No opinion on your type but I have a lot of the books. If considering 9 you might want to consider 6 too.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE NINE
The inner landscape of the Nine resembles someone riding a bicycle on a beautiful day, enjoying everything about the flow of the experience. The whole picture, the entire situation, is what is pleasant and identified with rather than any particular part. The inner world of Nines is this experience of effortless oneness: their sense of self comes from being at one with their experience. Naturally, they would like to preserve the quality of oneness with the environment as much as possible.
Their receptive orientation to life gives Nines so much deep satisfaction that they see no reason to question it or to want to change anything essential about it. Because Nines develop psychologically this way, we should not fault them if their view of life is open and optimistic. But we may fault Nines when they refuse to see that life, while being sweet, also has difficulties which must be dealt with. Their refusal to fix the tire when it goes flat, so to speak, is symbolic of their problem. They would rather ignore whatever is wrong so that the tranquility of their ride will not be disturbed.
In this personality type, we will see the personal cost of the philosophy of peace at any price. Refusing to deal with problems does not make them go away. Moreover, the peace Nines purchase is inevitably at the expense of others, and ultimately at the expense of their ability to relate to reality. With all the good will in the world, Nines still may do terrible harm to others while coasting along, turning a blind eye on what they do not want to deal with.
In the Instinctive Triad
The Nine is the primary personality type in the Instinctive Triad—the type most out of touch with their instinctual drives and their ability to relate to the environment. This occurs because Nines do not want to be affected by the environment. They have established within themselves a kind of equilibrium, a feeling of peace and contentment, and they do not want their interactions with the world or with others to disturb them. Similarly, they do not want to become unsettled by powerful feelings that their instincts would stir in them. Nines have sufficiently dissociated from the intensity of their passions, their drives, and their anger to allow them to remain tranquil and even-tempered.
Thus, when they are healthy, they work to create a peaceful, harmonious environment around themselves. They may do this directly by soothing others and healing conflicts and hurts, or indirectly through creativity and communication which appeals to the idealistic side of human nature, to innocence and gentleness. In this way, Nines contribute to their world, but also influence it so that it will support their inner peacefulness. When Nines are less healthy, they maintain peace for themselves by ignoring those aspects of the environment which they find disturbing or upsetting. Eventually, this can lead to a highly dissociated approach to life in which Nines do not relate to others or the environment as they really are, but instead relate to an inner, idealized image of others which is more pleasant and less threatening. At the same time, while they are "tuning out" many aspects of the world around them, they are also tuning out many aspects of themselves. As a result, unless they are very healthy, Nines do not develop an awareness of themselves as individuals or even a well-defined awareness of the world around them.
Basically, Nines are in search of autonomy and independence, just like the other two types of this Triad, the Eight and the One. They want the freedom and space to pursue their own objectives and to be the way they want to be. Unlike Eights and Ones, however, Nines are blocked to some degree in their ability to assert themselves and their need for independence. They are afraid that such demands would ruin the harmony and equilibrium they have in their relationships with others. So they repress their desires for independence and space and attempt to find their freedom by dissociating—by breaking contact with the other and "inhabiting" the safety of their imaginations and their dreams. They relate to the idealized impression of others rather than to actual people, and similarly keep their own self-image in "soft focus." They put themselves and their own real development in the background so they can maintain the sense of harmony and stability they feel. This approach can give them a temporary sense of ease and freedom from the difficulties and challenges around them, but if it becomes ingrained as a way of life, Nines risk never becoming independent, fully functioning human beings with clear identities of their own.
