As writers, we often seek that spark of inspiration to bring our characters to life, making them truly resonate with our readers. Personally, I’ve discovered a wellspring of inspiration in the realms of the Enneagram and Jungian Theory, and I’m excited to share this creative journey with fellow storytellers.
In this blog post, I aim to provide you with a source of inspiration. The Enneagram, with its nine distinct personality types, can illuminate the motivations, fears, and desires that fuel our characters’ journeys. Jungian Theory, through its cognitive functions, offers a unique perspective on how characters perceive and interact with the world.
Explore Character Depth: A Table of Contents
1. Enneagram types: Description of types and their core items.
2. Motivations: Understanding What Drives Your Characters
3. Fears: Exploring Your Characters’ Deepest Anxieties
4. Desires: Uncovering Your Characters’ Inner Longings
5. Weaknesses: Identifying Areas of Character Conflict
5. Strengths: Recognizing the Virtues That Define Your Characters
6. Harnessing the Power: How These Insights Can Elevate Your Writing
7. The Jungian Perspective: Cognitive Functions for Character Insight
Type 1: The Perfectionist
• Description: Perfectionists are driven by a strong desire to do what is right and just. They fear being wrong or bad and seek to improve themselves and the world around them.
• Core Items: Desire to do what is right and just, fear of being wrong or bad, desire to improve themselves and the world around them, self-criticism and judgment of themselves and others, high standards and strong sense of morality.
Type 2: The Helper
• Description: Helpers are motivated by a need to be loved and needed. They fear being unwanted or unloved and seek to care for and assist others.
• Core Items: Need to be loved and needed, fear of being unwanted or unloved, desire to care for and assist others, over-identifying with others’ needs, empathy and compassion.
Type 3: The Achiever
• Description: Achievers are motivated by the desire to be successful and admired. They fear being worthless or unsuccessful and strive to excel in their pursuits.
• Core Items: Desire to be successful and admired, fear of being worthless or unsuccessful, desire to excel, becoming overly focused on their image, ambition and drive.
Type 4: The Individualist
• Description: Individualists are motivated to find their unique identity and significance. They fear being ordinary and yearn to express themselves authentically.
• Core Items: Finding unique identity and significance, fear of being ordinary, desire for authentic expression, getting lost in emotions, creativity and individuality.
Type 5: The Investigator
• Description: Investigators are motivated by a thirst for knowledge and understanding. They fear incompetence and ignorance and seek to analyze and comprehend the world around them.
• Core Items: Thirst for knowledge and understanding, fear of incompetence and ignorance, desire to analyze and comprehend the world, withdrawing from others, intellectual curiosity and pursuit of knowledge.
Type 6: The Loyalist
• Description: Loyalists are motivated by a desire for security and support. They fear being without guidance and rely on trustworthy people and systems.
• Core Items: Desire for security and support, fear of being without guidance, reliance on trustworthy sources, anxiety and doubt, loyalty and commitment.
Type 7: The Enthusiast
• Description: Enthusiasts are motivated by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. They fear feeling trapped and love exploring new experiences.
• Core Items: Pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, fear of feeling trapped, desire to explore new experiences, avoiding negative emotions, optimism and sense of adventure.
Type 8: The Challenger
• Description: Challengers are motivated by the need for control and to avoid vulnerability. They fear weakness and assert their strength and authority.
• Core Items: Need for control and avoidance of vulnerability, fear of weakness, desire to assert strength and authority, risk of overusing aggression, courage and strong sense of justice.
Type 9: The Peacemaker
• Description: Peacemakers are motivated to maintain inner peace and harmony. They fear conflict and seek to find common ground.
• Core Items: Desire to maintain inner peace and harmony, fear of conflict, desire to find common ground, avoiding conflict and indecisiveness, understanding multiple perspectives and compromise.
