Discovering your Enneagram personality type can help you better understand yourself, but what about your Enneagram wing type? Some wing types can make you seem different from others with the same personality type due to your distinguishing characteristics. A type eight can have a nine wing or a seven wing. In this article, we will be focusing on the Enneagram type 8 wing 9.
As a type eight with a nine wing, your personality has additional attributes from the nine’s characteristics. On average, an Enneagram 8w9 is more deliberate, supportive, and modest in thought and behavior. The nine wing can influence an eight to be more approachable than other gut centers.
Keep reading to learn more about the traits, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses of an Enneagram 8w9. You can also determine how you can benefit from your wing type’s influence and see a list of professions that would be the most fitting for an Enneagram type eight with a nine wing.
8w9 F.A.Q.’s
What Does 8w9 Mean?
‘8w9’ means ‘Eight with a Nine wing,’ or ‘Eight wing Nine.’ This title shows your Enneagram personality type’s number, a ‘w,’ which stands for ‘with a,’ or ‘wing,’ and your Enneagram wing type’s number. When sharing your dominant Enneagram personality and wing types, you can use an abbreviation rather than saying the whole phrase.
Source: Enneagram Texas
Enneagram 8w9 Description
Eights are usually aggressive and do not mind conflict with others. An enneagram nine typically will avoid conflict and is more agreeable, often to a fault. An enneagram eight with a nine wing can be more of a mediator who deters conflict rather than starting it.
An enneagram type eight can have features that compare and contrast one another when paired with a nine wing. Seldom your wing type can have such a strong influence on your dominant Enneagram personality type that you might begin to wonder if it is genuinely your personality type because of the distinction between common traits.
Reading a description of your personality type paired with your wing type can help you ascertain whether you’re genuinely a type 8 wing 9.
8w9 Traits
8w9’s are a part of the Gut Triad, so they are motivated by their instincts when making decisions and when lacking awareness can allow anger to overwhelm them. An eight with a nine wing desires to shield themselves from any threats and keep control of their lives. They also fear being hurt by others or being ruled over. An 8w9 is known as ‘the Diplomat’ and is good at dealing with others effectively.
8w9 Behaviors
Those who identify with 8w9 can experience tension to control and a willingness to cooperate from the nine wing. Type eights are generally rigid and guarded, and with a nine’s influence, they build emotional barriers around themselves to appear strong. They are very self-reliant people.
8w9 Strengths
As an Enneagram 8w9, you can lead others to greatness and help them when needed. You are good at seeing the different sides of everyone’s stories during a conflict to help those in conflict reach a happy medium. Your wing’s guidance enables you to be confident in your actions, making you even better at negotiating in business.
8w9 Weaknesses
Despite being more tempered than the 8w7, an Enneagram 8w9 often can lose their temper when under stress or pressed by others. Eights with a nine wing tend to seem emotionally detached and stoic because of their walls to protect themselves from being hurt by others. They don’t like following the rules and instead stubbornly follow their ideas.
Sources: Medium, Psych Reel, Psychologia, Crystal
How To Benefit From A 9 Wing As An Enneagram 8
An Enneagram type eight can benefit from a nine wing by becoming a great leader by gaining followers for their support and gentle but firm kindness. It would help if you remembered that not everyone is out to get you, so letting people in is okay. As an Enneagram 8w9, you can be more controlled instead of compulsive.
Source: Intuitive Enneagram
8w9 vs. 8w7
As an eight wing nine, you are more reserved and antisocial. However, a type eight with a seven wing is super energetic and social, often surrounding themselves with people. Eights with a nine wing are great at negotiating most things business or not, while eights with a seven wing have a more entrepreneurial approach.
Enneagram eights both desire to be in control of their lives, but an 8w9 reacts to this desire by cutting off their emotions from other people and staying independent, and an 8w7 by avoiding authority figures. 8w9s are more empathetic to others’ emotions, while 8w7s are blunt and uncaring of others’ sensitivities.
