As writers, why not use the Enneagram to develop richer and more complex characters?
The Enneagram is a powerful personality system that describes nine distinct types, each with its own motivations, fears, and paths of growth. By understanding the core traits of each type, we can create protagonists and antagonists that resonate with readers, highlighting their internal struggles and transformations. This not only enriches character depth but also enhances narrative conflict, making our stories more engaging and relatable.
Step-by-Step to Fit a Character into the Enneagram
- Understand the Types: Familiarize yourself with the nine types of the Enneagram listed below.
- Define the Character’s Motivation: Ask yourself: what motivates your character?
- Identify the Fears: Consider what your character’s deepest fears are.
- Analyze the Behavior: Observe how your character acts in different situations.
- Create Internal Conflicts: Each type has specific internal conflicts.
- Explore the Evolution: Think about your character’s growth journey.
- Test and Adjust: After choosing a type, write a few scenes and see how they behave.
- Use the Enneagram as a Tool: Remember that the Enneagram is a tool, not a strict rule. Use it to inspire and enrich your character, but don’t feel bound to it if the story demands something different.
For protagonists:
Type 1 – The Perfectionist
- Motivation: The desire to be good and make a positive impact.
- Fear: Fear of being corrupt or dishonest.
- Personal History: Often a perfectionist since childhood, seeking approval.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Has an organized lifestyle and strives to maintain high standards.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the desire to be perfect and the imperfect reality.
- Evolution/Arc: Works to accept imperfections and free themselves from internal criticism.
- Mantra: “If it’s not perfect, it’s unacceptable.”
Type 2 – The Helper
- Motivation: The desire to be loved and needed.
- Fear: Fear of being unwanted or unloved.
- Personal History: Always cared for others, seeking approval through service.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Very generous, may neglect their own needs.
- Inner Conflict: Dilemma between helping others and feeling exhausted.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to care for themselves and balance their own needs.
- Mantra: “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you… and you, and them, and everything!”
Type 3 – The Achiever
- Motivation: The desire to be successful and admired.
- Fear: Fear of failing or not being considered successful.
- Personal History: Seeks recognition and validation from an early age.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Goal-oriented, can be competitive and highly productive.
- Inner Conflict: Internal pressure between success and authenticity.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to value authenticity over image.
- Mantra: “Success is the best accessory!”
Type 4 – The Individualist
- Motivation: The desire to be unique and authentic.
- Fear: Fear of not having an identity or being common.
- Personal History: May have felt different since childhood.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Emotionally intense lifestyle, seeks beauty.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the quest for identity and feelings of isolation.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on self-acceptance and connection with others.
- Mantra: “No one understands me, and that is so beautiful.”
Type 5 – The Investigator
- Motivation: The desire to understand and know.
- Fear: Fear of being invaded or being incapable.
- Personal History: Often intellectually curious since childhood.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Can be reserved, values privacy and knowledge.
- Inner Conflict: Dilemma between the desire to connect and the need for space.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to share and open up to others.
- Mantra: “I’m not overthinking, I’m just thinking deeply. For hours!”
Type 6 – The Loyalist
- Motivation: The desire for security and guidance.
- Fear: Fear of being left out or abandoned.
- Personal History: May have grown up in an insecure environment.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Very loyal, can be cautious and a good planner.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between trusting and doubting others.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on trust and courage.
- Mantra: “But what if… everything goes wrong?!”
Type 7 – The Enthusiast
- Motivation: The desire to be happy and avoid pain.
- Fear: Fear of being deprived of experiences and being bored.
- Personal History: Grew up seeking fun and new adventures.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Very active and constantly seeks new experiences.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the pursuit of happiness and fear of pain.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to face and accept pain as part of life.
- Mantra: “I can’t stop, I won’t stop… until something more exciting comes along.”
Type 8 – The Challenger
- Motivation: The desire to be independent and have control.
- Fear: Fear of being controlled or hurt.
- Personal History: May have had to fight for power and control from a young age.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Directive and assertive, can be very protective.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between vulnerability and the need for control.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on empathy and vulnerability.
- Mantra: “Get out of the way! I’ll handle this.”
Type 9 – The Peacemaker
- Motivation: The desire for peace and harmony.
- Fear: Fear of conflict and disconnection.
- Personal History: May have grown up in conflictual environments, seeking peace.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Tends to avoid conflicts and seeks to maintain tranquility.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between their own needs and the desire to please others.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on assertiveness and taking action.
