Enneagram 4
PROFUNDITY
Welcome to Your Comprehensive Enneagram Guide
Get ready to dive into clear, practical insights for each Enneagram type. Whether you want to understand yourself, strengthen your team, or boost your leadership, you’ll find valuable information beyond the basics. Discover key traits, motivations, challenges, and actionable tips to make impactful decisions and foster growth.
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PROFUNDITY can be used to connect authentically with self and others. It fuels creativity and artistic expression and enhances personal growth and a strong sense of identity.
PROFUNDITY can be used to become preoccupied with inner experiences and withdraw. It can lead to an insatiable search for the ideal, leading to discontentment, avoiding the practical and losing sight of responsibilities and goals.
An Enneagram 4 might think:
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Creativity and Artistic Expression: I have always been creative. I love how the arts can hold the depth of my emotions when words can’t capture them.
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Always Something Missing: It’s hard to put into words what I feel when I examine my own life next to anybody else’s, I am very aware of anything that is missing on either side and find myself longing for what is lacking.
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Fear of Ordinariness: I find I am often misunderstood because I am not afraid to be me - I love that I am me. Much of my inner world is focused on cultivating my individualism and seeking depth and meaning in my personal journey.
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Emotional Intensity: I often experience intense emotions. Some people have commented that I can be moody but I find beauty and comfort in moments of melancholy and other deep emotions.
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Tendency to Withdraw: I find myself withdrawing when I am overwhelmed or feeling misunderstood. I tend to idealize relationships and can feel deeply hurt when someone isn’t able to meet me where I am.
Centre of Intelligence: Heart Type
Heart Types lead with their emotions and feelings. They are often very aware of matters of personal identity and self-image. They are driven by connection and impacted by the dominant emotion of sadness.
Enneagram 4s lead with deep emotional intelligence, often exploring their own and others’ emotions to find authenticity and meaning. They are highly attuned to their identity and are motivated by expressing their individuality.
Dominant Emotion: Sadness
Enneagram 4s experience sadness as a sense of longing or loss, especially when they perceive themselves as being misunderstood or disconnected. This emotion fuels their creativity and search for deeper, more profound connections.
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Sadness can lead to empathy and greater connection but can also decrease motivation and lead to disengagement and low morale.
Distorted Lens: Discontent
Central Focus:
I focus on the unique importance of myself and others.
Important Values:
I value authenticity, personal expression and emotional intelligence.
Danger Zone:
Discontented Behaviours - the need to feel dissatisfied and unhappy.
Antidote:
Equanimity - focusing on finding balance in inner and outer worlds.
Each Enneagram type has an emotional filter effecting thoughts, feelings and actions. It is automatic and unconscious, created from core fears and desires. In traditional Enneagram language this is referred to as a “passion.” The Passion is our attempt to recreate a version of our true nature when life becomes overwhelming.
The distorted lens for Fours is discontent. Discontent is the feeling of deep lack in personal life, social connections or relational understanding even when something or someone is right in front of you.
True Nature: Equanimity
The true nature of each Enneagram type is referred to as their “virtue.” The virtue is the exact opposite and antidote to our distorted view on the world.
The true nature of Fours is equanimity. Equanimity is the quieting of the inner world and the ability to find peace in the present. Equanimity is saying, “I am content.” Fours very natural drive for individuality stems from their deep understanding that each of us have a unique imprint on the earth, one that is perfectly connected to all of the others without effort.
At My Best:
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Creative and Innovative: Enneagram Fours have a unique ability to think outside the box and generate innovative ideas.
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Emotionally Insightful: They possess deep emotional awareness and can understand and articulate complex feelings.
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Authentic and Genuine: Fours value authenticity and strive to be true to themselves and others.
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Passionate: Fours bring passion and enthusiasm to their work, inspiring others with their dedication.
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Visionary: They often have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and can inspire others with their unique perspective.
Under Stress:
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Withdrawn: Fours might withdraw from others, becoming isolated and disconnected.
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Overly Sensitive: They can become hypersensitive to criticism or perceived slights, taking things very personally.
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Impractical: Fours can become so caught up in their emotions and ideas that they lose touch with practical realities.
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Inconsistent: Their productivity and engagement can become inconsistent, with high highs and low lows.
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Self-Doubting: Under stress, Fours can struggle with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy, questioning their worth and contributions.
Working with Fours:
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Value Their Individuality: Fours bring creativity and depth to their work. Appreciate their unique perspectives while guiding them toward practical outcomes.
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Encourage Balance: Fours can be emotionally intense. Help them find balance by fostering emotional regulation and practical problem-solving.
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Provide Meaningful Work: Fours thrive when they feel their work has purpose. Connect tasks to a larger vision to keep them motivated.
