Enneagram Type 9: Traits, Growth Areas, Compatibility, & More

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Everything you need to know about “The Peacemaker”

Co-authored by Annabelle Reyes Reviewed by Allison Broennimann, PhD

Last Updated: September 18, 2024 Fact Checked

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Personality Traits

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Weaknesses & Growth Areas

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Levels of Development

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Subtypes & Wings

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Romance & Compatibility

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Careers & Professional Life

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Famous Type 9s

Enneagram Type 9s are one of the most likable personality types out there. Also known as “The Peacemaker,” Type 9s are endlessly understanding, open-minded, and tranquil. They have a special talent for creating harmonious environments wherever they go, and they're experts at bringing people together. If you want to learn more about Enneagram Type 9’s, look no further! We’ve compiled a complete guide, including personality traits, weaknesses and growth areas, compatibility, and professional life. Keep reading to become an expert on the “The Peacemaker!”

Things You Should Know

Enneagram Type 9 (“The Peacemaker”) is motivated by their desire to create calm, harmonious environments internally and externally.
They are known for being understanding, inclusive, and optimistic, and they excel at mediating conflict.
When Type 9s are healthy, they are forces for good in the world. When they’re less healthy, Type 9s can struggle with people-pleasing, insecurity, and indecisiveness.

Section 1 of 7:

Type 9 Traits

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Enneagram Type 9 is known as “The Peacemaker.” Type 9 has a special knack for creating peaceful, harmonious environments. They know how to diffuse tensions and mediate conflicts, and they’re endlessly accepting, inclusive, and open-minded. With all of these desirable traits, it’s no wonder Type 9 is one of the most likable personality types out there!^{[1]
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- Basic desire: to have peace and stability both internally and externally
- Basic fear: being abandoned, upsetting others, or dealing with conflict^{[2]
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- Strengths: calm, peaceful, easygoing, likable, good-natured, adaptable, inclusive, cooperative, open-minded, understanding
- Weaknesses: people-pleasing, conflict-avoidant, indecisive, complacent, unmotivated, disconnected from their own needs and opinions^{[3]
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Driven by their desire for peace and harmony, Type 9 has a special superpower for diffusing tension, promoting cooperation, and helping others find the middle ground.^{[4]
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When you spend time with a Type 9, you probably feel a deep sense of comfort and safety. This is because Type 9s are some of the most calming presences around! Naturally even-keeled and peaceful, they bring a tranquil energy to any situation they find themselves in.^{[5]
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They’re great at seeing things from all perspectives, which makes them naturally non-judgmental and inclusive of others. Plus, they encourage everyone around them to adopt this same open-minded attitude. This makes them a powerful force for peace and acceptance in the world!^{[6]
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They tend to have a positive outlook on life, and their upbeat energy makes them a pleasure to be around. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that Type 9s are so well-liked in their communities and social circles!^{[7]
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Section 2 of 7:

Type 9 Weaknesses & Growth Opportunities

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Type 9s can be people-pleasers who ignore their own needs. Type 9s tend to go along with what others want, even if this means sacrificing their own wellbeing. They hate rocking the boat, and they'll do anything to avoid tension.^{[8]
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Research source} Because they're always going out of their way for others, Type 9 often ends up feeling overwhelmed or burnt-out.^{[9]
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- To overcome this: To combat your people-pleasing tendencies, practice asserting yourself, and saying “no” when you need to.
- Remind yourself that your voice matters, and that your loved ones want to hear what you have to say, even if you disagree with them.
- Come up with an empowering mantra to remind you to speak up and stand firm. This could be something like, “My opinion is valuable,” or “I’m allowed to say no.”^{[10]
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Type 9s may ignore tension or conflict in their relationships. Type 9s are all about maintaining calm environments at all costs. Because of this, they may ignore tensions and sweep things under the rug to avoid conflict.^{[11]
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Research source} Though their intentions are good, this behavior can be pretty frustrating to Type 9’s loved ones, who end up feeling like Type 9 is ignoring (or oblivious to) their grievances.
- To overcome this: Remind yourself that conflict in relationships is not only unavoidable, but also healthy.
- It allows both parties to be vulnerable, which can bring you closer together.
- Take a deep breath, and face the conflict head-on. You got this!^{[12]
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Type 9s can be indecisive. Type 9’s can see a situation from all sides, and they always find the middle ground. This is an asset when mediating conflict, but it has some negative consequences, too. Type 9 may be so used to seeing things from others’ perspectives that they lose sight of their own opinions and desires. This makes it tough for them to make important decisions.^{[13]
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- To overcome this: When you’re making choices, you likely find yourself endlessly going back-and-forth. To combat this, try setting a time limit.
- For example, you could give yourself a deliberation period of 15-30 minutes for a smaller decision, or a few days for a major one.
- Once your deliberation period is up, make a choice, and stick with it!<^{[14]
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Section 3 of 7:

Type 9 Levels of Development

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Each Enneagram type can be broken down into 9 levels of development. Depending on the health and self-awareness of the individual, they may fall into the healthy range (levels 1, 2, and 3), the average range (levels 4, 5, and 6), or the unhealthy range (levels7, 8, and 9).^{[15]
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- In other words, Level 1 would be Type 9 at their best and reaching their fullest potential.
- Level 9, on the other hand, would be Type 9 at their most imbalanced and self-destructive.^{[16]
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Healthy Levels
- Level 1: Type 9 at their best. They bring peace, harmony, and cooperation to every situation they walk into. They are experts at addressing others’ needs, but not at the expense of their own wellbeing. They can assert themselves in a healthy way.^{[17]
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- Level 2: Good-natured, likable, and kind. They’ve created a stable and harmonious life for themselves, achieving both internal and external peace.
- Level 3: Cooperative and skilled at diffusing tension, they act as a calming force in social situations. They build bridges between people and successfully mediate conflict.^{[18]
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Average Levels
- Level 4: Accommodating to the point that they sometimes go along with others’ desires simply to avoid tension. Though they may sacrifice their own needs from time to time, they don’t do this to an excessive degree.
- Level 5: At this level, Type 9s begin to sweep tension and conflict under the rug a bit too much. They have a hard time motivating themselves to deal with tough emotions in relationships, even when they know they should.
- Level 6: May minimize their feelings or the severity of conflicts because they can’t handle confrontation. This can cause tensions in their personal relationships.^{[19]
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Unhealthy Levels
- Level 7: Avoids conflict to an unhealthy degree. Consistently chooses to ignore tension and sweep things under the rug, even when this is frustrating or hurtful to others.
- Level 8: Blocks out and ignores any emotional tension or conflict that causes them any type of stress. Becomes numb or closed-off to the people around them, though they crave connection.
- Level 9: Type 9 at their most imbalanced and self-destructive. Their inability to deal with even the smallest types of conflict makes them consistently deny their own needs. These behaviors make them unable to build deep, meaningful connections.^{[20]
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Section 4 of 7:

Type 9 Subtypes & Wings

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Enneagram Type 9 has two subtypes: 9w8 and 9w1. In the Enneagram system, each type can potentially share some of the qualities of one of their adjacent types.^{[21]
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Research source} For Type 9, this would be either Type 8 (“The Challenger”) or Type 1 (“The Reformer”). These subcategories are called “wings.”
- 9w8: A Type 9 with an 8 wing is a bit more assertive than a typical Type 9. Taking on the characteristics of confident Type 8s, this subtype is able to stick up for themselves and stand their ground. This boldness, however, is still tempered with Type 9’s cooperative qualities, making them a force to be reckoned with!
- 9w1: A Type 9 with a 1 wing has a strong moral compass, and they’re incredibly motivated to make the world a better place. With the principled, ethical qualities of Type 1 and the deep desire for peace of Type 9, this subtype makes an incredible leader and activist for social justice.