As long as Nines are idealizing other people, they will also tend to devalue themselves. It is as though they project all of the qualities that they feel they cannot have onto the idealized other. Strength, self-assertion, poise, self-confidence, and many other positive qualities are perceived as present in the other and lacking in the self. Nines are not necessarily anxious about the qualities they believe they lack; in fact, they are not particularly focused on themselves at all. Their attention is drawn far more to what they see as the positive qualities of the other. Of course, the specific qualities will vary from Nine to Nine, but all will seek to identify with people who have or express the mental, emotional, or physical qualities which Nines feel they lack. Most Nines will not be aware of this dynamic, but they will be aware of their strong identifications with certain figures in their lives and their repeated attraction to persons with assertive, energetic qualities. Subconsciously, they desire to merge with someone else in order to incorporate through that person the qualities in themselves that they have repressed or rejected. However, by identifying with someone else, their sense of self eventually becomes ill-defined and incomplete, so they do not relate to the world as individuals. Moreover, by identifying with someone else, Nines do not develop their potentials. Preserving their inner peace becomes their all-important motivation.
Only healthy Nines achieve an awareness of themselves as distinct persons who actively choose what they need and want. Healthy Nines know how to take direct positive actions for themselves. By contrast, average Nines have a relatively passive orientation to life. They still have substantial vitality and willpower, but their willpower is used to deflect others, to resist, to fend off reality. Average Nines use most of their energy to maintain and defend two boundaries against the environment. One is against the outer environment: Nines do not want their inner stability to be affected or influenced by other people. The second is against aspects of their inner environment: this can include feelings, memories, thoughts, or sensations which would be jarring or upsetting, thus ruining their balance and harmony. These boundaries do protect the Nine's inner world, but they do so at a high price. What average to unhealthy Nines do not see is that they cannot really contribute to others, or even love them, if they do not develop themselves as persons, and that real development requires risking discomfort, questioning or even jeopardizing one's inner "balance," and sometimes facing truths which are unpleasant and uncomfortable. Ironically, many Nines are attracted to personal-growth books, seminars, and practices, but often gravitate to disciplines or philosophies which comfort rather than challenge. In other cases, they may selectively "edit" the teaching to make it more palatable to them.
Problems with Repression and Aggression
Nines, like Eights and Ones, have a problem with the repression of some part of their psyches. All three of these personality types overcompensate in one area for an underdevelopment in another. The problem Nines have with instinct is that they have repressed the ability to assert the self so they can be more receptive to the other. Eventually, their sense of self can become so repressed that they are barely functional as individuals, so totally do they discount themselves and live through someone else, or, just as bad, so completely do they live in a world of hazy illusions. By repressing themselves, their awareness of themselves, of other people, and of the world gradually becomes leveled out so that nothing can bother them. They become disengaged—at peace, but unrelated to the reality.
While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to be at peace, the problem is that average to unhealthy Nines tend to go too far to avoid all exertion and conflict. They do not see that it is sometimes necessary to assert themselves, since Nines equate self-assertion with aggression, as if asserting themselves automatically threatens their relationship with others. In truth, they also are afraid of asserting themselves because to do so allows powerful feelings to surge through them, and powerful feelings are not helpful in maintaining a state of peacefulness. The result is that Nines repress their aggressive impulses so thoroughly that eventually they are not aware of having them. However, just because they are not aware of their aggressions does not mean that these feelings do not exist or that these impulses do not affect their behavior.
Nines typically "solve" the problem of having aggressions by ignoring them out of existence. When Nines inadvertently act aggressively, they simply deny that they have done so. To a certain degree, the peace of average to unhealthy Nines is therefore something of an illusion, a form of willful blindness, a kind of self-deception. They do not realize that to maintain their peace, they have dissociated themselves from themselves—and from reality. However, the irony is that their passivity and denials, their inattention to others, and their increasing disengagement from the environment are all negative forms of aggression—passive resistance—an aggressive withholding of themselves from reality. Nines are far more aggressive than they think they are, and the effects of their denied and repressed aggressions can be devastating to themselves and others.
Parental Orientation
Nines are connected with both parents, in the sense that they have powerfully identified with and incorporated into their psyches the agendas and issues of both their nurturing-figure and their protective-figure. Much of their mental and emotional energy must then be used to deal with keeping all of these identifications in some kind of inner harmony. Thus their inner world is largely a balancing act as they attempt to accommodate their identifications with their nurturing-figure, their identifications with their protective-figure, and hopefully a few of their own needs as well.
