or ranged, comfortably expressed, and impact focused as in the 8). This even applies to 1w9, who's sense of wrath may be oriented towards reducing discomfort or takes on the justification as being peace/balance seeking but is not as quiet or remotely hidden as some often expect it to be.
3) Type 1 is rigid and Rule Abiding: They are, but to their own sense of structure, not necessarily external structures. 1 has a strong vision of how the world should be and what is lacking. The archetype of the perfect student who enforces the rules or the person dedicated to a strong moral system or "the goody two shoes" is 90% of the time a 3 or 6 at their core because both of these stances are strongly tied to pre-established systems and appeal to the attachment orientation. 1 at it's core is frustration and dissatisfaction. 1 isn't necessarily breaking rules and can have moral stances that connect to culture and common standards, but there is a strong connection to the body and impulse sense of anger and frustration rather than the more traditional focus on established systems and rules. 1 is far more often the generator of rules and standards rather than the follower of them.
4) The Core Fear of 1 is Being a Bad Person: While this is not necessarily incorrect, the way this is framed does not provide the necessary context that, once again, this is not really expectation based and that “bad” is not necessarily relating to morality. You can have traditionally “evil” 1s who embrace the concept of being absolutely awful or, more commonly, are unaware of the effects of their behavior on others or hypocrisy because, once again, all of this self directed and critical behavior is a felt sense. 1 moves in the direction of it’s compass, that compass does not have to be remotely moral in the traditional sense.
Stealing prompts from Personality Database is my hobby atm. But like 9, there’s a lot of shitty ones about 6 as well:
1) 6s are inherently dependent by nature and won't act on their own:
The nature of 6s "dependence" is often over simplified to be centered around other people or clear support structures (such as religion or set law systems) as well as to be "blindly trusting" in nature. While the more stereotypical 6s can certainly be this way, this is not the end of the 6 archetype. There are systems of morality, systems of experience/tangible personal experience, science, etc and is removed from the uncentered nature of 6. At 6s core is an individual who seeks a solid, definable truth which comes from a place of lacking internal and external certainty. It is equally susceptible to extreme doubting, skepticism, and rejection of ideas as it is to being overly trusting, aligning, and dependent upon them. In a way that is often falsely attributed to 5, 6 can and often is the prototypical researcher, a probing type that digs deeper and deeper into ideas, systems, and people in order to investigate their bounds and test their reality, seeing if it's nature is consistent with what is being projected. To trust something for many involves fully understanding and characterizing that thing, knowing where it fails so you're prepared to handle and accept shortcomings, ideally finding where it can be fully relied upon. For some 6s, this generates the outwards appearance of a challenger or even a rebellious character who points out where they believe common knowledge or systems fall short, the ways it could, and potential solutions. In the end, the more solitary and independent seeming archetypes of the basement dwelling conspiracy theorist who believes that no one can "see the truth" or the man in the woods trusting his log cabin and nature while being endlessly and outwardly skeptical of attachment are both still inherently 6(w5) archetypes. Part of this connects to 6s ideal of being entirely independent and self trusting since it would mean an end to this inner unsettledness.
It is also worth noting that there is a difference between "desiring and preferring to have structure" and actually having that. The fact is that not everyone has a structure to rely on, not everyone has great experiences with trusting things, or is even ok with their own desire to have something to rely on. Independence is a strong cultural value, many people are expected to be such, and if you think type 6 on a more conscious level cannot be obsessed with independence knowing others or their own ability to be mislead by aligning too heavily with things, you don't understand the type. To think that 6 won't get tired of the inner uncertainty and just confidently push ideas or move forward impulsively to counter more inhibitory indecisiveness even as their default nature of being is not considering the versatility of this type. A pitfall of all the attachment types is assuming themselves to be incredibly independent and being blind to where the latches they make. If the latch is obscured or not in an area that you'd associate with dependence, it's going to look pretty damn independent.
