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ENNEAGRAM TYPE 9

  • Writer: Claire Bentley
    Claire Bentley
  • Aug 10, 2022
  • 12 min read

Updated: Jul 8

FOR CREATIVITY AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT


INTRODUCTION

The Enneagram is a personality classification system which divides the human population into nine broad personality types based on their core motivations, desires, and fears. In this series of blog posts, I will take you through each of the nine Enneagram personality types in detail, looking at how you can use them to improve your creative work patterns and to inform character development in your artwork.



The nine Enneagram personality types arranged in a circle
The Enneagram circle


There is dispute about the validity of the system as applied to ‘real-world’ humans. I’m not going to enter that debate in this series. However, I believe the system is useful for creatives as a way of framing and understanding both our characters and ourselves. It is important to remember that personality systems are broad tools to aid understanding: there is lots of nuance and individual variation, and people rarely fit perfectly into one category or another.


WHY ENNEAGRAM AND NOT MYERS-BRIGG?


The Myers-Brigg personality classification system is also useful for understanding our characters and ourselves. However, I find it more complex and less intuitive than the Enneagram system. For example, when studying well-written fictional characters, I can usually identify their Enneagram type, but I would struggle to identify which of the sixteen Myers-Brigg categories they fall into without reference material and enough time to work it out. In addition – unlike the Enneagram – the Myers-Brigg types are not evenly distributed throughout the population. I am an ‘Advocate’ (INFJ) under the Myers-Brigg system: the rarest category at 1% of the population. In the Enneagram system I am a Type Nine, so there are many more ‘like-minded’ people to learn from.


However, the main reason I prefer using the Enneagram to the Myers-Brigg for character development is because story structure and story theory revolve around identifying the core motivations, desires, fears, and misbeliefs of your characters. The Enneagram has these baked in and – even more crucially – it contains descriptions of 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' versions of each type. This makes it far easier to see how a character might grow or disintegrate during a story – depending on which type of character arc you are writing.


WHY THIS BLOG SERIES?


The Enneagram is useful for understanding your pattern of work and behaviour when it comes to your creative life: you can work out your strengths and weaknesses; find out what works for you; and identify areas where you could improve.


I have also been using the Enneagram to inform character development in my current work in progress, and it has been invaluable in helping me shape and develop their personalities, beliefs, and change arcs. There is a lot of information about the Enneagram, but very little in terms of how to practically apply the system to character development in creative work. Therefore, I created this series of blog posts to explore each of the nine types in detail, and to provide guidance and examples when it comes to using the Enneagram for character development and plotting change arcs.


There is a huge amount of information out there regarding the Enneagram and these posts barely scratch the surface! Therefore, I have linked references at the end of the posts if you would like to explore the topic further.




WORKING OUT YOUR ENNEAGRAM TYPE

There are tests out there – both paid and free – which can help you identify your Enneagram type. However, I found it more useful to work out my type from the descriptions than from the questionnaires. When I take the tests, I have high scores across multiple types – which, it turns out, is typical for a Type Nine!


Definitely study each of the types before deciding which one best describes yourself. It may not be the one you initially think! When I first read the descriptions, I couldn’t find one that quite worked for me. I then ‘decided’ I was a Type Three, even though there were parts of it that fit and parts that didn’t. However, when I studied the types in greater depth and reached the Type Nine description, I had a disturbing moment of ‘oh shit, here I am’. If the description feels uncanny and disconcerting, you may have found the right one for you!


Type Nines are good at adopting the behaviours of other types. I also found out that the direction of growth for 'healthy' Type Nines is towards Type Three, which explains why I feel an affinity for Type Three. My direction of stress is towards Type Six, and I felt deeply uncomfortable when I first studied Type Six.


My point is: study the types first – including directions of growth and stress – before deciding which one best describes you!


TYPE 9 OVERVIEW: THE PEACEMAKER


Zoomed-in drawing of Type 9 on the Enneagram

PERSONALITY TRAITS

· Easygoing

· Harmonious

· Modest

· Receptive

· Supportive

· Agreeable

· Complacent

· Stubborn


SUMMARY

(https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/)

“Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimising anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.”


DESIRES

To have inner stability, connection with others, and peace of mind.


FEARS

Of separation and loss.


MOTIVATIONS

· Create harmony in their environment

· Avoid conflict and tension

· Preserve things as they are

· Resist things that upset or disturb them


WINGS

Nine with an Eight-Wing: the Referee

You may feel internally conflicted with regard to anger, but you have more ability to express your emotions openly in the face of conflict. You are more confident but may also have passive-aggressive and stubborn tendencies.


Nine with a One-Wing: the Dreamer

You have a strong sense of right and wrong when working towards your goals, and you are more likely to take part in social justice. You are more introverted and self-critical.


Please see https://enneagramuniverse.com/enneagram/learn/enneagram-wings for more information on Enneagram wings.


DIRECTION OF GROWTH

Adopt behaviours of a healthy Type Three: energetic and self-developing


DIRECTION OF STRESS

Adopt negative behaviours of a Type Six: worry and anxiety


ARE YOU A TYPE 9 CREATIVE?

