If you’ve been reading about the types and just can’t decide which one is right, or even if you’ve never given the Enneagram a thought, these starting points might help you narrow in on what’s most important in your story and what type protagonist would be best to explore it. Every story needs a strong Central Conflict, where the External and Internal Conflicts are inseparably linked.
Not all of these methods will spark the right ideas, they might not all even fit in retrospect once you have selected a type and developed the story, but all of them can be used as a place to start digging and discover what enneatype might be the best fit for the protagonist of your story.
By First Impression and Visualization
If you saw a character before you saw a story, this might be a great place to start. Try thinking about how you imagine this character and what makes you picture him this way. Even if you’ve had trouble selecting a type by overall descriptions, give this a try anyway. Forget about whatever has made you conflicted over your choice of type and instead picture your character. Nevermind appearances, focus on behavior. How does he act around his friends? How does he act around strangers? Whether she’s sure of herself or not, is she quick or slow to action?
These, I think, are the most prominent characteristics of each of the types. Try out whichever one jumps out at you and see if that type fits the story according to the other methods.
One knows their way of thinking is the best and wonders why others don’t hold themselves to the same high standards.
Two never thinks of self and can’t stand to be idle, so is always busy doing for others.
Three is charming with people, thrives on work and knows how to get things accomplished.
Four is imaginative, deeply moved by emotion, embraces and is troubled by the idea that they are unlike anyone else.
Five is most happy existing in the mind and feels drained by the need to go out among people and away from familiar comforts.
Six is highly risk-conscious, full of doubts, but is eager to prove themselves and their loyalty.
Seven is full of passion for life and new experiences and is often blinded to the wants of others by their enthusiasm in the pursuit of their own dreams.
Eight is never intimidated by others and is relentless in maintaining control over their own situation and possessions.
Nine enjoys peacefulness and togetherness but will hide or flee from turmoil around them to seek solitude if quiet can be found in no other way.
These descriptions are deliberately superficial for the sake of clarity. Soon I will be adding links to deeper analysis of fictional characters of that type and what evidence from their stories I used to come to that conclusion. If you still are torn between two or three types, try these methods of narrowing down your choice.
- Check to see their relationships to each other on the Enneagram. You may be picturing your character at their stress or security point at some times and at their base type at others.
- See which types are notoriously mistyped as which other types and what important differences can be used to distinguish them. (Mistyping at first is not a bad thing and can actually help to figure out how your character might be lying to himself by how he sees himself compared to how he really is.)
- Pay attention to the situations in which you are picturing this character. Is this a proactive or reactive moment? Look at the Hornevian and Harmonic groups to decide which type would behave in this way at different times.
- Take a look at the selection methods below, keeping in mind the types you’ve considered
By Premise or Plot
These are the most prominent elements of any story and so perhaps the most important when it comes to what sort of protagonist takes the stage. Premise and plot are different things, but for this purpose we can think of them as nearly the same. Both have to do with the situation and actions in the story that directly effect your protagonist. A premise can be explored through any enneatype, but depending on which one you pick, the plot will likely be different. Certain plots will be most effective with particular types of protagonists because those events would be most likely to fuel internal conflict in that type.
Ask yourself these questions. What sort of world do they live in? What sort of life do they lead? What are they forced to do or prevented from doing? What is it in the external conflict that pulls and tears at the protagonist’s internal conflict? Another way to think of it, what situation is the protagonist in that stirs up unbearable and irreconcilable inner conflict?
Which of the following generic premises describes the most prominent way in which the external conflict effects your protagonist?
One is at risk of becoming corrupted, has accidentally done wrong, or been the cause of evil.
Two cares deeply about others but has no appreciation or love.
Three‘s hard earned accomplishments have been destroyed or become meaningless.
Four has been misunderstood and can’t be sure what is wrong with or missing from their own life.
Five has been compelled, in a way they themselves can hardly explain, to enter a conflict they may be unprepared to cope with.
Six has had to leave a place of security and must learn to trust their own judgement.
Seven has been denied their dreams and is forced to struggle and endure pain, unable to appreciate comforts in life.
Eight has little to no control over their own situation or future.
Nine will never have peace while a conflict remains unaddressed.
As you can see, these definitions by premise and plot are directly linked to the Fear of each type. Whatever the external conflict has to offer must be the worst thing the protagonist can imagine in order for there to be a strong internal conflict and as effective a story as possible. Whatever methods the protagonist has been using to manage conflicts before the story starts will prove to be ineffective against the antagonist. For each type, this brings about a universal fear of Loss of Identity. If being who they’ve been all their lives can no longer save them from their fears, who must they become to survive? Must they either loose who they are or perish? To each type these two seem one in the same, and in order to survive they must learn that they are not their identity. In this way, the consequences of this conflict are either death or liberation. It can be their demise or their salvation depending on their choices.
