The Enneagram and the MBTI: In Search of Common Ground, Part 2

Section One: The Proposed 'Deep Structure'

First we must conceive of the enneagram as composed of nine 'zones', one zone associated with each enneagram point. In each zone gathers a 'family' of MBTI types that 'resemble' each other, although there is no one obvious feature which all members of the family have in common.

Furthermore, the family in each zone clusters around an MBTI pair that can be considered that zone's 'prototypes'. This protypical pair manifests a characteristic 'issue' (associated with their common inferior function) which all other family members, although they may have different fourth functions, also share in varying degrees.

Now, some ESTPs and ENTPs may also test as 8s, although they do not have feeling as their fourth function. Nevertheless, we hypothesize, feeling will be underdeveloped in these particular individuals and it is this (and related issues) that they share with the others in zone 8 [more about this below].

The following chart correlates an 'inferior function' with each zone and specifies the pair that is the 'prototype' for each zone. [We will use the following 'shorthand' convention: the formula 'E(N/S)TJ' will substitute for 'ENTJ and ESTJ'.]

Zone	Issue	Prototypical MBTI Pair	The Preference Orders for the Members of the Prototypical Pair
8	Inferior introverted feeling	E(N/S)TJ	T-N-S-F & T-S-N-F
2	Inferior introverted thinking	E(N/S)FJ	F-N-S-T & F-S-N-T
3	Inferior introverted intuition	ES(T/F)P	S-T-F-N & S-F-T-N
7	Inferior introverted sensing	EN(T/F)P	N-T-F-S & N-F-T-S
5	Inferior extraverted feeling	I(N/S)TP	T-N-S-F & T-S-N-F
9	Inferior extraverted thinking	I(N/S)FP	F-N-S-T & F-S-N-T
6	Inferior extraverted intuition	IS(T/F)J	S-T-F-N & S-F-T-N
4	Inferior extraverted sensing	IN(T/F)J	N-T-F-S & N-F-T-S

Let us summarize what we have said so far.

• There are nine 'zones', one zone associated with each enneagram point
• In each zone gathers a 'family' of MBTI types
• Prototypical of each zone (and each family) is a pair of MBTI types (specified above)
• Each family, however, is not limited to the prototypical pair, but is comprised also of individuals of other types who share issues related to the inferior function of the prototypical pair

From the above chart it is easy to see that each zone will also have a special relationship with one other zone, with which it shares an inferior function. For instance, 8 and 5 both have inferior feeling (although they also differ, insofar as zone 8 has inferior introverted feeling, and zone 5 has inferior extraverted feeling). Also, 2 and 9 have inferior thinking; 3 and 6 have inferior intuition; and 7 and 4 have inferior sensing. When we drew a circle with the nine points on it and connected these complementary pairs, we were surprised to get the following symmetrical diagram:

Zone 1

Type	Preference Order
ISFJ	S-F-T-N
ISTJ	S-T-F-N
INTJ	N-T-F-S
INFJ	N-F-T-S
ESTJ	T-S-N-F
ENTJ	T-N-S-F
ENFJ	F-N-S-T
ESFJ	F-S-N-T

What this seems to mean is that in zone 1 each of the eight preference orders occurs, and both extraverted and introverted types gather - a kind of reconciliation of opposite MBTI types. Zone 1 demonstrates a sort of 'perfection' of distribution of type, a 'completion' phenomenon.

What Additional MBTI Types Reside in Each Zone?

As we have already mentioned, not only the 'prototypical' pair for each zone can join the family of types in that zone - other types can also. Individuals who test as ESTP, although they are not 'prototypical' of zone 8, can also test as enneagram 8s (and they often do). How is this possible? Well, the 'preference order' of an ESTP is S-T-F-N. Feeling is the 'tertiary' function, and although it is not 'inferior' in the 'technical' sense of that term (ie, it is not the FOURTH function for that individual), it may be 'inferior' in that it is significantly underdeveloped . This would not be unusual. For most individuals it is likely that the third function will be considerably less developed from underuse. Some individuals who have feeling as their second (auxiliary) function may also have a relatively underdeveloped feeling function - for such individuals only their dominant function is well-developed. These folks could, as a result, also score as 8s, since they share the 'issues' involved in having an underdeveloped feeling function with ESTJs and ENTJs. Interestingly, such individuals will not share the same dominant function with the prototypes of the zone - they will not be thinking types (the ESTP, for instance, is a sensing type), and so may look, at first glance, as if they shouldn't belong in the family. But the 'family resemblence' they bear with the others is based not a common dominant function, but on shared inferiority in a particular function (in this case, feeling).

