The Enneagram is a spiritual path of growth through the lens of personality. There are nine core types, and each type has what is called a wing. It’s another way that our core type (1 through 9) manifests itself.
Here’s an example. Type 9 can have an 8 wing or a 1 wing. They’re typically written out like 9w8 and 9w1.
9s with an 8 wing, or 9w8, is still primarily concerned with keeping the peace, avoiding conflict and seeking wholeness in their lives. But because they’re influence by 8, which is a dominating, protective type, these 9s will be more comfortable with their anger and more assertive. They will seek peace through their desire for justice and their desire for control and autonomy.
9s with a 1 wing, or 9w1, is influenced by the 1, which is a principled, rational type. So these 9s will seek peace through a desire for morality, idealism, and self-control. They’ll be slower to show their anger and may be quicker to judge others.
This is true for all of the types: each type can have an influence of one of the two types adjacent to it. 8s can be 8w9 or 8w7, 7s can be 7w8 or 7w6, and so on.
Knowing about our wing is helpful because it adds more depth to our core type. Although our motivations and fears are the same, it can manifest in different ways because of our wing. If you don’t feel like you fit any one core type, your wing may be the reason why.
Our wing’s influence can change throughout our life circumstances. As a 9 who grew up in a religious household, I used my 1 wing for much of my childhood and early adulthood. I had a strong sense of right and wrong, and I feel like I needed to control myself in order to be “good.” Over the last few years, I’ve embraced my 8 wing and more assertiveness and expressiveness. It helped me when I lived overseas, and I can really see it now as a mom when I advocate for my daughter (or discipline her).
With self-growth and awareness, we can develop both these wings so they can each support us. We become more well-rounded individuals when we can use the strength of both wings. As one Enneagram teacher said, the wings help us fly.
This is part of my Enneagram basics series:
Do you want to learn more and uncover your true potential? Contact me today about Enneagram and life coaching. I use the Enneagram to help people reach their goals and change their lives.