type 9 instincts

personality structure

type nines have a capacity for anger, like all other types, but in order to stay comfortable they habitually avoid connecting with this emotional energy. their anger is then expressed in passive-aggressive form. they often report growing up in a family where their opinions were not heard, in which others were more forceful in expressing their opinions, and where the best strategy to feeling calm was to go along with the needs and opinions of others. through this experience of being overlooked or overpowered, the type nine psychology forms into being someone who is easygoing and accommodating of others. type nines typically have an unmet need for a satisfying sense of union — a feeling of connection with somebody who would recognize their individuality. their coping mechanism consists of over-adjusting to others as a way of finding peace and avoiding conflict. for the type nine conflict is associated with separation, and they would typically mediate between people of opposing opinions to reduce tension and maintain a sense of connection. therefore, the type nine easily “forgets” what they want, at times reflected in being unable to make a decision or have a definite opinion. the cost of their coping strategy therefore is losing connection with their own interior experience. self-denying and over-adjustment come easily as a way of creating a merged state which they long for in being with others. they feel pain over being too much on their own too soon in their development, and in adult life stay connected to outside support by denying their own possibly conflicting needs.

defense mechanism: dissociation (narcotization)

just as type nines represent the universal tendency to go to sleep to our own inner experiences, their main defense mechanism, dissociation, is a component of every other defense mechanism. there are clear advantages for the young psyche to dissociate when it experiences too much pain or trauma, yet in adult life it becomes a habitual action to buffer ourselves from discomfort so that we finally lose all contact with ourselves. this prevents us from growing and maturing psychologically. sometimes called narcotization, type nines have the capacity to dim awareness by immersing themselves in some activity like reading, eating, watching TV, doing crossword puzzles. in this way and many others, they cut off from their own feelings, needs, and wants. through talking too much, going with the flow, or focusing on inessentials, they water down their experience of life, buffering themselves against possible separation, not being heard, or feeling like they don’t belong. 

attention fixation

type nines focus their attention on others, what is going on in the environment, avoiding conflict, and creating harmony. typically paying attention to what others want, they go along with the flow. this habit creates a defensive (often artificial) peace. in focusing fully outward, they neglect their inner experience. 

type nines typically “feel” in terms of an environment’s tension versus its calm. in this way they have a natural talent for mediation, as they typically have no difficulty understanding different and divergent views. in doing so, they focus on the commonalities in the different views and will highlight the common ground. the experience of others is so much in the forefront that they often report a sense of not knowing what they want. this habit may evolve to the point where they feel unimportant or inferior, and where their own agenda fades into the background. they may also have difficulty concentrating, since their focus is away from their own center, focusing on the periphery of their experience. they can also get distracted in more deliberate ways, as if driven by a desire not to experience and not to see.

emotional passion: laziness (slothfulness)

laziness as a passion refers to a tendency to fall asleep to ourselves, to become unconscious to own inner experience, and operate in automatic, pre-programmed ways, because we don’t consciously attend to the feelings, beliefs, and experiences that might drive our behavior if we were aware of them. Naranjo describes this as manifesting “as a loss of interiority, a refusal to see, and a resistance to change.” it is also sometimes described as a loss of fire and passion, inwardness, and imagination. under the sway of this passion, we lose contact with our emotions, instincts, and depth experience.

cognitive mistake: "going along to get along is the only way to go"

according to Wagner the type nine felt neglected early on in life and lacked a sense of belonging. out of this grew the assumption that they are not important and do not have much to offer. the following core beliefs maintain their thinking processes:

these mental patterns finally lead to the trap that personality cannot solve. as much as the type nine believes that avoiding conflict will lead to avoidance of discomfort and disharmony, the pursuit finally leads to discomfort and disharmony. the pattern requires ignoring basic truths like the constructive and unifying potential of conflict, and the necessity of expressing your real feelings in order to establish deep connection. the deadening of consciousness limits the quality of engagement in life. over-adapting finally leads to a dissatisfaction that may leak out as passive-aggressive behavior.

type 9 shadow

what they really want, their feelings, their opinions, and their sense of worth can all be shadowed for type nine. anger is a particularly deep blind spot for the type. owning strong opinions, desires and emotions are typically shadowed since these are feared to cause conflict and separation. much of their interior life can therefore be a blind spot. in this way they are also typically blind to where there is legitimate need for conflict or honest discussion. the presence of anger typically leaks out in passive-aggressive behavior such as stubbornness, passive resistance, procrastination, and irritability. they can often say “yes” when they mean “no.” by passively resisting what others want them to do, they hold onto a sense of independence and avoid being controlled even while seeming to be adaptive and flexible. they are typically unaware of this whole dynamic.

maintaining a need for peace and harmony may also shadow the need for change. this can include avoiding leaving a job or a relationship, as they get stuck in the inertia of maintaining the status quo. because they dislike attracting attention and can be compulsively unselfish, their positive achievements and desire for recognition may also be shadowed.

