1

THE REFORMER
Enneagram Type One

The Rational, Idealistic Type:

Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
 En Español: Tipo de Personalidad Uno, EL Reformador
 In het Nederlands: Persoonlijkheidstype Een, de Hervormer
For more about the meaning of the arrows, see below.

Type One in Brief

Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers,
crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a
mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into
being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At
their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic.

 Basic Fear: Of being corrupt/evil, defective

 Basic Desire: To be good, to have integrity, to be balanced
 Enneagram One with a Nine-Wing: "The Idealist"
 Enneagram One with a Two-Wing: "The Advocate"
Key Motivations: Want to be right, to strive higher and improve everything, to be consistent with
their ideals, to justify themselves, to be beyond criticism so as not to be condemned by anyone.

The Meaning of the Arrows (in brief)

When moving in their Direction of Disintegration (stress), methodical Ones suddenly become moody
and irrational at Four. However, when moving in their Direction of Integration (growth), angry, critical
Ones become more spontaneous and joyful, like healthy Sevens. For more information, click here.

Examples: Confucius, Plato, Salahuddin Ayyubi, Joan of Arc, Sir Thomas More, Mahatma Gandhi,
Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles, Kate Middleton, Duchess of
Cambridge, Jimmy Carter, Michelle Obama, Al Gore, Hilary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Elliot Spitzer,
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Osama bin Laden, George Bernard Shaw, Thoreau, Dr. Jack Kevorkian,
Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), Martha Stewart, Chef Thomas Keller, Michio Kushi (macrobiotics),
George Harrison, Joan Baez, Celine Dion, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, Bill Moyers, George F. Will,
William F. Buckley, Keith Olbermann, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, Tina Fey, Katherine Hepburn, Maggie
Smith, Emma Thompson, Julie Andrews, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Harrison Ford,
Helen Hunt, Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, “Mary Poppins,” “Mr. Spock,” SNL’s “The Church Lady”

Type One Overview

We have named personality type One The Reformer because Ones have a “sense of mission” that
leads them to want to improve the world in various ways, using whatever degree of influence they
have. They strive to overcome adversity—particularly moral adversity—so that the human spirit can
shine through and make a difference. They strive after “higher values,” even at the cost of great
personal sacrifice.

History is full of Ones who have left comfortable lives to do something extraordinary because they felt
that something higher was calling them. During the Second World War, Raoul Wallenburg left a
comfortable middle-class life to work for the protection of thousands of European Jews from invading
Nazis. In India, Gandhi left behind his wife and family and life as a successful lawyer to become an
itinerant advocate of Indian independence and non-violent social changes. Joan of Arc left her village
in France to restore the throne to the Dauphin and to expel the English from the country. The idealism
of each of these Ones has inspired millions.

Ones are people of practical action—they wish to be useful in the best sense of the word. On some
level of consciousness, they feel that they “have a mission” to fulfill in life, if only to try their best to
reduce the disorder they see in their environment.

Although Ones have a strong sense of purpose, they also typically feel that they have to
justify their actions to themselves, and often to others as well. This orientation causes Ones to
spend a lot of time thinking about the consequences of their actions, as well as about how to keep
from acting contrary to their convictions. Because of this, Ones often persuade themselves that they
are “head” types, rationalists who proceed only on logic and objective truth. But, the real picture is
somewhat different: Ones are actually activists who are searching for an acceptable rationale for what
they feel they must do. They are people of instinct and passion who use convictions and judgments to
control and direct themselves and their actions.

In the effort to stay true to their principles, Ones resist being affected by their instinctual drives,
consciously not giving in to them or expressing them too freely. The result is a personality type that
has problems with repression, resistance, and aggression. They are usually seen by others as highly
self- controlled, even rigid, although this is not how Ones experience themselves. It seems to them
that they are sitting on a cauldron of passions and desires, and they had better “keep the lid on” lest
they and everyone else around them regret it.

Cassandra is a therapist in private practice who recalls the difficulty this caused her in her youth.

“I remember in high school getting feedback that I had no feelings. Inside, I felt my feelings intensely
and yet I just couldn’t let them out as intensely as I felt them. Even now, if I have a conflict with a
friend and need to address an issue, I rehearse ahead of time how to express clearly what I want,
need, and observe, and yet, not be harsh or blaming in my anger which is often scathing.”

Ones believe that being strict with themselves (and eventually becoming “perfect”) will justify them in
their own eyes and in the eyes of others. But by attempting to create their own brand of perfection,
they often create their own personal hell. Instead of agreeing with the statement in Genesis that God
saw what He had created, “and it was good,” Ones intensely feel that “It wasn’t—there obviously have
been some mistakes here!” This orientation makes it difficult for them to trust their inner guidance—
indeed, to trust life—so Ones come to rely heavily on their superego, a learned voice from their
childhood, to guide them toward “the greater good” which they so passionately seek. When Ones have
gotten completely entranced in their personality, there is little distinction between them and this
severe, unforgiving voice. Separating from it and seeing its genuine strengths and limitations is what
growth for Ones is about.

(from The Wisdom of the Enneagram, p. 99-100)

Excerpt from Type One ITAR (4:52 minutes)

Buy the Individual Type Audio Recording of Type One—Click Here

Type One—More Depth by Level

Healthy Levels
Level 1(At Their Best): Become extraordinarily wise and discerning. By accepting what is, they
become transcendentally realistic, knowing the best action to take in each moment. Humane,
inspiring, and hopeful: the truth will be heard.

