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Levels of Development

VagrantFarce

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Here's something that isn't really discussed around here, the various levels of development for each type.

Type One

Type Two

Type Three

Type Four

Type Five

Type Six

Type Seven

Type Eight

Type Nine

For those of you who feel they know their type, how much of yourself do you recognise in these levels?

Think about those times you've been down in the dumps, felt elated, or acted to overcome your own problems - how accurately does these levels reflect your sense of self and how you behaved during those times? Can you sense a narrative taking place that falls in line with the various levels of development as laid out above?

And if not, is there another type that seems to reflect you more accurately?
 
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brainheart

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Thank you for posting these. I have the book these levels come from and I find them to be incredibly helpful, both from a monitoring/self-improvement standpoint and to figure out your type. I'd say at this point in my life I range primarily between levels two and five of type four, although I have my moments of descending lower, but they are usually brief.

In the past I was precisely the lower levels, but I have learned to become more objective and I know what my triggers are that lead to the lower levels so I try to avoid them. For example, if I find myself uselessly fantasizing about something unattainable I try to put an end to it and engage myself in something productive which makes me feel better, like writing or playing guitar, even going for a walk. The hardest thing for me is maintaining self-discipline and stepping out of the self-absorption, self-reflection.

I've considered five and nine for my type but then I read the levels of health and they don't resonate the way the four does. When I'm unhealthy, I become the textbook stereotypical four, so much so that it almost seems comical to me now.
 

OrangeAppled

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Far & away, I see myself in the 4. I see myself in levels 2-7 the most, depending on whether I'm at a high/low point. This can vary from week to week. In recent years I am more often in the average to healthy levels, so that's good.
 

Thalassa

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Oh ghey. I relate to both 4 and 6.

I actually feel a little repelled by the level 3 description of 6 even though it's healthy: hard-working, steadfast, responsible, thrifty...how utterly boring (sorry).
 

Such Irony

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I'm mostly at levels 4-5 of type 5 and can reach levels 2-3 on a really good day.
 

OrangeAppled

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Oh ghey. I relate to both 4 and 6.

I actually feel a little repelled by the level 3 description of 6 even though it's healthy: hard-working, steadfast, responsible, thrifty...how utterly boring (sorry).

I think this is why many do not initially identify with type 6. It sounds, well, boring, in the same way SJs get pigeonholed. The self-actualization for other types sound all amazing, and for 6s it's like "good citizen". I don't think it's very fair or necessarily accurate... I imagine a counterphobic 6 at average levels would especially balk at that.
 

Kierva

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Again I'm torn between 3 & 8.

I told myself that I am going to introspect but then when the time is appropriate I would have lost that motivation and settling on "This is boring, let me do something else. That can be done later."
 
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brainheart

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Again I'm torn between 3 & 8.

I told myself that I am going to introspect but then when the time is appropriate I would have lost that motivation and settling on "This is boring, let me do something else. That can be done later."

You sound just like my husband. He thinks the enneagram and more than three seconds of introspection is boring and stupid. He needs to be doing, constantly. I've had a really hard time figuring out his type. I see 2,3,6,7 and 8 in him, but he's also completely conflict avoidant at work and with friends. I'm the one who sees his reactive side, which is fine, I'm all for getting all the conflict out there and figuring it out.
 

Silveresque

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For type 5, none of the levels below 5 fit me at all, and even the healthier levels don't sound like the direction I want to go. I don't want to become more objective, if anything I want to become more feeling and expressive. The levels for 4 fit me all the way through.
 

VagrantFarce

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For type 5, none of the levels below 5 fit me at all, and even the healthier levels don't sound like the direction I want to go. I don't want to become more objective, if anything I want to become more feeling and expressive. The levels for 4 fit me all the way through.

Think of it less as seeking objectivity, and more as "keep out, I need space to think". Objectivity seems to be a symptom of the average levels for Fives - something they seem to embody, but not really something they're striving for.

I guess my point is that it feels more like you're avoiding something than striving for something - it's the difference between "I'm objective because I strive to be" and "I guess I seem objective because I'm afraid of getting emotionally involved".

Besides, Fives can be horribly subjective on either the top or bottom of the levels - one because they're incredibly isolated and removed, the other because they're emotionally involved in everything around them. It's only in the middle where they seem to embody objectivity.
 

Silveresque

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Think of it less as seeking objectivity, and more as "keep out, I need space to think". Objectivity seems to be a symptom of the average levels for Fives - something they seem to embody, but not really something they're really striving for.

I guess my point is that it feels more like you're avoiding something than striving for something - it's the difference between "I'm objective because I strive to be" and "I guess I seem objective because I'm afraid of getting emotionally involved".

Besides, Fives can be horribly subjective on either the top or bottom of the levels - one because they're incredibly isolated and removed, the other because they're emotionally involved in everything around them. It's only in the middle where they seem to embody objectivity.

