What about the negative anticipation of an Enneagram Four? Pure hell awaits the Enneagram Four if they anticipate engaging for a sustained period of time in only superficial experiences and relationships, such as Gene Kelly anticipated with his fiancée. Hell for this person is an emotional wasteland where time passes by with few experiences or relationships of any meaning or importance taking place. The negative anticipation is likely to be compounded by a self-fulfilling prophecy. A superficial relationship is anticipated and, as a result, the Enneagram Four is inclined to invest very little in the relationship, thus making it truly superficial.
Gene Kelly is likely to have directed little meaningful attention to his fiancée if they were to marry. They would end up in the type of superficial marriage portrayed by Steven Sondheim (another champion of Enneagram Four) in many of his Broadway musicals (especially Company and Follies). Life in this wasteland for the Enneagram Four is likely to be associated with substance abuse, depression, and even the potential for suicide. While tragedy might only be imagined by the Enneagram Four, this state can be “tragically” realized if the Four anticipates only negative experiences or superficial relationships in their world.
Enneagram Five: The Observer
Some of us prefer to sit on a bench at the top of a nearby hill and watch the world go by below us. As Enneagram Fives, we take notes, make observations, produce theories, and formulate predictions about what is happening below and why it is happening. Most importantly, the Enneagram Fives believe that this observational stance enables them to do a better job of anticipating what is about to occur. Helen Palmer (Palmer, 1991, p. 204) provides her own summary description of the Enneagram Five:
“The Observer’s ego is like a castle, a high, impenetrable structure with tiny windows at the top. The occupant rarely leaves its walls, watching who comes to the door in secret, while avoiding being seen. Observers are very private people. They like to live in secluded places, away from emotional strain. They are often at home with the phone unplugged, and they watch the action from the edge of a crowd, making tentative effort to join. Fives felt intruded upon as children; the castle walls were breached and their privacy stolen. Their strategic defense is withdrawal, to minimize contact, to simplify their needs, to do whatever they can to protect the private space.”
Private space is protected so that the Enneagram Five can not only predict what will be happening in their life but also control to some extent the appearance of unanticipated people and events. In many ways, the Enneagram Five is seeking to dwell in a closed system, where their “pet” theories and redundant predictions will always prove accurate. I suspect that the original theory of homeostasis was formulated by an Enneagram Five scientist/theorist. If Enneagram Threes view open systems as opportunities for advancement and success, Enneagram Fives are likely to perceive openness as a major threat.
Engaging Jean Piaget’s (Piaget, 1923/2001) model of learning, we could identify Enneagram Fives as assimilating learners. They “assimilate” incoming experiences within their existing frame of reference and set of theories. Even if the system is open, the Enneagram Five will treat it as closed and constrained without their own conceptual box. By contrast, the Enneagram Three is likely to be an accommodating learner. They adjust their own perceptions and anticipations based on what the incoming experiences are teaching them. The Enneagram Three dances to the shifting tune of their environment, while the Enneagram Five beats a steady rhythm on their conceptual drum that is immune to the incoming tune.
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