Level 2: Conscientious with strong personal convictions: they have an intense sense of right and
wrong, personal religious and moral values. Wish to be rational, reasonable, self-disciplined, mature,
moderate in all things.

Level 3: Extremely principled, always want to be fair, objective, and ethical: truth and justice primary
values. Sense of responsibility, personal integrity, and of having a higher purpose often make them
teachers and witnesses to the truth.

Average Levels
Level 4: Dissatisfied with reality, they become high-minded idealists, feeling that it is up to them to
improve everything: crusaders, advocates, critics. Into "causes" and explaining to others how things
"ought" to be.

Level 5: Afraid of making a mistake: everything must be consistent with their ideals. Become orderly
and well-organized, but impersonal, puritanical, emotionally constricted, rigidly keeping their feelings
and impulses in check. Often workaholics—"anal-compulsive," punctual, pedantic, and fastidious.

Level 6: Highly critical both of self and others: picky, judgmental, perfectionistic. Very opinionated
about everything: correcting people and badgering them to "do the right thing"—as they see it.
Impatient, never satisfied with anything unless it is done according to their prescriptions. Moralizing,
scolding, abrasive, and indignantly angry.

Unhealthy Levels
Level 7: Can be highly dogmatic, self-righteous, intolerant, and inflexible. Begin dealing in absolutes:
they alone know "The Truth." Everyone else is wrong: very severe in judgments, while rationalizing
own actions.

Level 8: Become obsessive about imperfection and the wrong-doing of others, although they may fall
into contradictory actions, hypocritically doing the opposite of what they preach.

Level 9: Become condemnatory toward others, punitive and cruel to rid themselves of "wrong-doers."
Severe depressions, nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts are likely. Generally corresponds to
the Obsessive-Compulsive and Depressive personality disorders.

1
THE REFORMER
Overview of Type One
Voicing the common theme of evangelical consciousness of the self before regeneration, John Greene,
a New England Puritan of the mid-seventeenth century, acknowledged that God had let him 'see much
of the wretchedness' of his heart, and he 'thought none so vile as I none so evil an heart so proud so
stubborn so rebellious and I thought God would never show mercy to so vile a miserable wretch as I
was.' This vision of the inward self, a vision experienced in greater and lesser degree by most
evangelicals, was the source of the despair and hopelessness that so often preceded
conversions....Not until individuals could bring themselves, or be brought by God, to reject their very
selves as worthless, sinful, and justly damned creatures, could they ever hope to be born again.
(Philip Greven, The Protestant Temperament, p. 75)

The Puritans' desire for self-regeneration by striving after ideals is an expression of the personality
type One. Not content to be as they are, Ones and Puritans alike feel the obligation to be better. They
must somehow rise higher, beyond human nature into the realm of the Absolute.

To this personality type, the advice of "Desiderata" sounds foolish and dangerous: "Beyond a
wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees
and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe
is unfolding as it should." As far as average to unhealthy Ones can tell, the universe is
emphatically not unfolding as it should. People are not trying hard enough to improve either the
universe or themselves.

What Ones typically do not see is that, given their fundamental premises, they are locked in conflicts
between opposing forces that cannot be reconciled either in themselves or in the universe. They
keenly feel the struggle between good and evil, the flesh and the spirit, the ideal and the real. For
Ones, the battle lines are sharply drawn between the chaotic, irrational side of their natures and the
clarity of their convictions, between their dark libidinous impulses and their self-control, between their
metaphysical aspirations and their human needs—between their ideals and their hearts.

In the Instinctive Center

Ones are the type in the Instinctive Center who "underexpress" instincts and drives. Ones, like Eights,
are people of action, who respond at a gut level to the situations they encounter, but while Eights give
free reign to their instincts, and Nines are "out of touch" with them, Ones try to pull them in, to limit
and direct them toward the goals which their superegos deem worthy. Ones are full of passions,
mostly expressed as a strong sense of conviction in their beliefs and actions, but they feel compelled
to keep their instincts in check lest they be overwhelmed by them.
Anger, in particular, is a powerful motivation for Ones. When they are confronted with circumstances
which disappoint or displease them, anger becomes a form of fuel which launches them into action.
Indeed, anger, rightly understood is an instinctual response to a situation we are not satisfied with. It
is the energy that allows us to say "no." Some Ones become conscious of this, and use their anger
constructively.

I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson: to conserve my anger, and as heat
conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power
which can move the world. (Mohandas K. Gandhi, The Words of Gandhi, 13)

It is striking, however, that Ones are often unaware of their anger, and almost always
underestimating the degree of it. When their anger is brought to their attention, Ones often respond
with a disclaimer ("I’m not angry! I’m just trying to get this right.") Whatever Ones may wish to call
their intense feelings, and under whatever guise they may appear, they are the force which truly
directs a One’s actions. Ones often portray themselves as rational, but they are rational in the way
that "common sense" is rational, not in the exploratory, intellectual sense. Ones do like ideas, but
they like practical ideas, and unlike Fives, will not be long interested in ideas or concepts that so not
lead them directly into constructive action.

