# 27 Shades of FOURS



## Karkino (May 25, 2017)

Hey y'all!

I just made this in my free time and I wanted to share this 
*Don't take this as fact since it comes from my own noggin and not from enneagram experts.*

There are some things you might need to consider before reading though :
1. Instincts manifest themselves when said instinct feels threatened in various areas of life and can therefore take multiple forms depending on enneatype, tritype, mbti type, personal experiences and upbringing and so on. This list is just a small sliver of said manifestations and should not be intended to be understood as the whole manifestation of the combination.

2. I wrote this in less than a day with my own imagination leading me in combination with personal knowledge. I you see something that doesn't fit, I may be wrong since I haven't had experiences with all the 27 subtypes of FOURS depicted below.

3. Even if you don't have FOUR as your dominant enneatype, this you may identify with some of the description below, especially if you have a FOUR in your tritype. Keep in my that this list has been written with FOUR as a core type though.

4. Don't expect other lists like this in the near future. This was spontaneous and this is how I roll.

That being said, enjoy!


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## Karkino (May 25, 2017)

*458/485*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is practical and straightforward. They are extremely emotionally guarded and one of the more stoic FOURS. They are loners with a strange magnetic air about them. This is rugged, rough individual that is more level-headed and grounded than the other 458 instinctual variants. They may suppress their emotional needs so much that they steel themselves from experiencing any feelings. They don’t talk much, but each sentence is raw and unfiltered. They may express their emotional intensity through extreme sports or any physical endeavor.



Sexual

This FOUR is the most intense of all along with sexual 468. They are silently intense and you can feel them gaze into people souls. They can be obsessed with their passion and fill follow through in order to be satisfied. They often have a unique way of looking at things and speak or talk in a snarky and provocative way. They love to test people to see how they tick. They often find creative and clever ways to express who they are can discreetly instill drama in their relationships. They love intensely and thoroughly and often know more about their loved one than the reverse.



Social

This FOUR feels estranged from the group but relentlessly fights for their opinions. This is a complex mix of shame and confidence that is note usually revealed in the conventional social FOUR descriptions. This is the intellectual FOUR that can verbally spar with their opponent and can fight for what they believe in. This FOUR has a strong push-pull relationship with social issues and can have very definite opinions about group-thinking and current influences. They often want to be part of a very select, exclusive group and can appear snobbish and entitled.



*459/495*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is the least likely to show emotions and the most private. This is a man or woman of few words that that is deep and sensitive on the inside but shows very little vulnerability. They like to work alone and create their craft and therefore can often be called artisans. They appear to need very little to be content and can be disconnected from their feelings.



Sexual

This FOUR is deep and intense, but also quite unpredictable at times. They often long for a deep and meaningful connection with a few select people but also need to reflect and be alone for a while. They may not say what they feel directly but expect their significant other to guess their emotional states. They can be testy and distant with people, weighting their worthiness and confidentiality.



Social

This FOUR is very sensitive and probably the shiest, especially in crowds. They can feel terribly hurt if they aren’t included in a group but at the same time feel frequently overwhelmed by too much interaction. Their place of choice it to work behind the scenes and be acknowledged for their unique talents. Compared to other social FOURS, they may suffer more in silence but still appear vulnerable in hopes of outside comforting.



*451/415*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is very discreet and tight-lipped around people. They are less judgmental and critical of others like the social or sexual subtype, but they can still be quite persnickety and fastidious around details and accuracy. They really want their environment to be orderly and despise unexpected events. They focus on maintaining a healthy routine so they can concentrate on their thoughts. It can be really hard to express personal feelings with this combination and they can be pushed aside because of their irrationality. This FOUR can be really ticked off by strong sensory stimulation and want calm at all costs.



Sexual

This FOUR is deep and somewhat intense, but their sensitivity clashes with their need to be detached from their environment and may be prone to harsh mood swings. The tend to oscillate between love and hate the most out of the three subtypes and can really be overly critical about something that triggers them. You can feel their emotional reactivity and they want to go intensely into any subject that is of interest. They can unintentionally be very curt and callous with someone they love because they feel hurt and cannot express what they feel easily. They hide their more tender side to the world.



