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9 or 4....or?

chooi

New member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
132
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4/9
Most of the tests I've taken (all of them free) have indicated that I'm a 4, which does describe me pretty accurately. But I also feel close to 9.

I definitely felt the isolation/misery that characterizes the unhealthy aspects of 4 more in my younger years. Now, however, I feel like I'm closer to 9. Maybe I'm a healthy 4 and just want to be a 9. Or maybe I'm something else all together. :laugh:

Any suggestions?

Here's some test results, both strongly indicative of 4:
"New Test" on 9types.com
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5 Type 6 Type 7 Type 8 Type 9
-7 2 -5 13 3 0 0 -11 5

RHETI Sampler on enneagraminstitute.com
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5 Type 6 Type 7 Type 8 Type 9
3 5 3 7 4 4 4 1 5
 

chooi

New member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
132
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4/9
I have no idea why I thought those test results would format the right way.
 

CuriousFeeling

From the Undertow
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
2,937
MBTI Type
INfJ
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
From reading your test results, they indicate higher scores for type 4. But what I recommend is to select the type that you feel best describes you. I went through a similar thing as you. For some time, I thought that I was a type 1, but after reading the descriptions of a type 4, I found that I connected with it better. Type 4s are prone to perfectionism like the type 1, but this perfectionism is self-directed (it goes with the fear of being defective).

Check to see whether the type 9 description of this suits you, likewise with type 4. Choose the one you feel a connection with.
 

chooi

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Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
132
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4/9
Thanks for the advice from the both of you! @demimondaine Glad to know that I'm not the only one!

It is a bit of a sticky wicket since both 9s and 4s seem to have that self-awareness of identity and the concern that there isn't any "substance" to themselves (and both can be creative). Whichever one I am, I believe that I'm a healthy one, so that makes it even harder to discern for sure which one it is.

I do like to help people and am viewed as a good mediator by my friends. I am also very much involved in social justice/environmental activism, which usually go hand in hand anyway. But in my younger years I did have that superiority complex/individuality that seems to typify 4s. My ego was also fostered because I've always been pretty much good at everything I've set out to do, and received much praise for it (not bragging, just saying). And I always felt different and isolated because of it. I've since come to terms with the tragic hero complex.

So, it would seem that I'm more of a 4. I think the reason that I desire to promote "peace" and justice as I see it, because those that would most benefit are those who are the outcasts, the downtrodden, and I've always felt a connection with them.

But I'm not completely sure, and am still going to be dancing for awhile. Thanks for the help guys! :)
 
B

brainheart

Guest
I, as well, am doing the dance.
But I think I do lean more toward four, mainly because I feel like a four on the inside, although I often exhibit nine-like behavior to maintain the peace. I seem to test 4/7/9, which makes it all the more confusing, because seven and four seem pretty different to me- I mean, how am I dramatic, while not wanting to rock the boat, and all the while viewing the future with optimism while finding beauty in my pain? Unsure, but that seems to be how it is...
 

Rena

New member
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Jun 1, 2010
Messages
36
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
3w4
Fours and Nines do have some similarities- one big one is their tendency to withdraw under stress- it looks like the same action, but the motivations are very different.

Nines withdraw from difficulties so they won't feel anxious or upset- they retreat inside themselves to their own happier, idealized view of reality. They also detach from their own negative emotions to avoid causing others to be anxious or upset.

Fours withdraw from difficulties for self-protection- when they need time to work through and process their emotions. Fours do not tune out their emotions (like Nines) but instead focus on them, even brooding on them in order to deal with them.

Think about a time when you felt really strong negative emotions- how did you deal with them? If you pulled away from people and focused on those feelings to get through it, you sound like a Four. If you withdrew from people and pushed the feelings aside- even pretending they never happened- then you sound more like a Nine. :)
 

Thalassa

Permabanned
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May 3, 2009
Messages
25,183
MBTI Type
ISFP
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6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx
Nines don't like conflict at all. While you might be a good mediator with friends, does any conflict at all make you want to end it? Do you want peace at any price? Apparently 9s when unhealthy can even have a feeling of "emptiness" inside, which the above poster sort of touched on when saying that they will supress their feelings.