- Mantra: “Let’s just relax and agree to agree.”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality
The Shadowy Side of Characters: Using the Enneagram to Create Antagonists in Fiction
Beyond the Traditional Model: The description in the table below is not part of the original Enneagram. I developed it as the Shadowy Side of Characters, believing that these shadow traits can create more multidimensional antagonists. By contrasting them with the protagonists, we can enrich the story’s conflict and depth, highlighting the complexities of both sides and making the narrative more engaging.
Type 1 – The Relentless Perfectionist
- Motivation: The desire for control and perfection at any cost.
- Fear: Fear of being imperfect or out of control.
- Personal History: Grew up with high standards and pressure for results.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Can be excessively critical and controlling.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the pursuit of perfection and the anxiety of failure.
- Evolution: Works on accepting imperfections and developing compassion.
- Mantra: “I will be relentless until everything is under my control, perfect in my eyes.”
Type 2 – The Manipulative Helper
- Motivation: The desire to be needed, but with ulterior motives.
- Fear: Fear of not being loved or being used.
- Personal History: May have learned to manipulate to gain affection and attention.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Generous, but often seeks control over others.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between genuinely helping and the desire to manipulate.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to give and receive love unconditionally.
- Mantra: “I will give you everything, but in the end, you owe me everything.”
Type 3 – The Relentless Achiever
- Motivation: The desire for success at any cost, without empathy.
- Fear: Fear of failure or being irrelevant.
- Personal History: Grew up in a competitive environment where success was key.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Extremely focused on goals, disregarding others’ feelings.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the desire for success and emotional connection.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to value relationships over image.
- Mantra: “I will destroy anyone who stands in my way, because success is the only thing that matters.”
Type 4 – The Resentful Melancholic
- Motivation: The desire to be unique, but with a focus on suffering.
- Fear: Fear of being misunderstood or irrelevant.
- Personal History: May have felt different and rejected from a young age.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Emotionally intense, often feels like a victim.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the quest for authenticity and resentment.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on acceptance and connection with others.
- Mantra: “You will never be as deep or special as I am. No one will ever understand true suffering.”
Type 5 – The Detached Controller
- Motivation: The desire to accumulate knowledge to protect and dominate.
- Fear: Fear of being invaded or controlled.
- Personal History: May have grown up in an environment where control was necessary.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Reserved, values privacy and control over situations.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the desire to connect and the fear of vulnerability.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to open up and share knowledge.
- Mantra: “With knowledge, I can dominate you and keep you at a distance. You will never have power over me.”
Type 6 – The Fearful Distrustful
- Motivation: The desire for extreme security and control.
- Fear: Fear of betrayal and uncertainty.
- Personal History: Grew up in insecure environments, learning to distrust.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Cautious and always alert to potential threats.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the need for security and trusting others.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on trust and acceptance of uncertainty.
- Mantra: “Everything is a threat. I must control every detail to ensure no one betrays me.”
Type 7 – The Impulsive
- Motivation: The desire for instant pleasure, without considering consequences.
- Fear: Fear of boredom and missing out on fun experiences.
- Personal History: May have grown up in an environment where pleasure was valued.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Lives for fun, often irresponsible.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the pursuit of pleasure and the consequences of actions.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns to appreciate simplicity and meaningful experiences.
- Mantra: “I will have fun at all costs, and I don’t care who I hurt along the way.”
Type 8 – The Dominating Tyrant
- Motivation: The desire for absolute power and control.
- Fear: Fear of weakness and vulnerability.
- Personal History: May have faced adversities that led to the desire for control.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Authoritarian, often aggressive in interactions.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the need for power and avoiding vulnerability.
- Evolution/Arc: Learns leadership based on empathy and collaboration.
- Mantra: “I will rule through fear, because weakness is for the defeated. Only the strong survive.”
Type 9 – The Apathetic Passive-Aggressive
- Motivation: The desire to avoid conflict, even if it means being passive-aggressive.
- Fear: Fear of confrontation and not being heard.
- Personal History: May have grown up in an environment where conflict was avoided.
- Behavior/Lifestyle: Avoids conflicts but can be resentful and sarcastic.
- Inner Conflict: Struggles between the need for peace and expressing feelings.
- Evolution/Arc: Works on assertiveness and direct communication.
- Mantra: “I will avoid conflicts, but I will make everyone pay silently for it.”
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