Social

This FOUR is the most intellectual one of all. This FOUR is inclined to be a teacher or an authority of some sort in what they are interested in. They love to share what they know, but secretly feel unsure and insecure about themselves. They hold experts and scholars to great esteem and aspire to be one of them. They can be overly judgmental and have a snooty attitude towards regular people. They want to be express their unique point of view in their field but fear being criticized.



*468/486*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is a little more grounded and less emotionally expressive than the sexual or social subtypes of this tritype. This FOUR is one of the most action-oriented and focused ones and will internalize their pain in order to obtain what they want. They are very protective and caring about others and want them to do express who they are to the fullest. This is probably the most protective and supporting combination for FOURS as they can offer meaningful advices that can help people maintain of attain physical safety and integrity.



Sexual

This FOUR is definitively the most intense and reactive combination there is. This is the dramatic and fiery FOUR that constantly needs to call off what is insincere, especially in their intimate relationship. They can be to rough and alarmist in what they perceive is phony and can throw people off. They feel insecure and threatened when they see their partner, or their loved ones appear evasive in their speech or manner. They protect their vulnerability by reacting against it and becoming accusatory and relentless.



Social

This FOUR is deeply protective of any form of victimized or fringe people in general. They will defend the frail and the oppressed by all means necessary, especially if the cause if dear to their hearts. This FOUR can be counterculture and reject the general foundations of society for a more dire and gruesome aspect. Even if they are shy and sensitive, they want society to see and hear them loud and clear so that the layperson can see what they are made of.



*469/496*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is congenial and very soft. This is one of the more modest and meek FOURS that seeks comfort and simplicity in their lives. They often don’t express their individuality as much as other FOURS and can appear SIXish. They only express themselves when they feel that their environment is safe and consistent within their beliefs and values. They are more even-tempered than the Sexual and Social 469 but, on the flipside, may censor their feelings too much. They may feel less of a seeker because they often find safety within physical and financial stability.



Sexual

This FOUR is volatile and emotionally labile. This FOUR can appear feistier and more reactive than other combinations with a NINE fix. They need emotional certainty from their close relatives in order to feel secure and accepted. Their art is deeply emotional and a mix of soft and edgy, revealing their hesitation in going straight into their raw feelings. They often make incredible therapists because of their ability to be natural empath in a one-on-one conversation. They can be incredible flustered when their loved ones don’t feel well or in an argument with.



Social

This FOUR is incredibly sensitive to shame and feels paralyzed the most, especially in social situations. This is the FOUR that will ask for a second and third option and still be confused in their decision-making process. They are deeply afraid of making mistakes that would make them look bad. They can have an ambiguous attitude towards groups and can be both attracted and repulsed by them. They often feel that they can’t create until they feel accepted and included by their peers. They are attracted by experts for they feel that they can finally answer their questions.


*
461/416*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is humble and traditional. They often put their emotions aside in order to address their responsibilities and feel included. They can run high on anxiety and be swamped by feelings of insecurity, but they won’t let their commitment down the drain, especially If said commitment ensure physical and material security. They are really empathetic to people who struggle with life and can offer their help to ease their suffering. Like the self-pres 451, they like routine and don’t play well with uncertainty.



Sexual

This FOUR is conflicted with their emotional intensity and wants to be the best at something, but at the same time would fear being estranged and shunned by others. They can be easily frustrated by their need to express themselves and seek closeness with someone while being seen as reliable and reasonable. They can really be nitpicky and disapproving of their loved one’s flaws while hiding their own feelings of inferiority under a veil of preachiness and arrogance. On the other hand, they are truly deep and complex and want to stay faithful to their relationships.



Social

This FOUR is quite professorial and like to teach deep and meaningful truths about people and society. They often like social studies and are deeply curious about what makes people human. Like the other subtypes they can be overly critical and anxious about their ability to express their views about a certain subject and can sabotage their creativity in favor of something more acceptable to the crowd. They truly fear of being excluded and misjudged for their actions, so they can be overly cautious in what they say or do.



