# Story genres and Enneagram types - Judith Searle



## aconite (Mar 26, 2012)

The full article

The genres, according to the author:

One: "moral hero" drama, lawyer story, police story


> • The One protagonist is driven by the need to restore the moral order to society through his actions and example.
> • The One protagonist is unpretentious, serious, concerned with what is right.
> • The One protagonist trusts his inner compass as a gauge of right action and will stand up for what he believes even if everyone else is against him.
> • The One protagonist makes every effort to avoid conflict, but if he feels his cause is just he will put his body on the line in protest and even die for the cause if necessary.
> ...


Two: romance, romantic comedy, battle-of-the-sexes


> • The Two protagonist is driven by a need to be loved and appreciated.
> • The Two protagonist is empathetic, helpful, and outgoing.
> • The Two is extremely skillful at nurturing friendships as well as more intimate connections.
> • Sexual attraction is a strong component of Two stories.
> ...


Three: success story, imposter story


> • The Three protagonist is driven by the need to be seen as successful.
> • The Three protagonist has clear goals and is willing to work hard to achieve them.
> • The Three protagonist is a star performer, one who rarely thinks of giving others credit for their contributions.
> • In the course of the story, the Three protagonist pretends to be something she is not in order to achieve her goal.
> ...



Four: melodrama, love and loss, doomed love, stories of artists


> • The Four protagonist is driven by a need to focus on his deep and authentic feelings.
> • The Four protagonist is self-aware, self-absorbed, passionate, and unhappy.
> • The Four protagonist is dominated by his feelings and driven to express them in love and/or art.
> • The Four protagonist is comfortable with longing and seeks to maneuver his life situation so as to perpetuate this state.
> ...



Five: horror, sci-fi, black comedy


> • The Five protagonist uses her mental faculties to cope with an irrational and threatening world.
> • The Five protagonist is intelligent, observant, and unemotional.
> • The Five protagonist is brilliant at solving scientific problems.
> • The Five protagonist keeps a cool head when others are hysterical.
> ...


Six: thriller, spy story, labor drama, "fear" comedy


> • A Six protagonist may appear personally insecure and vulnerable (phobic) or rebellious and confrontative (counterphobic). In either case, the person is driven by fear.
> • Phobic Six protagonists get drawn into danger despite strong efforts to avoid it.
> • Counterphobic Six protagonists provoke confrontation as a way of proving their courage: "The best defense is a good offense."
> • A Six protagonist's courage must be tested in the course of the story.
> ...


Seven: adventure, sci-fi adventure, travel story


> • The Seven protagonist is driven by an appetite for adventure which insures that his life remains constantly challenging and exciting.
> • The Seven protagonist is reckless, imaginative, bold, and charming.
> • The Seven protagonist takes pride in his "bad boy" (or "bad girl") image.
> • The Seven protagonist is generally a highly intelligent bon vivant who enjoys good food, good drink, good companionship and numerous lovers.
> ...



Eight: western, war story, action-adventure, mafia story


> • The Eight protagonist is driven by a need to be dominant over others.
> • The Eight protagonist must demonstrate an appetite for physical confrontation.
> • The Eight is basically a loner, uncomfortable with close relationships.
> • The Eight's courage must be tested in the course of the story through situations that put him in extreme physical jeopardy.
> ...


Nine: fantasy, magical realism, sword-and-sorcery, fairy tales


> • The Nine protagonist is driven by the need to be connected with familiar people in familiar surroundings.
> • The Nine protagonist is underappreciated by herself and by loved ones.
> • The Nine protagonist has little ambition beyond survival and "getting home."
> • The Nine protagonist never seeks adventure or risk in real life, but has a vivid imagination and enjoys daydreaming.
> ...


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## RepairmanMan Man (Jan 21, 2012)

Interesting article, aconite! Where did you find it? I'm laughing at the 7-story descriptions, because, believe it or not, all of my prior blogging has actually conformed to this style. That was actually one of the things that helped me realize what I am.