Section Two: Three Kinds of 'Opposite' Type

Before moving on we would like to point out that the relationship between connected points on the diagram above is one of three possible kinds of 'opposite' relationship that can occur between MBTI types. Although MBTI training has not yet chosen to focus on this aspect of theory, a hidden power of the system (derived from its clear and unambiguous infrastructure) is that one can begin to understand various kinds of relationship between types, and patterns of relationship, by looking closely at each type through the lens of 'infrastructure'. The three kinds of opposite are:

1. What might be called the 'shadow' opposite. The shadow opposite of a type will have both the opposite orientation (ie, 'E' as opposed to 'I', or 'I' as opposed to 'E') and an inverted 'preference order'. Here is where the alternate convention for writing MBTI types (established in Part 1) comes in particularly handy: E\S-T-F-N is the shadow opposite of I\N-F-T-S. Using this nomenclature one can easily see that the prefererence order is inverted, and the E is changed to I. One can also 'read' the shadow opposite from the traditional MBTI label, by changing all the letters of the name: the ESTP is the shadow opposite of the INFJ. An individual's shadow type, we might mention, will probably appear foreign or strange to him/her, and it is on the shadow type that he/she is likely to project evil.
2. Then there is what might be called the type's 'complementary opposite'. The complementary opposite of a type will have the opposite orientation, but the SAME preference order. E\N-F-T-S would be the complementary opposite of I\N-F-T-S. Jung observed that it may actually be more difficult for us to understand individuals who are opposite to us in this way than it is to understand our 'shadow' opposites. Why? Because to transform into this type of opposite would be like turning oneself inside out. If one usually use intuition as one's dominant introverted function, to use it in an extraverted fashion will not be easy. When one meets a 'complementary' opposite, however, one also feels a strange sense of similarity - for they are, after all, using the same functions ordered in the same way, but just turned inside out! One can 'read' the complementary opposite from the traditional MBTI type name by changing the first and last letters of the name: the complementary opposite of the INFJ is ENFP. [And, of course, it is this type of opposite that is connected by the lines in the above diagram].
3. Finally, there is what might be called the type's 'mirror' opposite. The mirror opposite of a type will have the same orientation (E or I) and an inverted preference order. I\S-T-F-N will be the 'mirror opposite' of I\N-F-T-S. One can 'read' the mirror opposite of a type from the traditional MBTI name by changing the two inner-most letters of the type name: the mirror opposite of INFJ is ISTJ. Experientially, this is like looking in a mirror, the preference orders are inverted in the same way that right is turned to left and left to right in a mirror.

These rules are summed up in the following chart:

	Orientation (E or I)	Preference Order
Any given MBTI Type	same	same
Shadow Opposite	Opposite	Inverted
Complementary Opposite	Opposite	Same
Mirror Opposite	Same	Inverted

Taking the 'INFJ' as an example:

	Orientation	Preference Order	Name
The Selected MBTI Type	I	N-F-T-S	= INFJ
Shadow Opposite	E	S-T-F-N	= ESTP
Complementary Opposite	E	N-F-T-S	= ENFP
Mirror Opposite	I	S-T-F-N	= ISTJ

A Visualizaton Exercise Illustrating the Three Kinds of Opposite

Imagine you are about to enter a very special imaginal 'space'. You drop into this space at a specific location, which defines your 'personality type' as long as you remain in that particular location. As you move in any direction your personality shapeshifts - you turn slowly from one MBTI type into another. Dropping into this imaginal space at 'zone four', you begin to explore the terrain.

You begin to feel your attention attracted inwardly to a deep objectless awareness at the center of your being. It is akin to an 'absence', out of which visions and archetypal images emerge. You are interested in their 'meaning'. There is a pull toward internal possibilities that do not yet exist, a romantic longing for distant states of consciousness, a fascination with new modes of internal being. This, says your guide-book, is the world of the 'introverted intuitive'. You are so engrossed by this experience that you fail to pay much attention to sensory input - you even find that your externally oriented sensory awareness is providing an especially weak signal, perhaps as a result of atrophy of the sensory function, due to under-use. But you DO notice that you are capable of feeling what is going on externally; you are especially good at picking up on the feelings of other people - you can discriminate subtle nuances of feeling with your externally directed highly developed feeling function. Your guide book tells you that this propensity toward introversion in combination with internally directed intuition and externally directed feeling function is characteristic of only one MBTI type - the INFJ. This must be what you are at this particular location of zone four in imaginal 'personality space'.

