Enneagram 9
PEACE
Welcome to Your Comprehensive Enneagram Guide
Get ready to dive into clear, practical insights for each Enneagram type. Whether you want to understand yourself, strengthen your team, or boost your leadership, you’ll find valuable information beyond the basics. Discover key traits, motivations, challenges, and actionable tips to make impactful decisions and foster growth.
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PEACE can be used to offer understanding for any side of the issue. It sees both sides in a conflict or disagreement and embraces open-mindedness. It is able to adapt and accept changes and situations.
PEACE can be used to put off making hard decisions and to avoid initiative out of fear of disappointing anyone. It can be used as an excuse to hide from anything unpleasant.
An Enneagram 9 might think:
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Tendency to Go Along: I have a hard time stating my preference clearly and often go along with another person’s preferences or opinions even if I don’t agree completely.
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Desire for Harmony: I try to avoid conflict and tension. I am really good at interpreting the intention behind interactions and can easily see things from another person’s point of view.
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Procrastination: I often find myself delaying the start of a task, project or even a decision, especially when it feels like there is a right or wrong option.
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Daydreaming or Zoning Out: I sometimes notice I’m not really paying attention or have disconnected from what is in front of me.
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Difficulty Saying No: I like to think I’m easy-going so sometimes I agree to something even though something inside me feels uncomfortable - “maybe” is my best friend.
Centre of Intelligence: Body Type
Body Types lead with their gut - they just “know” what to do next. They are often very aware of issues of justice and fairness. They are driven by action and impacted by the dominant and motivating emotion of anger.
Enneagram 9s use their body intelligence to intuitively understand and adapt to the perspectives of others, focusing on maintaining harmony and avoiding conflict. They blend into their surroundings to keep the peace and often suppress their own needs.
Dominant Emotion: Anger
Enneagram 9s experience anger as passive resistance or stubbornness, which is often suppressed or expressed subtly to avoid disruption. This internalized anger can lead to tension, disengagement and withdrawing behaviours, impacting their ability to assert themselves.
Anger can empower and motivate change but can also escalate conflict and lead to stress and burnout.
Central Focus:
I focus on maintaining and creating calm.
Important Values:
I value acceptance, understanding, and getting along.
Danger Zone:
Distracting Behaviours - the need to avoid anything uncomfortable.
Antidote:
Right Action - focusing on one important step forward.
Distorted Lens: Distraction
Each Enneagram type has an emotional filter effecting thoughts, feelings and actions. It is automatic and unconscious, created from core fears and desires. In traditional Enneagram language this is referred to as a “passion.” The Passion is our attempt to recreate a version of our true nature when life becomes overwhelming.
The distorted lens for Nines is distraction. Distraction refers to an avoidance of anything uncomfortable using routine, busy-work, over-socializing or over-emphasizing others over self.
True Nature: Right Action
The true nature of each Enneagram type is referred to as their “virtue.” The virtue is the exact opposite and antidote to our distorted view on the world.
The true nature of Nines is right action. Right action is the movement forward with purpose knowing the most important piece of the puzzle to solve first. Right action is saying, “I am confident.” The feeling that “things will probably work out” and I am going to choose to fully participate in this moment.
At My Best:
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Accepting: Nines are natural peacemakers. They are open-minded and accepting of others, valuing diverse perspectives.
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Supportive: Nines are excellent supporters, helping others achieve their goals without needing the spotlight.
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Patient: They exhibit great patience, allowing situations and people to unfold at their own pace.
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Unifying: They have a talent for bringing people together and creating a sense of unity within groups.
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Optimistic: Nines tend to have a positive outlook, seeing the good in situations and people.
Under Stress:
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Avoidant: Under stress, Nines may avoid conflict and uncomfortable situations, leading to procrastination.
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Complacent: They can become complacent, settling for less and not pushing for what they truly want or need.
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Disengaged: Stress can cause them to withdraw and disengage from life and relationships.
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Resentful: Suppressed anger and frustration can lead to feelings of resentment towards others.
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Over-accommodating: In an attempt to maintain harmony, Nines might over-accommodate others, leading to burnout and a loss of self-identity.
Working with Nines:
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All Sides: Nines are great at seeing every side of an issue but it is often at the expense of their own. Put yourself in their shoes and ask them what they are seeing.
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Time and Space: Nines need time to process. When a big conversation needs to be had, give them a heads up or offer a follow up conversation so they have a chance to check in with themselves.
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Control: Nines are VERY adverse to control - but they won’t always show it. Be aware of the ways they are trying to indicate they’re unhappy without actually voicing it.
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Harmony: Nines are sensitive to conflict. Help them out by understanding that springing difficult conversations on people or throwing out offhand comments that may be antagonistic will throw off their day.
