Deeper understanding of the Enneagram & Triads

Shai Gar said:
8w9 - Seeking Power and Peace

Healthy Eights with a 9 wing often have an aura of preternatural calm, like they haven't had a self-doubt in decades. Take their authority for granted - queen or king of all they survey. May be gentle, kind-hearted, quieter. Often nurturing, protective parents; steady, supportive friends. Informal and unpretentious, patient, laconic, generally somewhat introverted. Sometimes a dry or ironic sense of humor. May have an aura of implicit, simmering anger rather like a sleeping volcano. Slow to erupt but when they do it's sudden and explosive. When entranced, the 9 wing brings an Eight a kind of callous numbness. They can be oblivious to the force of their anger until after they've hurt someone. Calmly dominating, colder; may have an indifference to softer emotions. If very unhealthy, they can be mean without remorse or aggressive in the service of stupid ends. Paranoid plotting, muddled thinking, moral laziness. Can be vengeful in ill-conceived ways, abuse those they love, don't know when to quit.

VH, I am an 8w9 too.
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That's a pretty good description of me. So far, 1w2, 4w5, and 8w9 are the closest descriptions. They all have merits. I can definitely see myself as an 8 because I really don't like to not be in control. I won't drink or get high because of it, and never really have. I flip right the hell out when people try to restrain me. I'm not half as pushy as the typical 8. I definitely share your penchant for jackassery and shooting straight with people, so that's another 8 trait.

If I am an 8, I'm definitely a 9 wing though. I greatly desire peace and harmony, and have a very clear tendency to get lost in my head and imagination.

Whichever I am, I'm definitely a sx/so. That's the one thing I'm not confused about with all this Enneagram stuff.
 
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Res said:
Seems so, but is this based on the description or your general impression?
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General impression.

5's are by far the most curious types in all the enneagram, since they live primarily in their head. I'm just speculating here, since I don't know you in real life but I get the impression that your experiences seem more real to you by replaying them in your mind, then when you're actually living them. You're interested in clarity when you post, something that is very common in all 5's. Various threads that you've started have pinpointed towards that direction, but overall, I would say that a type 5 fits you quite accurately.

I usually don't type people because I feel that I'm intruding, but I gave myself the liberty to do it this time. I hope you don't mind.
 
VH said:
That's a pretty good description of me. So far, 1w2, 4w5, and 8w9 are the closest descriptions. They all have merits. I can definitely see myself as an 8 because I really don't like to not be in control. I won't drink or get high because of it, and never really have. I flip right the hell out when people try to restrain me. I'm not half as pushy as the typical 8. I definitely share your penchant for jackassery and shooting straight with people, so that's another 8 trait.

If I am an 8, I'm definitely a 9 wing though. I greatly desire peace and harmony, and have a very clear tendency to get lost in my head and imagination.

Whichever I am, I'm definitely a sx/so. That's the one thing I'm not confused about with all this Enneagram stuff.
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*headdesk* PICK something.

I really don't see you as an 8, you aren't forceful enough. Besides, then you're off the 1-4-7 triad you figured out.
 
Last Dawn said:
General impression.

5's are by far the most curious types in all the enneagram, since they live primarily in their head. I'm just speculating here, since I don't know you in real life but I get the impression that your experiences seem more real to you by replaying them in your mind, then when you're actually living them. You're interested in clarity when you post, something that is very common in all 5's. Various threads that you've started have pinpointed towards that direction, but overall, I would say that a type 5 fits you quite accurately.

I usually don't type people because I feel that I'm intruding, but I gave myself the liberty to do it this time. I hope you don't mind.
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Not at all. thx.
 
VH said:
True, but 8 ties into 2 which is a back up for me, the biggest reason I was able to accept the 1w2.

And you're kidding about me not being forceful enough, right?
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There is a difference between being forceful to gain power, and to gain respect. You do the latter (and only when warented), not the former, therefore you aren't an 8.
 
This video is pretty good. What he says is so true for me:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-8xsG0czW8"]YouTube- Leadership and the Enneagram: Interview with Style 5[/ame]
 
IndigoSensor said:
There is a difference between being forceful to gain power, and to gain respect. You do the latter (and only when warented), not the former, therefore you aren't an 8.
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I think my biggest fear is not being in control, though. That's the 8 motivation. My second biggest fear is not being loved, but that's the sx coming through. I could see the 8 diagnosis my chiropractor insists upon when you factor in the 9 wing.

I'm not afraid of being imperfect or wrong - Type 1
I'm not afraid of not being unique, in fact I try to surround myself with people like myself - Type 4

I am afraid of not being loved, but I won't do the sorts of things a 2 does in order to be loved (and 2 ties directly to 8)
In a pretty clear way my need to have fun has dominated my life and continues to do so, and the thought of losing that does cause me a lot of anxiety, though I'm not as adventurous as most 7s - Type 7 (another branch of 8)

I'm just saying it's possible. This has always been really hard for me to narrow down. The fact that I keep coming up 1w2, 4w5, or 8w9 depending on the test isn't helping.
 