Instinctive energy has much to do with a person’s ability to assert themselves, and accordingly, Ones
appear to be very sure of themselves, although their self-confidence lies less in themselves than in the
rightness of their ideals. Despite appearances, Ones relate to the world by seeing themselves as "less
than" an ideal toward which they strive. They subordinate themselves and their powerful instinctive
drives to an abstraction—usually an intangible, universal value such as truth or justice—striving to be
as perfect as it is. Unlike Nines, who are also idealistic but are often detached from the inner drive to
attain their vision, Ones are determined to make their ideals a reality. Ironically, by definition, the
ideal is something they must work toward but can never fully attain. Nevertheless, as we shall see,
average to unhealthy Ones certainly feel uplifted from the run of ordinary mortals by the attempt to
do so.

This is where Ones begin to have problems. As they deteriorate toward neurosis, average Ones begin
to identify with the ideal so completely that unhealthy Ones think they have attained it—and that
everyone who has not should be condemned. On one level of awareness, even unhealthy Ones know
they are not perfect, yet on another level they think and act as if they were already perfect to avoid
being condemned either by their consciences or by anyone else. Average to unhealthy Ones are
convinced that the more zealously they strive for perfection, the more they are made righteous by the
attempt. They think that by aligning themselves with the ideal, they will always be in the right, no
matter how badly they fail. The mere act of identifying themselves with the ideal makes them feel that
they are better than the rest of the world. They are among the saved because they know the right
way, the way everything ought to be.

Problems with Repression and Aggression

Like the other two personality types in the Instinctive Center, Ones have a problem with the
repression of some part of their psyches. Ones repress the more irrational side of their natures, their
instinctual impulses and personal desires, attempting to sublimate them in a quest for perfection.
Their normal human desires gradually become more and more repressed as Ones are caught in
conflicts between striving after ideals and implementing them in the real world. The picture is further
complicated, however, because Ones relate to the world dualistically: they see themselves as less
than the ideal, while giving the impression that they are also greater than the environment, which
they are obligated to improve. They constantly measure not only the distance between themselves
and the ideal, but also the distance between their present perfection and their past
imperfection. Simply put, Ones feel that they and their world must be "making progress." Anything
that is perceived as blocking or frustrating progress toward the ideal is met with anger and
aggression.

Actually, there is a double dichotomy in Ones. The first is the external dichotomy we have just seen:
the pressure of living up to an ideal versus the conviction of that one is perfectly right, that one knows
better than others what is needed in any situation. The second is an internal dichotomy, which is less
obvious: a split between the tightly controlled, rational side of themselves which they present to the
world versus their repressed drives and feelings. Ironically, Ones are often emotional and passionate
about their convictions, but they are not always aware of this. They like to see themselves as rational
and balanced, but they are nevertheless keenly aware of their emotions, particularly their aggressive
and sexual impulses. Although they attempt to keep their impulses in check as much as possible, they
are never as successful in this as they would like.

Because of these dichotomies, average to unhealthy Ones always feel caught in conflicts: between the
perfection of their ideal and their own imperfections; between feeling virtuous and feeling sinful;
between their actions and their consciences; between their desire for order and the disorder they see
everywhere; between good and evil; between God and the Devil.

The personality type One corresponds to the extroverted thinking type in the Jungian typology; it is
one of Jung's clearest descriptions.

This type of man elevates objective reality, or an objectively oriented intellectual formula, into the
ruling principle not only for himself but for his whole environment. By this formula good and evil are
measured, and beauty and ugliness determined. Everything that agrees with this formula is right,
everything that contradicts it is wrong.... Because this formula seems to embody the entire meaning
of life, it is made into a universal law which must be put into effect everywhere all the time, both
individually and collectively. Just as the extroverted thinking type subordinates himself to his formula,
so, for their own good, everybody round him must obey it too, for whoever refuses to obey it is
wrong—he is resisting the universal law, and is therefore unreasonable, immoral, and without a
conscience. His moral code forbids him to tolerate exceptions; his ideal must under all circumstances
be realized.... This is not from any great love of his neighbor, but from the higher standpoint of justice
and truth.... 'Oughts' and 'musts' bulk large in this programme. If the formula is broad enough, this
type may play a very useful role in social life as a reformer or public prosecutor or purifier of
conscience.... But the more rigid the formula, the more he develops into a martinet, a quibbler, and a
prig, who would like to force himself and others into one mould. Here we have the two extremes
between which the majority of these types move. (C. G. Jung, Psychological Types, 347.)

From our point of view, we can see that Jung is describing various points along the continuum of the
One's traits: average Ones are reformers and public prosecutors, whereas unhealthy Ones intolerantly
try to force others into their mold, and so forth. As we will see, the full spectrum of the One's traits
encompasses some of the most noble and least admirable aspects of human nature. When they are
healthy, Ones can be the most objective, principled, and wise of all the personality types. As much as
humanly possible, they try not to let their personal feelings get in the way of dealing fairly with others.
They are deeply concerned with justice, not merely for themselves but for everyone.

But to contrast this, when they are unhealthy their lives are a relentless application of their ideals to
every conceivable situation. Unhealthy Ones become extremely intolerant of anyone who disagrees
with them, and since they are convinced that they alone know the TRUTH (writ large, in capital
letters), everything follows from that. What does not is to be condemned and severely punished. The
problem is, however, that human nature keeps cropping up: unhealthy Ones find that they cannot
control themselves as perfectly as they feel they must. Their impulses can be repressed for only so
long. The flesh will have its day.

