tritype and wings differences?

IntrovertHero · Jun 13, 2017

Hello everyone
I dont really get difference between tritypes and wings?
For exemple i'am pretty sure of having strong behavior of type 1, 4, 5 and 6. Say i might be a 5 what will be the difference if i'am 5w4 or 5w6 with tritype 541 ? How to know if the 4 behavior is from tritype of from it being a wing? Actually i don't think being a five but rather a 1 or a 6, i'am just using this as 4 and 5 are next to each other and i guess both are in my tritype so it will be easy to understand.

Does one of them evolve over time? Like the wing is here since childhood but tritype comes later? or is it the other way around?

Thanks

Krayfish · Jun 13, 2017

From what I have read your core type usually stays the same throughout your life while the other fixes within your tritype can change (unless of course you go through extremely life changing events). The tritype theory and wing theory don't really seem to combine too much (although many including myself combine them anyways), so you could be, for example, a 5w4 and then a 541 separately.

I think the best thing to do in this case would be to look at how you deal with each of the emotions dealt with by the different enneagram sections (head sector and fear, gut sector and anger, heart sector and shame) and see what applies more. Since you seem to think you lie somewhere in the head sector, you could look at fear first, and if you relate to both 5 and 6, you'd likely be a 6w5/5w6, and if you can only relate to 5's dealing with fear (except perhaps a bit more emotive of shamefully), likely 5w4. I am only using 5 as an example because that's also what you chose to use.

Figure · Jun 13, 2017

I'd advocate reading up on "fixations" via some of the big name enneagram authors (Ichazo, Naranjo, Maitri, etc) and coming to an understanding that way. Tritype theory is pretty crude and doesn't have a means of rationalizing the question you asked very well. Tritype theory and wing theory are actually pretty different and come from different authors, so even though they are combined under the "enneagram" umbrella, nobody has really tried to go through how they relate at a precise level of logical detail.

The whole fixation idea sounds complicated, but it's actually a lot simpler than the tritype/wing thing that's pushed around online.

Explained by way of fixations, your scenario would be someone whose main fixations are 5, 4, and 1. You're a core type 5, and your mental habit will match that of all type 5's - with an additional set of circumstances where you may feel triggered by 4 fears, and approach the situation in the way a type 4 would.

Just as a warning, be very careful with type 5. A lot of people end up thinking they are 5's because they see themselves as intelligent, withdrawn, shy, knowledge-seeking, and the like. Type 5 specifically suffers from witholding of knowledge, and also witholding of their time, effort, energy, engagement, and exertion. It is this fear of having very little in the way of personal meddle and having it taken away and being depleted that leads to this very intentional skimpiness and confusion of knowledge taking the place of experience that makes a 5 - NOT intelligence or even intellectualism.

IntrovertHero · Jun 13, 2017

Figure said:
I'd advocate reading up on "fixations" via some of the big name enneagram authors (Ichazo, Naranjo, Maitri, etc) and coming to an understanding that way. Tritype theory is pretty crude and doesn't have a means of rationalizing the question you asked very well. Tritype theory and wing theory are actually pretty different and come from different authors, so even though they are combined under the "enneagram" umbrella, nobody has really tried to go through how they relate at a precise level of logical detail.

The whole fixation idea sounds complicated, but it's actually a lot simpler than the tritype/wing thing that's pushed around online.

Explained by way of fixations, your scenario would be someone whose main fixations are 5, 4, and 1. You're a core type 5, and your mental habit will match that of all type 5's - with an additional set of circumstances where you may feel triggered by 4 fears, and approach the situation in the way a type 4 would.

Just as a warning, be very careful with type 5. A lot of people end up thinking they are 5's because they see themselves as intelligent, withdrawn, shy, knowledge-seeking, and the like. Type 5 specifically suffers from witholding of knowledge, and also witholding of their time, effort, energy, engagement, and exertion. It is this fear of having very little in the way of personal meddle and having it taken away and being depleted that leads to this very intentional skimpiness and confusion of knowledge taking the place of experience that makes a 5 - NOT intelligence or even intellectualism.

