Enneagram Type Four: The Individualist

Type Four: The IndividualistThe primary motivation for a type Four is self understanding and authenticity. They are wistful by nature and can seek out deep and even sorrowful life experiences due to the depths of emotion that so often accompany great losses.They are known to explore their own emotions at extraordinary length and are often masters of self expression. They are disturbed by ordinary or shallow expressions and often make their dis-satisfaction with the mundane well known to those around them. They are often highly spiritual, surprisingly intuitive, and very original in their way of life. They are often writers, healers, or artists.In the levels of development that are part of the Enneatype system, integrated (healthy) type Fours are the mystics and the artists of the enneagram. Able to transform both pain and the ordinary into something more elevated, they embody the other world ideals they feel so drawn towards. A healthy Four takes on the qualities of a type One and becomes highly focused and able to bring something original and beautiful to the world. They are capable of deep levels of compassion and will accompany others into difficult emotional landscapes while offering considerable insight. A healthy four will balance the heaviness of their depth with a very intact sense of humor.At the average level Fours can be brooding, isolative, and too intense for others to tolerate. They can be chronically depressed and be very self indulgent which can result in problems with money, health, and personal relationships.Under stress, when an average Four starts to disintegrate, they move in the direction of average Twos  and become people pleasers and manipulative with their helpfulness.  Like an unhealthy Two they can become hysterical, clingy and needy. Famous 4s: Calista Flockhart, Wynona Ryder, Dennis Rodman Michael Jackson, Emily Dickinson, John Lennon, Bob Dylan.