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## aconite (Mar 26, 2012)

holyrockthrower said:


> Interesting article, aconite! Where did you find it?


TV Tropes! (warning: highly addictive!)

Actually, I kind of like protagonists who don't fit these criteria - such as Sixes in unpredictable fantasy worlds (coughRincewindcough)


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## Coburn (Sep 3, 2010)

Dude, this is a fantastic article! I love it! Thanks for posting!


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## Bumblyjack (Nov 18, 2011)

Interesting.

I find that I tend to like a decent number of Six, Eight, Two, and Five films. I hate a great deal of Seven, Three, Nine, and One films. I have a love and hate relationship with Type Four films because they cut me a bit too deeply and the outcomes just seem "unfair" to me. Take _Casablanca_, for example. It's a great film but it leaves me feeling: "Damn, that's bullshit." Why? Well, it's that Four integrating to One stuff that hits home a little too hard; I know if I loved her I'd let her go too.

On a related note, Clint Eastwood's _Gran Torino_ strikes me as an Eight integrating to Two film. I wonder if that hits a similar nerve with integrated Type Eights as _Casablanca_ does with me.


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## SilentScream (Mar 31, 2011)

Very, very nice. 

The most stereotypical Type 3 movie is the classic sports movie.


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## Owfin (Oct 15, 2011)

Six stories have to be very delicately put together for them to work for me, because otherwise they stimulate my sense of anxiety far too much and I get annoyed with the book/movie/what have you. 

Her definition of a 3 story is so limiting, I think. She only focuses on the more boring stereotypical kind that deals with business or popularity related success. It's a shame because there's a lot of variety that can be done with one of my favorite kinds of story, the 3 imposter story. I love those stories where the character has an image of themselves that they try so hard to reach, like to be the perfect hero or the smartest guy or what have you, it's so delicious to watch the internal turmoil and the strain behind it and most of all the lying to themselves.

I don't have any set feelings toward 9 stories, it depends entirely on the writing.

1 can get annoying because it often seems like the world is inexplicably against them, but I suppose it's just a reflection of the difficulty of getting this story right. 1 stories are often general downers, I find.

4 stories tend to leave me feeling very negatively towards whoever's "acting out" the 4.

I find that the aspects I tend to like about 2 stories are those most similar to those of 3 stories. 

I'm totally on board with 8 stories if there's some point where the protagonist has to "lose", so to speak. Otherwise it's boring.

The 5 story kind of reminds me of the 8 one above; it's boring if it never fails or breaks down in the story. It comes off like a mystery story if it doesn't have that, and usually I don't like mystery stories much.

(I think I know part of the reason why I liked the 3 imposter one so much; a lot of these other ones are depicted as basically wish fulfillment and portray that type's viewpoint as always being in the right. If the writer of this article focused on more stories like the 3 imposter one that show the dark side of that type, I think I'd have more varied observations.)

7 is... do I even have to say anything anymore. I LIKE SEEING DECONSTRUCTIONS OF THESE TYPES.

I found it very strange how the author wrote about the deconstructions for 3s, kind of for 2s, veeerrrrry slightly for 9s, and I'm not sure either way for the 6 one. It seemed very strange how she never really got into much detail on the "what the type thinks is right is not" for any of them other than 3. I would have liked to see, for example, a compare and contrast of the "7 stays ahead and its all awesome" vs "The 7s attempts at escaping their problems collapse on them and they have to deal with the consequences of their actions now."


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## 543222187 (Apr 4, 2012)

....i hate three stories...especially when they turn out to be too great...i think they are complete bastards and wish they would get a lesson in humility....i hate four stories too...they feel so misunderstood...big deal...your problems aren't all there is in life...


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## Steel Magnolia (Apr 10, 2012)

Of all of these, I think I am most drawn to stories with a 4 protagonist. And I'm not even a 4.


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## leadintea (Nov 22, 2011)

Febe said:


> ....i hate three stories...especially when they turn out to be too great...i think they are complete bastards and wish they would get a lesson in humility....