Okay, i also have question. Sorry since i know this is out of the topic, but how are 5 fear differents than 6's? Because i see them both as introverted that analyse everything from fear that something bad happens to them.

periwinklepromise · Jun 13, 2017

IntrovertHero said:
Okay, i also have question. Sorry since i know this is out of the topic, but how are 5 fear differents than 6's? Because i see them both as introverted that analyse everything from fear that something bad happens to them.

This confusion arises from conflating the outwardly demonstrated behaviors with the more inwardly shown type mechanics, or motivations as we all tend to refer to them on this forum. 5s and 6s can seem similar if you are seeing them outside of yourself - introverted, analytical, fearful - and as head types they will have some similarities internally as well. 5 fear, 6 fear, 7 fear can all seem similar. As you dig deeper, distinctions will appear or become clear.

I am not directly answering your question because I prefer to instead address an issue of engagement. Asking this kind of question is completely okay, of course, but it could also be cause to revisit the core principles of the Enneagram, of what it means to be a type.

IntrovertHero · Jun 14, 2017

periwinklepromise said:
I am not directly answering your question because I prefer to instead address an issue of engagement. Asking this kind of question is completely okay, of course, but it could also be cause to revisit the core principles of the Enneagram, of what it means to be a type.

Well, actually maybe i should create a new thread about this, but to me type 6 is hard to understand because it is not clear what they fear. 5 for exemple fear the outerworld, so he hides Inside his own world and hsi main goal is to make in sort of having the maximum wealth in order to survive in his ivory tower, 7 fear internal emptiness so he avoid it by keeping himself ocuupied by the external wordl.

However 6? It never explain what he is actually afraid of? He this the outside world as uncertain and not sure of his inner world, he seeks guidance but then reject it while counterphobic. It makes no sens

charlie.elliot · Jun 14, 2017

It's easier to understand if you picture the Enneagram like a color wheel. Having a wing doesn't mean you're part one type and part another type; really, you're only one type, but you can be positioned anywhere along the outside of the wheel. If you're 9w1, it means you're positioned somewhere between 9 and 1 but closer to 9. All types blend into the next one in a continuous spectrum.

So if you believe in tritype theory (which I don't), it's not too hard to imagine you could have 3 types positioned anywhere on that wheel.

As for how to tell the difference in your behavior between your "wing behaviors" and "tritype behaviors"... I haven't the foggiest idea, and that's part of the reason I don't like tritype theory.

I suppose people will say you use your primary core type defenses first and then if those don't work, you use the ones in the secondary type and so on. Personally I've never seen this in action to give me faith in the idea.

IntrovertHero · Jun 14, 2017

charlie.elliot said:
It's easier to understand if you picture the Enneagram like a color wheel. Having a wing doesn't mean you're part one type and part another type; really, you're only one type, but you can be positioned anywhere along the outside of the wheel. If you're 9w1, it means you're positioned somewhere between 9 and 1 but closer to 9. All types blend into the next one in a continuous spectrum.

So if you believe in tritype theory (which I don't), it's not too hard to imagine you could have 3 types positioned anywhere on that wheel.

As for how to tell the difference in your behavior between your "wing behaviors" and "tritype behaviors"... I haven't the foggiest idea, and that's part of the reason I don't like tritype theory. I suppose people will say you use your primary core type defenses first and then if those don't work, you use the ones in the secondary type and so on. Personally I've never seen this in action to give me faith in the idea.

But how will you use defense from other types as they adress different fears? That mean you will try to consider the problem from a different viewpoint like using your heart rather than you head or your gut feeling?

charlie.elliot · Jun 14, 2017

IntrovertHero said:
But how will you use defense from other types as they adress different fears? That mean you will try to consider the problem from a different viewpoint like using your heart rather than you head or your gut feeling?

Ask someone who believes in tritype theory!

Personally I don't think you jump Enneatype just because one type's defenses aren't working.

