The 9 Types of Introverts on the Enneagram – Which one are you?

Enneagram Coach Hans Schumann explains how the Enneagram model of personalities brings us to a deeper understanding of our introverted tendencies and how to avoid being trapped by them.

Have you ever wondered why you are an introvert and whether this could hold you back in life? Many people learn that they are introverts through personality tests such as Myers Briggs, DISC and Insight Discovery. These tests classify personalities with reference to opposing traits, like introverts and extroverts. Whilst it may be interesting to find out where you are on this spectrum, you may wonder how this information helps you. Being an introvert is not better or worse than being an extrovert.

Where it becomes interesting is when you understand why you have an introverted tendency.

This article offers answers by exploring introvertism through the lens of the Enneagram.

The Enneagram is a personal growth model based on 9 archetypes of personalities and 27 subtypes. It does not categorise them by reference to behaviours but by motivation, fears and defence patterns.  Whilst an Enneagram report may tell you about certain behaviours of your personality, many of them are shared with other types.  Instead, what decides whether you are a particular Enneagram type depends on what drives this behaviour.  For example, when an Enneagram Type 1 is an introvert, it will be for very different reasons than an Enneagram Type 4.

The Enneagram offers an explanation of why we act, think and feel the way we do. It also shows us how those patterns can hold us back in life.  This deeper level of information is what makes the Enneagram so powerful.

The struggle of introverts

Being an introvert means that you find it energetically draining to socialise.  You may well be outgoing and enjoy social interactions, but you have a limited shelf-life when around other people.  After a while, you feel an urge to withdraw and recharge. This can make it difficult for an introvert to thrive in such areas as self-promotion, dating, networking, marketing and selling. You may find that other people around you, who are more vocal and social, are also more successful in certain areas of life, even if they’re not as skilled, friendly or authentic as you.

Some introverts also feel they are missing out on life, even though they are partly to blame for that by withdrawing into their own little bubble. There is a part of us introverts that wants to go out, have adventures and live life to the full, but then there is also a strong pull into isolation.  It can be difficult to counteract this pattern even if we can see how it deprives us of some of the happiness we desire. The Enneagram helps us understand why we have this tendency.

Can you fix an introvert?

No, because there is nothing to “fix”. Being an introvert is in no way worse or better than being an extrovert. Both have advantages and drawbacks. Many introverts, including me, enjoy being introverts and live happy and successful lives.

At the same time, it’s not about being one or the other. Introvertism and extrovertism are opposites on a spectrum of behaviour; we are all somewhere on this spectrum, maybe even in perfect balance in the middle.

While you may be happy being an introvert, it is helpful to occasionally lean more towards the extroverted end of the spectrum.  It provides access to additional tools and resources in life. This applies to any behavioural patterns we may have, not just introvertism. If we become too comfortable in our usual ways of being, we are not fully leveraging the whole range of options we have to engage with life; the more we have, the better we become equipped to create the life we want.

I am not advocating that introverts change who they are, but that they would benefit from moving just a bit more towards extrovertism from time to time. This will give an introvert more flexibility and freedom. In the same way, I recommend that extroverts practise leaning into introvertism.

Understanding the driver of your introvertism

If you are an introvert and would like to stretch yourself a bit, how can you act and feel more like an extrovert occasionally?

Most conventional psychometric tests, like Meyers Briggs, DISC and Insight Discovery, fail to provide an answer to this question. They treat all introverts equally and do not explain why some of us are so attached to our introverted behaviours while others are not. The answer lies in understanding what exactly makes introverts perceive social interactions as exhausting.

Introverts often feel that socialising drains their energy, but this is not what really happens.  Other people cannot suck energy out of us.  We perceive interactions as draining because of our thoughts and feelings when we are around other people. We tend to be unaware of this until we discover our subconscious patterns with models like the Enneagram. Once we better understand what makes those social interactions so draining to us, we can work on those areas. It often goes back to the defence patterns we created as a child.

Let me explain.

The Enneagram approach 

People often ask where introverts can be found on the Enneagram model.  The simple answer is: nowhere and everywhere. Although people think the Enneagram is just another personality test like many they have taken before, it isn’t. It explores who we are in a very different way.