SP type 9 — appetite

the deeper motivation for this type nine is finding a sense of comfort in the world through satisfying physical needs. this includes activities like eating, reading, playing games, watching television, sleeping, or even working (when pleasurable). the type nine finds well-being by merging with an experience of the satisfaction of concrete needs. in merging, the type nine simultaneously “forgets” their own being — or the pain of not being connected to self — and finds a substitute “being” in the routine activity. it’s easier to erase yourself than to reveal yourself to whatever unpredictable or complex situation that may be happening in the world.

“appetite” therefore refers to concreteness. the grounding aspects of fulfilling physical and material needs in simple, straightforward, tangible, and enjoyable ways. in this way the SP type nine is a concrete person, oriented towards immediate experience, not really relating much to abstraction or metaphysical concept. these type nines, more than the other two subtypes, prefer to be alone. this allows for full relaxation into the activity of choice. type nines are deeply loving people, but underneath they do not have a sense of being loved. in a way satisfying simple needs reflect a compensation of the deeper sense of abnegation or need for love.

the SP type nine tends to be active and intuitive and express a subtle kind of strength. like type eights they can have a forceful energy and can be more irritable and stubborn than the other two subtypes. although they do not anger easily, their fury may be fierce on occasion.

SO type 9 — participation (countertype)

social type nines express the passion of laziness through merging with the group, working hard in the interest of the group, and prioritizing group needs above their own. they are congenial characters with a need to feel included. they are light-hearted, sociable, fun-loving, and expressive of a driving need to be part of the group. this need to participate comes from a deeper feeling of not belonging. they therefore overcompensate by being generous and sacrificing as a way to earn membership of the group. since they do not naturally feel that they belong, they work twice as hard to be included. energetically demonstrating friendliness and sociability, they don’t show their pain, burden others, or show how much it takes for them to devote their time to the community.

in contrast to the other subtypes, the SO type nine is very outgoing and energetic, which is why they present as the countertype. SO type nines have a special brand of strength because they feel motivated to fight for the needs of the group. they are extraverted, expressive, and forceful, and so may go against the typical inertia of the type nine. they make the best kind of leaders in the sense that they are good, unselfish people who strive to satisfy the responsibility given to them. they are gifted mediators and put a lot of energy into their work for the group. they can bear a lot, sometimes to the point of being a human punching bag. in this way they give of themselves unconsciously as a response to a deeper unconscious fear of abandonment, conflict, separation, and the loss of harmony.

unlike the SP type nine, the SO type nine likes to control things and talk a lot. they tend to have very full lives with an outward expression that is more happy than sad. yet beneath this is a kind of sadness expressive of their sense of not belonging, which is seldom communicated to others. they do not feel this as a suffering, but then also do not really experience euphoric highs.

SX type 9 — fusion

unconsciously the SX type nine expresses a need to be through another. they gain a sense of being by fusing with another, and use relationship to feed their sense of belonging, as it can feel too threatening to be on their own. when in close relationship there may be a sense of boundarylessness between their experience and that of the other. in this way they may even take on the feelings, attitudes, and beliefs of the other. they feel a sense of loneliness or abandonment that can only be filled by another. the problem with this, of course, is that in real relationship it takes two to stand firmly on their own feet, which is difficult for the SX type nine. they have a sense of uncertainty about their own identity, and a lack of structure in their lives, and so they look to others to satisfy their sense of who they are and what they want without realizing it.

SX type nines tend to be very kind, gentle, tender, and sweet. they are the least assertive of the type nine subtypes. however, the gentleness can to an extent be false, since it stems from a defense rather than a real self. they lack motivation to act in support of their own initiatives. they typically defend against the pain of early separation by unconsciously denying the existence of boundaries. this creates a sense of “i am when with another.” in maintaining important connections they may be so focused on the other’s needs that they betray their own. then they may engage in passive-aggressive forms of rebellion, such as avoiding someone or ignoring something important in a way that affects the relationship.

summarized and adapted from Beatrice Chestnut: The Complete Enneagram