Parental Orientations
Ones develop as they do because as children they were disconnected with their "protective figure,"
that adult in their early childhood who was responsible for setting limits, giving guidelines, and
disciplining the child when necessary. This is the person who occupies the traditional patriarchal role in
the family. Often, the protective figure is the father, but not always. In many families, the mother is
the protective figure, while in other families, a grandparent or sibling may play this role in the child’s
development. The disconnection with the protective figure, and what that person symbolized, was of
central importance to the development of their superegos: these children felt that they could not rely
on the structure and guidelines provided by their family of origin. They may have experienced them as
arbitrary and unfair, or too strict, or too unstable. Whatever the particulars, Ones were dissatisfied
and frustrated with the structure and limits that they received from the protective figure and so felt
that they had to develop their own guidelines. Ones try to transcend the rules of their family of origin,
by creating a code of ethics that is even more rigorous than what is expected of them. In this way,
Ones come to believe that they can avoid condemnation by always attempting to be blameless.

This creates in Ones a relentless superego mechanism whose constant message is "You are not
acceptable as you are; you must be better, always better." In more authoritarian or chaotic family
systems, these superego messages can become severe and inflexible. In such situations, Ones’ own
wishes and feelings were rarely if ever countenanced; instead, these children felt that they always had
to toe the line to avoid being criticized or condemned. As a result, their emotions and other impulses
were repressed by forces symbolized by an internalized punishing father. (Freudians see toilet training
as the arena in which the anal traits of the obsessive-compulsive type which correspond to the One
were learned. While the Freudian anal traits of orderliness, parsimony, and obstinacy are seen in
Ones, especially those with a Nine-wing, we do not have to restrict ourselves to toilet issues alone to
understand the origins of this personality type.)

These children may have become disconnected from the protective figure for any number of reasons.
The protective figure may have been absent from the family, or been abusive, or have treated the
child unfairly. Or as a result of a stern moral and religious upbringing and the threat of eternal
punishment, the child may have feared offending God the Father and being condemned. The child may
have feared being sent to hell for being impulsive, pleasure seeking, or selfish, or for other actions
which were, after all, merely the natural behavior of a child. In other cases, the One may have
experienced a fairly peaceful and normal childhood, but still felt that there was something more to
strive for—some higher ideal than was part of the values of the child’s family or peers. Often, Ones
felt uncomfortable being children, or were not allowed to behave as children, and thus struggled to
become little adults before their time. Basically, because of the disconnect, Ones decided that they
had to rely on themselves for guidance, structure, and discipline. They would have to parent
themselves, and they would have to do a better job of it than their protective figure.

It is also worth noting that they did not rebel against strictures on themselves; rather, they
internalized control in their consciences by feeling guilty for their transgressions. Nevertheless, they
felt angry that the burden of perfection was placed on them, and more angry still when they saw
others who were not subject to the same control of their feelings and impulses. The freedom of others
(to Ones, the license which others grant themselves) antagonizes them and makes them chafe under
the weight of their own prohibitions.

Problems with Anger and Perfection

Ironically, Ones vent their anger most unfairly at others when they are angry primarily with
themselves for not being perfect. Instead of resolving their own disordered feelings, average to
unhealthy Ones find fault everywhere else. Their self-righteous anger makes Ones aggressive;
however, the One is not an aggressive personality type as such. Actually, Ones are compliant to their
ideals, to their superego, since the ideal is the yardstick by which they measure everything, including
themselves. The aggression in their personalities is an expression of anger at themselves and others
for not complying perfectly to the ideal.

Moreover, their anger signals the fact that they put too great a load upon themselves and others:
perfection is a burden that human nature cannot bear. What is difficult for Ones to accept is the
interdependence of flesh and spirit which is the natural state of man. Of its nature, the irrational part
of themselves cannot be perfected or controlled in the same way that the rational part of themselves
can be. Nevertheless, they try to do so, denying all that is base, that is, human in themselves, so that
they will be more like the ideal. Ultimately, Ones feel guilty for being human. They fear being
condemned because they are not angels.
When Ones are healthy, however, their objective orientation to life allows them to remain firmly in
touch with human realities, including their own. They are the most discerning, moral, and reasonable
of all the personality types, tolerant of others and of themselves. They recognize that their ideals may
not apply equally to everyone in all circumstances. But when they are unhealthy, their behavior is a
twisted caricature of their virtues because their humanity has become perverted. Unhealthy Ones
punish others for their least faults while absolving themselves of their greater sins. They are
completely without mercy because they have lost contact with humanity. If ideals do not serve human
beings, what purpose do they serve?

Personal Growth Recommendations

for Enneagram Type Ones
 Learn to relax. Take some time for yourself, without feeling that everything is up to you or
that what you do not accomplish will result in chaos and disaster. Mercifully, the salvation of
the world does not depend on you alone, even though you may sometimes feel it does.

 You have a lot to teach others and are probably a good teacher, but do not expect others to
change immediately. What is obvious to you may not be as obvious to them, especially if they
are not used to being as self-disciplined and objective about themselves as you are about
yourself. Many people may also want to do what is right and may agree with you in principle
but for various reasons simply cannot change right away. The fact that others do not change
immediately according to your prescriptions does not mean that they will not change
sometime in the future. Your words and above all, your example may do more good than you
realize, although they may take longer than you expect. So have patience.

 It is easy for you to work yourself up into a lather about the wrongdoings of others. And it
may sometimes be true that they are wrong. But what is it to you? Your irritation with them
will do nothing to help them see another way of being. Similarly, beware of your constant
irritation with your own "shortcomings." Does your own harsh self-criticism really help you to
improve? Or does it simply make you tense, nervous, and self-doubting? Learn to recognize
the attacks of your superego and how they undermine you rather than helping you.