You begin to sense the presence of other possibilities nearby, picking up on the vibrations of others who are close - strange creatures, who nonetheless have something in common with you - what could it be? Your guidebook tells you that what they have in common with you is a somewhat down-played sensing function, and identifies them as INFPs. You know that if you moved over ever so slightly your INFJ personality would morph into an INFP one. But you resist, making a note to explore this later.

Instead you turn and look down the road toward zone 7. There is a strange attraction, a longing for something absent, that you feel in this direction. As you progress toward it, you experience yourself internally changing. You are still fascinated with the use of your intuitive function, which you eagerly grip like a child wielding a flashlight, but now you feel as if you are being turned inside out, and there is a growing eagerness to shine the intuitive beam on the outside world. It is a fascinating world, with opportunity and adventure everywhere. You have literally turned inside out (and outside in), and according to the guidebook you are an ENFP and this is what it is like to be an extraverted intuitive. Somewhere nearby, in this zone, is ENTP space. The climate of adventure and external opportunity is characteristic of the extraverted intuitive and zone 7. You could stay here forever, you think, but as soon as you have that thought your wanderlust has taken hold of you - filled with expectation, you want to explore more of the terrain. Backtracking you move to zone four, where you are an INFJ again . To your right is the extremely foreign land of zone 3, ESTP space - shadowland. 'How is it possible to relate to this place at all?', you wonder. You shudder and look across at zone 1. This is a different kind of experience, yet somewhat threatening and uncomfortable also. But you decide to go for it. As you proceed you see a mirror in front of you, but the face in the mirror is only partly yours- it is somewhat grotesque and underdeveloped. With some fear, you consult the guidebook, and find out that this is your 'mirror opposite' - the ISTJ that resides in the rather foreign territory of zone 1. As you more closely approach the mirror you have flashes of remembered experience - you recall the time, when you were distressed, that this pedantic rule oriented figure emerged from within and took over. As you step through the mirror you feel very strange - and then, all of a sudden, you can no longer remember what intrigued you about inner-directed intuition - now, as an ISTJ, what is of primary importance to you are the sensations you inwardly feel, your very embodiment in the real world, the facts that you have accumulated and stored within. Your sensory discrimination is subtle and precise. Your auxiliary thinking function is directed outwardly, where you use it to plan your strategies in the outside world, picking up on cause and effect relationships. This is not the 'pedantic' figure that you feared when you were on the other side of the mirror - this figure is an accurate calculating being. You consult the guidebook, analyzing the options - of which there are many. There is zone 6, with which you now feel a certain rapport, and zone 3, which now contains your new mirror opposite (the ESTP). You plan to systematically catalogue them all. You immediately understand that if you leave the imaginal personality space at the black hole connected with zone 1, as an ISTJ you can re-enter it in a few other places that ISTJs typically inhabit - at zone 6, for instance. In fact, you can make your way through the entirety of personality space in this way - by a combination of personal morphing and type teletransportation. It is all mapped out in the guidebook, with mathematical precision, a kind of 'personality algebra'.

Section Three: The 'Issues' in Each Zone are Associated with the Inferior Function of the Prototypical Pair

In each zone there are characteristic 'issues' associated with the inferior function of the prototypical pair. To see how this works let's focus on zone 8. What are the psychological and interpersonal issues associated with the 'underdeveloped feeling' characteristic of zone 8? Well, the individual is prone to being afraid of loss of control when associating with others - afraid that others may usurp their power. They also tend to experience 'feeling' in its underdeveloped manifestations as sentimentality and emotionality. Their feelings have a tendency to be extreme, explosive, disruptive and unsettling (as compared to individuals who have developed their feeling function). Feelings are also suppressed more frequently.

All of these are problems for 8s according to Palmer and Riso. But they are also problems for E(S/N)TJs (socalled 'extraverted thinking types'), according to the MBTI literature. This is why the extraverted thinking types can be taken as prototypical of zone 8.

In Part three we will show (by comparing brief descriptions gleened from MBTI and Enneagram materials) how the prototypes in each 'zone' and the description of the respective enneagram point bear remarkable resemblences which can be tied to a common inferior function.

Footnotes/References