Healthy Nines are extraordinarily sensitive and open to their environment, and as children they absorbed a great deal from the people around them, primarily their parents. If they came from a peaceful, harmonious household, the messages and feelings they incorporated were relatively easy to manage, and Nines had sufficient attention available to deal effectively with their world. If their early childhood was torn by strife and dysfunction, holding all of the painful and conflicted feelings and messages inside them was almost intolerable, so average to unhealthy Nines learned to dissociate—to remove themselves from the immediacy of their feelings and thoughts so that the inner turmoil they absorbed did not overwhelm them. At the same time, they learned to tune out the conflicts and pain of the external environment, a strategy familiar to many children. This is like the young person who blocks out the sound of her parents fighting in another room by singing a song to herself or remembering happier times.
Connection with both parents gives at least healthy to average Nines a sense of support and identity because their identity is more or less "given." However, in the process of psychological and spiritual development, Nines may come to see that the identity they have assumed is not who they really are (like Threes) and that they are often dependent on something outside themselves for support (like Sixes). Furthermore, if their psyches are accommodating the issues of both parents, what space is left for them? It is as if Nines have been crowded out of their own selves by the agendas first of their parents and later of other significant people in their lives.
Trying to find some independence and autonomy, claiming some part of their lives for themselves alone, becomes very important. What Nines choose to do as their own may seem trivial to others, but Nines will defend these activities fiercely. Once they understand the nature of their inner accommodations, Nines are able to let go of some of these habits or rituals because they feel safe to claim their own needs in more central areas of their lives.
Finally, we can see that this orientation compels Nines to maintain harmonious relationships with and between the people in their lives. As children who developed their sense of self by bonding and identifying with both parents, the prospect of discord or separation between the parents is terrifying. For young Nines it is the same as having discord and conflict within themselves. Discord or separation between the parents is deeply disturbing to the Nine's inner stability. Basically, Nines feel whole and good as long as the people they have identified with are whole and good. When Nines are healthy, they use their many gifts to help maintain the wholeness and well-being of others. When they are less healthy, they imagine that others are well and whole, even if they are not. Once this occurs, Nines ironically have begun to lose the very people they want to stay connected with.
Problems with Awareness and Individuality
Whether or not they want to recognize it, Nines are individuals and they have an impact on others. They cannot ignore themselves and allow their potential to go undeveloped without paying a serious price: rather than find harmony with others, they will inevitably lose it while living in a dreamy half-awareness in which their relationships are little more than idealized illusions.
The personality type Nine corresponds to Jung's introverted sensation type. Jung describes what we would regard as average to unhealthy Nines, people who maintain their peacefulness and connection with others not as they are, but through an idealization of them. The other person may feel "devalued," as Jung says, for the following reasons:
He may be conspicuous for his calmness and passivity, or for his rational self-control [especially, for example, if the Nine has a One-wing). This peculiarity, which often leads a superficial judgment astray, is really due to his unrelatedness to objects. Normally the object is not consciously devalued in the least, but its stimulus is removed from it and immediately replaced by a subjective reaction no longer related to the reality of the object. This naturally has the same effect as devaluation. Such a type can easily make one question why one should exist at all....
Seen from the outside, it looks as though the effect of the object did not penetrate into the subject at all. This impression is correct inasmuch as a subjective content does, in fact, intervene from the unconscious and intercept the effect of the object. The intervention may be so abrupt that the individual appears to be shielding himself directly from all objective influences.... If the object is a person, he feels completely devalued, while the subject has an illusory conception of reality, which in pathological cases goes so far that he is no longer able to distinguish between the real object and the subjective perception.... Such action has an illusory character unrelated to objective reality and is extremely disconcerting. It instantly reveals the reality-alienating subjectivity of this type. But when the influence of the object does not break through completely, it is met with well-intentioned neutrality, disclosing little sympathy yet constantly striving to soothe and adjust. The too low is raised a little, the too high is lowered, enthusiasm is damped down, extravagance restrained, and anything out of the ordinary reduced to the right formula—all this in order to keep the influence of the object within the necessary bounds. In this way the type becomes a menace to his environment because his total innocuousness is not altogether above suspicion. In that case he easily becomes a victim of the aggressiveness and domineeringness of others. Such men allow themselves to be abused and then take their revenge on the most unsuitable occasions with redoubled obtuseness and stubbornness. (C. G. Jung, Psychological Types, 396–397.)