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Be Authentic: Fours value authenticity in their interactions. Be genuine and encourage open, honest communication.
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Support Their Growth: Encourage Fours to step outside their comfort zone and engage in tasks that push them toward practical skills and broader connections.
Subtypes: Different Ways of Expressing Individuality
Each of the three subtypes below are slightly different ways Enneagram 4's approach expressing individuality. These subtypes are created when we combine the distorted lens of the type, discontent, and an “overdoing” of one of the natural human survival instincts for self-preservation, social safety and one-to-one bonding and relationship.
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Self-Preservation 4's express their emotions inwardly so as to appear stoic, strong and uncomplaining.
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Social 4's express their emotions into everything to authentically feel and embrace their reality.
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One-to-One 4's express their emotions outwardly to demonstrate their individualism.
Read through the descriptions below and consider which subtype description fits best - you may see characteristics of yourself in more than one.
Expressing Individuality Through Independence
SP4's have a surprisingly stoic quality about them. While they feel things deeply, they tend to keep their struggles private, often showing a more composed face to the world. You might notice they're really good at supporting others through tough times, while somehow making their own hardships look easy. They've got this quiet strength about them - they'll endure a lot without complaining. Funny thing is, people might never guess at the depth of what they're feeling because they've gotten so good at focusing on the bright side.
*This is the counter-type: a subtype driven by the same motivation but expressing it in seemingly opposing ways.
Self-Preservation
Expressing Individuality Through Authenticity
SO4's have an intense need to be real about what they're feeling. They're drawn to deep conversations and authentic expression - you'll rarely catch them doing small talk. While they might not notice it, they often find themselves comparing their experiences to others, usually feeling like they're somehow different or misunderstood. They've got this pull toward sharing their emotional world, finding a certain comfort in exploring the depths of their feelings with others who get it.
Social
Expressing Individuality Through Intensity
You can spot OT4's by their intense, expressive energy. They've got strong reactions and they're not afraid to show them - especially anger when they feel misunderstood. While others might walk around their feelings, these Fours charge right through them. They might not see the pattern, but they often end up in competition about who's had the most unique or intense experiences. There's a raw, unfiltered quality to them that can be both captivating and overwhelming.
One-to-One
Wing 3:
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GET GOING: Fours can use this wing to get going regardless of their emotions. This wing helps them move ahead even when a feeling may seem unresolved.
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COMMUNICATION: With this wing, Fours become more aware of the importance of adjusting communication to fit the audience. They can be adaptable as they work with others towards a common goal.
Using Your Wings
The numbers on either side of your Enneagram number are referred to as your wings. These two adjacent numbers flavour your main number and add to your growth and development.
Wing 5:
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OBJECTIVE: Fours can use this wing to get in touch with their rational and more objective side. They can take in more information and make practical decisions.
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COUNTER FEELINGS: With this wing, Fours tune into the possibility that there may be other ways of dealing with their feelings. They see more possibilities for paths through emotions.
Point 1:
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GROUNDED: Fours can use this arrow point to become more grounded in their body. They connect to the body centre, engaging with the five senses and enjoying the present moment.
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DISCIPLINE: With this arrow point, Fours root themselves in routine and the practical, step-by-step aspects of life.
Using Your Arrows
The inner lines connecting your Enneagram number to other numbers around the circle are referred to as your arrow points. These two numbers can be incorporated into your self-development work for significant and lasting change.
Point 2:
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BALANCE: Fours can use this arrow point to find balance in their inner and outer worlds. They connect to others and see the benefit of expressing their own inner world.
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GIVING: With this arrow point, Fours tune into the needs of others. They are thoughtful, forgiving and sincere as they engage in outward service.
To The Fours:
We see you Fours in all your complicated beauty. You are such a profound gift to the world. Your perspective encapsulates all of the nuance many of us can feel but struggle to put our finger on. Let us into your world. We want to join you in your exploration of depth and wonder. Please give us space to mess up when we interact with you, we aren’t you, we don’t see the world the way you do. Give us another chance to understand the many layers of life you navigate and weave everywhere you go.
Embrace Your Path to Growth
The Enneagram is more than just a tool—it’s a roadmap to exceptional personal and professional awareness. Explore the intricacies of your type to elevate your leadership, strengthen team cohesion, and foster authentic growth.
Why the Enneagram:
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Pinpoints the motivations that fuel your decisions
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Uncovers hidden obstacles limiting progress
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Equips you with targeted strategies to amplify strengths
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Enhances communication for greater influence and connection
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Don’t stop at surface-level understanding. Harness the Enneagram’s depth to uncover the best version of yourself and inspire those around you.