Section 5 of 7:

Type 9 Romance & Compatibility

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Their core desire to promote peace carries over into their romantic relationships, and they do everything they can to create harmonious, stable partnerships. Because they’re so understanding and open-minded, Type 9s can be compatible with any of the other personality types.^{[22]
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This pair has a lot in common! They share a desire to make the world a better place, and they both want to be forces for good in their communities. They understand and support each other easily, which makes for a harmonious partnership.^{[23]
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Both Type 2 and Type 9 are naturally nurturing and supportive, which makes for a very loving partnership. They both have positive outlooks as well, and they have no trouble cheering each other up when things get tough.^{[24]
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Type 9 & Type 3: Type 3 and Type 9 have pretty different personalities, so they can be a bit of an unlikely pair. As “The Achiever,” Type 3 is a success-oriented go-getter, while Type 9 is more of a peaceable, go-with-the-flow type of person.
- With a bit of communication and understanding, however, these two types can be great for each other.
- Type 9 encourages Type 3 to relax and recharge every once in a while, while Type 3 motivates Type 9 to go after their goals.^{[25]
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Type 9 & Type 4: A relationship between Type 4 and Type 9 can be passionate and unique! Individualistic Type 4 encourages Type 9 to step into their power and express themselves, while nurturing Type 9 makes Type 4 feel seen and accepted.
- This pairing may run into trouble, however, due to the different ways they deal with conflict. While Type 9 withdraws, Type 4 tends to become more emotional.
- They’ll need to work on being patient and understanding of each other to truly thrive together.^{[26]
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Type 9 & Type 5: This can be a balancing and complementary pairing. Inquisitive, analytical Type 5 encourages Type 9 to scrutinize the world around them, while Type 9 brings warmth and affectionate energy to Type 5.^{[27]
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- The biggest concern with this pair is their tendency to withdraw into their own personal worlds.
- They’ll need to remind themselves to communicate and connect with each other on a regular basis.^{[28]
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These types are both searching for security and consistency in a relationship. They’ll each work hard to achieve a solid, harmonious partnership, which makes them well-suited to one another.^{[29]
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Research source} Type 6 can help Type 9 assert themselves, and Type 9 can bring a calming energy to anxiety-prone Type 6.^{[30]
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Type 9 & Type 7: Both Type 7 and Type 9 are upbeat and optimistic, which makes for a very playful and fun-loving pairing! Their only pitfall is that they both struggle to cope with negative things and may turn a blind eye to life’s harsher realities.
- They’ll need to encourage each other to face their problems head-on, rather than avoiding them.^{[31]
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Type 9 & Type 8: Type 8 is very attracted to Type 9’s supportive nature and warmth, while Type 9 is drawn to Type 8’s bold and magnetic energy. This pairing can be electric, but they do have different ways of dealing with conflict.
- Type 8 tends to respond to tension by pushing harder, while Type 9 prefers to withdraw or sweep things under the rug.
- They’ll need to be extra understanding of each other.^{[32]
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Section 6 of 7:

Type 9 Careers & Professional Life

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With their unique ability to bring even the most different people together, they make excellent managers, mediators, politicians, or social activists. They also deeply enjoy helping others, so they would be great social workers, therapists or counselors.^{[33]
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Section 7 of 7:

Famous Type 9s

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Many beloved and well-known public figures are Type 9s. With their likable personalities and infectious optimism, it’s no surprise that Type 9s naturally win over the masses! Here’s a list of notable figures with this enneagram type:
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Barack Obama
- Abraham Lincoln
- Gloria Steinem
- Audrey Hepburn
- Chadwick Boseman
- Keanu Reeves
- Woody Harrelson
- Whoopie Goldberg
- Ariana Grande
- Selena Gomez^{[34]
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