The Enneagram helps us understand how we developed defence strategies in our childhood. When we were children, we depended on adults for our survival, and our instinct made us pick a plan to win their attention.  Examples of such survival strategies are:

• Be perfect
• Be liked
• Be the best
• Be special
• Be quiet
• Be careful
• Have fun
• Be strong
• Blend in

Each of these strategies came with associated values, worldviews, fears and beliefs. They formed a “persona” we adopted to be safe, and we carried it into our adulthood.  We still play out the same defence strategies as grown-ups, and there will always be one that dominates our personality. An Enneagram test will tell you which one is yours.

So how does this relate to introvertism?

Your drive towards introvertism is likely to be related to your very own survival strategy that you created as a child and that you still play out subconsciously.

Let’s explore this by examining a few Enneagram types and how they can drive an introverted pattern. Most Enneagram types can be introverts or extroverts, including the ones I cover in the sections below. But for this article, we will only discuss them in the context of introvertism.

Each of the 9 types has three Enneagram subtypes that can look very different from the typical type description. So there are actually 27 different types of introverts.  For this article, I cannot go into that amount of detail, and I’ve had to simplify and generalise some of the Enneagram themes.

So let’s look at a few examples. Apologies for using images that show stereotypes of the 9 personalities. It’s just for fun! 

Enneagram Type 1: The Strict Perfectionist

The pattern: If you are a Type 1, you will spend a lot of energy constantly self-regulating how you behave or even feel.  At the core of this type is a subconscious effort to avoid criticism. Type 1s do this by trying to be perfect, following rules and always doing what they think is “right”.  When they are with other people, they spend a lot of energy thinking about how they could be perceived by them and regulate their behaviours to be safe in social contexts.  This can be exhausting; so exhausting that it can drive a desire to avoid too much social interaction. If you are a Type 1 and also an introvert, you may perceive less pressure when alone in your introverted bubble.

The growth path for Type 1 introverts: If this pattern resonates with you, you might benefit from letting go of your high standards and becoming less concerned with what other people may think of you.  The more you can ease into just being yourself with others, the easier you will find it to enjoy socialising. It will help if you can shift your focus away from the critical dialogue in your head towards your feelings and instead be more present with the persons you interact with.

Enneagram Type 4: The Intensive Creative

The pattern: Type 4s are driven by a desire to be special and individual. To a certain extent, we all want this, but it forms a more central theme for the Type 4. One of the side effects of wanting to be special is that it can create a separation between us and others.  As a Type 4, you may think you don’t belong to the social groups other people form. You may cherish being different, but at the same time suffer from the separation you experience and feel lonely and misunderstood. If the Type 4 is also an introvert, they may lean towards withdrawing from social interactions and indulging in a downward spiral of negative thoughts.

The growth path for Type 4 introverts: If that’s you, then it’s important to realise that the separation you experience is just in your head. You created it. What separates you from others is simply a story you tell yourself. Deconstructing this story can be deeply transformational.  If you then also move away from focusing too much on your own emotions and problems, and shift your attention to those of other people, you may experience more emotional balance in your life and improve your relationships with others.  If you are a Type 4 and introverted, you may learn to enjoy blending in with groups and find nourishment from deepening those connections. This will not make you any less special.

Enneagram Type 5: The Quiet Specialist

The pattern: Whilst all Enneagram types can be either introverted or extroverted, I have yet to find an extroverted Type 5.  If you resonate with this type, you probably value alone time for reflecting, gathering information and recharging.  You may well enjoy socialising, but need your peace and quietude every day.

Often, this type holds a belief that their energy resources are limited. They feel that there is only so much they can give to others and that connecting with others depletes their energy resources. Yet, as we established earlier in ths article, people cannot really suck energy out of us. They don’t drain us; it is the way we process social encounters in our mind that may give us the experience of being drained. For Type 5s, it can also be the mere fear of being drained that becomes draining. This traps them in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Added to that, they also spend a lot of mental energy playing out dialogues and scenarios in their mind, before saying something in social settings. This resembles a chess player who considers multiple options and consequences before making a move. All of this costs mental energy.

The growth path for Type 5 introverts: Type 5s might benefit from appreciating more the nourishing support that others can give if they let them into their lives.  Indeed, often Type 5s do enjoy social interactions when they allow them to happen.  What can help them in this respect is to practise shifting their attention from the activity in their mind to their emotions when they are with other people. If they give up their need to strategise and open their heart to simple and joyful connections with others, they may experience socialising as less draining. This will help Type 5s in many ways. The more often they leave their introverted bubble, the more likely it becomes that they will meet people they enjoy being with.  Those people may even have answers and new ideas for the problems that they have been trying to solve on their own.