I want to become more expressive because I want to be able to reveal my true self. I wouldn't say that I really want to be less objective, since I value objective analysis, but I want to become better at expressing emotion (and myself). My problem is that I'm too afraid of looking like an idiot or being weird to express my true self and my feelings.

I suppose I do relate to 5's detachedness and the need to become more involved in the world, but that's probably because I happen to be a recluse (which 4's can be as well). Maybe it would have to do more with why I'm a recluse. At this point I'm not really sure why I don't seek social interaction. Probably because it's easier to just sit in my room and post on forums all day. Maybe also because whenever I do socialize, I'm never able to express myself as well as I wish I could, which leaves me feeling disappointed and dissatisfied.

I'm not really sure whether this would indicate either type, since I could see both types wishing they could express themselves better and becoming recluses.
 

Thalassa

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I think this is why many do not initially identify with type 6. It sounds, well, boring, in the same way SJs get pigeonholed. The self-actualization for other types sound all amazing, and for 6s it's like "good citizen". I don't think it's very fair or necessarily accurate... I imagine a counterphobic 6 at average levels would especially balk at that.

Yeah I think I hover somewhere around levels 4 and 5 of Type 6, but I relate to level 3 of wanting to prove to others that I am dependable and trustworthy. This is a huge thing in my romantic relationships. I've been told by TWO SJs now that I am "predictable" lol even though I can be so emotionally erratic and I change my mind a lot, and they're just as aware of that aspect of me as anyone else, they've still managed to see me as being predictable somehow? My ESFJ ex would also talk about how much he could trust me, like would tell his mom how this was important that he trusted me so solidly.

I've also managed to form other alliances where people find me to be especially trustworthy and dependable...it's just that I don't see myself like that in terms of how it's described in those health levels, because it makes me think of someone who is much more "scheduled" or keeps the same job for 20 years, and I'm not like that at all lol.

I think on bad days I can even act like a level 6, and there were points in my past where I got as bad as 7 when I was younger. Level 8 sounds like a nervous breakdown, like something that would happen in a short period of time, but not be a sustainable way to live. So I relate mostly to levels 3-7, but I can some aspects of myself in level 2 of being likable and endearing and dependable when I'm especially happy or relaxed, and/or stable, and even in level 8 if I was totally having a nervous breakdown.

What keeps striking me is that people may hover around a certain level or levels, but can show traits of lower or higher health on certain days, or in certain situations...like they act like their healthier selves when completely happy and relaxed, and act unhealthy under great stress, even if they normally stay in the average ranges.

I still relate to a lot of aspects of 4, but 6 does sound like unhealthy me, like my worst flaws.

Oh...I also relate to integrating at healthy 9, and disintegrating at unhealthy 3. Totally. Even though that's not on these charts.
 

VagrantFarce

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I want to become more expressive because I want to be able to reveal my true self. I wouldn't say that I really want to be less objective, since I value objective analysis, but I want to become better at expressing emotion (and myself). My problem is that I'm too afraid of looking like an idiot or being weird to express my true self and my feelings.

I suppose I do relate to 5's detachedness and the need to become more involved in the world, but that's probably because I happen to be a recluse (which 4's can be as well). Maybe it would have to do more with why I'm a recluse. At this point I'm not really sure why I don't seek social interaction. Probably because it's easier to just sit in my room and post on forums all day. Maybe also because whenever I do socialize, I'm never able to express myself as well as I wish I could, which leaves me feeling disappointed and dissatisfied.

I'm not really sure whether this would indicate either type, since I could see both types wishing they could express themselves better and becoming recluses.

I didn't mean to imply that you're a Five, I guess I just didn't relate to wanting to be objective - and I felt the need to try and clarify things a bit. :)
 

Silveresque

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I didn't mean to imply that you're a Five, I guess I just didn't relate to wanting to be objective - and I felt the need to try and clarify things a bit. :)

Ah, I see. :) I guess I'm still in the testing phase where I try to to see if my type will withstand the test and prove accurate. If you ever do find some reason to think I may not be a 4, please go ahead and tell me. I'm always open to new input.
 
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brainheart

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I read the levels of development for three and five (for my wings) and I feel like I might relate to the fears and desires of three more than five, but my internal and external attitudes/behaviors are more five. I feel like I related to the three more when I was younger and now the five, but they are both and always have been very present- not to the extent of the four, but they're both strong. Confused.

If you get into the tritype business, I suppose you could say 4w3, 5w4 and leave it at that, but I dunno. Maybe my wings are close to balanced?

Edit- never mind. All I have to do is step outside of my house and into the world to trigger those good ol type five fears and then my wing is abundantly clear.
 
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Glycerine

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yikes, I can relate to level 8-9 on the 5 descriptions from a few years ago. 7-5 in a stressed period and up to level 3 in a normal state. I can relate to 6 but not levels 8-9.
 

Speed Gavroche

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I don't buy that "level of development" thing: too much unidimensional.
 
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