At the lower end of the continuum, Nines are a "menace to [their] environment" because, like everyone else, they have a characteristic form of selfishness, although it is more difficult to perceive in Nines than in other types since Nines are so apparently accommodating to others. The particular form which their selfishness takes is their willingness to sacrifice a great many values—in a sense, their willingness to sacrifice all of reality—so they can maintain their inner serenity. Being anxious or emotionally stimulated can be extraordinarily threatening for average to unhealthy Nines because they are unused to being aware of their feelings. Virtually any kind of emotional reaction disrupts the fullness of their repression, whether the reaction is caused by anxiety, aggression, or something else. The result is that average Nines seek peace at any price, although the price they unwittingly pay is that they lose contact with everyone and everything, including themselves.
As they cling desperately to peace by "burying their heads in the sand," they eventually become unable to deal with anything. In their haste to get problems behind them, nothing is faced squarely and problems are never solved. They become disoriented, as if they were sleepwalking through life. They exercise poor judgment, sometimes with tragic results. Moreover, the consequences of their inattention and disengagement cannot be ignored forever, at least by others. Unhealthy Nines may be forced to come to grips with what they have done, although they will try to avoid doing so at all costs. They would rather turn their backs completely on reality than make what seems to them to be the impossible effort of putting their world right again.
Healthy Nines, however, can be the most contented and pleasant people imaginable. They are extraordinarily receptive, making people feel accepted as they are. Their peace is so mature that they are able to admit conflict and separation, growth and individuality into their lives. They are their own persons, yet they delight in giving themselves away. But once they begin to seek peace of mind inappropriately, average Nines become self-effacing, complacent, and fearful of change. They do not want to deal with reality—either the reality of themselves or of others. And unhealthy Nines totally resist anything which intrudes upon them. They live in a world of unreality, desperately clinging to illusions while their world falls apart.
[...]
THE DYNAMICS OF THE NINE
The Direction of Disintegration: The Nine Goes to Six
Beginning at Level 4, Nines under stress will begin to act out some of the characteristics of average to unhealthy Sixes. Average Nines are disengaging from the environment and from their anxiety in order to maintain a peaceful equilibrium within themselves. When events around them become too stressful for this defense to work, they begin to experience the full intensity of their anxiety and may become reactive and insecure, like average Sixes. Nines need to engage in constructive action on their own behalf, and they need to stay in touch with their feelings, but when they are further down the Levels of Development, they tend to do both of these things in erratic, imbalanced ways.
At Level 4, Nines are busy accommodating themselves to the wishes and expectations of others. They put their own agendas on the "back burner" and comply with other people's demands in order to reduce the possibility of conflicts. When circumstances cause their anxieties to increase, they may well go to Six and engage in lots of "organizational activity." Like average Sixes, they attempt to stabilize their environment and their relationships in order to make them safer. They may get into intensive periods of work, investing their time and energy in activities they believe will enhance their security, and thus their peace of mind. These actions are guided not by positive intention, however, but by anxiety. They also begin to identify more strongly with protectors, supporters, groups, or ideas that increase their self-confidence and give them a feeling of purpose and direction.
At Level 5, Nines are disengaging from the environment. They want to remain well within their "comfort zone" and stay with activities which will not disturb them. They may well be busy, but they will be busy doing tasks and routines that do not threaten to draw them out of their safe inner world. When their stress is such that this is not possible, they go to Six and become negative and defensive. Average Nines have been complying with others to avoid having conflicts with them—to keep the peace—but now the things that others expect of them may cause them to leave the emotional security of their disengagement. At this Level, the anger and anxiety of Nines are escalating, so their defenses against both must also become greater. They use passive-aggressive tactics to assert their own needs, but in ways which they hope will not alienate their supporters. They keep saying yes to people's demands on their time, then doing what they want to do. They feel pressured, complain, and are evasive like average Sixes.
