Fours

Enneatype Four

Type Description

People of Enneatype Four construct their identities around their perception of themselves as being somehow unique and fundamentally different from
others. This deep felt sense of being different from or other than pervades the Fours sense of self, and functions as the basis for the Fours attempt
to create a persona that properly reflects who they feel they really are. Fours are not content (or even able) to live out the role assigned them by their
societies or their families; they self-consciously search for an expression they feel will be truly authentic. Of all the types, Fours are the most acutely
aware that the persona is a construct something which has been created and can thus be re-created. This is indeed the fundamental respect in which
Fours are artists; they may or may not be artists in the conventional sense of the term, but all Fours have a sense that their identities are, in some
respect, their own creation.

Fours generally construct a persona and project an image which has flair or style. This style may be, for instance, one of casual elegance (shabby
chic perhaps), or it may be more flagrantly counter culture, but whichever image is chosen, it will tend to bear the Fours own original stamp and will be
an expression of the Fours current sense of self.

There is a paradoxical quality to this whole endeavor. Fours strive for authenticity, for an expression of themselves which is true, but the image they
portray is, by its nature, delusory, and inevitably fails to convey the true depths and complexity of the self. It also necessarily falls short of the Fours
own personal ideal. This sense of perpetually falling short contributes to the Fours sense of inadequacy, as Fours feel that they are not only unable to
live up to societys ideal but to their own individual ideals as well. This dynamic of striving and falling short is at the core of the Fours sense of shame,
frustration and heightened feelings of self-consciousness.

To be sure, Fours compensate for their feelings of inferiority with an equally strong sense of superiority. Fours tend to feel a sense of disdain for
whatever is ordinary and for the common sorts of lives with which most people seem to content themselves. They tend to feel that their outsider
status, their sense of style and their heightened sense of self-consciousness, confer on them a stamp of genuineness and class. Thus a feeling of being
a member of the true aristocracy alternates with deep feelings of shame, and fears of being somehow deeply flawed or defective.

The Fours inner landscape is thus complex, and their issues surrounding identity fraught with frustrations. There is even an enervating quality to the
whole psychic drama, which, along with the Fours emotional sensitivity, contributes to the Fours characteristic need to withdraw. When Fours withdraw,
they immerse themselves in their own mental landscapes where they are free to cultivate and analyze their feelings. In the realm of fantasy, Fours are
not constrained by the mundane considerations which are the plague of everyday life; the inner life can thus become more real than the outer.

Fours are primarily emotional by nature, and of all the types, probably have the most complex palette of emotional states. While Fours are not blind to
the facts and the supposed objective state of affairs, they tend to interpret reality at least as much in terms of its symbolic content and emotional
resonance. John Keats, a Four, expressed this well when he stated: I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the hearts affections and the truth of the
imagination. Fours are thus emotionally attuned to meaning, and this attention to meaning sometimes gives Fours access to a dimension of reality that
others miss. Such insight might find expression in art, literature or music, but is often enough simply manifested in an idiosyncratic lifestyle which
expresses the Fours own personal vision. When Fours are unbalanced however, their emotional sensitivity, which is generally accompanied by an
introspective nature, can result in states of self-absorption or descents into melancholia or despair.

Fours tend to inhabit their emotional states, making them often seem somewhat moody or temperamental. This emotionality feeds the identity issues
which are at the core of enneatype Four. As Fours introspect, looking for who they really are, they encounter a constantly shifting play of emotional
states emanating from a wellspring which seems to have an infinite depth. There seems to be no ground, no center for the Four to hold onto. The true
self cannot be found, so the Four shifts focus to the level of presentation and persona.

Some Fours act out their emotional states in episodes of high drama, while others are more likely to withdraw, but as those in the Fours life are
frequently unaware of the inner chain of connections which has given rise to the Fours current emotional state, there tends to be an unpredictable
quality to intimate relations with Fours. Fours are often in search of the perfect lover, someone who will rescue them from their self-absorption, but as
they have high expectations of lovers, suffer from a sense of shame, and easily feel misunderstood, love relationships seldom progress smoothly. On the
high side, they are highly sensitive to the emotional states of those they love, are non-judgmental (of everything except bad taste) and are unafraid of
looking at the dark side of human nature. They can therefore be highly supportive of friends and lovers.