The perfect 3 movie that reminds me of what you just said was Chicago. All the main protagonists were 3 (Roxie was a so 3, Velma was a sx 3, and Harry was a sp 3), and they were all grimy, shameless bastards, but my god, that was one of the most inspiring movies I've ever watched.


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## 543222187 (Apr 4, 2012)

....lol....i take a bit back on what I said about 4s...if they're cute or act more manly i like the 4 stories better....but then again...they might not be 4s....more like 2s or 9s....or 6s....


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## Sayonara (May 11, 2012)

lolwut?

The Type 2 one is so off for me. Romantic comedy battle of the sexes? Yuck, that's probably my least favorite genre lol. 

I'm into high fantasy and sci-fi, and I love a good thriller! Oh and I love angsty stories too.

My favorite protagonists seem to be 4 types.


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## Lunar (May 2, 2012)

Well, maybe this why I just can't see a movie with my boyfriend who is a core 8 :laughing:
This is just to perfect. He always wants to see this western, war, mafia, movies and I just want to see a lot of twisted feelings and tragic love.


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## Dark Romantic (Dec 27, 2011)

Hah! This explains a lot. My favorite genres tend to be everything from five to eight, and I can definitely see how you could classify them under each enneatype.

Quintessential Six movie: Bourne series
Quintessential Seven movie: Pirates of the Caribbean series
Quintessential Eight movie: Scarface


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## aconite (Mar 26, 2012)

Dark Romantic said:


> Quintessential Six movie: Bourne series
> Quintessential Seven movie: Pirates of the Caribbean series
> Quintessential Eight movie: Scarface


Quintessential Four book: The Wuthering Heights


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## CataclysmSolace (Mar 13, 2012)

I love reading type-9 and type-8 stories… Thanks for posting, amazing article.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

I like the 7, 8 and 9 stories the best


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

Hm, as a 5w4 I have to say that I tend to prefer non-stereotype stories to begin with that are not very genre-conventional and when the genres are clearly mixed. I can watch 1 type of movies but the moralistic dogmatism of the protagonist can really grate on my brain. I think I tend to avoid these for most of the part.

Haha, don't even get me started on what I think is wrong with 2 movies! I avoid them with a passion. 

I think that 3 stories can be very entertaining in an intellectual way. I very much like movies like Catch Me If You Can for example, and heist movies can be good fun but it's not like I'm particularly drawn to them. 

When it comes to 4 movies I am definitely torn here. On the one hand, I am incredibly drawn to unhealthy 4w5 main characters, males specifically. I can so strongly relate to their struggles of needing to be self-sufficient and knowing yourself. There's also something about their self-pity and egocentrism that I thoroughly enjoy watching/reading about, and how they eventually become victorious by looking beyond themselves and actualize their goals and desires in the real world. 

On the other hand, I am not particularly fond of typical 4 stories, although I think a big part of the problem here is that 4w3 is a much more common 4 type than 4w5 and my preferences definitely lie to 4w5 and not 4w3. A typical 4w3 movie is Vanilla Sky. Conceptually I love Vanilla Sky but Tom Cruise's character is absolutely despicable and he tends to always act the 4w3 main character. It's the 3 wing that really puts me off here as opposed to the wing 5 that draws me in. 4w5 types are more introverted and brooding and is something I relate to better. Underneath the identity crisis of Vanilla Sky and the slight hints of 5-ish paranoia Vanilla Sky is ultimately very much a success story too. 

But then you have these rather cute although not particularly deep 4w5 stories such as Edward Scissorhands that strike you with their 4w5 awkward charm but yet leave something desired in the 5 department. So when it comes to 4 stories I think I very much prefer a 4w5 male main character (I think my males when I write fiction tend to end up as 4w5s as well) but in a setting that is not specifically 4-ish. A typical example would be the manga/anime Bleach that began as a 7 story with focus on adventure, probably moreso as a result of genre conventions, but as the story progressed it became more and more 4w5-ish which eventually entirely focused on the main character's identity crisis and how to find his actual identity and who he is. The 7 attitude is still present though (genre conventions), and the way the story is currently depicted has seen a much more obvious movement towards 5 as of late with strong inclusions of horror elements which perhaps is revealing Kubo Tite's true type? I've always deeply suspected that he wanted to write a much more mature and darker story than what the genre allows him to depict. 

