E9 Equivalences In The Academic World: Conservation, Sexual and Social Subtypes

According to Claudio Naranjo, E9, in its most problematic expression, could be classified as a dependent personality. However, this definition does not account for the dynamic core or the various character traits.

Kurt Schneider

The first classification that we can refer to in understanding Enneatype E9 is Kurt Schneider's text “Psychopathic Personalities.” In this work, the author describes personality disorders and establishes the limits and criteria within which a certain personality can be defined as “abnormal” in the clinical field. Although the text was written in the 1920s, it remains useful for identifying certain personality characteristics.

Characteristics of E9 can be found in the apathetic psychopath, described as a suggestible personality. Due to a lack of will, they are highly susceptible to being influenced by external events and people, to the point of becoming manipulable—even for socially unacceptable or even dangerous purposes.

In general, their behaviors are not dangerous, but they can become so if they converge with someone to whom they are emotionally attached, as is the case with the sexual subtype. Similarly, they may become involved with groups they wish to belong to, as seen in the social subtype. The Self-Preservation subtype, on the other hand, can perform even destructive actions that endanger their own survival without being aware of or willing to do so.

“Almost always kind, in hospital or school settings they don't cause trouble; they are reasonable, docile, hard-working, and discreet.”

Sigmund Freud

Another definition associated with E9 is that of a masochistic character. Freud later considers this a regressive phenomenon caused by an unconscious need for regression. As such, it does not fit within the field of sexual perversion but rather as a character trait. He also refers to “feminine” masochism, which he associates with passive components present in both men and women, evoking a childish submission to the loved one. Freud also mentions “moral” masochism, which is connected to a feeling of guilt resulting from the internalization of the father, with whom a passive feminine relationship is established.

Carl Gustav Jung

Jung's model relates to the movement of psychic energy and the habitual way one orients themselves in the world. He distinguishes eight typological groups, which are combinations of two personality attitudes—introversion and extraversion—with four functions or modes of orientation: thinking, sensation, intuition, and feeling. In Jung's description of

psychological types, E9 would correspond to the introverted feeling type. However, Claudio Naranjo suggests that it is more fitting to recognize E9 as part of the extraverted sensation type, as proposed by Marie-Louise von Franz, a student and collaborator of Jung.

Introversion and extraversion are psychological modes of adaptation. In introversion, the movement of energy is directed inward, toward the inner world. In extraversion, interest is directed outward, toward the outside world. In introversion, the most important focus is on the subject (inner reality), while in extraversion, it is on the object (things and other people, external reality).

Extraversion is typically characterized by an expansive, open, and accommodating attitude. The extravert adapts easily to a given situation, quickly forms bonds, and, putting aside possible misgivings, confidently ventures into the unknown. Their philosophy of life and ethics are often highly collective in nature, with a strong sense of altruism, and their consciousness is largely shaped by public opinion. If an extravert has a complex, they take refuge in social activities and repeatedly check that everything is in order throughout the day.

This type tends to sacrifice inner reality in favor of external circumstances. The more subjective needs are suppressed or ignored, the more unconscious energy builds up to undermine the conscious attitude. E9 is an extraverted type, and the traits of the Social 9 align particularly well with this description. However, the Self-Preservation 9 is the least extraverted of the three subtypes.

In the extraverted sensory type, intuition is powerful but often relegated to the shadow and discarded. This mechanism is observable in some E9 individuals who trust only what they can see. They possess a rare ability to mediate and form relational connections, often spending their time and energy focusing on the possibilities of others, never doing anything for themselves. They can sometimes be seen as adventurous or reckless.

There is often a disconnection between their awareness and physical body awareness. They tend to pay little attention to their own physical needs and may not notice when they are tired or hungry.

They are masters of detail, especially the Self-Preservation 9 subtype. They can read maps, find their way around an unfamiliar city, keep their rooms clean and tidy, and are punctual for appointments. They don’t lose their keys, remember to turn off the gas and lights at night, and pay attention to the externalities of life. They maintain a good table with select wines and surround themselves with fine objects and beautiful people.

The Achilles' heel of this type is introverted intuition. Anything that cannot be seen, heard, touched, or smelled is immediately suspicious and distrusted. Everything that comes from

within is considered morbid. Their thoughts and feelings will be explained by objective causes or by the influence of others. A change in mood is hastily attributed to bad weather. Psychic conflicts are seen as unreal, merely pure imagination—an unhealthy situation that will hopefully resolve itself when the individual meets their friends again.

