- Introduction
- Type 9 – Believer/Doubter
- Type 7 – Inferior/Superior or Loser/Pretentious
- Type 1 – Rigid/Sensitive or Heartless/Gushy
- Type 6 – Pushy/Surrender or Workhorse/Idler
- Type 4 – Analytic/Disoriented or Argumentative/Shallow
Introduction
Dichotomies were first introduced by Ichazo but sometimes modified by later authors. Each type has two polarities. Consciousness shifts from one side to the other as two modes of functioning. Each side of the dichotomy is equality present.
Dichotomies are some of the most difficult ideas to capture. I do not understand them all. I collected some ideas from authors and added a few personal observations. All the dichotomies by Ichazo are available here: Unveiling the Enneagram – Arica 3.
Type 9 – Believer/Doubter
- positive: Spirituality/Realism
- negative: Fanaticism/Skepticism
The believer is the naive and easily convinced side of type 9, who puts trust in an idea when it bears a spiritual or symbolic insight. It is the part of type 9 who wants to believe, gives credit to people’s perspectives when they show a general and systematic picture beyond the self.
The doubter is the skeptical and resistant part of type 9 who does not want to be taken for a fool, emphasizes a reasonable vision of the world, logics, “down to earth” facts, and tends to be deaf to useless intellectualization. It often shows as stubbornness.
Eli Jaxon Bear relates the dichotomy to the fascination and passive-resistance:
The dichotomy for the Nine is believer/ doubter. Some Nines are doubters with a believer in the background; others are believers with a doubter in the background. This dichotomy creates such circumstances as a ten-year “trial marriage.” The Nine isn’t really sure it’s going to work out, so he’ll continue to stick around for another couple of years until he’s sure.
Nines will join organizations, but they may never fully participate. It seems they either believe in it but want to check it out, or they doubt it and want to check it out. They are never totally present in the moment. They seem to be believers, sometimes almost gullible about an idea, and the next moment they can be cynics who doubt everything.
The Believer/Doubter is the only dichotomy that has been preserved without a change from Ichazo. It is the most puzzling when we discover the Enneagram and the least well understood. Believer/Doubter sounds like type 6 but it is type 9.
Type 7 – Inferior/Superior or Loser/Pretentious
- positive: Modesty/Self-respect
- negative: Inferiority/Superiority
We must not interpret Inferiority/Superiority like a deep inferiority complex. 7s do not really have such an inferiority complex. It is more related to the action within the peer group. A pissing contest is a good analogy.
The dilemma of 7s relates to finding the right moment to intervene as an authority: putting key facts forwards at the appropriate moment, making himself credible and heard, making the best move, producing an impacting effect. The inferior / superior dichotomy appears in the natural hierarchy authority implies.
Self-worth is logically a minor concern for a mind types. It is hard to understand why a mind type would put so much emphasis on being the smartest, sometimes boasting to know or quoting important people… The following quote about type 6 could be a starting point “ he wants to get things done, but it is too afraid that it lacks the ability to do things“. A 7 has a similar fear as a 6 but instead of fighting the authority directly, he may seek reassurance by inferiorizing a peer as if this move could show his own abilities in comparison, creating a complicity with the authority (this authority can be embodied or an abstract framework). This is the “superior” side of the dichotomy, the inferior side is usually hidden.
The best take is maybe by Tom Condon:
Many Sevens fear they are inadequate and unconsciously compare themselves to others. This creates a “worse than/better than” subtext in the back of their minds; a Seven can feel inferior to someone whom they admire and then defensively act superior towards someone else to even the balance.
Jaxon Bear’s take is the following:
The dichotomy in Seven is called inferior/superior. When they meet a new group of people, they will sit quietly while evaluating the status and power relationships in the group. Once they understand where they fit in the hierarchy, they may move into action.
Some Sevens manifest the inferior side of this dichotomy, always putting themselves on the down side of any relationship. Inferior Sevens are often in quest of more information to help make decisions. They may be workshop fanatics in search of a strong leader. The inferior side may be subdued in public, allowing the magical thinking to manifest only in more intimate relationships.
The superior side of the dichotomy manifests as the con artist or charmer. Though I have yet to meet a sexual Seven who manifested the inferior side of the dichotomy, I have known self-preservation Sevens and social Sevens on both sides.
