What’s an Enneagram 4?
The enneagram is a personality typing system with 9 different types. Type 4 is sometimes called “The Individualist” and sometimes called “The Romantic.”
I bet most of my regular blog readers are enneagram type 4s.
Writers, artists, book lovers, and dreamers are often enneagram 4 types. But check out some of these enneagram four traits and see if I’m right!
Signs You Might Be an Enneagram Type 4
You’ve never felt “normal.”
You may feel sad about that, but you may also wear it as a badge of honor. Sometimes, you suspect that other people have it easier than you…and sometimes, you may believe that other people are more “fake” than you.
You have strong opinions about fonts.
You love music…
Your life requires a soundtrack. Song lyrics become your personal mantras, and you curate playlists for every mood and era of your life.
You love TV, movies, and books…
more than most people! You love drama, fantasy, and escapism, and fictional characters feel like friends to you.
You dread small talk,
and it doesn’t come naturally to you. You want to discuss life, death, art, love, religion, and politics, and you don’t mind a passionate, honest debate.
You find meaning in everything…
Plants, animals, rocks, buildings, street names, the weather…almost anything can become a symbol in your mind. You’re sensitive to nuance in words and gestures, which can be a great strength. But you may also interpret a casual comment or a passing glance in a positive or negative way when it didn’t mean anything at all.
You’ve made a moodboard before.
You hold on to the past.
William Faulkner wrote, ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” For you, the past is a source of nostalgia, regret, resentment, and inspiration.
You have a strong personal style.
Your living space, the objects you surround yourself with, your outfits, and your whole look are uniquely you.
You are creatively talented…
perhaps extremely creatively talented…although you may be held back by insecurity or a fear that what you create won’t be perfect.
You feel everything deeply.
Your emotional highs are very high, and your emotional lows are very low.
You have trouble seeing your strengths,
and you may not even believe compliments (although you should!)
You aren’t likely to take advice from others.
You assume that what’s true for other people won’t be true for you.
You can always imagine a better reality…
And if you’re not careful, that can prevent you from enjoying the here and now. But it can also lead to original thinking and creation!
As an enneagram type 4, you’re never afraid to be your true self.
And that’s a beautiful thing, because it gives other people the bravery to be themselves, too!
In my forthcoming romance novel, my heroine Emily is an enneagram type 4!
She was an emo kid growing up, she works as an art conservator at the museum, and she’s had her heart broken and her romantic ideals trampled on…but an enneagram type 7 hero comes along to change that. You can order the book here!
Did this post sound like you? Are you an enneagram 4?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Thanks so much for reading, and have a great rest of your week!
Almost all of this fits me to a T. Love it.
I love 4 types!
100%!
😊 Classic creative type!
Hi Bryn…Been off the grid for a while. Health and all that stuff. It’s annoying. I’m a strong mix of E4 and E7. I’ll be 78 soon but I prefer to see myself as 58. I like it that way!! I’m attempting to finish my second book and hopefully I’ll get the job done before I’m 90. I have too much butter on to little bread. I love your posts and don’t reply as often as I should. But lucky you. Today I did. Still maintaining my twisted sense of humor. Honestly, it has saved my life finding some sort of humor even in the darkest of moments. I’m ordering your book now. I’m excited! Looking forward to reading it. Hope all is well. Take good care of yourself. You ROCK!
Hi, Jan! YAY, I’m so glad to hear from you! But ugh, sorry to hear about the health issues. I like your attitude! Age is mostly just a mindset, anyway! I’m sure you’ll get the book done soon and I’ll send good writing vibes your way! You know I love your writing style. Humor is SO important! THANK YOU for ordering the book, and for the kind words. I hope you have a great week!
Here’s to 4s (says this 9)!.
Aww, I love peaceful 9s! 😊 Thanks for reading, Danielle!
I chuckled when I saw the title of the blog post because I am indeed an enneagram 4, painfully so. 🤣😭
It’s such a common enneagram type for creative people! I appreciate 4s so much. And reading more about the enneagram helped me understand them better (including the one I’m married to!)
I’m a 7…but a lot of the 4 resonates.
I get that! You’re a sensitive and aesthetic 7, maybe!
It sure sounds a lot like me. I’ve never taken an Enneagram test.
denise
I would totally guess you were a 4!
It sounds like me, indeed! Thank you!
😊 Thanks for reading!
Some of those traits sound just like me, and some not so much. I’m going to explore the other types and see what I come up with.
I took a test and my main one was 2, with 4 a close second.
This perfectly nails all three of my adult children…and ME!