 It is important for you to get in touch with your feelings, particularly your unconscious
impulses. You may find that you are uneasy with your emotions and your sexual and
aggressive impulses—in short, with the messy human things that make us human. It might be
beneficial to keep a journal or to get into some kind of group therapy or other group work
both to develop your emotions and to see that others will not condemn you for having human
needs and limitations.

 Your Achilles' heel is your self-righteous anger. You get angry easily and are offended by what
seems to you to be the perverse refusal of others to do the right thing—as you have defined it.
Try to step back and see that your anger alienates people so that they cannot hear many of
 the good things you have to say. Further, your own repressed anger may well be giving you
an ulcer or high blood pressure and is a harbinger of worse things to come.

Eating Disorders & Addictions of the Types

 Type 1 The Reformer
Excessive use of diets, vitamins, and cleansing techniques (fasts, diet pills, enemas). Under-
eating for self-control: in extreme cases anorexia and bulimia. Alcohol to relieve tension.

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

As with all double-type relationships, two Enneagram Ones bring the same general qualities to each
other. Therein lies both a main source of the attraction as well as one of the main pitfalls of this pair.
Two Ones will be concerned with fairness, truthfulness, keeping agreements, schedules, consistency,
and treating the other wish respect and dignity. Work and taking care of responsibilities will tend to
come first, with play and pleasure taking a back seat for this couple. Vacations and leisure, partying
and recreation will all be fitted in after the more important things are accomplished. Each will feel like
(and take the role of) the adult in most situations, making for a highly competent, rational approach
to life and problem solving.

In their dealings with each other (as well as with family and friends), two Ones will want to be
objective and reasonable, fair and truthful above all else—and will seek these qualities in others. They
create an atmosphere of clarity and precision in which their own interactions with each other (and with
friends and family) feel clean—not sticky or sentimental or loaded with unspoken ulterior motives. A
double One pairing often is created and sustained by shared ideals as well as the desire to put those
ideals into practice. Both Ones are typically people who have solid convictions which they enjoy talking
about, often with noteworthy articulateness and passion. They also typically have a certain strength of
character and a degree of wisdom—which both admire in the other. They could not bear being in a
relationship with someone they did not respect and whose character was not sterling. Ones bring their
hard-earned wisdom to others, above all, by fighting for tolerance, dignity, and rights of everyone.

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type Two (the Helper)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Twos are a complementary couple since both offer the other the example of
their own qualities. Both types are highly dutiful and are attracted to service roles and occupations:
both may be teachers, ministers, or health care workers who have long hours and many
responsibilities. One and Two couples are often professionals whose work takes them out of the house
and requires the focus of their attention to be on the needs of others, not on the relationship itself or
even on themselves personally. People in this kind of relationship are often unusually mature and
independent and able to obtain their emotional needs from a variety of people and connections,
including their professional ones. They bring high ideals, strong ethical standards, and the desire to
serve others to the relationship itself, keeping the relationship strong and in touch with solid values
and practical perspectives.

The relationship is built around shared values: both are on a path of some kind together. Twos bring
the nurturing and feelings that Ones do not easily allow themselves: they help Ones soften and relax.
On the other hand, Ones bring integrity, conscientiousness, responsibility, and consistency. They are
steady, reliable, and truthful. Ones commit strongly which makes the Two feel secure and that they
won't be abandoned. Further, Twos bring warmth, a concern with people and a willingness to make
exceptions to the rule for individuals in need. They are aware of suffering and work hard and
generously to alleviate it wherever they can. Twos are more convivial and welcoming than Ones and
can warm up the One's more typically reserved exterior—which most Ones are glad to have happen

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type Three (the Achiever)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Threes are both competent, serious minded, and idealistic. This is a highly task-
oriented relationship, with both partners driven to hard work and to be intensely aware when,
individually and collectively, they are not measuring up to their own expectations and high standards.
Both parties can bring selflessness, self-discipline, good work habits, and the ability to put aside their
personal feelings for the sake of the objective good that needs to be done. Both types are used to
working so hard that they often succeed, garnering admiration from those around them and attaining
places of leadership and responsibility. The One and Three combination can be dazzlingly
accomplished, high energy, extraordinarily competent and impressive both individually and
collectively. They both strive after excellence, both as an ideal and as something to personally
embody. Sometimes they succeed so well that this pairing virtually glows with self-confidence and the
thrill of their own talents. They strive to make each other proud of them, someone the other can look
up to and show off to his or her friends and family. They enjoy planning and organizing their lives,
dividing up responsibilities after seeing who is objectively better at which tasks. Both thrive on respect
and give each other personal space.