Those with the same Enneagram personality types can have completely different personas if they have different wing types. Wing types can either intensify your personality type or contrast it if their attributes go against the typical ones of your dominant personality type. A nine wing’s influence on the eighth type differs from a seven’s in Enneagram.
What Enneagram Wing Is Your Dominant Type?
Usually, your personality type’s Enneagram wings have individual features that you can easily find your dominant wing type. However, some people can relate to both wings or only one wing. You can find your dominant Enneagram wing type by recognizing the motivations of each wing type and determining which one suits you most.
Sources: Ian Morgan Cron, Personality Path
The Best Enneagram Wings Test
We have hand-picked five of the best Enneagram tests based on efficiency, coverage, and popularity so you can discover your dominant wing type and embark on your Enneagram journey. This list includes the Truity, Your Enneagram Coach, Cloverleaf, Crystal, and Integrative 9 online Enneagram tests. Each test has its similarities and differences that make them excellent options.
Truity
The Truity Enneagram personality test is 19 pages long. It has 105 questions, so you can find out your Enneagram profile, including your dominant personality type, dominant wing type, and how much you relate to the other Enneagram types. The test takes around ten minutes to complete, requires no purchase or sign-up, and has a 4.8-star rating.
To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Truity, click HERE!
Your Enneagram Coach
The Your Enneagram Coach Enneagram type assessment can start you off on your Enneagram journey by helping you identify your Enneagram type. The assessment is about 80% accurate and has 12 pages of easy questions that you rate from one through five on how much you agree. You can gain more precise feedback with further coaching from their Enneagram courses.
To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Your Enneagram Coach, click HERE!
Cloverleaf
The Cloverleaf Enneagram personality assessment is 22 pages long. It has short questions for distinguishing your Enneagram profile, including your dominant personality type, wing type, Enneagram triad, and an overview of your traits. The test takes around ten to 15 minutes to complete, requires no purchase, and you can get Enneagram advice by signing up.
To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Cloverleaf, click HERE!
Crystal
The Crystal Enneagram personality test is a quick, free quiz where you rate the on-screen questions from one to five on how much you can relate. This test can distinguish which dominant Enneagram personality type befits you best and gives you the resources from their page to find a summarization of your Enneagram paired with your wing.
To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Crystal Knows, click HERE!
Integrative 9
The Integrative 9 Enneagram assessment has two different choices: Standard or Professional. The standard package costs $60, has 22 pages, and can help people from home understand their Enneagram profiles. The professional package costs $120 and has 44 pages. It reveals how you can use your Enneagram profile to improve your work.
For more information about the iEQ9 assessment or to purchase, CLICK HERE.
Enneagram 8w9 Career & Job Possibilities
Possible career paths for people who are Enneagram 8w9:
- Judge: Because 8w9s know how to see both sides of an argument, they would make great judges.
- Activist: 8w9s are supportive, so they would enjoy being an activist who fights for others’ rights.
- Religious Leader: Because people are willing to follow 8w9s for their support, being a religious leader may be fitting.
- Business Owner: 8w9s are composed and know how to negotiate, so owning a business and striking deals with other companies would be a good career path.
Source: Crystal
You can find more career options for 8w9’s here: The Best Enneagram Type 8 Careers + Job Advice & Guidance.
An excellent guide for all job-hunting Enneagram types is the Enneagram Career Guide.
Summary
An Enneagram type eight wing nine has all the qualities of an eight with varying levels of influence from a type nine. As an 8w9, you simultaneously have the fire of the eight but the calm and understanding nature of a nine. Eights can be aggressive and competitive, and with the nine wing’s guidance, they are more relaxed and cooperative with the competition.
The core desire of an Enneagram 8w9 is to stay safe by remaining in control. The message they want to hear from others is that “You can trust me; I won’t hurt you.” A healthy 8w9 will learn to be more balanced. This balance can help them be less temperate and confused by their contradictory elements.
Determining your dominant Enneagram wing type can be beneficial because you can learn how and why your mind works the way it does. Disclosing why you make certain choices and how your thoughts might contradict or compare to your personality will help you understand your strengths and lead you to use them to their fullest potential.