Another example of the above is Final Fantasy VII which I think ultimately is also a 4w5 story at heart but has a strong streak of 7 adventure in it. One could of course argue that the fact the these two examples are non-genre stereotype or try to break genre conventions of how to tell a good story might point towards the 4w5/5w4-ness of them though, which in that case leads back to my bias towards 5 stories. I think the only true exception I can think of that really strikes me as 4w5 in every sense of the word is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that is one of my favorite romantic stories if I had to call one. It's tragic instead of the fluffy "and they lived happily forever after" that I can't stand when it comes to 2 romantic stories, and it really digs deep and explores the meaning of love in a way that feels meaningful to me. It shows that love isn't just about longing to be with someone and the happiness that brings, but it also shows what happens when relationships break apart which relationships often do, and it shows that despite or struggles and how mean we can be to each other love triumphs all that. All in all a great movie. 

So to get to the juice of things then, 5 stories. I love 5 stories, no doubt about it. I love the paranoia of actual 5 stories, of how 5 stories really try to dig deep into the psyche of their main characters and really explore them inside-out. One of my favorite movies, especially aesthetically, is Cell. I am also absolutely in love with the Silent Hill franchise as a whole. I also absolutely love X-Files which is such a 5w4 story as a whole and Mulder definitely strikes me as a 5w4 type. The Swedish Let the Right One In also strikes me as very 5w4 and I love it for the same reasons as I love the ones above. Going through my IMDb list, there's also Donnie Darko. The epitome of a 5w4 INTP story. A movie I saw rather recently that really spoke to me was Mr. Nobody. I think the movie encapsulates the fear of 5 very well - omniscience is really what defines the backbone of it. Neon Genesis Evangelion has also grown on me over time although I think it has too much 6 in it which is why it's still hard for me to like at points. The way how it tries to depict every character in it as broken is a very 5-thing though I think. And then of course, there's Dexter, my favorite TV show on TV right now. The way the story is told in such a dry and sardonic manner is so 5. Last but hardly least, the epitome of a 5w4 story is probably Alien. I recognize myself a lot in Ripley's character as well and if there's a female character in any works of fiction that's probably the most alike myself it's Ellen Ripley.

I also think that based on the 6 stories that I've read/watched, a lot of them tend to come off as too superficial and neurotic in my eyes and they don't quite speak to me at the depth I desire. Examples being The Machinist and Black Swan. I wonder if noir falls in this category or 1 though, but there's something about noir that to me ways 5w4 (projecting much?).

I can only really enjoy 7 stories on a superficial level. I tend to generally speaking avoid them. They don't really interest me much.

8 stories don't really tned to speak to me much. I don't see the point with all the conflict and fighting present in the stories. 

Hm, I guess I like 9 stories to a degree. I think Harry Potter for example fits the bill quite well according to that description and I can relate to the struggles of 9. Maybe I should reconsider 549 as my tritype


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## The Nth Doctor (May 18, 2012)

I like (in order) seven, one, five, nine, and six stories. A mix is best, because I've seen so many stories that a normal format isn't interesting enough. 
Really the nine ones sound sort of boring. If I'm reading fantasy I want the characters to be more interesting than I am.

Though actually, an out of place nine protagonist sounds like the quintessential 'Arthur Dent' character in a science fiction or fantasy...Maybe that moves it up in the list.


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## Coburn (Sep 3, 2010)

Looking back at the article now that my type has changed, it's more interested than accurate. On the overall, my preferred genre preferences fall heavily in the eight category while my general tastes fall pretty much everywhere. 