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Options: Nines sometimes get stuck in decision making by trying to keep everyone happy. Remind them that “no” can always be an option.
Subtypes: Different Ways of Keeping Calm
Each of the three subtypes below are slightly different ways Enneagram 9's approach keeping calm. These subtypes are created when we combine the distorted lens of the type, distraction, and an “overdoing” of one of the natural human survival instincts for self-preservation, social safety and one-to-one bonding and relationship.
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Self-Preservation 9's distract themselves by getting lost in comfortable activities - tv, reading, nap, puzzles, etc..
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Social 9's distract themselves by working tirelessly on behalf of the group.
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One-to-One 9's distract themselves by taking on the attitudes/feelings/ opinions of others.
Read through the descriptions below and consider which subtype description fits best - you may see characteristics of yourself in more than one.
Keeping Calm with Comfort and Routine
You'll notice SP9's by their steady routines and comfort-seeking habits. They're experts at creating soothing environments and maintaining a sense of peace through familiar patterns - though they might not realize how often they use these comforts to avoid dealing with priorities. While they might think they're just being relaxed, there's usually an unconscious pattern of merging with comfortable activities instead of facing conflicts or making decisions. They get notably resistant when their comfortable rhythm is disrupted.
Self-Preservation
Keeping Calm with Groups and Activities
SO9's blend into groups through helpful participation and steady support. They're often the ones keeping everyone connected and maintaining harmony - though they might not notice how much they lose track of their own agenda in the process. While they might think they're just being cooperative, they're often unconsciously staying busy with others' needs to avoid their own priorities. You'll spot them showing up consistently for others while struggling to do the same for themselves.
*This is the counter-type: a subtype driven by the same motivation but expressing it in seemingly opposing ways.
Social
Keeping Calm within Relationships
In close relationships, OT9's mirror the energy and preferences of important others. They're remarkably tuned into what their close people want and feel - though they might not realize how much they adopt others' views and emotions as their own. While they think they're just being understanding, there's often an unconscious pattern of losing their own boundaries and opinions to maintain connection. Can come across as overly accommodating, but it's actually their way of keeping peace in key relationships.
One-to-One
Wing 8:
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SPEAK UP: Nines can use this wing to discover their voice. They can learn to say their opinion before hearing someone else and see it as valuable to the conversation.
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CONFLICT: With this wing, Nines begin to tolerate more conflict and differences of opinion. They are able to sit in the discomfort without disconnecting or automatically agreeing.
Using Your Wings
The numbers on either side of your Enneagram number are referred to as your wings. These two adjacent numbers flavour your main number and add to your growth and development.
Wing 1:
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IDEAL: Nines can use this wing to become more rigid in a good way. They care more about the details and become more invested in the outcome.
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ACCOUNTABILITY: With this wing, Nines tune into what is their role and what is not. They see the importance of each person’s role and responsibility and insist on other’s stepping up rather than covering or picking up the slack.
Point 3:
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OWNING IT: Nines can use this arrow point for healthy self-promotion, owning their role, taking credit for their ideas and accepting compliments and praise.
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STAND OUT: With this arrow point, Nines begin to see what makes them so great. They take active steps for themselves out of their confidence in their skills, talents and knowledge.
Using Your Arrows
The inner lines connecting your Enneagram number to other numbers around the circle are referred to as your arrow points. These two numbers can be incorporated into your self-development work for significant and lasting change.
Point 6:
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LIMITS: Nines can use this arrow point to learn to say “no” and to put clear limits and boundaries in place. They go against with confidence, knowing where they stand.
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HEALTHY FEAR: With this arrow point, Nines tune into fear without being enveloped in it. They begin to name and externalize fear to better see what needs to be done or acted upon.
To The Nines:
Nines, it’s time to wake up. We already know you are thoughtful and kind. Now it’s time to turn that kindness onto yourself. I know it’s scary but it’s time to look inward and see what makes you tick. You have an opinion, even if it’s scary to say it, you even have a preference, even though you’ve pretended for years you don’t. It feels as though going along will keep people happy, but honestly, it keeps people feeling confused. People in your life can read how your energy changes when you are feeling uncertain - the cat is out of the bag! It’s time to start practicing saying what you already think, feel and know inside. Let it out! You are needed, you are wanted, and you are deeply important to the fabric of our world. Stop playing small and wake up to the enormous strength, wisdom and power you naturally exude!
Embrace Your Path to Growth
The Enneagram is more than just a tool—it’s a roadmap to exceptional personal and professional awareness. Explore the intricacies of your type to elevate your leadership, strengthen team cohesion, and foster authentic growth.
Why the Enneagram:
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Pinpoints the motivations that fuel your decisions
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Uncovers hidden obstacles limiting progress
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Equips you with targeted strategies to amplify strengths
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Enhances communication for greater influence and connection
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