Re: Wing-type dilemma

Posted by Hal on August 13, 1998 at 08:54:11:

In Reply to: Re: Wing-type dilemma posted by Emily on August 12, 1998 at 21:16:10:

: I'm trying to go a little deeper than just the obvious. If you don't know if having almost equally active wings has a certain bearing on a person's character then that's fine. I've just always wondered if it does.

: I understand that a person's main type should be considered the most important, and I don't want to seem that I am harping on some kind of trivial issue such as trying to figure a wing-type. I guess I pretty much took my original question a step further.

: Really not much is published on wings, and probably for good reason. One shouldn't get stuck in trying to figure out exactly what sub-type they are, because that's not what the enneagram was originally meant for. It's meant to be used as a tool for helping a person evolve and bring out all parts of the Self, not just a favored part.

: I'm just trying to understand the enneagram better and as I mentioned before, there's so little resources out there on wings. Sorry I rambled on a little bit there. I have a feeling nobody can really tell me if there is a correlation between the level of a person's wings differing and their personality.

: -Emily-

First, I'd like to say that I don't have any definitive anwers either, but I personally DO think that this issue is worth considering--this is not rambling at all.

As I see it, your wing(s) is in some ways opposite to your type (though at the same time complimentary) and tends to cause internal conflict by pulling you in a different direction from your type. In your case, for example, (and mine too, since I'm a 4) the 5 wing is opposite to 4 because 4's tend to focus on understanding their internal states and feelings, while 5's are focused on understanding the external world. Similarly for 4 and 3: 3's want to succeed and be noticed and admired for their accomplishments; while 4's want inner satisfaction and understanding rather than success, and would often rather not stand out.

I haven't read all the books on this, so I'm just presenting my opinion. But it does seem to me that understanding these inner conflicts is very important to understanding who we are and why we do, think, and feel the things we do.

- Hal -

Follow Ups:

• Re: Wing-type dilemma Dave 17:32:14 8/13/98 (6)
  • Re: Wing-type dilemma Emily 22:02:56 8/13/98 (5)
    • Re: Wing-type dilemma Brian C. 23:01:46 8/13/98 (4)
      • Re: Wing-type dilemma Kronus 02:43:52 8/14/98 (3)
        • Re: Wing-type dilemma Brian C. 18:23:15 8/14/98 (2)
          • Re: Wing-type dilemma Hal 07:59:42 8/17/98 (1)
            • Re: Wing-type dilemma, Hal Brian C. 10:20:53 8/17/98 (0)

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