I think a 4 could easily be involved with activism (I have been) so I don't necessarily think that's soley a 9 trait.
 

chooi

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May 30, 2010
Messages
132
MBTI Type
INFP
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4/9
That's a good distinction Rena. And it's part of the reason why I lean towards 4. I've never been one to shy away from what is generally viewed as "negative", although now I do try to stay optimistic in the face of said negativity.
 

chooi

New member
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May 30, 2010
Messages
132
MBTI Type
INFP
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4/9
baaarrryy inturresting:
via http://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/evaltest.php

You are most likely a type 9.

Taking wings into account, you seem to be a 4w5 or 5w4.
Type 9 - 7
Type 4 - 6
Type 5 - 6
Type 2 - 5.7
Type 7 - 5.3
Type 6 - 4.7
Type 3 - 4

Wing 4w5 - 9
Wing 5w4 - 9
Wing 9w8 - 8.4
Wing 5w6 - 8.4
Wing 4w3 - 8
Wing 7w6 - 7.7
Wing 6w5 - 7.7
Wing 2w3 - 7.7
Wing 9w1 - 7.5
Wing 6w7 - 7.4
Wing 3w4 - 7
Wing 3w2 - 6.9
Wing 7w8 - 6.7
Wing 2w1 - 6.2
 

Rena

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Jun 1, 2010
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3w4
Hmmmm..... well you definitely have it narrowed down to the right two numbers. :cheese: Are you more confused than ever? :huh:

Have you tried comparing the directions of stress (disintergration) in both the four and the nine? That may give you a clue. Fours go to Two- becoming clingy and needy- Nines go to Six becoming anxious and worried. Do one of those sound right to you?
 

Talisyn

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May 29, 2010
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84
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
9-1
I was just going to suggest what Rena has suggested. Fours and Nines react to stress very differently.

Besides Stress: My thoughts on the differences between 9 & 4 is that a nine may want to be different but they are not driven by it. A 4 very very much needs to be seen as individual. (I'm a 9 and my best friend is a 4 and this is a big difference between us. But I've also read this somewhere as well).
 
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chooi

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May 30, 2010
Messages
132
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4/9
Hmmmm..... well you definitely have it narrowed down to the right two numbers. :cheese: Are you more confused than ever? :huh:

Have you tried comparing the directions of stress (disintergration) in both the four and the nine? That may give you a clue. Fours go to Two- becoming clingy and needy- Nines go to Six becoming anxious and worried. Do one of those sound right to you?

Haha, most definitely more confused.

Clingy in what sense? To people? I usually just wanna be left alone when I'm stressed out, unless someone wants to provide me with some much needed distraction. Problems/stress do tend to make me anxious or worried, but not overly so. For example, if I have a lot on my plate (finals week, lots of projects) and since I'm a huge procrastinator, I'll just anxiously watch the deadline approach until the "oh shit" factor is too great to ignore. Though they may make me anxious, I usually view whatever hardship, no matter how big, as a challenge to be overcome. :workout:

Talisyn said:
Besides Stress: My thoughts on the differences between 9 & 4 is that a nine may want to be different but they are not driven by it. A 4 very very much needs to be seen as individual. (I'm a 9 and my best friend is a 4 and this is a big difference between us. But I've also read this somewhere as well).

While I do like to think of myself as different, I don't necessarily think that I'm unique. I actually find it a relief when someone shares the same viewpoint as me; it's a kind of kinship. I go with my gut, not the crowd. But if the crowd's got something I want, I go with it. Doesn't usually happen, but it isn't exactly a supernatural occurrence either.

Dunno if that made any sense. :D
That was pretty helpful. Looks like those would be 9-ish answers? What are yous guys opinion?
 