There are only two other equally goal-oriented pairings, a One with One combination and a Three with
Three pairing, although since these both are same type pairings, they typically have blind spots that
these combinations will need to be aware of. Because the One/Three is a mixed pair, this produces a
powerful coalition that is capable of dealing both with ideals and with practical matters. They will try to
solve problems in the relationship by discussing the issues involved since neither likes emotionally
charged bickering or unresolved issues. Ones help Threes to be more grounded and realistic; Threes
help Ones stretch themselves and not be so perfectionistic. They are both industrious and persistent,
efficient and concerned with excellence and with making a real difference in the world.
Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)
with
Enneagram Type Four (the Individualist)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Fours have an intense mutual interest to bring something good and beautiful
into the world. Both are idealistic and concerned with getting it right in their work and self-
expressions. Both see how things could be, how a project could become an expression of an ideal
form, if all went well. By working together, something universal and transcendent could result in their
work and in their relationship itself. Ones bring a desire for objectivity, truth, value, and reason to the
relationship. They offer self-discipline, good work habits, and regularity to the relationship. Ones are
conscientious and will sublimate themselves and their personal needs for the greater good, including
the shared vision and goals that they feel are at the core of the relationship itself. Ones can act as
valuable sounding boards for Fours, offering advice and wisdom when Fours get confused by the
multitude of their feelings or their self-doubts. Fours bring creativity, intense feelings, sensuality,
spontaneity, inspiration, and the ability to tap into dreams, the unconscious, and other universal
forces. Their expressiveness and emotionality can be a welcome counterbalance to the One's typical
formality and sense of order and reason.

Fours give Ones permission to explore and express the full range of the One's feelings and passions.
Ones help Fours actualize their dreams by supporting creativity with healthy self-discipline and
appropriate structure. In general, Ones bring self-restraint to the relationship, which may act as a
model for Fours, who tend to be more unregulated. Both types have a taste for refinement, beauty,
and a cultivation of the arts, and if both appreciate what the other offers, they can make a long
lasting, productive team that helps balance the limitations of the other while bringing out qualities that
each lacks—one of the primary functions of all good relationships

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type Five (the Investigator)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Fives are alike in many ways, particularly in their reticence to show their
emotions directly and in their identification with their minds. Both see themselves as fact-oriented,
although Fives are more purely mental while Ones like their ideas and philosophies to have practical
ramifications. Both bring to their relationship a desire to be objective; they both want to avoid falling
into sentimentality, or to allow their feelings to cloud their mental clarity. Ones and Fives share a rich
mental life of intellectual stimulation, curiosity, and a multiplicity of mutual interests—from the opera
to sports to politics to economics to history, and so forth. Ones and Fives often enjoy each other's
company and intellectual stimulation, loving to debate and admiring the intelligence and expertise
exhibited by the other. Unexpectedly, they tickle each other's funny bone—this pair loves to laugh
together at life's absurdities. Child rearing, traveling, building a house, shared hobbies, or other
complex activities are mutually stimulating and bonding for them.
They both are highly respectful of personal boundaries, rarely being the one to make the first move in
anything regarding intimacy unless they have pretty strong signals from the other that they would be
welcomed. Thus, Ones and Fives tend to bring a certain formality and courtesy to each other that can
be charmingly courtly and old-fashioned. Ones add to this a concern with logic and order, with
systematic thinking, attention to details and the desire to improve the world around them. Fives bring
curiosity, the willingness to be intellectually (and sexually) adventuresome, a taste for the bizarre and
illogical, and the ability to relish disorder, chaos, and lack of apparent meaning. There is quiet
affectionate appreciation in this pairing. If romance develops, it develops slowly but deeply

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type Six (the Loyalist)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Sixes are alike in many ways and they are often misidentified with each other.
Both types are extremely hard workers, conscientious, serious minded, and have a strong sense of
duty and honor. They both care deeply about truth and commitment, and both have a desire to serve
others and improve the world. Both have a guiding sense of purpose, often lead by deeply held beliefs
and ideals. Of course, they also bring other qualities that are especially their own. Ones bring a sense
of reason and mental clarity, the ability to think clearly under pressure and to come to firm decisions
quickly. They are more sure of themselves and their opinions than Sixes tend to be, so Ones often
serve as the leader in a One-Six relationship, making the final decision and taking responsibility for it.
Ones also bring a concern for order and consistency, for logic and elegance that is sometime lacking in
Sixes. They may also bring a distinct idealism that has little to do with personal loyalty or hero
worship (as it may in a Six).

On the other hand, Sixes bring warmth, more emotional responsiveness and availability, generosity,
and playfulness that can be endearing and which can make Ones think twice about their certitudes
and positions. Sixes also have the ability to connect with people in a more direct and human way than
Ones tend to do. These qualities are attractive to the other and they can make this couple a dynamic
and yet highly stable team, provided their fundamental beliefs are in alignment. They take
responsibility in relationships, sharing burdens and chores equally. They also feel that they can count
on the other: they are steadfast, loyal, and faithful to each other, wanting to build a solid foundation
together. Because both can count on the other, this gives both room to relax—something they both
need to do more often.

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type Seven (the Enthusiast)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Sevens have a particular complementary and reciprocal relationship. They are
opposites who can either bring something needed to the other person, thereby helping both to achieve
new growth (or, as we will see) they can drive each other further apart by playing on each other's
weaknesses whether consciously or not. Ones bring conscientiousness, orderliness, good work habits,
methodical attention to detail, and a pleasure in maintaining excellence and high standards. Sevens
bring spontaneity, high energy, curiosity, an orientation toward fun and adventure, the desire to try
new things, and an ability to not get too hung up with getting everything done perfectly. Both types
can be initiators and planners, future-oriented and idealistic, although Sevens tend to prefer having
multiple options and to keep all plans loose enough so that they can be changed as needed. They
bring freedom and spontaneity. Ones are more methodical and help Sevens stay on track—they resist
getting distracted by too many options, and excel at following through with their plans.