My favorite films

_The Good the Bad and the Ugly _(8)
_A Bittersweet Life_ (3)
_Secret Garden_ (6)
_The Seventh Seal_ (9)
_Patton_ (8)
_The Godfather_ (1)


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## Lotan (Aug 10, 2012)

I like Five stories the absolute best, from this description, and 90% of what I write probably falls under the Five category even though I'm not a five myself. Seven and Eight are a close second. I like Three movies if they're a little bit more cynical than the usual success story...something like Wall Street, perhaps (because Gordon Gekko is amazing). I enjoy nine, six, and one movies at times. I very rarely watch a four movie, and you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming into a typical two movie :laughing:

My favorite films:
A Clockwork Orange (5)
Donnie Darko (5)
Inglorious Basterds (8)
Drive (8)
Wall Street (3)
Labyrinth (9) (my childhood favorite...)

My favorite TV shows tend to be 7-ish going by this description, like Star Trek and Doctor Who.


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## SuperDevastation (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm 541 and I don't like unhappy endings nor do I like overly happy endings.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

SuperDevastation said:


> I'm 541 and I don't like unhappy endings nor do I like overly happy endings.


Probably just the 5 in you speaking, wanting _realistic_ endings.


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## SuperDevastation (Jun 7, 2010)

LeaT said:


> Probably just the 5 in you speaking, wanting _realistic_ endings.


Perhaps (10 chars).


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## SuperDevastation (Jun 7, 2010)

Terminator 2 is probably my favorite 90's movie, because it reminds me of better times (probably because of 4 nostalgia), it teaches the value of human life and that killing is wrong (I like it probably because of 1 morality), though I do sometimes have thoughts of killing. And it's just a good movie even though the genres aren't my favorite.


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## sodden (Jul 20, 2009)

I think this http://www.enneagramdimensions.net/articles/subtype_themes.pdf#start does a pretty good job of listing the themes of films related to enneagram type and instinct.


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## mushr00m (May 23, 2011)

How have you based all of your typings to films? I tend to try and see the underlying message, the foundation that pulls it altogether. Maybe this would encompass movie genres aswell e.g I would imagine a romance for 2, 4 or 6. A horror maybe 4, 5, 6, 8(8 a slasher film). Action adventure 3, 6, 7, 8. One of those surreal, atmospheric films make me think 5, 9 etc.


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## soya (Jun 29, 2010)

brainheart said:


> I think this http://www.enneagramdimensions.net/articles/subtype_themes.pdf#start does a pretty good job of listing the themes of films related to enneagram type and instinct.


9 sx - Baraka - I do love this film!

There are a lot of good ones listed. I'll have to look it over some more. Thanks for this.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

brainheart said:


> I think this http://www.enneagramdimensions.net/articles/subtype_themes.pdf#start does a pretty good job of listing the themes of films related to enneagram type and instinct.


Damn you making me waste away my life like this!

Hm, I don't agree with everything and this makes me feel I haven't watched enough films (or rather not the right ones?). Anyway, what do you guys think of Joseph Campbell's theory of the hero's journey and how it fits into enneagram?










I mean, the hero's journey can essentially be applied to almost any story with a male protagonist (it applies less to female coming-of-age stories), but I think the concept itself is actually rather 9-ish and it makes me wonder if it's hard to tell a story that is not fully based on the hero's journey and not in a way make it initally rather 9. 

Let's take Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings as typical examples. I think it applies to Matrix as well to a great degree although I think Matrix is more 5/6 than 9, but perhaps the argument could be made for that the story is more of a disintegrated form of 9-story?


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

mushr00m said:


> How have you based all of your typings to films? I tend to try and see the underlying message, the foundation that pulls it altogether. Maybe this would encompass movie genres aswell e.g I would imagine a romance for 2, 4 or 6. A horror maybe 4, 5, 6, 8(8 a slasher film). Action adventure 3, 6, 7, 8. One of those surreal, atmospheric films make me think 5, 9 etc.


I look at the big picture or the theme that ties the story together. Look for example at a movie like Donnie Darko - the entire story is stereotypically 5 in the sense of how Donnie is forced to deal with reality by being manipulated by external forces which makes us doubt Donnie's actual sanity. Is he schizofrenic or is it all truly happening? The climax of the movie is also ultimately typically 5 - the protagonist dies. It's "realistic" and shows the levels of 5 apathy present. Life and death means nothing. I would say it's a very 5w4 sp/sx film. 

