• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

[Traditional Enneagram] How many 4's do you know in real life?

How many 4's do you know IRL? Count only those you are pretty sure (90%) are 4's.

  • One or less.

    Votes: 13 37.1%
  • Three or less.

    Votes: 15 42.9%
  • Five or less.

    Votes: 7 20.0%
  • Ten or less.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ten or more.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    35

Southern Kross

Away with the fairies
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
2,910
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
this is making me wonder if people who know me irl would even type me as a 4 if they knew about enneagram. hmmmm.
Exactly. I don't know if others would for me either. I don't think 4s look like how people think they look. Hell, I'm not even sure what 4s look like and I am one! I might have encountered a few in my life but couldn't say with any certainty that they were. I wouldn't know how to tell unless I knew their habits well. Of the people I have known well enough (or had a distinct enough personality) to type, I would say one or two were 4s - one of my favourite lecturers I had at Uni was a 4w3 and a friend I met overseas may be a 4w5.

To be fair, in my country 4-like behaviour is in many ways in direct opposition to the national culture, so other 4s might be withholding/disguising those traits. I know I kinda do. :shrug: The two people I listed above are both foreigners (American and English), so that might tell you something.


EDIT: Make that 3. Just remembered another (American) friend of mine who would have to be a 4w3. Again with the foreigners.
 

Showbread

climb on
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Messages
2,298
MBTI Type
ESFJ
Enneagram
3w2
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
Two for sure. One is my INFP roommate, the other is an ISFP I have known for almost 10 years.
 

highlander

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
26,562
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
There are two that I am pretty sure of IRL. One INFP and one INFJ. Both are quite different.
 

Noll

New member
Joined
Oct 12, 2013
Messages
705
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp
The only one I know in real life is this girl at my school who is POTENTIALLY a 4w5 sp/sx. IxFP for sure. You can see why we'd get along fine. :wubbie: Before all this I don't think I ever knew any 4s. All of them were 6s, 7s and one of them 9w8. Maybe on a daily basis I see a bunch of 4s, I think they're harder to detect than you'd think. Due to the stereotypes and all, and most people not really knowing what a healthy 4 looks like. Apparently healthy E4 teenagers exist.
 

EJCC

The Devil of TypoC
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
19,129
MBTI Type
ESTJ
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
Less than five? Most I knew from the forum first, one might be a 9 (94x instead of 49x).
 

hjgbujhghg

I am
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
3,333
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w3
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
none? I don't even know any NFPs, at least I've never recognized one, I know some ENFJs though.... 4s are rare, I know a lot of 7s and 6s, some 3s and 2s and maybe one or two 5s.
 

brainheart

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2014
Messages
77
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
this is making me wonder if people who know me irl would even type me as a 4 if they knew about enneagram. hmmmm.

I think most people would type me as a 5w4, 549 tritype.

I don't think 4s look like how people think they look.

I agree. I think David Fauvre is a perfect example of this. I've seen people say there's no way he's a sexual 468 but I see no reason why not. Sexual fours, especially if they are INFP 4w5s, are not as externally crazy/flamboyant as people (non fours especially) make them out to be.

And the two fours that I know for sure are fours is because I know extremely personal things about them/ how their minds work, and because one of them knows all about personality theory.

Apparently healthy E4 teenagers exist.

I'd say I was at my healthiest as a teenager.
 

Redbone

Orisha
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
2,882
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I don't "look" like a 4 either (not even to myself...it took me quite some time to figure it out!). From the outside, I probably give out 5, 7, and 8 vibes.

I think that 4s have a way of being that fits but kinda sidesteps descriptions and if you're looking to see if your 4 matches, you might come up with a miss.
 

small.wonder

So she did.
Joined
Feb 8, 2013
Messages
965
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Yeah, good points about the way 4's look (or don't look) all around. I'm not sure I really take appearance into consideration specifically, though I do see similarities between myself and the 4's I know-- not traits really, but expressions, attention to aesthetics, and the way we communicate with others and talk. I think determining the type of a person is pretty simple by process of elimination if you interact with or observe that person enough, but confirmation of that can certainly only be had via the individual.

Most people have pegged me as 5, 4, 1 or 8.
 

Flâneuse

don't ask me
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
947
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
9w1
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Just one right now (my 4w5 mom), but I think I've known at least two more in the past.
 

grey_beard

The Typing Tabby
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Messages
1,478
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I mistook a 9 for a 4. :doh:
 

Kullervo

Permabanned
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
3,298
MBTI Type
N/A
I mistook a 9 for a 4. :doh:

I posted a link about that in another thread.

People who type 4s put way too much weight on the stereotypical descriptions, and not enough on the basics (the 4's core fears/desires, (dis)integration and feedback loops). I believe a couple of INFPs here, even, are mistyped p6w7s and 9w1s, but I am of course relying on forum personas which don't always correspond to reality. Basically...I won't push it.

Re OP's question, I don't have any 4s in my day to day life, but if I did, I actually doubt that we'd get on well.
 

senza tema

nunc rosa cras fex
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
2,432
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
471
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
this is making me wonder if people who know me irl would even type me as a 4 if they knew about enneagram. hmmmm.

Same. I would ask if the people who know me irl gave a shit about typology but they don't, so oh well.
 

Raffaella

bon vivant
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
945
Only one, my brother-in-law's sister is an INFJ e4, I love her because she's one of the few people I know that appreciate creativity.
 

Animal

So carnal it's spiritual
Joined
Mar 9, 2013
Messages
650
MBTI Type
SeFi
Enneagram
4
I am a 4.
I dated another 4.
I had a friend in college who I'm sure was a 4.

Two other girls - maybe 4s. Not 100% sure.



that's 3 definite 4s irl (I have met myself)
and two highly probable 4s.
 

Kullervo

Permabanned
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
3,298
MBTI Type
N/A
Why do you say that?

A lot of 4s seem to be INFPs; 9 fixed and very strong Feelers.

I am quite different - cold, harsh and bound to offend your delicate sensibilities.

I am also prone to envy, and can become very defensive of anything I consider to be part of my identity. My apologies for being vague here, but I'd rather not get into specifics.
 

Cloud of Thunder

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Messages
571
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
4
A lot of 4s seem to be INFPs; 9 fixed and very strong Feelers.

I am quite different - cold, harsh and bound to offend your delicate sensibilities.

I am also prone to envy, and can become very defensive of anything I consider to be part of my identity. My apologies for being vague here, but I'd rather not get into specifics.
I understand. I don't have "delicate" sensibilities. In fact, that's partly the reason why I have a hard time embracing 4. There's a kind of dandyism to how the type manifests among people that makes me cringe.
 
Top