Understanding your Enneagram type and wing can help you make sense of your personality to a ridiculously great extent—the fog lifts and the light shines on your strengths, weaknesses, and a better quality of life.
If you’re supportive, modest, deliberative, courageous, and skilled at listening to multiple perspectives, you’re very likely an 8 wing 9 Enneagram (8w9), or “The Peace Seeker”.
Well, ‘peace seeker’, if you’re seeking more information about your Enneagram type and wing, here’s a quick primer on the Enneagram 8w9.
Enneagram 8 w 9 Description
The 8w9 Enneagram or the Enneagram 8 wing 9 is the Enneagram’s type 8 personality with a nine wing. This personality type is a part of the Gut Triad, which means that their decision-making and actions are driven by gut instincts.
Enneagram 8 w 9 personalities also prioritize keeping control of their lives and shielding themselves from any harm that others could possibly do—one of their biggest fears is being made to submit to someone else and losing control, along with being hurt by someone.
The Enneagram type 8 wing 9 is confident, helpful, and open to seeing multiple perspectives. This ability to listen to all sides of a story is what makes them great businesspeople and conflict resolvers.
However, this type can snap when pressurized or placed under stress. They can be quite stubborn and do what they want alone, even if that means breaking the rules.
Enneagram 8w9 vs 9w8
8w9s and 9w8s are extremely similar, so you could be forgiven for mistaking the two. However, they can be as different as chalk and cheese—or chalk and other types of chalk, at the very least—since type 9 rules the 9w8 type and type 8 rules the 8w9 type.
8w9s are personalities that love looking after other people, while 9w8s are more concerned with looking out for themselves. Compared to 9w8s, 8w9s speak more freely and can be more confrontational.
Additionally, 9w8s are more prone to going with the flow; at some point, they just give up and submit to what others want, unlike 8w9s.
Enneagram 8w9 vs 8w7
The primary difference between 8w7 and 8w9 is that the latter’s core motivation is to have fun and seek adventure, whereas the former’s core motivation is to protect loved ones and those who can’t defend themselves.
8w7s are more extroverted and enthusiastic, due to which they can come across as expressive, intense, fun loving, and social. They’re restless souls who love the opportunity to try new things and activities, especially if they’re challenging.
8w9s like to have everything under control while they take care of those around them. They’re more introverted and are stable, protective, calm, and levelheaded. Though their friends are few, their friendships are deep.
Enneagram 8 wing 9 Relationships
Enneagram 8w9s make great partners. They’re protective, attentive to their partner’s needs, and open to seeing their perspectives.
This personality type realizes how important it is to acknowledge their partner’s needs (oh, those lucky partners!) and help them fulfill these. These smart cookies know that fulfilling the needs of the partner makes a huge difference in how smoothly the relationship functions.
8w9s are also highly protective of their partner—and they’re not afraid to show it. However, this protectiveness could easily turn to overprotectiveness, so if you’re an 8w9 or in a relationship with an 8w9, make sure you nip this in the bud.
8w9s are also that rare type of partner that absolutely loves spending time with their partner and understands and respects their partner’s views, likes, and needs—they even join in these activities if it makes their partners happy!
But all that glitters is never gold—this applies to 8w9s too. Beware of temper issues when their needs aren’t met, possible emotional detachment, and stubbornness that could give a mule a run for its money.
Enneagram 8w9 Careers
Enneagram 8w9s are natural leaders who are conscious of multiple perspectives and more importantly, care about these. These courageous and supportive personalities flourish in environments that give them space for autonomy, but at the same time, value their encouragement.
Considering this, 8w9s do well in the following professions:
- Activism
- Counseling
- Law
- Paramedic sciences
- Art direction
- Teaching
- Sales Direction
- Religious leadership
- Business
This makes the type unsuited to roles such as secretary, auditor, paralegal—basically, any profession that involves working for someone else!
8w9 Enneagram Characters
The 8w9 category has some pretty heavy weights; if you’re an 8w9 personality type, you share your personality with some pretty interesting characters and celebrities:
- Bruce Lee
- Carl Sagan
- Vladimir Putin
- Franklin Roosevelt
- The (absolutely dreamy) Duke of Hastings from the “Bridgertons” series
- The (again absolutely dreamy) Thomas Shelby from “Peaky Blinders”
- Voldemort from the “Harry Potter” series (you have our sympathies for this one!)
The Final Word
Knowing about them will help you better understand the 8w9s in your life, or yourself if you’re an 8w9.
Like every personality type, 8w9s have their share of good things and bad things, but on the whole, they’re a great personality type to be around and have in your life. If you’re an 8w9, remember—being a Voldemort or a Duke of Hastings is in your hands!