At Level 6, Nines are digging in their heels to resist the environment and hold on to what remains of their inner stability. They have a resigned, fatalistic attitude, and have entrenched themselves in comforting routines and habits that they hope will keep the world, others, and their own anxiety from bothering them. When others continue to disturb their "slumbers," Nines develop a siege mentality and can react aggressively to people like average Sixes. They may blame others as the cause of their problems, or they may react defiantly to the people around them who have been trying to get through their self-defeating defenses. Displays of temper and angry outbursts are not uncommon, though they are often as much of a surprise to Nines as they are to the people who know them. Their belligerent reactions create more conflicts and escalate their anxiety.
At Level 7, Nines are likely to have serious problems in their lives. To maintain their peacefulness now requires a huge amount of energy, and a willful turning away from reality. Nines at this level feel that they simply cannot cope with the world, and so repress themselves to the point of numbness. Now their move to Six reflects a growing dependency on others, feelings of helplessness, and a desire to hand their lives over to someone else who will "fix everything." However, the central problem is that Nines are too frightened, and too full of rage about the accommodations they have made, to risk confronting and dealing with their problems. But unless they do, their problems will only get more unmanageable, and it will become less likely that anyone else will want to untangle them, especially without some participation from the Nine.
At Level 8, Nines are starting to shut down. They are highly dissociated and detached from themselves and from their environment. Depression that may have developed at Level 7 becomes chronic at Level 8. But underneath the blank surface, Nines are terrified and enraged. Their feelings of aggression are enormous, but to entertain them even for a moment feels like the destruction of whatever shreds of peacefulness they retain. When they can no longer remain numb, however, their anxiety and rage can explode hysterically in irrational rants, random acts of violence, or paranoid delusions about the people around them, in the manner of unhealthy Sixes. They may suddenly throw dishes, wreck furniture, or physically attack people. They simply cannot repress their anger and frustration any longer.
At Level 9, when unhealthy dissociated Nines go to Six, anxiety finally and completely breaks through their massive repression. All the feelings and realizations they have been warding off come crashing down upon them. The person who was once so easygoing becomes an overreacting hysteric, anxiety ridden, fearful, agitated, apprehensive, tearful, panicked. More then ever, deteriorated Nines need someone else to take care of them and to save them from whatever threatening situation they have gotten into. To elicit help from others, they may become abjectly self-abasing ("morbidly dependent" in Homey's phrase) and masochistically self-destructive so that others will have to care for them.
Deteriorated Nines at Six may also do something self-defeating and humiliating, putting themselves in worse positions than ever before. The motive behind this is twofold: self-punishment to expiate the intense guilt they feel for letting others down and making them suffer; and self-abasement to repair the separation from others by drawing people back to them.
These psychological tactics do not work, however, because besides anxiety, deteriorated Nines have also unwittingly let loose aggression toward themselves and others from the Pandora's box of the unconscious. No longer able to repress aggressive feelings, they become self-punishing and full of self-hatred. They also become intensely hostile toward others, lashing out at anyone who increases their anxiety rather than immediately relieving it. If others do not magically restore peace, they become the enemy.
Unfortunately, deteriorated Nines have no defenses with which to handle anxiety or aggression. They can no longer repress the particularly acute anxiety of being rejected by those who have been significant to them. They will likely turn to alcohol and drugs to control their hysteria or will resort to suicide if they cannot find some kind of peace again.
The Direction of Integration: The Nine Goes to Three
When healthy Nines integrate to Three, they become self-assured and interested in developing themselves and their talents to the fullest extent possible. They move from self-possession to making something more of themselves, from a just-being-born presence in the world to an active, inner-directed force. Because they are already healthy and extremely balanced, they no longer live through someone else, nor do they need to conform to conventional roles as sources of self-esteem and identity. Instead, integrating Nines create themselves by asserting themselves properly. They no longer fear change, becoming more flexible and adaptable, entirely capable of dealing with reality as persons in their own right.
