Enneatype 9 is often described as "going with the flow", "not rocking the boat", "going along to get along." It's said that when pushed too far they can become stubborn and "dig their heels in." What could possibly underlie this sort of behavior?

It may be true that most, if not all, type 4's have been depressed at sometime in their life. That may also be true of many Enneagram types. With type 4, depression, sadness or melancholy can arise as a byproduct of other processes or triggers.

While the Enneagram symbol limits the number of different enneatypes to nine, a variety of enhancements have been introduced over the years to explain the differences within each type (i.e., why two people of the same type can present so differently). Some of the enhancements to the system are widely accepted and some are more author specific.

It's unfortunate that the enneatype writers have seemingly limited themselves to the concepts of aggressive, compliant and detached types within Karen Horney's work. Opportunities for applying other insightful aspects of her work to the enneatypes are missed. In discussing the idealized image in her book Our Inner Conflicts, she offers what can be seen as an interesting comparison between enneatypes 7, 4 and 1.

In 1945, long before the Enneagram personality types were taught, Karen Horney's book Our Inner Conflicts was published. In that book are introduced the aggressive, compliant and detached types. In the Enneagram personality system, these types have been used to create the three so-called Horneyvian triads: aggressive, compliant and withdrawn. Although these Horneyvian triads are a widely accepted feature of the Enneagram system, the type descriptions in Our Inner Conflicts seem to match only three of the nine enneatypes.

I've often wondered if the reason that personality theories and interpretations are so different is due to the interpreter's own personality style. Here are some examples of what I mean.

The Epicure, The Enthusiast, The Adventurer, The Visionary, The Dreamer, The Joyful Person and The Futurist are all labels used by authors to describe Enneatype 7. The common thread seems to point to someone with a positive anticipation of the future that seeks out new and exciting possibilities. Does this approach to life lead to happiness or an endless pursuit of happiness?

Stereotyping the Enneagram types can be understood in terms of inductive and deductive reasoning. The inductive approach goes from details to generalizations while the deductive approach starts with generalizations and moves to details. Although using one or the other approach exclusively can easily lead to stereotyping, it seems to me that the deductive approach to typing leads to stereotyping more often (especially with people just learning the Enneatypes).

The two Enneatypes on either side of each Enneatype are called wings. The term "wing" describes well the placement of the two types. What's insufficient is an explanation of what they are precisely and why placing them on either side is the best placement.

I've noticed early on that the types opposite each other are similar in some way (e.g., some 9's can seem 5-like, some 6's can seem 1-like). Instead of truly exploring these connections, people studying the Enneagram often explain it away as having to do with the aggressive, compliant or withdrawn triads. I see problems with that type of approach though.