Question to Enneagram experts:

Is the Enneagram based on the idea that you are a type despite any environment or social influences? In other words, does the Enneagram type describe someone as the same type throughout their life, or does it change with age or personality development?
 
Res said:
Question to Enneagram experts:

Is the Enneagram based on the idea that you are a type despite any environment or social influences? In other words, does the Enneagram type describe someone as the same type throughout their life, or does it change with age or personality development?
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Your Basic Personality Type
From one point of view, the Enneagram can be seen as a set of nine distinct personality types, with each number on the Enneagram denoting one type. It is common to find a little of yourself in all nine of the types, although one of them should stand out as being closest to yourself. This is your basic personality type.

Everyone emerges from childhood with one of the nine types dominating their personality, with inborn temperament and other pre-natal factors being the main determinants of our type. This is one area where most all of the major Enneagram authors agree
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VH said:
That's a pretty good description of me. So far, 1w2, 4w5, and 8w9 are the closest descriptions. They all have merits. I can definitely see myself as an 8 because I really don't like to not be in control. I won't drink or get high because of it, and never really have. I flip right the hell out when people try to restrain me. I'm not half as pushy as the typical 8. I definitely share your penchant for jackassery and shooting straight with people, so that's another 8 trait.

If I am an 8, I'm definitely a 9 wing though. I greatly desire peace and harmony, and have a very clear tendency to get lost in my head and imagination.

Whichever I am, I'm definitely a sx/so. That's the one thing I'm not confused about with all this Enneagram stuff.
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I am an 8w9, that was handy for me to grab because I already had it all.

8's aren't all powermad. Sometimes it's a matter of willpower and not willing to be under anyone elses power. Power is linked to Independence.
 
Ugh, now this is confusing. I was reading into the stackings of an eight..

Social/Sexual


This subtype of Eight comes across a little softer then the sexual first subtypes. The social instinct combines with the sexual to make a subtype that is very aware of interpersonal dynamics. Like the social/self-pres Eight, they are less concerned with group dynamics. The social/sexual is more talkative, and if the Seven wing is dominant, may even be mistaken for a Seven. This subtype usually has a wide circle of friends. They can be very charismatic also, using humor to charm people. On the down side, they can use their interpersonal awareness to con people.

This subtype, largely because the self-preservational instinct is last, may be the least entrepreneurial of the instinctual subtypes of type Eight. The lust for life manifests through connection to others. On the high side, their awareness of the social dynamic makes them very charismatic. On the down side, it can make them overly aware of issues involving control. They are especially sensitive to any hint that others may be trying to control them, but they may misuse power themselves.
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And possible misstypes:

Eights and Threes are both competitive, and both can be dominating and drawn to leadership roles, but Threes are fundamentally concerned with receiving external validation, something which is almost entirely foreign to enneatype Eight's mindset. Threes want to be admired; Eights want respect, even if it is grudging. Threes are much smoother and conciliatory than Eights, something which seems compromising from the standpoint of type Eight.

A mistype between Eight and Four is generally unlikely, but a Four with Three, especially one with a sexual/social instinctual stacking could conceivably be mistaken for an Eight. Eights, on the other hand, should not be mistaken for Fours. Such Fours can be passionate, competitive and dominating. But Fours are generally far more comfortable expressing their emotions than are Eights, and are especially more comfortable with expressing vulnerability, even if they do sometimes do it an a paradoxically aggressive fashion.
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This just confuses me even more. :/

It looks like 9w8, 6w5 (especially counter-phobic sixes) and 4w3 may have similar "flavours." How do you decide which?
 
Shai Gar said:
I am an 8w9, that was handy for me to grab because I already had it all.

8's aren't all powermad. Sometimes it's a matter of willpower and not willing to be under anyone elses power. Power is linked to Independence.
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You always vibe 7w8 to me...

:typing:
 
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TheDaringHatTrick said:
It looks like 9w8, 6w5 (especially counter-phobic sixes) and 4w3 may have similar "flavours." How do you decide which?
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I usually did by asking myself "why am I doing this?" Each types may manifests in similar flavours, but they all have different intentions and backgrounds.

comparing 8s with counterphobic 6s, 8 looked more like being aggressive for the sake of challenge, while counterphobic 6 acted aggressively as a sort of countermeasure, a medicine...

Are we talking about you? If so, frankly speaking you looked more like 9w8 more than other types :D
 
I am very fond of this theory..but I have to admit, it can get a bit confusing.

Specially with all the multiple facets which come a long with it.

I been trying to take a bit from every theory to find my true self, but it ends up confusing me quite a bit and going off in different types each time I read a different possible explanation for certain differences.
 
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