Motivations
• M1: Motivated to do what is right and just
Type: The Reformer
Jungian Function: Te
• M2: Motivated to be loved and needed
Type: The Helper
Jungian Function: Fe
• M3: Motivated to be successful and admired
Type: The Achiever
Jungian Function: Se
• M4: Motivated to find their unique identity and significance
Type: The Individualist
Jungian Function: Fi
• M5: Motivated to understand and gain knowledge
Type: The Investigator
Jungian Function: Ti
• M6: Motivated to feel secure and supported
Type: The Loyalist
Jungian Function: Si
• M7: Motivated to experience pleasure and avoid pain
Type: The Enthusiast
Jungian Function: Se
• M8: Motivated to be in control and avoid vulnerability
Type: The Challenger
Jungian Function: Te
• M9: Motivated to maintain inner peace and harmony
Type: The Peacemaker
Jungian Function: Fi
Fears
• F1: Fears being wrong or bad
Type: The Reformer
Jungian Function: Ti
• F2: Fears being unwanted or unloved
Type: The Helper
Jungian Function: Fi
• F3: Fears being worthless or unsuccessful
Type: The Achiever
Jungian Function: Si
• F4: Fears being ordinary or mundane
Type: The Individualist
Jungian Function: Ne
• F5: Fears being incompetent or ignorant
Type: The Investigator
Jungian Function: Te
• F6: Fears being without guidance or support
Type: The Loyalist
Jungian Function: Se
• F7: Fears being trapped or limited
Type: The Enthusiast
Jungian Function: Ni
• F8: Fears being weak or powerless
Type: The Challenger
Jungian Function: Fi
• F9: Fears conflict and disharmony
Type: The Peacemaker
Jungian Function: Ne
Desires
• D1: Desires to improve themselves and the world
Type: The Reformer
Jungian Function: Te
• D2: Desires to help and care for others
Type: The Helper
Jungian Function: Fe
• D3: Desires to achieve and excel in their endeavors
Type: The Achiever
Jungian Function: Se
• D4: Desires to express themselves creatively and authentically
Type: The Individualist
Jungian Function: Fi
• D5: Desires to analyze and comprehend the world around them
Type: The Investigator
Jungian Function: Ti
• D6: Desires to find trustworthy people and systems to rely on
Type: The Loyalist
Jungian Function: Si
• D7: Desires to explore and enjoy new experiences
Type: The Enthusiast
Jungian Function: Se
• D8: Desires to assert their strength and authority
Type: The Challenger
Jungian Function: Te
• D9: Desires to find common ground and avoid confrontation
Type: The Peacemaker
Jungian Function: Fi
Weaknesses
• W1: Excessive self-criticism and tendency to judge oneself and others harshly
Type: The Reformer
Jungian Function: Ti
• W2: Putting excessive emphasis on the needs and emotions of others, sometimes at the expense of one’s own well-being
Type: The Helper
Jungian Function: Fi
• W3: Becoming overly invested in maintaining a specific image or persona to gain validation and recognition
Type: The Achiever
Jungian Function: Si
• W4: Becoming overly absorbed in and defined by one’s emotions and inner world
Type: The Individualist
Jungian Function: Ne
• W5: Tendency to withdraw from social interactions and seek solitude for extended periods
Type: The Investigator
Jungian Function: Te
• W6: Frequent feelings of anxiety and doubt about oneself and others, leading to hesitation and mistrust
Type: The Loyalist
Jungian Function: Se
• W7: A strong aversion to experiencing negative emotions and discomfort, often seeking distractions or positive experiences
Type: The Enthusiast
Jungian Function: Ni
• W8: A tendency to rely on aggression and intimidation as a means of asserting control or protecting oneself
Type: The Challenger
Jungian Function:Fi
• W9: A strong desire to avoid conflict and difficulty making decisions when faced with differing opinions or choices
Type: The Peacemaker
Jungian Function: Ne
Strengths
• S1: High standards and a strong sense of morality
Type: The Reformer
Jungian Function: Te
• S2: Empathy and compassion for others
Type: The Helper
Jungian Function: Fe
• S3: Ambition and drive to succeed
Type: The Achiever
Jungian Function: Se
• S4: Creativity and a deep sense of individuality
Type: The Individualist
Jungian Function: Fi
• S5: Intellectual curiosity and a thirst for knowledge
Type: The Investigator
Jungian Function: Ti
• S6: Loyalty and commitment to their values and relationships
Type: The Loyalist
Jungian Function: Si
• S7: Optimism and a sense of adventure
Type: The Enthusiast
Jungian Function: Se
• S8: Courage and a strong sense of justice
Type: The Challenger
Jungian Function: Te
• S9: Ability to see multiple perspectives and find compromise
Type: The Peacemaker
Jungian Function: Fi
Jungian Functions
• Te: Thinking Extroverted
Description: Te is oriented towards organizing the external world, prioritizing efficiency, productivity, and structured logic.
• Ti: Thinking Introverted
Description: Ti seeks precision, such as the exact word to express an idea. It notices the minute distinctions that define the essence of things, then analyzes and classifies them.
• Fe: Feeling Extroverted
Description: Fe prioritizes the emotional needs of others and seeks harmony in interpersonal relationships. It values societal norms and tends to prioritize group harmony over individual needs.
• Fi: Feeling Introverted
Description: Fi is focused on internal values and how one feels about them. It evaluates things based on how well they align with personal beliefs and values.
• Se: Sensing Extroverted
Description: Se focuses on the immediate context, experiencing and noticing the external environment in vivid detail. It is highly attuned to sensory experience and is often spontaneous.
• Si: Sensing Introverted
Description: Si draws upon past experiences and stored data to form perceptions. It values tradition, stability, and the lessons of history.
• Ne: iNtuition Extroverted
Description: Ne sees possibilities of what could be, often leading to bursts of inspiration. It enjoys brainstorming and thinking outside the box.
• Ni: iNtuition Introverted
Description: Ni has a vision of how things could evolve over time. It synthesizes seemingly disparate ideas into a unified vision, often resulting in an “aha!” moment.
May this exploration inspire you to delve into the depths of your characters’ personalities, crafting stories that resonate with readers on a profound level. Together, let’s unleash the power of personality in our narratives and create stories that linger in the hearts and minds of those who encounter them.
Happy writing, fellow storytellers!
PS: Unlock Deeper Character Insights
If you’re curious to see how the Enneagram can enhance your character development, consider taking the Enneagram test. With your test results in hand, you can then use cutting-edge AI tools, like chat gpt, to dive even deeper into your characters’ psyches. Discover how they interact, what drives them, and how they handle conflict, all with the power of AI assistance.