There are differences between the subtypes. The sexual subtype does not know how to read maps (they often get lost), is not especially organized, and is not more punctual than necessary. Clueless and messy, they constantly lose their personal belongings. The social subtype, on the other hand, can be masters of detail when it comes to others—what they need, say, or do—but they are also forgetful with their own things, losing their keys and glasses. As good hosts, they know how to put together a good table, but beyond that, they often do not explain much. They tend to be curious and, although they pay attention to everything external, this curiosity can extend to esotericism. They are interested in astrology, tarot, angels, and clairvoyance.

In the most severe cases, various disorders may develop, particularly obsessional symptoms. The pathological contents show characteristics of unreality and often carry moral and religious overtones. There is also a complicated captiousness, a morality full of scruples that can be almost comical, as well as a primitive, superstitious, and “magical” religiosity that manifests itself through incomprehensible rites. All of these elements stem from repressed and less differentiated functions, which emerge in surprising ways. They seem to be based on absurd premises that contrast with the sense of reality dictated by conscience.

Anna Freud

In her book The Self and the Defense Mechanisms, Anna Freud describes a frequent defensive mechanism of the E9: repression. “The ego is usually unaware of the rejected impulse and the total conflict that led to the repression.” She also psychodynamically explains the altruism seen in all three subtypes of E9: it is the altruistic renunciation of one's own instinctual drives in favor of others. Desires are repressed and replaced by reaction formations such as modesty and humility. For example, the lack of one's own children may correspond to a parallel devotion to other people's children, or instead of developing their creativity, the individual befriends artists. In essence, the altruism of the E9 may, at its core, be an “egotically” motivated behavior.

Karen Horney

In Neurosis and Maturity, Karen Horney explains that every child develops a basic anxiety, which leads them to experience the world as threatening and unreliable. This feeling prevents them from relating to others with the spontaneity of their real feelings and forces them to develop defensive strategies. She divides these strategies into two types: interpersonal and intrapsychic. A new typology appears based on how people deal with their basic anxiety:

• Obedient or self-nullifying solution, which leads them to approach others. • Aggressive or expansive solution, which leads them to move against others. • Detached or resigned solution, which leads them to withdraw from human contact.

Horney describes a personality with obedient or docile tendencies as someone who fears success and avoids all competition. The patient only feels safe when they are humble, discreet, and non-threatening to others, perceiving therapeutic progress as a risk. People whose predominant trait is obedience (which applies to all subtypes of the E9, but is especially explicit in the Sexual 9) try to overcome their basic anxiety by gaining the affection or approval of others or by controlling them through dependency. Their values are centered around kindness, sympathy, love, generosity, altruism, and humility, while they abhor selfishness, ambition, cruelty, unscrupulousness, and the exercise of power.

They may compulsively embrace Christian values, believing in the principle of turning the other cheek. They consider the universe to display a providential order in which virtue is always rewarded. Their belief is that if they are good—kind, humble, and altruistic—they will be treated well by fate and others. If this does not happen, they may perceive it as divine injustice, conclude they have made a mistake, or develop a belief in a higher order that transcends human understanding.

They need to believe in justice and order in the world, as well as in the inherent goodness of human nature. This is why they are so vulnerable to disappointment. They repress their expansive tendencies while being drawn to expansive people, through whom they can substitute for the control of their own lives. As a result, they often develop a morbid dependence on their partners.

In the chapter titled “Renunciation: The Call to Freedom” from Neurosis and Maturity, Karen Horney discusses a type of person who adopts resignation as the main solution to conflicts, emotionally and intellectually disconnecting from themselves, others, and life itself. Their experiences fail to become meaningful learning, instead getting lost in a thousand superficial details. This is recognized as the typical mechanism of the E9.

Renunciation seeks peace through the absence of conflict. It is a process of minimization, of shrinking. The neurotic becomes a spectator of themselves, their life, and the lives of others. Another aspect of renunciation is the aversion to any effort to achieve success. The

individual repudiates success and the effort required to obtain it. They minimize or deny their own abilities to succeed and are content with little. It is total inertia.