Sevens offer Ones a sense of excitement and life as a source of pleasure and enjoyment. Ones offer
Sevens a sense of purpose and idealism, as well as direction and the feeling that life is noble and
meaningful. Sevens keep Ones' spirits up, refreshing their idealism while preventing the relationship
from becoming too heavy. Ones help steady Sevens, keeping them working systematically and
consistently toward goals. Sevens appreciate the One's consistency and reliability and are glad to have
someone who can attend to details. These two types can be highly supportive of each other as long as
their ultimate values are congruent and as long as they are both working for the same fundament
things in life. This tends to be a stimulating relationship for both—they stretch each other and are
fascinated and challenged by their differences.

Enneagram Type One (the Reformer)

with
Enneagram Type Eight (the Challenger)

What Each Type Brings to the Relationship

Enneagram Ones and Eights bring a common concern with fighting for truth and justice in their world.
They both often feel (although in different ways and for different reasons) that it is up to them to
stand against whatever they perceive as injustice or falseness. Both can see themselves as gallant
crusaders protecting the weak, righting wrongs, and making the world a better place. In a
relationship, these two types are both action-oriented, and if their attention and energy is turned
toward social causes in particular, they can have a big effect on their family and their community,
perhaps even their country or the world. Both bring a certain nobility of vision and a focused purpose,
practicality, and perseverance in supporting whatever they believe is right. Both are willing to sacrifice
a great deal to do what they believe needs to be done. For both, fairness is centrally important. (Ones
bring a sense of absolute or ideal truth and justice whereas Eights bring a more practical and
immediate approach to these concepts.)

The combination can be very powerful: they accomplish things with a clear cut sense of purpose and
personal mission. Both are decisive and direct, although Eights bring a passion and gusto that
counterbalances the One's self-restraint and propriety. Ones can find Eights exciting, physical, and
earthy-all the things that they restrain in themselves. Thus, there can be a strong attraction from both
sides. Further, Eights recognize that Ones are as strong-willed and determined as they are: they
cannot easily sway or bowl over Ones. Eights thus admire their conviction and are attracted to the
challenge of getting closer to Ones. In many ways, these two types are opposites-the pirate and the
schoolteacher-although both could learn a great deal from the other, if they are willing to listen to
someone with such different values, reactions, and ways of doing things.
Misidentifications of Enneagram Personality
Types
Go directly to the 36 Type Misidentifications

Whenever we teach the Enneagram, we inevitably encounter people who have misidentified their
type—Twos who are convinced they are Fours, Nines who think they are Fives, Threes who are
persuaded they are Ones, and so on. This chapter has grown out of the need to clarify similarities and
differences between the types.

It is time to be more precise about both the similarities and differences so that people will be able to
understand them more clearly, and so that teaching about them will be more accurate. After all,
deepening self-understanding is the primary aim of the Enneagram, and if people misidentify
themselves, the Enneagram will do them little good. It will be no more than a fascinating curiosity—or,
worse, a way of obtaining insight into others while avoiding insight into themselves.

Even so, it is admittedly easy to misidentify people, and there are good reasons why aspects of
virtually all the types can be confused.

First, the Enneagram is complex—and human nature is even more complex. People are extraordinarily
varied and ever-changing. Unless we see individuals in different situations over a period of time, it can
be difficult to have confidence in the accuracy of our diagnosis.

Second, it is inherently difficult to identify others since we must infer their type based on less than
complete information about them. In fact, determining personality types accurately is something of an
art in itself, although it is actually a skill that anyone can become proficient in, given time and
practice. Moreover, the fact that some people misidentify themselves or others is to be expected, at
least at the present time, considering the state of the art of the Enneagram. There are different
interpretations in circulation, some containing significant contradictions, as well as misattributions of
traits from type to type. This is why it is essential to think critically and independently.

Third, since the Enneagram can accommodate more than 486 variations of the types (PT, 425), it is
inevitable that some of them will be similar. For example, Sixes (at Level 6, The Authoritarian Rebel)
can resemble Eights (at Level 6, The Confrontational Adversary) in that both are belligerent and
authoritarian, although in noticeably different ways, as we will see in this chapter.

Fourth, types are easily confused when they are thought of as narrow entities—as if Nines, for
example, were always peaceful and serene. If this is our idea of Nines, then when we encounter
someone who is occasionally irritable or aggressive, we may automatically conclude that the person
cannot be a Nine. While peacefulness and serenity are two of the principal traits of healthy Nines,
there are also times when Nines can be angry, aggressive, and anxious. However, they virtually
always think of themselves as peaceful and return to various forms of peacefulness (for instance,
passivity and complacency) as their "home base." And just as important, when Nines are aggressive,
angry, or anxious, they manifest these traits in distinctively "Nine-ish" ways. For example, they
express anger as a "coolness" toward the person they are angry with—while denying that they are at
all angry. Even rather severe outbursts of aggression can erupt suddenly and subside quickly. To
make subtle distinctions such as these, we must learn to discern the overall style and motivations for
each type rather than see individual traits in isolation.

Fifth, other variations can color our impression of a person's type. Thewing, for instance, can
significantly affect the person's behavior. Similarly, the Instinctual Variant can powerfully affect the
way the person expresses her type (PT, 426-30). If the person has been under stress for a period of
time they may strongly behave, and even feel like, the type in their Direction of Disintegration. Also,
people who are extremely high-functioning can be more difficult to identify because they are less
identified with the patterns of their type and can freely express a much wider range of coping styles.
Clearly, the Enneagram types are not static or simple: many factors can influence a person at any
given moment, and it takes time and dedication to really understand all the subtleties and variations
of the nine basic types.