Talisyn

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9-1
How about material things? Your car, cell, etc? My friend likes things until she see's a lot of people have it, and then suddenly she doesn't want it anymore. She can't even help that she feels that way. We had this huge conversation about how cool it would be to have a kindle, and she started the conversation. About a month later my husband bought me one and she thought it was cool, but now she claims she doesn't want one, she just likes to have a book in her hands... I tease her about it all the time, but it's just the way she is. She also has a tendency to get envious of people, which is also a 4 thing.
 

chooi

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May 30, 2010
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132
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INFP
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4/9
The things that I like tend not to be what everybody likes, and I like the idea of that.:D

But no I can't say that lots of people having something will ultimately deter me from wanting something. But it also depends on WHO has something. Haha, for some reason, I've seen 4 or 5 girls at different times on campus wearing articles of clothing that I own. Two of those times I was wearing the same pieces of clothing. Mind you, I bought these in the men's section. This definitely deterred me, but I still have all that stuff. And Iphone/pad? I need one.
 

Talisyn

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May 29, 2010
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motivations

Sounds 4ish?

Which of these sounds more like your purpose?

Motivation: To find love, meaning, and fulfillment through self-expression and deep connection.

Motivation: To be at peace with themselves and with the world.


Umm I dug up this:


Misidentifying Fours and Nines

Some average Nines think that they are Fours because they have artistic talents and creative inclinations of one kind or another. As in the case of love not being the sole domain of Twos, artistic capacity is not the sole province of Fours. Other types can be, and often are, artists.

Even so, the artistry of Fours is much more personal and self-revealing than that of Nines. The art of Nines often expresses idealized, mythological, and archetypal worlds–usually the real world glossed into something fantastic and wondrous. Nines are often gifted storytellers in which "...and they all lived happily ever after" is assured. (There are no unhappy endings in the Nine's world of make-believe.) By contrast, the art of Fours is generally more personal and realistic, the expression of the Four's (and of everyone's) deep longing for love, wholeness, and meaning. Fours often deal in the tragic, finding redemption in self-transcendence; Nines deal in the commonplace, finding comfort in ordinary lives and simple situations.

The principal reason these types may be confused is that they are both withdrawn types. (PT, 433-36). Fours withdraw from others so that they can protect themselves and give themselves time to deal with their emotions. Nines, on the other hand, are withdrawn in the sense that they remove their attention from people or situations that threaten them, disengaging themselves emotionally so that they will not be anxious or upset. They cut off their identification with others (or never identify with them in the first place), identifying instead with a private idealized version of reality. Average to unhealthy Nines tune out any unpleasantness by dissociating from whatever upsets them, whereas Fours do just the opposite, brooding over their anxieties in an attempt to come to terms with them. Fours are certainly not detached from their emotions–just the reverse, they are keenly aware of them, perhaps too much so.

Both types can therefore be shy, absent-minded, confused, and detached from the real world. The difference is that Nines are detached both from the external world and from their emotions, whereas Fours withdraw from whatever has caused them pain. (In the end, that may add up to quite a lot.) Nines see the world through rose-colored glasses, and their view of it is comforting, whereas Fours see the world from a garret window as outsiders and are not comforted: everyone else seems to be living a happier, more normal life. Contrast the personalities of Mahler (a Four) and Aaron Copland (a Nine), Saul Steinberg (a Four) and Norman Rockwell (a Nine).
 

roachick10

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Jun 5, 2010
Messages
5
Hi everyone,im an infp i wonder if im a 4 or a 9 too, but after reading these post i think im leaning more towards 9, i am emotional nervous and high strung but i do have a bad anxity disorder as well as depression, im happer when im at peace with myself and the world, and upset when im not, im pretty withdrawn and a bit uncomfortable with strangers, i like to write poems and stories, some of them do concern feelings, but most of them are about happy things like faries, i like happy stories and i like happy endings, im kind of in my own world and my world is happy :)
 