In the traditional Enneagram, Fours are said to suffer from envy. Fours often idealize qualities they find in others and then come to envy those same
qualities. By a process known as introjection, they sometimes try to incorporate those very same qualities into themselves. This, in turn, once again,
triggers the Fours struggle for authenticity, as the idealized quality is seen as basically belonging to the other. The envy that Fours experience is a
fundamental manifestation of the Fours feeling of defectiveness and tends to be a recurring problem for type Four individuals until such time as they
have learned self-acceptance. Often enough, the envy that Fours experience actually manifests as a longinga sort of wistful desire that they too be
capable of the simpler sorts of happiness that others seem so readily able to achieve.

When unbalanced, the Fours envy can take a nasty turn as unhealthy Fours tend to project their self-loathing outward. At such times, the previously
sensitive Four can become spiteful and vindictive, feeling justified in being so because they have been misunderstood, and because they have suffered
so terribly. As Fours have a well developed emotional intelligence, they know how to wound with words, and, when they are unbalanced, feel incapable

of restraining themselves. They tend to lash out at the very ones who have been most supportive and who might be trying to help them. If this causes
the Fours intimates to withdraw, the Fours abandonment issues are likely to be triggered, resulting in a frantic attempt to re-ignite the relationship.
This can become a recurring pattern in the life of an unhealthy Four.

Fours sometimes masochistically cultivate their negative emotional states. They actually fall in love with suffering as they come to believe that
suffering is a sign of their depth of soul. The idea of themselves as being melancholic can thus become a part of their idealized self-image, making it
difficult to overcome. Bouts of self-indulgence and even dissolution are not uncommon, as unbalanced Fours feel justified in attempting to compensate
for the general lack of pleasure that they experience in their lives. Rather than looking for practical solutions to their difficulties, Fours are prone to
fantasizing about a savior who will rescue them from their unhappiness.

Healthier Fours, on the other hand, are grounded in an identity much deeper than their currently chosen persona or their shifting emotional states.
Healthy Fours retain their emotional sensitivity and receptivity without experiencing either as a source of pain and wounding. Having learned selfacceptance, they are capable of experiencing a sort of happiness that embraces both the light and dark sides of life. Their happiness is thus devoid of
the grasping after pleasure that characterizes so much that goes by that name. It has a fullness and depth to it that is the deepest and truest source of
creativity.

It has always been the task of enneatype Four to confront the complexities of the emotional life, and it is very often Fours who retrieve for us much that
would prefer to stay comfortably hidden from consciousness, much that is dark and unsavory, much that is disturbing and unsettling. But, when healthy,
Fours show us our happiness too.

Fours with a Three wing are generally more outgoing, practical and competitive than Fours with a Five wing. They often have a dramatic flair and tend to
be emotionally expressive. Fours with a Five wing are more withdrawn and, while still predominantly emotional, more likely to be intellectuals who
infuse their feelings with ideas. They tend to be introspective, often to the point of self-absorption.

Type Exemplars

Existential Philosophy is attractive to many Fours and several of the most significant Existentialist writers have been Fours: Soren Kierkegaard who
searched for a truth that was true for him was a Four, as were Albert Camus and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dotoyevskys underground man was also a
Fouran unhealthy one to be sure. At one point he declared in typical Fourish fashion My debauchery I undertook solitarily, by night, covertly, fearfully,
filthily, with a shame that would not abandon me I was then already bearing the underground in my soul.

Many singer/songwriters have been Fours, including Bob Dylan (the voice of his generation, a label he always detested), Annie Lenox, Prince, Alanis
Morrisette. Also the more classical composers: Beethoven, Chopin, Mahler and Tchaikovsky.

The photographer, Diane Arbus, was likewise a Four. Her obsession with those whom most consider to be freaks demonstrates a typical Fourish
interest in whatever exists outside the boundaries of the conventional. About a collection of photographs aptly entitled Freaks, Arbus said: Freaks was a
thing I photographed a lot. It was one of the first things I photographed and it had a terrific kind of excitement for me. I just used to adore them. I still
do adore some of them. I dont quite mean theyre my best friends but they made me feel a mixture of shame and awe. Theres a quality of legend
about freaks. Lke a person in a fairy tale who stops you and demands that you answer a riddle. Most people go through life dreading theyll have a
traumatifc experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. Theyve already passed their test in life. Theyre aristocrats.