Enneagram Type 6: The Loyal Sceptic 

The pattern: Type 6s tend to see the world as an unsafe place. Their awareness is focused on spotting threats and, depending on the subtype, avoiding them. What safer place than being at home with your loved ones? This can lead to an introverted pattern, but it does not need to.

If this is you, you may find it difficult to trust other people or feel safe in social settings. This may cause you to hold back from connecting with others in your personal and professional relationships.  If you are an introverted Type 6, you are probably close and loyal to just a small circle of friends who have managed to win your trust.

Whilst this pattern may indeed help you avoid certain risks, it can also deprive you of joy in life.  At the end of the day, although Type 6s spend all their energy on being safe, they never actually feel safe.  Like all Enneagram types, they play a game they can never win.

The growth path for Type 6 introverts: Type 6s can grow beyond the limitations of this pattern by making friends with their fears, relinquishing some degree of control and enjoying trusting more people. The mental effort they put into avoiding risks can be depleting.  If they learn to surrender to the fact that life has risks and to dance with their fear rather than trying to eliminate it, they may find social interactions less draining.

Enneagram Type 9: The Adaptive Peacemaker

The pattern: Type 9s seek peace and harmony. They do this by becoming masters in adapting and avoiding conflicts.  They are easy to like because they tend to go with the flow of the crowd and hardly ever disagree with you.  However, this can lead to them feeling controlled by others, although they actually relinquished the control themselves.  Rather than asserting their own views or wishes with others, Type 9s often withdraw into the comfort of their own domestic bubble, where they feel free from other people’s agendas and pressures. They may also escape into routines, workaholism or creature comforts that serve as a substitute for the things they want but fail to stand up for.

When Type 9s are with other people, they often sense disturbances in harmony energetically and feel that it is on them to establish peace. This can become draining.

The growth path for Type 9 introverts: Introverted Type 9s will benefit from exploring what they really want from life and how to pursue their own agenda confidently.  This will involve saying “no” more often, establishing boundaries and clearly expressing preferences. The more Type 9s assert themselves in social settings and relinquish their role as peacemaker, the more they are likely to enjoy being around people.

The role of instincts

There is another important element of our personality which influences the likelihood of our being introvert rather than extrovert: our instincts.  I am referring to the part of us that is still animal and driven by basic primal survival instincts. Those instincts operate alongside our psychological patterns.

In the Enneagram model, we recognise three primary instincts:

Self-Preservation: “I survive by ensuring my safety” – This instinct is focused on avoiding dangers, managing resources and maintaining wellbeing.

Social: “I survive by joining a tribe.” – This instinct focuses on the needs and rules of communities that keep us safe.

Sexual: “I survive by attracting and competing.” – This instinct drives us to stand out in a crowd and move towards the things we want.

We all have access to all three instincts, but do not use them as effectively as animals because our psychological patterns interfere with them. They hijack the instincts for their own agenda, which drives us to distort them; we then also overuse one of the three, which we call the dominant instinct.

If you feel stressed, you will likely seek comfort by following your dominant instinct.  If your dominant instinct is Self-preservation, you are more likely to withdraw from others in these situations.  Yet this is not always the best solution.  Evolution has optimised us for survival, not for happiness.

If you explore how your dominant instinct, combined with your Enneagram type, plays out in your life, you will get a pretty good idea of the personal reasons behind your introverted tendencies.

What type of introvert are you?

I have only covered a few of the Enneagram types in this article and had to simplify their descriptions quite a bit, but maybe you already resonate with one of them.  I find myself in a few of the types, although Type 4 is clearly my dominant one. Catching myself when I express the patterns I’ve outlined in this article helps me be kinder to myself and, at the same time, consciously choose a different course of action rather than letting my life run on autopilot.

If you are curious to learn about the other Enneagram types and which one may be yours, you can take an online Enneagram test. I offer this bundled with a one-hour debrief session and bonus content.  Click here for more information.

Once you understand the drivers of your introverted behaviour, you can make adjustments to grow beyond its limitations.  This could involve changing your beliefs about yourself and others, learning from other Enneagram types and cultivating small and regular steps that stretch you beyond the confines of your type.  Rather than changing who you are, you will add new ways of being to your existing life skills.

Click here to book a free Discovery Call to discuss how I can help you improve your personal effectiveness and emotional wellbeing.