Outlander Enneagrams
(Jamie and Claire’s personality types based on The Enneagram have been rolling around in my brain for a while so I wanted to get you guys’ thoughts. Here are my guesses)
Claire: Enneagram 1— The Reformer
1s are purposeful with a strong sense of right and wrong, and they are always trying to improve the world around them. Show!Claire is led very much by her set of principles— both when it comes to medicine and family. The basic fear of a 1 to is be defective or useless. We see this played out with Claire’s internal conflict in Paris. She feels aimless simply hosting dinner parties, but working at L’Hopital des Anges gives her days meaning because she believes her purpose is to help people. Another example is her insistence on bringing her 20th century medical knowledge into the 18th century, namely with the penicillin in S5. Even though Brianna warns her that it’s dangerous to challenge history, Claire knows it’s what needs to be done, so she has to follow through. Claire’s status as a time traveler cements her as a reformer. Even though she is pressured on all sides by people of the 18th century telling her how to act, she refuses to do anything that goes against her values.
Jamie: Enneagram 2— The Helper
This was a tough one. I was torn between this and a very healthy 8 (which can be pretty similar). For show!Jamie at least, I finally landed on 2. Here’s why: Enneagram 2s are caring, self-sacrificing, and even possessive. Jamie’s drive is almost always for others. In season 4 he talks about how if he were alone, he’d be content to live as an outlaw until he died, but he has others to worry about. Jamie is a Laird first and foremost, and he gives of himself everything that is needed in order to provide and care for them. Unlike an 8, who is a leader and can be people oriented, Jamie does not have a strong concern for his own physical well-being. (He does have some tendencies toward wanting control, such as hating the lost feeling of control in situations with BJR, but I think that’s a pretty normal response to extreme trauma rather than his personality.) When 2s are stressed, they can become aggressive and dominating, which we see in some of Jamie’s fights with Claire— such as in S3 “First Wife” in which he is so worried about losing her (a 2′s basic fear is being alone and unloved) that he becomes aggressive. At their best, 2s are unselfish and altruistic, which I believe we begin to see in Jamie as he settles Fraser’s Ridge and starts to become a Laird again.
—I nearly switched Claire and Jamie several times, because oddly enough, I could also see Claire as a 2 and Jamie as a 1. Claire is deeply giving of herself like a 2, but I felt that the basic fear of unlovability did not apply to her as much as uselessness. Jamie also seemed close to a 1 because he has a strong sense of morality, but in the end I pegged him as a 2 based on his concern for others. Claire is the one that teaches Jamie about 20th century values, and because of his love and respect for her, he adapts.
Anyone have thoughts? Agree or disagree?