The E9 identifies with all these traits. Among the subtypes, the Social 9 (the countertype) seems to have no inertia because it remains highly active, doing endless tasks that are usually insignificant. Although more ambitious than the other subtypes, their activity is scattered in punctual actions, and they struggle to find a clear direction for success.

The true essence of renunciation is the restriction of desires. This causes anxiety to become attached to something or someone to the point of needing them. On one hand, the individual can do without others' help, but on the other, they are more than willing to provide help, as long as it does not overwhelm them emotionally. They also renounce any desire or need that requires the support of others to achieve it.

This type of individual is very sensitive to the influences and pressures of the environment and to any ties. As they renounce their own wishes, they make the wishes of others their own. Resignation is accompanied by an aversion to internal change, although it manifests in a restless and cheerful attitude when faced with novel situations. They never show their suffering and insist on not feeling it.

They are not usually skilled at relating to others, though they possess essential sincerity and an innocence of inner thoughts and feelings that cannot be corrupted by temptations of power or success. This gives them a kind of inner integrity that is highly valuable. For the E9, this integrity is often perceived and respected by those around them.

This renunciation of being themselves and their desires can manifest as a passive resistance against internal and external passions, which we would describe as a persistent renunciant type. It can also manifest as an active rebellion, the rebellious renunciation (rebellion “against” or rebellion “for”). The social and Self-Preservation 9s may exhibit rebelliousness when confronting unfair treatment or in defense of a good cause. The Sexual 9s are also champions against injustice; their indignation over their own mistreatment may not be as apparent, but they feel an impulsive urge to fight against the mistreatment of others. This can be either an external or internal process.

The individual who resigns is content with little and has no ambitions for a career. It is difficult for them to work under a boss who appears to be a tyrant. However, if the boss is not tyrannical, they have no problem adapting, and they work well in group settings. They are often seen as lacking initiative, apathetic, with slow reflexes. They tend to postpone important matters, just as they postpone their own wishes. The Social 9 adapts and collaborates at work and within the group, settling for little, but is active, quick, and takes initiative when solving problems. They will only show slow reflexes when facing attacks, humiliation, or criticism, or if they feel their sense of belonging is being threatened.

Alexander Lowen

Lowen argues that in the family circumstances of the masochistic character fixation, such as in E9, there is a domineering and self-sacrificing mother who literally suffocates the child, making them feel extraordinarily guilty for any attempt at freedom.

“The masochistic character structure describes the individual who suffers and complains but remains submissive. This submission is the predominant masochistic tendency. If the masochist shows a submissive attitude in their outward behavior, it is just the opposite inside. On their deepest emotional level, they exhibit strong feelings of rancor, hostility, and superiority. These feelings are totally blocked by the fear of violently exploding, thus opposing the fear of exploiting a muscular pattern of containment.”

For Lowen, the masochist has an excessive demand for love that cannot be satisfied. They feel inferior and deeply humiliated. They need to suffer to mitigate the guilt. Their bioenergetic condition is charged with energy, which is retained. There is a fade at the waist, and impulses going up or down are trapped in the neck and waist, which explains the predisposition to anxiety. Bodily extension, in the sense of trying to achieve something, is strictly limited.

Physically, the masochistic structure is determined by a short, robust, and muscular body. The neck is short and thick, with the head sunken due to raised shoulders. The waist is narrow and very wide. The pelvis is prominent, with the buttocks tucked in. This posture resembles that of a dog with its tail between its legs.

“The great containment of this type causes their aggressiveness to be significantly reduced. Their search for recognition and tendency to always be on the defensive are also limited. [...] They consciously identify with the intention of pleasing, and at the same time, unconsciously, with resentment, negativity, and hostility.”

Aggressiveness is directed inward. Through sincerity, the masochist tries to gain approval, love, and affection. What makes treating the masochist difficult is the deep mistrust they feel toward the world. The energy of their organism is trapped by inward-directed aggression. Craving, contained within, produces suffering. If the masochist were to open their throat and let their voice out, they would not complain; of course, they wouldn't be a masochist either.

The masochist tends to feel damaged and despised. They feel like a worm or a snake. Their tendency to wriggle can be observed both psychologically and bioenergetically. On an unconscious level, they feel that they belong to the ground. It is very difficult for them to keep their body upright, and their tendency to lean downward is very characteristic. They

fear behaving assertively, just as they fear a strong genital erection. The strong muscular tensions prevent the adoption of an erect posture. The movements are not direct and vigorous, but rather disorderly, probing, and indirect.