Integrating Nines have connected with their vitality. In Freudian terms, they have gotten in touch with their id, the aggressive and instinctual side of themselves. Nines have always feared their aggressive impulses, and now they realize that they no longer have to, since these impulses are not necessarily destructive, but rather can lead to self-development.
Their peace becomes less fragile because Nines discover that they can assert themselves without being aggressive toward others, and hence without jeopardizing their relationships. As their self-esteem increases, their relationships become more mature and satisfying. Integrating Nines find that they no longer have to be self-effacing to find someone with whom they can have a relationship. By being (and becoming) themselves, they attract others who find integrating Nines more interesting and desirable than ever before. It may surprise them, but others may even begin to identify with them, to seek them out, to accommodate themselves to them. While integrating Nines will likely discourage others from being dependent upon them, it will please them nonetheless, as well it should.
THE MAJOR SUBTYPES OF THE NINE
The Nine with an Eight-Wing: "The Comfort Seeker"
The traits of the Nine and those of the Eight conflict with each other: Nines are passive and desire harmony with others, while Eights are aggressive, asserting themselves and following their self-interest. Since Nine is the basic personality type, people of this subtype tend to be fundamentally oriented to others, receptive, unselfconscious, agreeable, and so forth, while some part of them asserts itself strongly, at least at times. There is a "mellow," outgoing quality about them. They are sociable, like to tell jokes and stories, and spend time with their friends. Nines with an Eight-wing are more sensual and instinctive than the Nines with a One-wing, and tend to operate more on feelings and hunches. They tend to embody more the easygoing demeanor associated with Nines, but also give the impression of being more "physical," more grounded. This is one of the most difficult subtypes to understand because the component types are in such diametrical opposition to each other. Noteworthy examples of this subtype include Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Kevin Costner, Gary Cooper, Woody Harrelson, Keanu Reeves, Ingrid Bergman, Geena Davis, Sophia Loren, Ringo Starr, Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Walter Cronkite, Hugh Downs, Lady Bird Johnson, and Marc Chagall.
In healthy persons of this subtype, the Eight-wing adds an element of inner strength and willpower, as well as an expansive, passionate quality to the overall style of the personality. Healthy Nines with an Eight-wing combine the comforting, positive qualities of the Nine with the endurance and strength of the Eight, resulting in a subtype at once powerful and gentle. Despite their unselfconsciousness, healthy people of this subtype are able to assert themselves effectively; despite their graciousness and concern for others, they can be quite strong and forceful; despite their ability to subordinate themselves to others and to common goals, they can be courageously independent; despite an easygoing manner, they can have formidable tempers, although these are rarely resorted to. Thus, healthy persons of this subtype give the impression of strength and good nature, sensuality, and power. The Nine with an Eight-wing wants to engage with people and things in the world more than the other subtype. They enjoy socializing, have a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and may have numerous skills, although they tend not to promote themselves. They are concerned with their immediate needs and circumstances, and more accepting of people as they are. Nines with an Eight-wing often enjoy the helping professions, consulting, sales, and services, and can be very effective in business, especially in negotiations or working in human resource capacities.