Sixth, we may confuse some types because our exposure to the full range of all the personality types
is limited. It may be that because of our individual experience, we simply do not know many Fives, or
Eights, or Twos, or some other type. Until you have correctly identified (and thought about) a wide
variety of examples from all the types, it is likely that some of them will remain vague.

Furthermore, even if you do know examples from every type, it is important to keep in mind that no
one manifests all the traits of his or her type. It is probably exceedingly rare for an individual to have
traversed the entire Continuum, and even more unusual (if, indeed, it is even possible) to manifest
the full range of the traits at one time. Each of us moves along the Levels of Development around a
certain "center of gravity," varying by no more than a few Levels. Or, to put this differently, there is a
certain "bandwidth" of Levels within which our own center can be found. (For example, someone
might be fundamentally healthy, and the range of his or her behavior might be characterized as being
within Levels 2 and Level 5, inclusive. Thus, the person would not manifest Level 1 traits, or, at the
opposite end of the Continuum, traits from Levels 6 downward into the extremes of unhealth.) We
simply do not act out the entire range of all the potential traits of our type since to do so would mean
that we are simultaneously healthy and unhealthy, balanced and neurotic, integrating and
disintegrating—an impossibility.

Since no one manifests the full range of traits at any one time, it is worthwhile to discuss the types
(and their many variations) with others. It will be interesting to see what traits others discern in
someone you are trying to identify and to see if your perceptions agree. When they do not, it will be
even more helpful to debate as you search for the best available evidence to determine the person's
type. Remember, however, that the most we can do is discern a person's type based on the traits they
manifest in their long-term behavior. Observation over a period of time (and under a variety of
circumstances) is the best way to come to a sound conclusion.

Seventh, it is helpful to know personally the individuals you want to identify, although this is not
absolutely necessary. We can identify people at a distance, without direct contact with them—either
because they manifest their personalities so clearly or because a great deal of information is available
about them, or both.

For example, former President Ronald Reagan seems to be a personality type Nine. He is genial,
unassuming, optimistic, and easygoing; he has also sometimes been detached, passive, inattentive,
and forgetful. These and many other traits evidenced in Mr. Reagan's behavior belong to the healthy
and average Nine, and so it is reasonable to assume since Mr. Reagan has manifested them so clearly
and consistently during his lifetime that he is a Nine. And, of course, while it remains possible that he
is not a Nine (and that another type might better explain his personality), given the evidence, the
probability is high that Mr. Reagan is a Nine. We can therefore be justified in having some confidence
in our diagnosis of him.

The diagnoses of other famous people given in Personality Types have been made on the same basis,
as educated guesses, based on reading, intuition, and observation over a period of years (PT, 52-53).
While no claims for infallibility have been made, virtually all of the diagnoses seem to have been
accurate and were therefore helpful to give an impression of the range of each type, since people of
the same type (particularly those with the same wing) are noticeably similar to each other. For
instance, it is not difficult to see the similarities between Steven King and Gary Larson, both Fives with
Four wings—or Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, both Sixes with Seven wings. While we can never be
entirely certain about these assessments—some of these exemplars may be markedly different in their
private and public lives, although this is unlikely—we can say that the public personas of these
individuals serve as excellent examples of the type in question.
Eighth, one of the most important ways to distinguish similar traits of different types is to try to
discern the different motivations behind their behavior. Different types can act in virtually identical
ways although their motives are quite different.

For instance, every type gets angry, but the anger of Ones is differently expressed from that of every
other type and also has different causes. It is essential to try to be aware of underlying motives rather
than deal solely with the more superficial behavior.

Ninth, the longer you are familiar with the Enneagram and the more you practice using it, the more
perceptive you can become. In the last analysis, however, learning how to identify people depends on
knowing how to match the traits of individuals with those of the personality types. Thus, two areas
must be learned: first, which traits go with which types, and second, how to recognize those traits in
individuals. Even though there are hundreds of traits for each type (and scores of subtle distinctions
that must be made), the first area is easier to learn than the second. It is admittedly very difficult to
perceive the true behavior, attitudes, and motivations of others, especially since they often do not
recognize those things in themselves, much less want them recognized by anyone else. As difficult as
it is to become more perceptive, however, it is a skill that is certainly worth acquiring since so much in
life is enriched by it.

Even after we have taken into consideration all the difficulties that stem from misinformation or
misunderstanding—as well as from the inherent difficulty of the undertaking itself—the fact is that
there are legitimate similarities among the personality types. It is precisely these similarities that
contribute to mistypings and confusion.

The following comparisons and contrasts are based both on similarities between types and between
Levels from one type to another. Thus, some familiarity with the Levels of Development is necessary
(PT, 45-47, 421-26, 465-93 and Chapter 4 in this book). Unless stated otherwise, the comparisons
and contrasts made in this chapter are between average people of each type.

As you will see, the length of the following comparisons for each mistype varies greatly, from one
paragraph to over ten. The reason for this is that some mistypes are so unlikely that little needs to be
said (for instance, Types Eight and Nine). On the other hand, other mistypes are so common that we
needed to make further distinctions and clarifications (for instance, Types Five and Nine). Please
remember that these discussions are not about Type Compatibility (see: Relationships and Type
Compatablility), but are about type look-alikes and how to distinguish the types from each other.