In their early experiences, there is a strong feeling of humiliation, as they were raised to feel incapable and useless. Possible causes include forced feeding without regard for the child's feelings, early potty training that invaded the child's sense of intimacy, enemas, beatings, and so on. Like animals, children put up stubborn resistance to interference with their natural functions. Obedience is rewarded with approval, and rebellion is disapproved.

There is an inordinate need for approval. The masochist tries to please in the hope that approval will bring them love, but they constantly look disappointed. It is humiliating for an organism to feel that its security and acceptance depend on servility. In the long run, the masochist becomes subservient. They try to get love in exchange for work and effort. They deny the importance of material goods, though property is very important to them. They have confused desires, find it difficult to express them, and doubt they can achieve any satisfaction.

As a child raised in an environment where they fell into tender attire, the masochist reacts with mistrust to the tenderness of others. Given the great tension in all outlets, they can only achieve discharge by pushing or squeezing out. Their work and sexual activity are characterized by this type of response.

At work, the masochist strives for the impossible. It is not relaxed or easy work; they work with their intestines, not their heart. This is why they usually lack spontaneity and creativity. In the genital field, they inhibit pleasure. There is a feeling of guilt associated with sexuality, the shame of genitality, and the fear of self-affirmation.

The masochist can seem quite incompetent in dealing with others, with confusion and blockage when expressing ideas or feelings. They possess intelligence and sensitivity, perceiving and understanding the behavior of others in a penetrating and accurate way. Their facial expression is one of innocence or naivety. It can take the form of astonishment and a good-natured or stupid smile. Beneath it lurk fear, contempt, disgust, and, further below, the terrified child. These expressions must be brought to the surface and made conscious. The masochist also has repressed exhibitionist characteristics.

In addition to the traits common to all E9s, excessive effort at work, drive, naivety, dazedness, and goofy, good-natured grins are accurate descriptors of Social 9s, masking their unconscious mistrust and fear. Some E9s use drugs and alcohol as an outlet for their repressed exhibitionist desires.

This self-forgetfulness in the excessive effort to please also occurs in the Sexual 9, although the effort is not dedicated to the group, but to a specific person. They care only about one-on-one relationships. As for sexuality, they do feel pleasure, the pleasure of the long-awaited symbiosis, which finally becomes real, even if only for a moment.

The masochist is characterized by deviousness, ambivalence, and the manipulation of situations. Their longing to love and be loved is trapped in each of the extremes of their pendulum swing. At the mental level, mistrust and doubt prevent the flow of sensations through the throat. The grudge is located in the back of the neck. Tears are contained by the strong tensions in the womb. The masochist only feels safe with their pelvis and belly strongly contracted.

Genuine illusions, joys, and satisfaction in everyday life are lacking. The masochist has given up on themselves.

Guy Tonella

The E9 personality essentially forms in response to the unpredictability of the attachment figure's reactions. There are various adaptation strategies that the child rehearses in the sensory-oral stage: what was good one day may be wrong the next, and the child finds it impossible to form any consistent strategy or character structure that allows them to get good enough responses from their attachment figure. The consequence, in terms of attachment pattern, is insecure attachment, defined as disorganized and disoriented. The child's response will be disorganized, always open to “case by case,” from the impossibility of obtaining a more or less predictable response.

In terms of Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory, the reactions of the attachment figure force the child to oscillate between the hyperstimulation pole of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to respond to an often aggressive activation, and the hypostimulation, induced by the need to "play dead" in order to go unnoticed by a terrible attachment figure. In this way, the child does not learn to transit through the optimal activation zone of the ANS.

The organism thus learns to function in two modes: sympathetic hyperactivation and parasympathetic freezing (dorsal branch of the vagus nerve), without acquiring the regulation mechanisms necessary to access the optimal activation circuit (ventral branch of the vagus), which promotes social connection and learning. From this alternation between hyperactivation and freezing, the pattern of functioning in “ontoff” is born. The child oscillates from being hyperactive to evacuate the anxiety generated by a state of indefinite alertness, to a near catatonic, absent state in a security zone, where the E9 feels that if they do not exist, it is more difficult to be attacked.

To this essential disorganization is added that, unable to internalize references to guide their behavior, the entire psyche of the child is disoriented. They do not know what they feel, what they want, or how they should react. This disorientation forces them to look outside to try to guess what they have to feel, do, or want, and this turns out to be painfully inappropriate.