Each of the above premises might be something any type might avoid, and certainly their own unique fears could have been explored through them, but in each case, only one type is directly threatened by loss of their identity. Questioning who we are is the most terrifying and difficult thing to answer, but one your protagonist must grapple with at the root of their internal conflict.
By Starting State
Establishing the protagonist’s starting state is one of the most important elements to setting the stakes in any story. Luckily, this is also the part of the story that most writers can picture long before they put down the opening sentence. I’ve noticed these clear patterns by type in many of the stories I’ve looked at so far. A character starts out a certain way, until a key event pushes them into the conflict and they take the role of protagonist. See which one of these sounds most like the start of your story. (Keep in mind these might not fit some character arcs unless you take backstory into account.)
One knows exactly what to do and doesn’t hesitate to act, but this world falls apart when they realize something has gone terribly wrong.
Two is on a mission to help others but is met with rejection and no appreciation for their service.
Three is confident and successful, everything in life is looking up, until all they’ve worked for is suddenly at risk.
Four is missing something, but has no idea what that something could be. They feel misunderstood until they encounter something new that might be the answer to filling the emptiness.
Five is content to live in the isolated life they’ve created for themselves, until something happens that draws them out and compels them to action.
Six has either never been a risk taker, or has always taken risk in spite of themselves, but now in a rash moment has bitten off more than they can chew and must rely on their own judgement to navigate the consequences.
Seven knows exactly what they want and how to get it. They’ve got big dreams, but they encounter their first hurdle of internal conflict when these dreams are denied.
Eight has their life mostly under control until a new threat arises that may be too big even for them to handle.
Nine has managed to avoid conflict all their life, but now is forced into the arena with the knowledge that only they can bring about peace.
By Security Point
What would do this character the most good? You can use the security point to find the base type that might suit your character best. Think about your character’s ruts. What type would do them the most good in avoiding the usual pitfalls of their way of thinking? This usually will involve some form of “relax and let go of your fears”.
One would do well to let go of obsession with perfection and enjoy life like a Seven.
Two would do well to let go of the need to be needed by others and focus on self like a Four.
Three would do well to let go of competitiveness and become cooperative like a Six.
Four would do well to rise out of the depths of painful emotions and strive for self betterment like a One.
Five would do well to come out of hiding and address conflicts like an Eight.
Six would do well to quiet the worrying mind and achieve inner peace like a Nine.
Seven would do well to quit running towards excitement and look inside like a Five.
Eight would do well to let down walls of protection and become open and generous like a Two.
Nine would do well to embrace what they want, even if it means rippling waters, and pursue it like a Three.
Be careful not to confuse what would be good for this character with what their friends might think would be good for them. This direction is often the type’s Stress point. Friends of a Five might say, “You should go out to a party, let your hair down, be more like a Seven!” but if that Five actually behaved this way, it would not be self-betterment, it would be a crisis, a cry for help. Not that the good points of a Seven would be bad for a Five, but emulating Seveness is a self-destructive shortcut, all too easy to fall into, and the Five will face self-loathing for going there. It may actually entrench the Five’s usual way of being and become an obstacle to achieving Eightness, the true path of growth for the Five.
Some have the idea that both Stress and Security points can be expressed in positive and negative ways. They then call them Connecting Points and while I do agree that both can be used both ways under certain circumstances, I still think there are clear distinctions between them.
By Stress Point
What would be their downfall? What behaviors would signal a downward spiral? This would be a miserable time for your protagonist, a time of self loathing or denial. These methods of acting out can also be used to let off pent up stress, or as an alternative course of action to obtain their goals, but even though they might sometimes be effective, they are never actually healthy.
One can’t hold it up anymore and feels isolated by unique suffering and may even give in to these emotions like a Four
Two is frustrated by constant sacrifice being taken for granted or even going unnoticed by others and becomes controlling and confrontational like an Eight.
Three struggles with failures and wonders what’s the purpose of their goals in life and becomes unambitious and complacent like a Nine.
Four feels threatened by rejection and becomes clingy and willing to sacrifice like a Two.
Five has withdrawn as much as possible but still feels invaded and turns to diversions to avoid inner pain like a Seven.
Six sees their imagined fears becoming reality and finally jumps into action to address them like a Three.
Seven is unhappy and goes deeper into denial, avoiding unpleasant emotions by becoming focused and dedicated to work like a One.
Eight has created more enemies for themselves than they can take on and retreats, becoming reclusive like a Five
Nine can no longer maintain inner and outer tranquility and becomes aware of dangers and worried like a Six.
Whatever method you use to find the type that will have the most impact in your story, remember that almost any type can find conflict in any premise. Some may need additional motives to confront the conflict in the case of Withdrawn or Compliant types, or to find themselves in a dilemma in the face of conflict with the Assertive types.
Don’t be afraid to explore the possibilities of types that didn’t immediately seem obvious. You might be surprised what you find!