2) 6s are not individual or individuality focused
This pairs very strongly with the above point, but I believe is a separate thing that gets a lot of 6 influenced individuals mistyping themselves as 4 influenced. 6 inherently has a line to 3 and is a type with a reactive orientation. In every sense of the way, 6 is about realness, truth, and honesty and often have these as values and virtues (even if not every 6 is honest, real, or truthful of course). As a head type that points out what is not being addressed, 6 is often very attuned to how it’s thinking differs from others and how it’s perception differs from others. As an attachment type, it also has what has been called by authors like the enneagrammer as “an attachment to disconnection,” hence as much as it can push towards unity and having an “equality” or community focus in some instances, can be very separatist and focused on the ways that they are individual. Many 6s believe they are more oriented towards seeing the truth than others, it’s a very mental oriented individuality that separates from 4s inherent self romanticization and the more image oriented individuation.
3) 6s do not perceive reality in an accurate way/contradicts Se
This is a new one that I can only assume comes from a misinterpretation of Naranjo's theory and probably a mild misunderstanding of Se. First off, it is by nature of human perception that there is no fully objective, true, or unfiltered perception of reality. Biologically, the way sensation is processed is not uniform nor disconnected from the sensor, so really Se is not "objective or accurate" as much as it is not altering what it perceives based on it's own subjective reality at least right off the bat. 6 is about doubt and doubting your own perception or thought processes or sense of direction does not inherently imply that reality is not perceived accurately. Like the other reactive types, 6 believes that an understanding of truth or reality is incomplete or not real without acknowledging it's negative aspects or the way one action leads to another. Taking in as much information as possible without discarding it and then applying judgement to it (through Ti or Fi, for instance, by looking for action or moral based consistency or having an "intuitive" understanding of how different aspects of reality work together in the way that Se does that allows it to act or proceed without thought/almost impulsively is not contradictory with 6. In fact, the strong attentiveness and troubleshooting nature of 6 pairs with this in that pre-meditating failures or being especially attentive to possibilities for action is best done when you can take everything in at once. Fear and caution does not imply slow thinking, lack of flexibility does not imply a lack of impulsivity. Se doesn't imply thoughtless-ness either. While Se certainly does pair with assertive types a bit better (such as 3 and 8 especially) and Ji dominance does pair better with 6 than Pe dominance, Se does not contradict 6.
4) Every 6 is outwardly anxious and easy to read. They don’t hide their anxiety and when they try they don’t do it well
While 6 is often more unconsciously comfortable with vulnerability than say an 8, the vast majority of people are still not comfortable with being vulnerable as a whole. Constantly having problems or being anxious or excessive troubleshooting is not taken well societally speaking and it is not remotely uncommon for 6s to connect or idealize courage, being powerful, and resilience. Flagging yourself as afraid or bothered is not always desirable by anyone, so many 6s will instead present as intimidating, logic oriented, and even flat when presenting problems or themselves in general. 6s do often have a stiffness and anxiety feel to their demeanor, but like not everyone with an anxiety disorder or presenting anxiety is 6.
This ended up being relatively well received elsewhere, so I figured this would be the first post in my pseudo-blog revival.
The way 9 has been understood throughout the varying iterations of the enneagram has heavily developed as we’ve come into into the modern enneagram system (which I assure you is not just Riso Hudson or Enneagram institute). Naranjo made his assessments, enneagram institute made theirs, and while they each got part of the picture the whole is missing in both. Here I’ll address common misunderstandings about type 9, why they are made, and what aspects of the theory are being misinterpreted. As a warning I'm not shitting on 9 or Naranjo. Some of my examples are fairly negative because those are just what I happened to think of as an example and of course some of them kind of point out that the one of many enneagram books that Naranjo wrote that people focus on exclusively has a very limited description of type 9.
1) 9 is an exclusively oriented on the real and tangible and avoids the inner world: Many tend to misinterpret 9 as a thoughtless and exclusively sensory sort of type for some reason while failing to acknowledge the subjectivity that is someone's sense of comfort in addition to confusing what the inner world truly is and contains. Many would consider chronic daydreaming or story making, for example, a trait of someone who has a deep inner world because it is primarily inwardly focused. This, however, actually pairs very well with the 9 tendency towards narcotization. Living in a fantasy world certainly narcoticizes self in the same way that indulging in physical comforts might for those so inclined, as it separates a person from the more unpleasant or draining aspects of reality as well as the more unpleasant aspects of the inner/true reality such as the thoughts you might be left with if not actively abstracting or concocting story-lines or scenarios to capture attention instead. Habitual study and consuming the self with constant analytics, abstractions, or generating a mind numbing activity level with work or tasks is also a form of narcotization in this sense because it is used as an escape tactic (rather than as a distancing/control seeking strategy like in type 5, a structure seeking activity as seen in 6, etc).