*478/487*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is creative and generally extroverted around people. They radiate confidence and don’t want to be bogged down by rules and regulations as they can be a hindrance for their creativity. This is the energetic FOUR with a cool exterior and can endure enormous amount of pressure and self-doubt in favor of a more tough and direct composure. This FOUR can really compartmentalize their inner and outer lives in such a way that even they don’t have access to their more tender feelings and compensate on physical escapism (alcohol, food, etc.) On the flipside, they possess tremendous amount of creativity and can be very productive.



Sexual

This FOUR is the most colorful and original. They seek to express themselves in a dramatic and interesting fashion. They love to shock people and often have a seductive air of confidence. They want to live life to the fullest and share their intimacy with other unique and interesting people. They must keep their personal life interesting and intense to be alive and couldn’t care less about what other say. They communicate with passion and flair and possess a very magnetic personality.



Social

This FOUR wants to share their findings and communicate their creative edge with the world the most out of the three 478 subtypes. This FOUR wants to go around their shame and ignore their feelings of inferiority in favor of a more magnanimous and self-assured look. The embody the messenger archetype to it broadest by creating groups, communities in which they share and enrich people’s lives with meaningful findings. They can secretly feel unsure about themselves and compare their worth to others but will hide this habit when around people.



*479/497*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR hides their negative feelings the most in favor of more pleasant and joyful ones compared to the sexual and social FOUR with this tritype. They can be less arduous and industrious than the other sp FOUR combinations because of the SEVEN and NINE tendency to seek ease and pleasure in things. They are gentle and gleeful and often find their happiness either by indulging on material pleasure or by focusing on simple things in life. This FOUR is at odds with their emotional complexity and can turn a blind eye on it.



Sexual

This FOUR is ethereal and magical in all senses of the words. They dream big and is the most romantic FOUR. They often have a gentle but whimsical nature and can be mired into living a grandiose and unrealistic expectation of life to the detriment of those who live with them. One of the least practical FOURS, they escape into wild fantasies and can be frustrated if they can’t find the right person to share their idyllic phantasmagory. They often long for a better relationship and is easily bored by their current marital status.



Social

This FOUR genuinely wants to help people in some form or another but in a magical and beautiful way. Often unconventional, people often excuse their eccentricities because of their natural healing and soothing presence. They are very sensitive to criticism and often more vulnerable because of it than the other two 479 subtypes. Happiness for them truly comes from healing others and helping people transforming difficult experiences into positive ones. They accept themselves when they help people having fun and forget their pain.



*471/417*

Self-Preservation

This FOUR is less intense and difficult than the other two subtypes, but their idealism can put them into hot water as well. They can be truly creative and focused about what they want to achieve since they often have a strong attachment to their work. They suppress their negative feelings in favor of a positive and idealistic tangent. They can look THREEish and appear business-like even if they don’t have a THREE wing. You can still see that their ideas aren’t always very practical.



Sexual

This FOUR is truly intense and tumultuous since they don’t want to compromise anything from their ideal vision. They live for their imagination and want to create things in a grandiose and meaningful way. This combination is prone to excessive criticism both from within and towards others from not respecting the original idea in their head and heart and can thus be quite difficult to deal with. They seek life-changing, intense and exceptional relationships and are often dissatisfied with their loved ones for not conforming to their ideals.



Social

This FOUR has a discerning eye for teaching and transmitting information in a fun and thorough way. They struggle with being compliant to external rules and doing things their own way, making them somewhat disconnected from reality at times. They truly want to be the element of change and bring novelty to their environment. They are sensitive to public opinion and want to keep a positive and creative image at all costs.


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## Varyafiriel (Sep 5, 2012)

Great work, thanks! The description of 415 social is on point and I can see myself in the 416-social description as well. Although I think 5 is my core type, this seems to describe me very accurately. Oh maybe, after all, I am core-4?


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## Lorem Ipsum (Apr 4, 2012)

Thanks, Karkino; impressive.

I'm not very into tritype, but I super relate to your 415 Self-preservation description.

You captured the essence of the sovereignty of the interior world, thus the need for calm in the external environment.

I have secondary sx and I see it play out mostly with regard to passion for my artistic/intellectual interests.


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## sweetrice (Jun 21, 2019)

Thanks for your great work!
I mostly relate to the 417 Social description


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