Do you recognise yourself in the description above? I know I do!


If you're a Type Nine creative then you may yearn for inner and outer peace, and for peaceful and harmonic connection with others and with the wider world. You prefer to avoid conflict, and you adapt to people and situations to keep the peace: sometimes at your own cost.


It may be that you are grounded in your physical world and in your own body, possessing great power and magnetism. However, conversely, you may become distant and disengaged from your instincts. You may find yourself retreating into your mind and your emotional fantasies: becoming static, inert and passive.


Personality Type Nine is sometimes referred to as the ‘crown’ of the Enneagram because it is at the top and seems to incorporate aspects of the whole system. Nines may possess or imitate the behaviours of any of the other personality types, especially if it helps avoid conflict. The danger of this is that you may not have a strong sense of your own identity: you would rather follow someone else or exist in your daydreams, and the thought of asserting yourself is anathema. Witnessing others arguing or confronting someone may also cause you anxiety.


You like to focus on the bright side of life. You may ignore, or numb yourself to, more disturbing aspects of life in your quest for inner peace. You may respond to pain and suffering by denying it, running away from it, prematurely blocking it out, or trying to find a simplistic and painless solution. You fear losing connection with others, and you may be in danger of making considerable and unwanted compromises in trying to resolve conflict.



Cuddly toys lined up in a row at the top of a bed
Type Nines seek inner and outer peace and harmony


YOUR WORK PATTERN

A stable working environment is likely to be crucial for you. Bonus points if those around you are warm and like-minded.


Work which involves finding solutions to problems, or helping others to do so, allows you to make good use of your peace-seeking strengths. However, you may also enjoy working alone. You can handle stress as long as there is little hostility in your environment and as long as the work isn’t too fast-paced.


YOUR STRENGTHS

· Agreeable: you are receptive, peaceful, and easygoing

· Understanding: you have excellent synthesis skills, and you can understand multiple viewpoints and find common ground. You are highly empathetic and you work hard to find solutions which suit everyone

· Patient

· Supportive

· Genuine

· Calm: you take time to assess different options

· Open-minded: you are slow to judge and willing to forgive


YOUR WEAKNESSES

· Conflict avoidance: you may hesitate to confront another person – or avoid it altogether – even at great personal cost.

· Self-sacrificing: it may seem easier to ignore a problem, to live with it, or to compromise too far, leading to harm and resentment.

· Passive-aggression: you may experience frustration due to conflict-avoidance, and take this out on others through passive-aggression rather than being direct.


RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GROWTH

· Be aware of when you are going along with others to keep the peace. Be independent and be yourself so that you can truly be there for others – and yourself – when they need you.

· Pay attention to what is happening around you, rather than disappearing into daydreams and distractions.

· You have negative feelings like anyone else: recognise them and process them.

· Examine your own role in how conflicts play out in close relationships.

· Use exercise to help control your emotions and to help you pay more attention to your inner self.


TYPE 9 CHARACTERS IN YOUR ART

I will speak to writing because I'm most familiar with this, but the lessons can be applied to other creative art forms.


WHERE MIGHT YOUR CHARACTER START?

The ‘average’ Type Nine individual might start off as self-effacing and accommodating because they fear conflict. They go along with the wishes and expectations of others – even if they do not want to – to appease them and gain peace. They may use cliché statements and philosophies to deflect others.


The individual may be disengaged, inattentive, and unreflective. They are complacent and indifferent, and minimise or walk away from problems without expending any effort to try and solve them. They may believe nothing can be done to change things, and so become stubborn and fatalistic, relying on wishful thinking and magical solutions.


They may retreat into their minds, tuning out reality, daydreaming, and becoming hazy in their thinking. They may become unresponsive to others.


HOW MIGHT YOUR CHARACTER GROW?

A healthy Type Nine may become self-possessed, autonomous and fulfilled. They are content and at one with themselves, meaning they are intensely alive and fully and profoundly connected to others. They are emotionally stable and serene. They trust themselves and others, are at ease with themselves and their life. They are patient, good-natured, and accepting of others, and they are a genuinely kind and compassionate person.


A healthy Type Nine individual may have a healing and calming influence on those around them. They are optimistic, reassuring and supportive: they bring people together. Their desire for peace makes them an effective leader and decision-maker, even feeling able to tackle conflict within their social group without making unacceptable compromises or feeling resentful.


HOW MIGHT YOUR CHARACTER DISINTEGRATE?

A Type Nine character is in danger of becoming highly repressed, undeveloped and ineffective. They are unable to face their problems and so block awareness of anything negative that might affect them, dissociating from all conflict. They learn to give up what they want and give in to the demands of others. They may become socially anxious, and / or may be neglectful of and dangerous towards others.


The individual may become numb and unable to function, having lost their sense of identity and knowledge of what they desire from life. They may be disorientated and catatonic. They are prone to dissociative personality disorders, lack of self-care, and addictive behaviours.