ForgottenGold · Jun 14, 2017

charlie.elliot said:
Ask someone who believes in tritype theory! Personally I don't think you jump Enneatype just because one type's defenses aren't working.

I like trityping. I don't know a lot about any of this, but I always thought of trityping just adding colors to a primary type. I don't think they act separate? They act in tandem with each other like gears, with the biggest gear being the base type. They make up that unique engine. Of course, I tend to see things in their complexity and not in their simplicity, which kind of goes against the whole idea of typing. XD Like I said, I don't know a whole lot about this stuff, but that's how I've thought of it.

charlie.elliot · Jun 14, 2017

ForgottenGold said:
I like trityping. I don't know a lot about any of this, but I always thought of trityping just adding colors to a primary type. I don't think they act separate? They act in tandem with each other like gears, with the biggest gear being the base type. They make up that unique engine. Of course, I tend to see things in their complexity and not in their simplicity, which kind of goes against the whole idea of typing. XD Like I said, I don't know a whole lot about this stuff, but that's how I've thought of it.

Its funny though, because the incredible complexity of the psyche is actually central to my objections to tritype theory. There's nothing simple about human personality, there never can be. That's something I know for sure. Whenever people say stuff like "but I'm not a typical type 5, there's other aspects of my personality..." or "but my Enneatype doesn't describe everything about me!" or "but there are more than 9 types of people in the world"... yeah no s**t Sherlock, lol. (I'm saying that politely

)
Your Enneagram doesn't even come CLOSE to describing everything about you. It's just one of many parts. An important part, sure, but there are many other important parts as well. Given how complex the psyche is, I don't think the Enneagram should overstep its boundaries, I guess. Each type is a loose fit anyway. Anytime you make the Enneagram system more complex, you risk more and more getting it all wrong. The psyche is so complex that we have to tread carefully. I think each Enneatype, each core type, is accurate enough; but you still have to question, and wonder. Type 9 doesn't fit me perfectly at all. But I still know it's my best fit. Given the questioning accuracy of any of the system, and the mind-boggling complexity of the psyche, tritype stuff seems absurd to me...

ForgottenGold · Jun 14, 2017

charlie.elliot said:
Its funny though, because the incredible complexity of the psyche is actually central to my objections to tritype theory. There's nothing simple about human personality, there never can be. That's something I know for sure. Whenever people say stuff like "but I'm not a typical type 5, there's other aspects of my personality..." or "but my Enneatype doesn't describe everything about me!" or "but there are more than 9 types of people in the world"... yeah no s**t Sherlock, lol. (I'm saying that politely )
Your Enneagram doesn't even come CLOSE to describing everything about you. It's just one of many parts. An important part, sure, but there are many other important parts as well. Given how complex the psyche is, I don't think the Enneagram should overstep its boundaries, I guess. Each type is a loose fit anyway. Anytime you make the Enneagram system more complex, you risk more and more getting it all wrong. The psyche is so complex that we have to tread carefully. I think each Enneatype, each core type, is accurate enough; but you still have to question, and wonder. Type 9 doesn't fit me perfectly at all. But I still know it's my best fit. Given the questioning accuracy of any of the system, and the mind-boggling complexity of the psyche, tritype stuff seems absurd to me...

I definitely know what you mean, and there is totally that danger. That's how I feel about instinctual variants. XD I've found it useful to tritype though. I see the 6 and the 8 in me. Of course there's a little bit of every type in all of us, and yeah at some point we have to stop. I just like a little more complexity than just base enneagram. It probably has something to do with being a writer and having to figure out my characters to the depth that I do. Haha. Trityping is just useful to me in that area. It might also be useful when someone is genuinely confused about what type they are, and maybe misidentifying. It can be helpful to be able to look at a tripping stone and say "that's part of my tritype" and be able to put it aside to focus in on the base type? *shrugs*

tritype and wings differences?

IntrovertHero

Krayfish

Figure

IntrovertHero

periwinklepromise

IntrovertHero

charlie.elliot

IntrovertHero

charlie.elliot

ForgottenGold

charlie.elliot

ForgottenGold

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