Controversy about Dubya:
The Enneagram
community is unusually divided regarding George W. Bush:
1. Riso
and Hudson view him as a 9w8, like Ronald Reagan. They cite Bush's
9-ish campaign themes, e.g. "uniter not a divider", as evidence that
he is basically a 9.
2. Tom
Condon and Clarence Thompson view George W. Bush as a 7w8. You can
read Thompson's public thoughts on the matter here.
3. Joe Tangredi,
who did opposition research for the Democratic party and the Gore campaign,
views George W. Bush as a counterphobic 6w7. You can read his essay
below.
4. I view
George W. Bush as a nearly equal mixture of types 8 and 9, but with a bias
towards 8w9. This view is outlined
here.
5. The New York Times had the following to
say about Bush in the very first weeks of his presidency. These statements are eerily true even
today:
"We are learning something these days about the
power of a willful president. Without a popular mandate, George W. Bush is
making radical changes that will have long-term consequences for this country
and the world. He is making them in a hurry, and for the moment there are no
checks or balances to stop him."
Link to
original New York Times article
Joe Tangredi's argument for George W. Bush as a 6w7:
Posted by Joe Tangredi on July 26, 2000 at 09:12:36: to: Jan's Enneagram Movie Board
(copied from Riso's board)
With respect to George W. Bush, I think he is a lot more like his father than he appears on the surface. The elder Bush is widely recognized as a Six with a strong counterphobic streak, and (I believe) with both Five and Seven wings influencing his personality: on the one hand, the former president is the "adventurer" who parachutes out of planes at 75 years old; on the other hand, the "Six with a Five Wing" tendency to intellectualism, introspection, and staunch defensiveness (especially of received values, which he internalized from his father, the late Senator Prescott Bush.)
George W. Bush, I believe, is similar in that he is basically a Six, but with a VERY strong Seven wing -- and absolutely no Five wing. Indeed, he could almost be mistaken for a Seven with a Six Wing (he is extremely outgoing, has a past littered with stories of wild, rabble-rousing behavior -- especially in college; he also had a "drinking problem" which he admits to having kicked; and also there are the allegations of cocaine use which he hasn't denied).
The strong Seven wing is also supported by all his various business ventures and career moves, many of which sent him off in wildly divergent directions: oil company entrepreneur, major league baseball team owner, politician.
I don't see GWB as displaying the "slick" or "polished" careerist attributes we associate with Threes (whether with the warmth of a Two wing -- a la Bill Clinton -- or the aloofness of a Four wing -- a la Jimmy Carter.)
Instead, he shows a lot of loyalty (to family, party, etc.) and an almost unquestioning defense of the values inculcated by his family -- regardless of the life he actually lived as a youth. In fact, in his campaigning, he stresses "Sixish" issues like family and loyalty. He also has an obvious admiration for his father.
Also, GWB shows a marked counterphobic streak, just like his father -- a pugnacious reflex to react, strike back, and even deliver preemptive blows against an opponent. He is highly reactive (a Six trait) -- note his behavior during the Primaries with John McCain.
With respect to his variant, I would say your assessment may be right -- that he tends towards a Self-Preservation dominant variant -- but he also could have a strong Social variant component. I'm not sure how the variants develop, but I don't think George W. Bush had to worry much about self-preservation growing up. On the other hand, as an undergraduate at Yale, he was known as the kid who "knew everybody", and was elected president of an exclusive fraternity because he was the only inductee who came close to recognizing each member and knowing each person's name.
In summary, GWB is a highly social, outgoing Six with a very strong Seven wing, a "Buddy", with a marked counterphobic streak.