DEVELOPING YOUR TYPE 9 CHARACTER: WORKED EXAMPLE


Let’s say the one-line theme of your story is ‘you must have a voice if you are to achieve inner and outer peace’. You could make your main character a Type Nine because they desire peace but prefer to avoid arguments, which could trigger fascinating internal conflict. They begin the story with the misbelief ‘I must stay quiet to keep the peace’ (the ‘lie’, or the opposite of the story’s theme).


It may be that the character is a young adult with forceful and overbearing parents. In the beginning of the story the character is kind and compassionate, but they are meek and conforming when interacting with their parents because they are afraid of disturbing the peace. It might be that the protagonist wishes to pursue a career that the parents disapprove of, so their child quietly goes through their life conforming to their parents’ wishes. They may adopt uncharacteristic behaviours to do this, thus becoming more distant with their own identity and desires. They subconsciously grow resentful towards their parents: they are anxious and unhappy, and increasingly sullen and passive-aggressive. It may take a relatively small event – for example, their best friend becoming successful in the career the protagonist desires – or a large life-changing event – for example, someone close to them dying – to shake them out of their passivity and make them realise they must confront their parents in order to lead their desired life. If they succeed then their courage may bring them internal peace, and possibly external peace – for example, a healthier and more empathetic relationship with their parents.


If the protagonist is in a negative change arc then they may fail to confront their parents and follow their desires. Over time they become catatonic, uncaring and voiceless: a shell of a person. They are no longer sure of who they are and what they want, and they go through the motions to keep everyone around them happy.


This is just one example. Your theme may not suggest an obvious Enneagram type that ‘fits’, but it could be interesting to ‘try out’ your theme with protagonists and antagonists of different Enneagram types to see how these dynamics could impact your story and plot. Remember: a protagonist or antagonist – or any side character – could be any of the Enneagram types, and could grow or disintegrate within their type – or stay the same – during the course of the story.



Desk, chair, pile of books
Type Nine character is forced down an unwanted route and must speak out


TYPE 9 CHARACTERS IN WELL-KNOWN STORIES


I HAVE REMOVED MY EXAMPLES FROM HARRY POTTER

I do not agree with or condone any form of transphobia (or other types of hate), and I have not given a single penny to She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named since she outed herself. I originally included Harry Potter characters because the stories helped me a lot as a child, and because its characters remain some of the best known in the literary world. However, I cannot condone even using them as examples any longer.


Please bear with me while I research and choose other (less problematic!) examples.


EXAMPLES FROM ENCANTO

Encanto is one of my favourite films from recent times. The characters are unique and fascinating, and the arcs they undergo are powerful and relatable. I have used Encanto to provide examples of how the different Enneagram types could be used to help create strong, unique and conflicted characters.


Don't forget: even if your story has two characters with the same Enneagram type, there will still be differences between them depending on their age, background, whether or not they have one of the ‘wings’, personal growth level etc.


These categorisations are based on my own judgement and knowledge of the characters: please feel free to disagree (and let me know in the comments if you do!)


MIRABEL MADRIGAL

I adore the main character of Encanto! She is warm, compassionate and empathetic, and she works hard to look out for her family and keep the peace between them. She respects and goes along with their quirks, and conforms to the iron-clad rule of her Abuela - even though Abuela both fears Mirabel and looks down on her because she didn’t receive a magical gift.


On the surface, Mirabel takes her lack of magical abilities with good grace and humour, and throws her energy into supporting her family. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that – deep down – Mirabel questions and resents her lack of powers. Rather than facing this internal conflict, she suppresses it and works hard to support her family and erase the other (external) conflicts which fester under the surface.


When the family’s ‘miracle’ becomes unstable due to the conflicts between various family members, it is not magical abilities which save the family; rather, it is Mirabel’s ability to empathise and work with individual family members to uncover the roots of the resentments and start to address them. In the end, it is her ability to do this for her Abuela, the matriarch of the family, which finally heals the Madrigals’ interpersonal conflicts, and allows the miracle to survive and thrive within them. Mirabel helps Abuela see that the miracle is not in the gifts, but in the family members themselves and in their love for each other.


It is so fitting that Mirabel – as a Type Nine protagonist – doesn’t receive a ‘magical’ ability of her own because her gift – the most important one – is to be the ‘glue’ within her family.


RESOURCES

Don Riso and Russ Hudson have published multiple books on the Enneagram system.

The Enneagram Institute: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

Author Claire Taylor has published books encouraging writers to use the Enneagram to inform their author careers.

Author Abbie Emmons also regularly covers use of the Enneagram for character development on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/abbieemmons


BEFORE YOU GO…

Are you an Enneagram Type Nine? Are any of your characters Type Nine? Please join in the discussion (contact details below).


Please feel free to comment on the article and/or contact me if you have any questions!


Socials: @cbentleywriter on most of them!




Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/clairebentley

I welcome respectful and friendly discussion on the topics I write about, including if your opinion differs from my own.


Disclaimer: generative AI

I do not use generative AI to produce or inform my blog, my images, or my fiction. All of my content is generated by the chaotic firing of my own (human) brain! (I have access to some images through my Wix subscription). I do not consent to the use of my content, images, or fiction to train generative AI models. Please contact me to discuss permission and compensation if you wish to use my content in this way.




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