Hence, by some merits 9s can have a vivid inner world and often you can have very intellectual, intuitive, and thoughtful 9s. Mental sloth specifically pertains to avoiding the mentally taxing or unpleasant aspects of reality or self. So yes, 9s can very much be "intuitive types" by mbti and jungian standards because narcotization can be an abstraction process. And yes, 9s can be Fi doms, especially when the emotional and ethical focus of Fi lands on focusing on the more palatable sides of self (be they flaws used to disconnect from more powerful and disturbing flaws of the self or positive self traits over shame bringing traits), a sense of morality that generates pleasure or more peace than or for others, etc etc. Yes, I am oversimplifying. Yes, this also applies to sp and so 9.
2) 9s are deeply connected to sensation and the body: Many authors quote 9, being the center of the enneagram, to have the propensity to be the most grounded and bodily of the gut types. In the same sense, many will quote them with one of the highest propensities for disconnection. Consider 6 and 3, who have similar problems with their triad. 3 is incredibly connected to shame and will often reconstruct self to be valuable to whatever goals they are pursuing, yet they will bolster their self image and seek affirmation for their greatness. 6 is deeply connected to thought and anxiety with a near constant level of mental chattering, yet they as a ping ponging type will push back and assert certainty and strong reactions in the counterphobic sense when they know that action is necessary. 9 is no different, at times being overly rooted in the body and sensations but even over connecting to spirituality or self numbing,
3) 9 is entirely conflict averse, anyone who shows violence or aggression is not a 9. Anger is entirely repressed: 9 is discomfort averse, not conflict averse. The two often go hand in hand, however, because actually generating conflict is an energy draw/annoying and reveals that indeed a 9 can be bothered. But sometimes, reducing discomfort and avoiding problems like a 9 might is not traditionally conflictless. Having a hissy fit because someone is disrupting the tone of a group conversation and passive aggressively pushing them to stop that is conflicting. Getting even physically aggressive when someone challenges your way of life or the comfort that you and those dear to you have because changing that way of life would ruin your sense of comfort and the habitual patterns you've built and attached to in your life is incredibly aggressive and conflicting. Refusing to share opinions irl and seeming sweet and simple but actively being aggressively opinionated, contradictory, and vocal online is also a style of aggression that avoids taking responsibility. All of these, however, are also very aligned with the core traits of 9 which is sloth and comfort/simplicity seeking and are only small examples of 9 style aggression.
In a similar light, 9s can be very very aware of their anger despite 9 at it’s core seeking to be and seem impermeable and unaffected by most things (this does not necessarily mean it is uncommon of 9s to not be aware of their anger however). Expression and an outwards reveal of that anger or that they are, in fact bothered, is where the difficulty truly lies. There are many 9s who feel internally filled with turmoil and wrath and may even think that this is something that they radiate, however the gut influence of 9 however often dulls this expression without them knowing this is the case.
4) 9, like the other positive outlook types, are entirely averse to morose and dark subject matter: Again, there is a lack of understanding on the subjectivity of comfort (and also a lack of understanding of what positive outlook means; as a hint, it is not optimism by necessity). People who grew up in chaos will seek chaos because it’s comfortable, people who grew up in traditionally comforting environments will seek comfort because it is comfortable. What is challenging or disturbing to some, in the same sense, is really not something that remotely moves others. Dark and morose subject matter frankly does not make a lot of people uncomfortable. Consider Junji Ito, a person near constantly quoted to be a 9 core and how “disturbing” people find his art to be as a mere example of this. It is not uncommon for 9 to indulge very heavily into dark and upsetting subject matter even as a means to avoid or distract from their own turmoil or if it is something that they find to be engaging or has an engaging effect on them.