Famous artists include Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Frida Kahlo, Kasimir Malevich, Amadeo Modigliani, Edvard Munch and Francisco de Goya.

Many famous writers have been Fours. To name a few: Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, D.H. Lawrence, William Faulkner,
J.D.Salinger, Marguerite Duras, Isabel Allende and Anais Nin. Nins diary is a captivating portrait of a talented but unhealthy Four caught up in a state of
narcissistic self-absorption.

The romantic movement was replete with Fours: Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron and John Keats were all
Fours.

Actors include: Sarah Bernhardt, Rachel Weisz, Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, Jeremy Irons, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder.

Famous fictional characters include The Bell Jars Esther Greenwood, Anna Karenina, and Blanche du Bois.

Possible Mistypes

Fours and Ones are both oriented towards an ideal, although the Ones ideal generally has a moral torque whereas the Fours is more aesthetic and
personal. Both can also have perfectionistic streaks. But Fours tend to be self-absorbed, and, when stressed, become self-indulgent and more
emotionally expressive, whereas Ones under stress become increasingly self-denying and emotionally repressed.

Fours and Twos can both be emotionally expressive, and Fours, like Twos, can experience neediness under stress, but it is Twos, especially those who
have artistic inclinations, who are more likely to mistype as Fours than the converse. The principle difference centers around the fact that Twos tend to
be focused on others, whereas Fours tend toward self-absorption. Fours are introspective and tend to magnify their perceived flaws whereas Twos tend
to have a self-flattering self-image.

Both Threes and Fours are concerned with image and, when the wing is strong, can mistype, although here, once again, it is typically Threes who
mistype as Four rather than the converse. Threes however, are generally more comfortable with self-presentation and are more likely to achieve
success in the conventional sense of the term than are the more reclusive and self-conscious Fours. Fours are introspective whereas Threes tend to
focus outward. Finally, Threes tend to detach from emotions under stress and to focus on being competent, whereas Fours are likely to want a time out
to process their emotions.

Fours and Fives share many traits in common and can easily be mistyped, especially when the wing is strong. Both types are frequently introspective,
intellectually inclined and prone to withdrawal. The principle difference lies in the relationship that each type has to emotional experience. Fours
generally know exactly how they are feeling and are generally comfortable dealing with emotional expressions from others. Fives, on the other hand,
tend to detach from direct emotional experience under stress, and need to take time to process their emotional response. Finally, Fours are more
inclined to self-revelation than are Fives, who generally find self-disclosure to be especially taxing.

Fours and Sixes can mistype, especially if the Six is artistically inclined and individualistic. But Fours are less attuned to the needs and expectations of
others than are Sixes, who are usually very involved with friends and family and, more generally, in affairs of the world. Sixes frequently suffer from
inner conflict but they are not essentially self-absorbed. Most Sixes form interpersonal bonds quite naturally, something which doesnt come as easily to
more reclusive and self-conscious Fours.

While almost the opposite in some respects, Fours and Sevens can both be unconventional, creative, and self-indulgent, and both can be attention
seeking. Surprisingly, it is not especially uncommon for Sevens to mistype as Fours. When they recognize the disparity between the optimistic, fun
loving persona that they project to the world and their own often anxious internal mental states, they can confuse their pain with the melancholia of
type Four. Sevens are in flight from this pain however, whereas Fours often cultivate their negative mental states. Moreover, Sevens are generally far
more extroverted than Fours.

It is not common for Fours and Eights to be mistaken for one another, but Fours with Three wings can present as passionate, expressive and
domineering, and such behavior might generate a mistype. Eights however tend to repress from consciousness any feelings of vulnerability whereas
Fours are comfortable exploring such emotions. Eights are practical people of action, Fours require a good deal of time alone and often work on projects
which have no practical application.

Fours and Nines are both withdrawn types, and both can be creative and sensitive. Fours have a far darker inner mental landscape than do Nines
however, who tend to detach from unpleasant emotions. Nines are conflict avoidant whereas Fours sometimes invite conflict as a means to intensify
experience. Nines tend to relate well to others and to find a niche in their social circle; Fours tend to feel like misfits who cant quite find their place.

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