Average people of this subtype compartmentalize their emotions completely. While their self-image is one of peacefulness, they may occasionally be quite aggressive without realizing the extent of it. Unfortunately, the Nine with an Eight-wing is more likely than the other subtype to get caught up in a kind of sensual indolence which can interfere with their ability to stay directed. They can be complacent, even lazy, about achieving success in some areas of their lives, while being extremely competitive in others. If they are not intellectually gifted, they may seem slightly slow-witted—good-natured but thickheaded—because neither the Nine nor the Eight is a particularly intellectual or thinking component. These people have strong elemental drives for psychological and sexual union with the other. Their self-interest is bound up with material comfort. They can be more stubborn and defensive than Nines with a One-wing, and although usually easygoing and pleasant, people of this subtype can have bad tempers. Others cannot predict what will set them off, but usually can see their anger building. Typically, people of this subtype lose their tempers when others interfere or interrupt their sense of well-being and peace of mind. They can be blunt and explosive, but just as suddenly, they return to their "normal," placid self. When their protective instincts are aroused, they do not wish to hurt others so much as protect themselves and their property. Average persons of this subtype can become belligerent and confrontational toward others, but with little long-lasting personal animosity. Their greatest ire is aroused against those who attack their families, their beliefs, or their way of life. But once the crisis has passed, they are apt to sue for peace, making allies of their former enemies. As they deteriorate, Nines with an Eight-wing tend to dig in their heads, refusing to listen to or cooperate with anyone threatening to disturb their safe routines.
Unhealthy Nines with an Eight-wing often resemble unhealthy Fours: they are usually depressed and have very little energy. Unlike the Four, there is a general flatness and lack of emotional affect, with occasional tremors of tearfulness and anxiety. The fear of control in the Eight-wing adds to the Nine's resistance to help. Unhealthy Nines with an Eight-wing are capable of violence with little concern about the consequences of their actions. Aggressions and id impulses are strong in people of this subtype, and when they are emotionally unstable, there is little ego strength left to regulate these forces. Their aggressions may be particularly aroused by sexual jealousy of their spouses. Separation from a loved one through the alienation of affections is devastating to the Nine's sense of self, and inflames the Eight's rage out of wounded pride. As a result, Nines with an Eight-wing can be physically dangerous, striking out impulsively. They may retaliate against those with whom they have come into conflict while dissociating themselves emotionally from the harm they do. Chronic depression, extreme dissociation, and addiction are also possible.
The Nine with a One-Wing: "The Dreamer"
The traits of the Nine and those of the One tend to reinforce each other. Nines repress their emotions to maintain their peace, while Ones repress their emotions to maintain self-control. Thus, this subtype tends to be more cerebral than the Nine with an Eight-wing—more interested in ideas, symbols, and concepts. In this subtype we see people who are more emotionally controlled and cooler than those in the other subtype, although they may well display moments of anger and moral indignation. Out of the blue, the complacent, agreeable Nine becomes critical and sarcastic. Both subtypes of the Nine are attracted to questions of philosophy and spirituality, but in the Nine with a One-wing there is a distinctive idealistic quality to their beliefs. Noteworthy examples of this subtype include Abraham Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth n, Rosalynn Carter, Cyrus Vance, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, Garrison Keillor, Princess Grace of Monaco, Rose Kennedy, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, George Lucas, Jim Henson, Walt Disney, Norman Rockwell, Dame Joan Sutherland, Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Desdemona," "Edith Bunker," and "Marge Simpson."
Healthy persons of this subtype possess enormous integrity and are extremely principled. Their great common sense helps them to be wise in their judgments, particularly about others. They are alert to issues of fairness and objectivity when they are called on to act or to judge situations. Healthy Nines with a One-wing are wonderful at synthesizing different schools of thought and sorting out the common threads between them. They can be highly imaginative and creative, seeking to express and share their visions of an ideal world. Healthy people here are interested in sharing what they know, and appreciate the ideas and discoveries of others. They tend to be sunny, friendly, and reassuring, but with a certain seriousness about their ideals. They enjoy teaching, and may be moral leaders, teaching most effectively by their example. The Nine's openness is combined with the One's objectivity; the result is simplicity and guilelessness toward others, peacefulness and moderation toward themselves. This subtype makes a good friend (or therapist), balancing the Nine's nonjudgmental listening with the One's wisdom and desire to give helpful advice.
