Enneagram 201: So What's the Deal with 'Wings'?

An educational series for knowledge about the Enneagram system

If you could break down the Enneagram into college-level coursework, “Enneagram 101” would cover the basics that many readers might already know: an overview of its history, that “ennea” is just a Greek prefix meaning “nine”, and that try as you might, we don’t believe you can change your core Type.

I’ve thought of doing an “Enneagram 201” series with next, intermediate steps, and explaining the so-called ‘Wing Theory’ was at the top of my list. When I give workshops, probably the most-asked-about question I get is “I’ve heard about ‘wings,’ so what are they?”

Understanding Wing Theory

Enneagram “wings” refer to the two Types on either side of your own Type around the circle symbol of the Enneagram. For example, a Type 3 would have two “wings” on either side of it: Type 2 and Type 4. Type 1 would have the two wings of 2 and 9, etc.

It’s thought that while each of us has a core Type, we tend to favor one of our wings more so—similar to being right-handed or left-handed—which gives your core Type a slightly different flavor, so to speak. To pick on my own Type, Enneagram Ones who have a stronger “9 wing” tend to be cooler—a bit more distant in feel, more concerned with harmonizing others (as Nines try to do), more prone to detaching somewhat. Type Ones with a stronger “2 wing” tend to be warmer Ones—more in tune with desiring to meet others’ needs and perhaps more open to self-disclosure and vulnerability (like Twos can be).

In shorthand, this wing dominance tends to be written as “MainType-w-DominantWing”, e.g., “3w2” = “a person dominant in Type Three but with a stronger Two wing,” or “5w4” = “a Type Five with a stronger Four wing.” In conversation, you’d say, “Five-wing-Four” or “Three-wing-Two.” So it’s shorthand, nerdy, definitely idiosyncratic, and probably more than a little annoying to outsiders.

Each person with a core Type has both wings within them; they just tend to favor one over the other consistently—but not exclusively.

So you have access to both wings, regularly use both wings, but like handedness likely found yourself leaning into borrowing from one side over the other. I use my right hand to raise my drinking glass probably 90% of the time, but of course I still use my left hand to drink at times—sometimes because my right hand is occupied, and sometimes just because. I like to think of any “dominance” in your one wing over the other as something similar.

Can you feel the difference?

That there are essentially two different wings for each core type can help explain why some people have obvious similarities and yet feel distinct. This partly—only partly—can explain why, say, a Brad Pitt (9w8) feels different from a Gwyneth Paltrow (9w1). Speaking only for my unqualified observations of a celebrity-stranger, Pitt seems to have the cool, almost aloofness of the dominant Nine energy while still having something of the “toughness” and directness of the Type Eight energy. As if he’s always laid back (Nine)—and also doesn’t have time for your BS (Eight), if you know what I mean.

Paltrow (9w1) also seems to have that laid-back, “nothing phases me” feel of the Nine, but rather than the daring energy of the Eight behind her eyes, her energy and ethos seem to be about living in alignment with core principles and a sort of underlying concern with uprightness (One). Or at least that’s how the small fraction of what she shows to the general public comes across to me.

Wings can also explain why two people might have so much in common but also recognize a clear distinction even at a core level. Reese Witherspoon (6w7) and Cameron Diaz (7w6) seem to me to have obvious similarities—and yet clear distinctions in “energy” and how they come across. To me, Diaz does feel like her Seven-ness jumps off the screen in almost any role she plays. Witherspoon has flashes of the same Seven brightness in her eyes, but ultimately seems as though her groundedness is primary and “core” to her, rather than her adventurous self.

First half of life and second half of life

Well-known Enneagram teacher Suzanne Stabile says that most people are dominant in one of their wings in the first half of life—and switch to being dominant in the other wing in their second half of life. I don’t know how broadly that theory is accepted (although the Enneagram Institute has said the same), but I also haven’t encountered a lot of pushback from that generality. And anecdotally, I see the truth of it in my own life.

Of the two wings for my Type One energy, I’ve favored the Nine wing, for sure. It just seemed to work for me, and truth be told, I like the coolness of the 1w9 energy. At times I really like the aloofness I can access from the Nine, which has the benefit of making me feel I’m not at risk of being too close to situations or emotions or other people lest I get overwhelmed. But I also identified a couple of years ago in therapy that not being okay with some of the Type Two parts of myself has created problems. I find myself craving more closeness in relationships, more self-disclosure, more intimacy and vulnerability. As uncomfortable and terrifying as it can feel to lean into that, I know part of my own growth path is balancing myself out by cultivating the parts within me that I’ve neglected but that are nevertheless valuable and necessary.

So if it’s helpful, some people find this language and framework of “wings” to make some of this universal work of human integration more understandable.

My hot take… probably less important than it sounds

While the #1 question when teaching the Enneagram is about understanding the wings, I also have to admit: I kind of think for most people it doesn’t really matter.

Or, perhaps stated more accurately: It’s hard for this Enneagram teacher to picture something in the world of the Enneagram that has had such outsized popularity for how inconsequential it seems to be.

Don’t get me wrong, if you find tremendous help in your transformational journey by having the framework of wings, that’s great! I also find it helpful, of course—and that moment in therapy was a pivotal one. It’s just that it doesn’t seem to be nearly as helpful as other parts of the Enneagram system. And in terms of distinctions among the types, it’s not nearly as distinguishing as, say, the Instinctual Variants (“Subtypes”).

I beat the drum of caution as a habit, but I think it’s almost always worth saying if it can help you avoid a common pitfall: the purpose of Wing Theory is to help you break out of your patterns not to help you further entrench in them as part of your identity. This is why I am baffled by groups and conferences and conversations where people are encouraged to identify with their core Enneagram Type, let alone their “wings,” instinctual variants, and more. These labels are helpful in naming our own unique expressions of our core, unhealthy traps, addictions, compulsions. That should not be a source of shame; but it’s also unwise to make it a source of pride or identity. If you’re so much more than your Type, you’re certainly more than your dominant wing.

So there you have it: Wings. Wings are helpful, but probably not nearly as helpful as people think. And in my experience, the vast majority of people get more out of putting their energy into other areas of Enneagram work.

That said, desire and internal resonance are chronically undervalued in the spiritual work, so if you find you have a lot of internal motivation for spending some time focusing on the wings, I would definitely encourage you to do so! And at some point, reflecting on this would probably be recommended.

Next Steps: Reflection
Take two minutes to identify which “wing” you notice coming out more for you in your own life. What has “worked” for you by subconsciously focusing on this wing? What has been limiting for you by focusing on it?
Is there any part of you drawn your less dominant wing? What do you think that desire (or lack thereof) is about?

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Samuel Ogles is the owner of ‘Formation Circle,’ a practice offering spiritual direction, Enneagram teaching, and media to empower others in personal transformation. You can support this work by subscribing to this newsletter (Free and Paid versions available), and you can connect with Sam or another spiritual director at FormationCircle.com.