What We Can Learn From Each Enneagram Personality Type

Type 1: We are always capable of rising above our impulses to do wrong and to choose to do right instead.

Type 1s are highly concerned with moral corruption – their main concern centering around the idea that they themselves may be morally corrupt at heart. As a result, this type is constantly striving to overcome their ‘bad’ or immoral impulses and do right by themselves and others. From this type we can learn that even our darkest impulses can be controlled, defied and ultimately overcome.

Type 2: Real love is given freely, openly and without the expectation of reciprocation.

Type 2s are constantly striving toward feelings of love, acceptance and belonging – and they consequently understand other peoples needs for the same. The 2 type gives out love as though it’s second nature – and from them we can learn what true, heartfelt care looks like, when it is not driven by any sort of ulterior motive.

Type 3: The greatest achievements we can fathom are within our reach if we simply set our sights on them firmly.

The 3 type is driven by the insatiable desire to achieve – and achieve they often do. This type is capable of accomplishing just about anything they set their sights on, which reminds the rest of us that the limits we place on ourselves are often nothing more than senseless excuses – and that we are more than capable of pushing past them if and when we choose to.

Type 4: We are all perceiving life and the world around us in fundamentally different fashions, regardless of how much our circumstances align.

The 4 type is driven by the fear that they are only significant insofar as they are emotionally unique. This type makes up many of the great artists, poets and creative types in the world, reminding us time and time again that the way we perceive reality is never quite the same as the way those around us perceive reality – and that we can never make assumptions about what those around us are feeling.

Type 5: Much of what we firmly believe that we know is, in fact, only an assumption.

The 5 type is driven by the fear of incompetency, and strives to learn absolutely everything they can about a given situation, via examining it from every angle possible. Consequently, this type is frequently discovering inconvenient truths and learning that much of what they’ve previously been taught is untrue – reminding the rest of us that there are very few things any of us know for absolute sure.

Type 6: We have an immeasurable amount to learn from one another, if we let ourselves.

The 6 type is driven by the fear that they are incapable of providing for themselves without support. Consequently, this type is constantly striving to invest and involve themselves in the people around them. They listen carefully to what others have to say and truly consider different points of view. This type is a consistent reminder that we have an infinite amount to learn from one another, if we simply allow ourselves to do so.

Type 7: There are no true constraints in this world other than the ones that exist in our own minds.

The 7 type is driven by the fear of being trapped inside pain and deprivation – therefore they are on a lifelong quest to autonomously achieve pleasure, regardless of what stands in their way. This type serves as a reminder that almost any troubling situation can be worked around, in order to get to a place where we are able to bask in the brilliance of the life that we’re living.

Type 8: The human survival instinct is incredibly, unimaginably strong.

The 8 type is driven by the fear of being manipulated or controlled by others – resulting in an incredibly strong-willed personality. Form the 8 type we can learn that the human will to overcome pain and suffering at the hands of other is unimaginably strong – and that we are all capable of rising above and beyond circumstances we could never imagine ourselves conquering.

Type 9: There is no way to separate ourselves from the ways in which we are intertwined with and affected by the world that surrounds us.

The 9 type is driven by the fear of losing touch with the people and the world that surrounds them – and they are consequently always moving towards feelings of harmony, peace and belonging. From this type we can learn that our lives are inexorably intertwined with the people and the world that surrounds us – nobody exists in a vacuum and at the end of the day, all 9 of the Enneagram types are more entwined with each other and the world that surrounds them than they could perhaps ever begin to imagine.