Average persons of this subtype may be crusaders of some sort, because they have an idealistic streak which makes them want to improve the world in whatever ways they can. They are sure of their opinions and usually have fixed ideas about everything that touches on their basic beliefs. People of this subtype tend to be orderly and self-controlled, particularly more emotionally controlled and less openly passionate than Nines with an Eight-wing. At the same time, however, average Nines with a One-wing tend to get caught up in nonessential activities. They remain active and even energetic, but with a degree of detachment and uninvolvement that derails their ability to stay on track with their long-range goals. They can be quite busy within their sphere, although many of their activities are geared toward maintaining order and the status quo in their environment. They are less adventurous, but are perhaps more thoughtful and reserved than Nines with an Eight-wing. Complacent and disengaged, they want to avoid all personal conflicts and antagonisms, but may be easily moved to anger since there is a testiness and edginess in this subtype. They often restrain the expression of their anger more Nines with an Eight-wing, and are more likely to become indignant and to smolder through clenched teeth rather than to raise their voice or cause a scene, especially in public. In such cases, they can be indirect, sarcastic, and scolding. Average Nines with a One-wing are concerned with propriety and respectability, and often feel morally superior to others (of different classes, cultures, lifestyles, and so forth). There is a puritanical streak to them, and in some, a "prim and proper" quality. They may rationalize, moralize, or appeal to political or religious ideologies to bolster their arguments. Individuals of this subtype tend to be perfectionistic, at least in some areas, although more important aspects of their lives may be severely neglected. They can also be surprisingly impersonal and callous in their disregard for others, since average persons of this subtype abstract from the real world a great deal in favor of their idealistic notions.
Unhealthy Nines with a One-wing are often extremely withdrawn and can resemble unhealthy Fives. There is a detached, schizoid quality to them, with little affect. They can become extremely angry, although in a highly compartmentalized way, acting impulsively, as if out of the blue. They are more resentful than Nines with an Eight-wing, stewing over wrongs and injustices, and may feel that it is their duty to punish or condemn others' wrongdoings. If they act, unhealthy Nines with a One-wing can become quite arbitrary, contradicting their more ordinary behavior. Obsessive-compulsive tendencies are among their neurotic traits, and unhealthy persons of this subtype may become obsessive about their apparent troubles while dissociating themselves from either their compulsive actions or their real problems. They may, for example, decide to forget what has just been the focus of their obsession as if nothing had happened. Because defense mechanisms are less global than in the other subtype, neurotics here will tend to feel their conflicts more, and therefore be more likely to have more severe emotional problems or breakdowns if they become very unhealthy. If left untreated, they tend to retreat into highly dissociated states that resemble autism. They feel helpless and despairing but may suddenly respond to others with bursts of frustration and rage.
SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking back at the deterioration of Nines, we can see that average to unhealthy Nines have brought about the very thing they most fear, the fear of loss and separation. Now that they are fragmented personalities, they are not only separated from others, they are separated from themselves. They are profoundly alienated from and terrified of their own lives. Only with the greatest difficulty will the core personality which remains be able to begin to reconstruct itself.
It seems that relatively few Nines deteriorate to this state of neurosis. Probably what happens in most cases is that they deteriorate into unhealthy states (denial, dissociation) after a crisis, but are able to bounce back to some degree of normal functioning. Their defenses are very powerful because they are so all-encompassing, and for better or worse, Nines are able to repress most traumas and go on living. Nevertheless, their ability to endure is always purchased at the price of leading an emotionally and personally impoverished life.
From this perspective, we can also see that their central problem has been how to awaken to themselves and how to maintain self-possession once they have attained it. The answer is that Nines must learn to accept suffering, especially the suffering involved with anxiety. Suffering, consciously accepted, has the ability to catalyze people, shocking them into awareness. Suffering also compels us to choose what meaning it has for us. When we choose a meaning for our experiences, we create ourselves. When Nines actively use suffering as a positive force in their lives, they not only give meaning to their lives, they sustain their awareness of themselves. The person who is able to give meaning to his or her suffering is both the self who suffers and the self who transcends suffering. In that moment, the self is aware and unified.
Excerpts from: Personality types : using the enneagram for self-discovery / Don Richard Riso with Russ Hudson.—Rev. ed.
Delilah's Enneagram
Originally Posted by Bertrand
predicting a lot of 9
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