Donnie's struggles with what god is is also quite poignant - omniscience is a strong underlying theme where Donnie asks his physics professor about fate. 

Another typical 5 movie is Darren Aronofsky's Pi. It's ultimately about discovering the truth about the universe, to actually be reunited with omniscience, but when doing so we cannot tell for sure if he loses his mind or not. The cost of knowing is sanity itself. OMG LOL random realization. I once wrote this short story about a scientist who was trying to become omniscient and the price for his omniscience was sanity. He became god, but an insane god. How ironic! 

Any other 5s in here that are into fiction writing and have written stories with a similar outcome? A snippet based on the first three paragraphs (I should add that I have never written any fiction based on envy I think):


* *




*Would it help to answer the question about Everything* if we could reach out and raise our hands to the sky as if begging to the gods to touch us? *Can we define or is it even possible to define Everything? *The stars will tell if we could just take them with our bare naked hands.

Humans are so vulnerable, one heartbeat away from death. One might wake up tomorrow and find Everything gone; how would it feel? *How would it feel to be alone in the world?* *Because of our inability to understand Everything, it makes us afraid. *If we could cast away our cowardice, our lives would be so much more wonderful, of that, I am certain. 

Of course, some don't believe it's true that it's possible to cast away our fear, throw it away like the suffocating darkness it is.


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## Lotan (Aug 10, 2012)

LeaT said:


> Any other 5s in here that are into fiction writing and have written stories with a similar outcome?


I write a lot of those types of stories and am probably a 7w8 or 3w4...but those types of things do seem very 5ish. On that note, I think The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and a few other classic anthology shows would be good examples of 5 TV shows.


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## Choice (May 19, 2012)

Owfin said:


> 7 is... do I even have to say anything anymore. I LIKE SEEING DECONSTRUCTIONS OF THESE TYPES.


What kind of deconstruction do you mean?


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## DomNapoleon (Jan 21, 2012)

The stories I most like usually have 2 main character 6s... They usually have some close relationship and they protect each other. I find those interesting cause, usually, there are highs and lows in the relationships, breaks, fights, one will test the other loyalty and so on... Example: 

*Breaking Bad*







On the left a 6w7 and on the right a 6w5. They cock crystal meth together and they engage in a world full of danger and crimes... This story is full of loyalty (they have each other's back) but at some points one will test the other. 

*Man in Black (*:kitteh:*)
*






​


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## Owfin (Oct 15, 2011)

Almost said:


> What kind of deconstruction do you mean?


Looking at the ways each type tries to go across "solving" their major issues (like how type 9s withdraw from everything or how type 3s try to put up a persona) and showing the flaws, cracks, and seams in those ways.


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## aconite (Mar 26, 2012)

Owfin said:


> Looking at the ways each type tries to go across "solving" their major issues (like how type 9s withdraw from everything or how type 3s try to put up a persona) and showing the flaws, cracks, and seams in those ways.


_The Dresden Files_ are a bit like that - the protagonist is a tough, reckless PI, single, frequently a target of various incarnations of femme fatale, has anger issues, never retreats from a fight, protects innocents, secretly lusts for unlimited power etc. He's IMO an 8w7. Nevertheless, most of his good deeds have tragic consequences, and his inability to share knowledge, get in touch with his needs and feelings, combined with a certain lack of introspection get him in trouble more often than not  One of my favourite book series, BTW - mostly because we get to see how the main character grows, changes, and develops subtlety.


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## Lotan (Aug 10, 2012)

Just realized that "Fantastic Mr. Fox" fits the 7 formula almost perfectly. I'm 99% sure that Mr. Fox is a 7.

A few other Wes Anderson movies might fit the 7 bill as well - Rushmore (although Max might be a 4 or 3?) and Moonrise Kingdom (I believe Sam is 7w8 and Suzy is 8w7) come to mind.


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