[DJArendee]

ok so I might be a 9. I'm having enough difficulty understanding who I am. I'm having even more difficulty understanding wtf a 9 is. I'm an ISTP so I prefer concrete examples.



like, we're supposed to learn about ourselves by being active and aggressive or something? I have no idea what the personal growth was trying to tell me. Someone want to help me out?

[The King Of Dreams]

Sorry, dude. I'm a abstract thinker and I STILL have a little difficulty trying to explain it. However I do like ISTPs, there really cool :)

[DJArendee]

Yeah, the whole description is like, "doesn't know anything about themselves, aggressive, but not really, kinda cool, but not always, sorta fun, but also boring as hell"

[GoodOldDreamer]

Uh... anyone else see the irony in asking people, who "don't know anything about themselves", about themselves here? ;o)

I don't really know much about the enneagram stuff, but what I've gotten out of being a 9 so far is that we prefer to avoid conflict. Might be why profiles describe the type as someone who's in the middle, as you describe. "Aggressive, but not really. Fun, but boring. Etc." As far as not knowing ourselves goes, I've seen it as being more focused on the comfort of others. Again, trying not to make waves. Trying to keep the peace, etc.

I'm an INFJ, so for me, it's where my Fe and Ni come in handy. But this isn't necessarily a feeler thing. A T type might want everyone to appreciate learning, for example. Or whatever it is specifically that in your case, ISTPs appreciate. In a conflict situation between two people, you might want them to see eye-to-eye on an intellectual level to find common ground. Where as I would want them to see eye-to-eye on a more emotional level. That sort of thing.

I've always seen the enneagram types as... the variants of the MBTI types, I guess? Being a type 9 helps me understand what type of INFJ I am. It's the spice, or the direction of the curve if that's more your thing. ;o) I think your view of being a type 9 will be different than mine, based on your preferences as an ISTP, and your own personal experiences. I'm interested to see what you come up with.

That's my take, see it as you will. Like I said, I only have a brief outline of it in my head at the moment.

[madhatter]

ok so I might be a 9. I'm having enough difficulty understanding who I am. I'm having even more difficulty understanding wtf a 9 is. I'm an ISTP so I prefer concrete examples.

like, we're supposed to learn about ourselves by being active and aggressive or something? I have no idea what the personal growth was trying to tell me. Someone want to help me out?

As an ISTP, I have to ask you for a more specific question. "WTF is a 9?" is way too broad for me.

[DJArendee]

I guess I want to know some 9 stereotypes other than being "accomodating." That sounds so boring.

Are we good at chess? Are we amazing with our minds? Are we manipulative? Are we ass holes? Do we like the color blue? Idunno,

something more than 5 pages that tell us about how accomodating we are.

I have an analogy of my own, because this at least makes us sound more capable.

9's are like elementals from the fantasy genre. We're these sort of ghostly entities that live in the woods. A fire elemental can channel fire and shoot fireballs at people etc. So you look at an elemental, they're sorta mysterious. The first thing on your mind is "you shoot fire" so when you see this person start playing a pan-flute, you're like, "wait, you shoot fire AND PLAY PAN FLUTE?" then you ask them about something and they appear to be very wise and have a wide range of talents. They're mysterious because they seem friendly, yet cold hearted at the same time.

I'm pulling all of this out of something... not sure where but this is a stereotype I've seen in some movie. Forgot which.

[Thinkist]

Notably, I could've mistyped as ISFP because I'm a Nine. ISTP + Type 9 = intellectual, but in a way that keeps the peace. Likes to resolve conflicts via somewhat impersonal analysis. Doesn't like to make waves. Being a 9w1, I find myself to be quite gentle, maybe even a little bit fragile.

Well, that's all I can come up with. Good luck figuring out Type 9.

[Wake]

I guess I want to know some 9 stereotypes other than being "accomodating." That sounds so boring.

Are we good at chess? Are we amazing with our minds? Are we manipulative? Are we ass holes? Do we like the color blue? Idunno,

something more than 5 pages that tell us about how accomodating we are.

A good way to understand the types without hitting each of them up for such a general description is to get a chart to quickly understand the mindset. Chart 1 is good here: The Enneagram Charts
Finding examples in real life may also help along side of that helps to gain and understand, like Phil Jackson the former Lakers head coach is a great example of a 9. And yes, there are always more descriptions available to you on the various enneagram sites. My favorite description is Timeless' article and enneagraminstitute.com's.

EDIT: The impression you give off is not that of a 9, but something closer to a 3, 6, or 7.

[Napoleptic]

ok so I might be a 9. I'm having enough difficulty understanding who I am. I'm having even more difficulty understanding wtf a 9 is. I'm an ISTP so I prefer concrete examples.

like, we're supposed to learn about ourselves by being active and aggressive or something? I have no idea what the personal growth was trying to tell me. Someone want to help me out?

Hello, fellow Nine. :)

Can you point us specifically to what you've read about 9s so far? In addition, I would recommend you check out the sticky threads in the 9 subforum. There's a lot of good information in there, probably far better than what any of us can come up with on the fly. If it seems overwhelming, just start with one of them and come back and tell us which you've read and then ask questions.

I've always seen the enneagram types as... the variants of the MBTI types, I guess?

I see MBTI as the how we think - how we perceive and process information (i.e. cognitive functions). Enneagram feels more like the what and why of who we are - our visible behaviors and, more importantly, the motivations behind them.

[GoodOldDreamer]

Hmm... well, we certainly are manipulative, if that's what you're looking for. Gotta be, in order to keep the peace. ;o)

I think MBTI type will help clarify personal preferences more than enneagram. Type 9 is just how we deal with people around us. It's how we act around them, and how we react to them. Our weakness is conflict. Our strength is peace. How we find that though changes dramatically depending on our MBTI type.

Take chess, for example. You might find peace in a good game of it. Win or lose, the challenge in the game might suit your needs. Maybe you learn some new moves, or remember some old ones. Or maybe chess is your way of breaking the ice when getting to know someone new.

When I play chess, however, I know it's a game so I'm out to win it. I feel amazing if I do, and I feel like it's a tremendous waste of time when I don't. lol But I play it to have fun. There's no greater meaning to me in terms of the moves, other than which ones help me conquer faster and better. And I probably annoy most intellectuals when I play it too, because I make silly references to medieval themes, like King Arther and the Knights of the Round Table the entire time. :o)

But my comfort in the chess match would be in making sure my opponent had a good time playing. I've even been known to lose the match on purpose, either because I helped my opponent make winning moves, or I was too busy making silly "Hail thee, your evil lordship! Thine reign over the free hath come to an end! I, the gallant Sir Knight McPonie shall see to thine demise! Tally-ho!" speeches. ;o)