Personality Type Nine

Nines are also known as the

Acceptor, Comforter, Easy Goer, Lamb, Mediator, Negotiator, Nobody Special, Optimist, Pacifist, Peaceful Person, Peacemaker, Preservationist, Reconciler, Utopian

Overview

Values

peace, emotional well-being, acceptance of what is, harmony, unity, traditional values, social stability

Main Motivation

To feel at peace

Nines like to see themselves as peaceful and easygoing people. They want to maintain their inner stability and peace of mind. Consequently, they resist being affected or changed by others or by strong feelings in themselves. Nines therefore detach from their own vitality, passion, and assertion and replace it with strong emotional attachments to important people and to comforting situations. They tend to diffuse their attention (tuning out some may say) and focus their attention on their subjective idealizations of their world.

Nines seek harmony and stability. They have a sense of inner peace and want their environment to reflect that. They want to feel part of the world around them and a oneness with it (and with others). To maintain this harmony with their world, Nines must make sure that they do not upset or threaten its peace. Consequently, they opt to accommodate to their world (and to others) in exchange for peace. To do so, they must erase their own wants, their own passion, and their own drives. The price of accommodation is self-effacement.

Average Levels

Level 4: Accommodating Role-Player

Plays the role of the Nobody Special

Level 5: Disengaged Participant

Manipulate others by "tuning out" to resist change

Level 6: Resigned Fatalist

Undermines others by "tuning out" and cutting off their connection with others

Average Nines, therefore, see themselves as nobody special. Nines remain modestly camouflaged in the background so as not to inconvenience anyone. They minimize their hopes and expectations so they won't get upset. 

Average Nines dislike change and take comfort in tradition and conventions because they bring stability and permanence. They are extremely agreeable and conciliatory. I favourite saying of Nines is "It doesn't matter to me." Nines are uncomfortable expressing their own wants and would keep quiet that risk a conflict. After all, informing others of their wants or opinions feels like aggression that may threaten the relationship. It's best not to make a scene; to say yes when they mean no; and not question the status quo. Nines accommodate to avoid conflict. Others may take advantage of this behaviour.

Average Nines live vicariously through others, identifying with a stronger/more assertive/more passionate person. They idealize the other and/or the union. Nines connect strongly through this idealized relationship, making them feel part of a greater whole. Nines have lost their sense of self by erasing their own assertion, but they try to reclaim it through their idealized union with their partner.

Average Nines suppress their wants and minimize their needs. They tune out and disengage from the world. They lose themselves in comforting routines (television, gardening, hobbies). They focus on the feeling of unity with the world or with others. Their attention to the real world becomes unfocussed and vague. They have a hard time dealing with change and try to ignore pressure to do so.

Average Nines don’t want big changes, outside pressure, or strong emotions to disrupt their peace. They ignore, avoid, and sweep problems under the rug. Under this stress, they withdraw into an inner world of fantasy, idealization & peace. Nines try to make a deal with Life: Don’t ask me to change and I won’t ask you to change. Nines can't understand why others would want them to change.

Average Nines accommodate too much to others and no longer develop themselves as individuals. They are neither introspective, or self-questioning. They lack self-awareness and initiative. They are indifferent and feel no sense of urgency. They procrastinate, seeing no reason to be pushed out of their complacency. Despite their pleasant behaviour, they are stubborn and extremely resistant to change. 

They must maintain their peaceful world at any price (even if it is only an illusion). Their wishful thinking helps to minimize the importance of problems. They look for solutions that require minimal or no effort. They believe they can get through their problems by tuning them out. Everything will be fine tomorrow.  A favourite saying of average Nines is "Let's just get this problem behind us."

They can become fatalistic: nothing can be done to change things. Their apathy and indifference to the needs of others may actually cause conflict and may upset others. 

Average Nines are usually unaware that all of the pressure to change has been denied and bottled up deep in their psyches. Sometimes, Nines are unable to keep the anger hidden (from others as well as from themselves) and it comes out in a surprising outburst. Some Nines who can't handle the pressure and anger may have episodes of breaking with reality.

Unhealthy Levels

Level 7: Denying "Doormat"

Level 8: Dissociating Automaton

Level 9: Self-Abandoning Ghost

Nines become unhealthy when they repress and deny all problems. They completely dissociate from reality, neglecting their needs and responsibilities.

What leads Nines down the wrong path is when they seek peace by disengaging from their passions and instinct. Nines falsely believe that asserting themselves will cause conflict and disturb the harmony of their world. 

Healthy Levels

Level 1: Self-Possessed Guide

Level 2: Receptive Person

Become attached to values of harmony, peace of mind, tranquility

Level 3: Supportive Peacemaker

Feel good about themselves when everyone else is feeling good

Healthy Nines let go of a forced peace. They are patient, humble, honest, optimistic, and uncomplicated. Their quiet strength is reassuring to others. They can easily see and relate to other points of view because they are not attached to any one of them. As a result, they make them good mediators, negotiators, and counsellors.

Healthy Nines shed a great deal of positive attention to others. They are very trusting, receptive, empathic, accepting, and forgiving. There is a natural innocence to Nines - what you see is what you get. They are often attracted to nature and the Environment (especially the mystical, magical, and mythical part). This attachment is related to their feelings of a union with the larger world.

At their best, healthy Nines let go of the belief that they are unimportant and unwanted. They become completely aware of their vitality, their energy, their emotions, and those of others. They are fully engaged and alive. They are dynamic, assertive, and open to change. They connect with others and themselves rather that their idealizations. They are fully empowered and independent, in union with themselves at truly at peace.

Similarities to other Types

Nines are in the Instinctive Centre (like Eights and Ones)
Nines are in the Positive Outlook Harmonic (like Twos and Sevens)
Nines use the Withdrawn Social Style (like Fours and Fives)
Nines have the Attachment Object Relation (like Threes and Sixes)

Common Traits with other Types
Nines seek Autonomy (like Eights and Ones)
Nines handle problems with a Positive Outlook (like Twos and Sevens)
Nines prefer to Withdraw into their imagination (like Fours and Fives)
Nines are Attached to the expectations of others (like Threes and Sixes)

Conflict Scenarios
Positive Outlook vs. Positive Outlook Twos in conflict with Twos, Sevens, Nines
Positive Outlook vs. Reactive Twos in conflict with Fours, Sixes, Eights
Positive Outlook vs. Competency  Twos in conflict with Ones, Threes, Fives

Multimedia

Watch a Nine talk about his type
Dr. David Daniels describes Nines
Don Riso on Nines

Theme Songs

These "Theme Songs" express some of the most important issues of Type Nines.

• harmony
  

• desire for Utopia
  

• everything has its place, but peace is still paramount
  

From a Distance

by Julie Gold (more info)

Lyrics

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They're the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the heart of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance.

Imagine

by John Lennon (more info)

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Turn! Turn! Turn!

Lyrics from the Bible composed by Pete Seeger (more song info)

Lyrics

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!