Talisyn

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May 29, 2010
Messages
84
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
9-1
I think anxiety sometimes interferes with how we perceive ourselves, I too have an anxiety disorder- but I know it's not me- its just a chemical mal-function. Overall I'm a pretty mellow live and let live person & very reserved- my emotions rarely get the best of me in public or in front of others. That anxiety that bubbles over everytime I have to engage (irl) with people I don't know- its not really me- I recognize that isn't really my personality (hard to explain to someone who does not have an anxiety disorder). I'm confident (and my husband re-assures me!) that I don't have the more volatile emotions of the 4. Withdrawn depression lends to being a 9, Self-loathing depression more of a 4....
 

roachick10

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Jun 5, 2010
Messages
5
i think my depression causes me to withdraw, i don't have much of a problem with self loathing, and when im not overwhelmed with anxitey or depression, both of which i take medication for btw im pretty mellow yellow, and or peaceful :)
 
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Lotr246

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Aug 2, 2008
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baaarrryy inturresting:
via http://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/evaltest.php

You are most likely a type 9.

Taking wings into account, you seem to be a 4w5 or 5w4.
Type 9 - 7
Type 4 - 6
Type 5 - 6
Type 2 - 5.7
Type 7 - 5.3
Type 6 - 4.7
Type 3 - 4

Wing 4w5 - 9
Wing 5w4 - 9
Wing 9w8 - 8.4
Wing 5w6 - 8.4
Wing 4w3 - 8
Wing 7w6 - 7.7
Wing 6w5 - 7.7
Wing 2w3 - 7.7
Wing 9w1 - 7.5
Wing 6w7 - 7.4
Wing 3w4 - 7
Wing 3w2 - 6.9
Wing 7w8 - 6.7
Wing 2w1 - 6.2

Haha, I took this test. I seem to have the same problem as you. I identify most strongly with those two. I think I'm probably a 4w5, though. Envy of others is one of my primary feelings, and one I do start to feel ashamed of, which coincides with the four, but I do get slothful from time to time under stress, a nine trait. I've been told by others that I need to focus on the positive side of life and have less self-doubt. I also have this sense that I've suffered more than others, and in order to cope with this, I hold the belief that no one could really understand me, or that I see life differently--maybe more beautifully--because of it. But it's not something I'm proud of--maybe I'd trade it if I could..it's hard to say. One thing that makes it hard for me to accept the four definition is the need to not feel ordinary. I do want to stand out from others but in more subtle ways...like a paper I wrote, or a drawing of mine. But in terms of clothing, appearance and such, I appear rather normal. Yet, if I enter a room where someone is wearing something similar to me, or exactly like me, I get uncomfortable and try to do something to change my look without others noticing it. I've struggled with being too self-conscious too. One more thing. I'm not one to explore my feelings if they are too painful for me to cope with (like Nines).. but it really depends on the situation. But while I may act like everything is fine, under the surface I always feel it there, and know that it's something I want to deal with (not alone, though) at some point. Knowing that until I do, I won't be able to move forward. Maybe these will resonate with you in helping you find your type.

Type 4 - 7.3
Type 9 - 7.3
Type 6 - 6.3
Type 5 - 6
Type 3 - 4.3
Type 7 - 4
Type 1 - 2.7
Type 8 - 0.3

Wing 4w5 - 10.3
Wing 5w4 - 9.7
Wing 4w3 - 9.5
Wing 6w5 - 9.3
Wing 5w6 - 9.2
Wing 9w1 - 8.7
Wing 6w7 - 8.3
Wing 3w4 - 8
Wing 9w8 - 7.5
Wing 7w6 - 7.2
Wing 1w9 - 6.4
Wing 3w2 - 5
Wing 7w8 - 4.2
Wing 8w9 - 4
Wing 1w2 - 3.4
Wing 8w7 - 2.3
 
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