Enneatype 9 is often described as "going with the flow", "not rocking the boat", "going along to get along." It's said that when pushed too far they can become stubborn and "dig their heels in." What could possibly underlie this sort of behavior?

It's unfortunate that the enneatype writers have seemingly limited themselves to the concepts of aggressive, compliant and detached types within Karen Horney's work. Opportunities for applying other insightful aspects of her work to the enneatypes are missed. In discussing the idealized image in her book Our Inner Conflicts, she offers what can be seen as an interesting comparison between enneatypes 7, 4 and 1.

In 1945, long before the Enneagram personality types were taught, Karen Horney's book Our Inner Conflicts was published. In that book are introduced the aggressive, compliant and detached types. In the Enneagram personality system, these types have been used to create the three so-called Horneyvian triads: aggressive, compliant and withdrawn. Although these Horneyvian triads are a widely accepted feature of the Enneagram system, the type descriptions in Our Inner Conflicts seem to match only three of the nine enneatypes.

The two Enneatypes on either side of each Enneatype are called wings. The term "wing" describes well the placement of the two types. What's insufficient is an explanation of what they are precisely and why placing them on either side is the best placement.

I've noticed early on that the types opposite each other are similar in some way (e.g., some 9's can seem 5-like, some 6's can seem 1-like). Instead of truly exploring these connections, people studying the Enneagram often explain it away as having to do with the aggressive, compliant or withdrawn triads. I see problems with that type of approach though.

The Enneagram as used in the Gurdjieff tradition uses the inner triangle in one way and the inner hexad in another. The inner triangle and inner hexad in the Enneagram personality types are combined to commonly describe the stress/security points or directions of integration/disintegration. While the triangle can be illustrative of the triadic nature of 9 equaling 3 x 3, the hexad contradicts that triadic nature.

When I first started studying the Enneagram personality type system, what I noticed most was that authors couldn't agree on the Enneagram types of famous people. I remember reading one book that claimed Marilyn Monroe was a type 6 (seeking a father-figure), another said she was a type 2 (seductive), another claimed type 4 (depressive - committed suicide) and yet another had her as a type 3 (presenting a public image).

I've found the Enneagram to be two very different things.

1. A symbol used in the Gurdjieff tradition to understand universal processes.
2. A system of nine personality types which takes the Enneagram symbol as its logo.

It's strange how often the two differences get mixed up into one.