Type 1 – Rigid/Sensitive or Heartless/Gushy
- positive: Self-control/Sensitivity
- negative: Callousness/Touchiness
Type 1 is not only an inflexible judge who wants things to be orderly and straight. This is only the rigid side which is the best known and usually the way we tend to describe type 1.
The sensitive side is also an aspect of type 1. It is something like a sentimentality that wakes up at the perception of the good, beautiful, well intentioned, possibly bringing us close to tears. It is hard to explain because it is mostly a physical state and does not require many words.
The sensitive side of type 1 is for example an impulse that responds to sincere compliments or well intentioned criticism. It is also what allows us to be touched and vulnerable. The sensitive side is either made vibrant by ideas that flatter our personal convictions or exasperated by ideas that feel insulting, deceitful or disrespectful.
Type 6 – Pushy/Surrender or Workhorse/Idler
The Pushy/Surrender dichotomy was, to my knowledge, introduced by Jaxon Bear and describes the behavior of type 6 in the context of a threat.
The dichotomy is called pushy/surrender. Both styles represent strategies for dealing with threat. The pushy Six may act confrontational and belligerent as a stance to ward off threat. The outward appearance might be a scowling, hostile, belligerent stance toward strangers. Yet this easily collapses into surrender in the face of authority.
[…] The surrender Six, on the other hand, is interested in making alliances in order to deflect threat. Many self-preservation Sixes are surrender Sixes. There is a sense of harmlessness, along with offers of loyalty and cooperation, in order to deflect attack. Although one side of the dichotomy will be prominent, the flip side is just in the background, waiting for the right opportunity to be expressed.
The Workhorse/Idler dichotomy was introduced by Ichazo and describes a more fundamental aspect:
- positive: Labor/Amusement
- negative: Overwork/Loafing
The workhorse is straightforward and is about getting things done. For a 6, there is always something to do emergently as an idea floating in his mind. 6s are noticeable workaholics, no matter if it is a paid job or dealing with family and friends.
The idler side is harder to explain. Maybe you witnessed a 7w6 talking of great things to do and wonderful plans. We could say he “talks a lot of hot air”. Type 6 is similar but more into urgent and less grandiose actions. Idling for type 6 sounds a lit like this: he thinks of a potential problem, he absolutely has to work it out now, he starts, then he think of a potential problem, it brings confusion, he plays around it. A 6 can be very entertaining and have fun while doing this.
Type 4 – Analytic/Disoriented or Argumentative/Shallow
The Analytic/Disoriented dichotomy was, to my knowledge, introduced by Jaxon Bear. It describes the self-absorption and the analytic mind:
[…] The disorientation seems to have two roots. The first root is in their feeling of being cut off. The other is that they are often so involved in their own emotional drama, there is not much attention left for the rest of the world.
Unlike the disoriented Four, the analytic Four can seem exceedingly mental at times. In an effort to avoid the sense of feeling lost, the analytic Four attempts to stay in the realm of thought. Sometimes male Fours, because they wish to avoid the deep feelings that are not considered “manly,” appear on the surface to be analytical. However, just below the surface is the full torrent of the Four’s emotional sea. It often bubbles up at inappropriate times, creating ripples in their “cold analytic” posture.
Ichazo directly describes type 4 in the intellectual domain and introduces the dichotomy in this context: Argumentative/Shallow.
- positive: Reason/Overview
- negative: Sophistry/Superficiality
The difficulty for 4s to cope with ordinary life, to put feelings and laments aside, the incapability to relate and identify to anyone, leads to a strong intellectual grip on ordinary life that is, strange as it may seem, aimed at relating. The 4’s mind activity looks like a constant preparation to express things clearly and justify himself to an imagined other. On the one hand, the mind tries to produce an understandable picture that can be expressed, and on the other hand dives into the zones of unclarity where hidden aspects threaten to destroy an ever inadequate and unsatisfying picture. A temptation is to produce a vision that is shallow but intellectually pleasing and to bend reality by purely intellectual arguments.
Whether it is about a train to catch, a job to choose, the unreachable other, the mystery of the self, or the structure of stars and atoms, the 4ish mind will struggle to bring clarity to what is impossible to grasp, even if he needs to trade the actual experience for an inner reality that can be expressed to an ever unsatisfied listener.
Enneagram Elements 