The E9 has grown up in a world without law, without limits, without a point of support to know anything. The only security comes from adapting to the mood swings of the attachment figure and later, agreeing to give up their autonomy in a desperate attempt to achieve some degree of organization. However, this outline of structure can only now be superimposed on an essential disorganization.

Disoriented, disorganized, and insecure attachment effectively summarizes the overadaptation to the original trauma involving the attachment figure. In the case of the Social 9, what might be different is that, despite fluctuating strongly between polarities—such as optimism and despair, naivety and distrust, pragmatism and daze, on and off—they generally manage to maintain functional performance at work. Yes, they will struggle in their relationships with others, exhibiting a great need for others and an inability to form intimate bonds. They may seek out intense or chaotic relationships as a manifestation of their inner disorientation.

The Sexual 9 also remains functional at work; they compensate for their disorientation with the sheer amount of effort they invest in getting things done and doing them well.

DSM IV-TR

Claudio associates E9 with the dependent personality as outlined in the DSM IV-TR, which manifests through five or more of the following characteristics:

A recurrent and excessive need to be cared for, leading to submissive and dependent behavior, as well as a fear of separation. This condition appears in early adulthood and occurs across various contexts:

• Difficulty making daily decisions without seeking excessive advice and assurances. • A need for others to take responsibility for most areas of life. • Difficulty expressing disagreement with others for fear of losing support and approval (note: this does not include realistic fears of punishment). • Difficulty initiating projects or activities autonomously (due to a lack of confidence in one's own judgment or ability, not due to a lack of motivation or energy).

• Willingness to go to great lengths to receive care and support from others, even to the point of offering to perform unpleasant tasks. • Feeling uncomfortable and helpless when alone, stemming from an exaggerated fear of being unable to provide for oneself. • Seeking another relationship immediately after the end of a close relationship, in order to obtain care and support. • Unrealistic concerns about being forced to fend for oneself.

The social subtype fully identifies with each of these nine points. Point 2 is more relevant to the sexual subtype, while point 3 highlights the need to belong, which is so intense that it can lead the Social 9 to become confused or over-rationalize to convince themselves that they agree. However, when none of these mechanisms work—or when they stop working—the Social 9 develops a rebellious side. They oppose others without considering the means or consequences, resulting in social exclusion, which they try to avoid.

Regarding point 6, the Self-Preservation subtype may not be immediately recognized for its greater autonomy, at least on the surface.

David Riesman

Sociologist and psychologist David Riesman, in his study of social conformity in postwar middle-class America, proposed three typologies of character and society:

• Tradition-oriented: Conformity is assured by a tendency to follow tradition. • Internally oriented: Conformity is ensured by the tendency to adopt a set of internalized goals early in life. • Others-oriented: Conformity is ensured by the tendency to be highly susceptible to the expectations and preferences of others.

Similar to Karen Horney's "approach-oriented solution," Riesman’s “other-directedness” explains how the Social 9 subtype loses its sense of self within the group. According to Riesman, these individuals seek the approval of their peers and fear being ostracized from their community. This lifestyle exerts a coercive effect, forcing them to adapt and take on the objectives, ideologies, likes, and dislikes of the group. They strive to please the group (their neighborhood), though this does not truly fulfill their desire for companionship or intimate bonds.

Riesman explains: “The other-oriented person learns to respond to a larger circle than his or her parents. The family ego is not a cohesive entity to which they belong, but merely part of a larger social environment to which they become attuned early on. In this way, the other-oriented person is similar to the tradition-oriented person: both adhere to social norms and lack the internally-oriented person's ability to act independently.”

However, for the other-oriented person, "the line between the familiar and the strange—a sharply drawn line in the tradition-oriented person—has been broken."

Riesman further clarifies: “What all other-oriented people have in common is that their contemporaries provide the source of direction for the individual; either those with whom they are directly linked, or those linked indirectly through friends and the mass media.”

This dependency on external sources for life guidance is instilled early.

“The goals toward which the other-oriented person strives change according to external guidance: the process of striving for oneself and paying close attention to the cues of others is what remains consistent throughout life. This relational style limits the individual to conformity, not through the repetition of customs as in the tradition-oriented character, but through an exceptional susceptibility to the actions and desires of others.”