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The Enneagram is more than just a personality tool—it's a mirror that reflects your core motivations, fears, and desires. It helps you understand what you do and why you do it. At the heart of it are nine interconnected personality types, each with its own beautiful strengths - and unique struggles.
If you’re a Type 1, you strive to live by a strong internal code of ethics. You’re driven to improve things, fix what’s broken, and uphold standards of excellence.
You probably have an inner critic that never sleeps.
Let’s explore how to turn your principled nature into peace, not pressure.
Type 1 – The Reformer is driven by a deep inner belief that the world should be orderly, just, and ethical.
They believe that it is their responsibility to improve themselves and their surroundings, and they hold themselves to high moral standards.
heir core fear is of being corrupt, evil, or defective, and they often fear making mistakes or being wrong. Their core desire is to be good, virtuous, and to have integrity. This often leads them to be highly self-disciplined, critical (especially of themselves), and perfectionistic.
Type 1s are motivated by a need to be right and to improve the world around them, often acting as reformers or advocates for justice.
Psychologically, Type 1 is often created in childhood environments where love and approval were tied to being ‘good’ or behaving correctly. As a result, they internalize a strong inner critic that drives them to meet an internalized ideal of perfection.
Their motivation type is usually principle-based; they seek purpose and value integrity above all.
Core Beliefs:
Type 1s believe that the world must be improved and that doing things the "right way" is essential. They hold themselves to high moral standards and have a strong sense of responsibility to correct what is wrong.
Core Fears & Desires:
They fear being bad, corrupt, or defective and desire to be good, ethical, and principled.
Motivation Style:
Driven by a need for integrity and order, they constantly seek self-improvement and to make the world a better place.
How the Type Is Created:
Often rooted in early experiences where love and approval were conditional upon good behaviour, 1s develop a strict inner critic demanding perfection.
Relationships:
Romantic: Loyal, principled, and supportive, but sometimes overly critical.
Professional: They bring structure, fairness, and accountability, though they may be impatient with shortcuts or unethical practices.
Each Enneagram type embodies a core motivation and fear that can lead to a range of behaviours. When individuals are self-aware and balanced, they express the healthiest traits of their type. Conversely, under stress or when disconnected from their core values, they may exhibit less healthy behaviours.
The Enneagram also illustrates how individuals may adopt behaviours from other types when experiencing growth or stress.
Understanding the healthy and unhealthy aspects of your Enneagram type offers a roadmap for personal development. By recognising these patterns, you can work towards embodying the healthiest version of your type, leading to greater self-awareness and more fulfilling relationships.
Healthy: Principled, ethical, and driven by a desire for improvement. They inspire others with their integrity and commitment to doing what's right.
Unhealthy: Become overly critical, perfectionistic, and inflexible. May struggle with anger and resentment when things don't meet their high standards.
Growth vs. Stress: At their healthiest, 1s are balanced and optimistic. Under stress, they may become overly self-critical, rigid, or morally judgmental.
In Growth (Moves to Type 7): Ones become more spontaneous, joyful, and open to pleasure. They relax their perfectionism, embrace flexibility, and allow themselves (and others) to just be human.
In Stress (Moves to Type 4): Ones becomes emotionally turbulent, self-critical, and withdrawn. They might brood over perceived failures or feel misunderstood and melancholic.
Think of your Enneagram wing as your personality's sidekick, adding depth and nuance to your core type.
Each Enneagram type is flanked by two neighbouring types on the Enneagram circle. These adjacent types are your potential wings. While your main type captures your core motivations and fears, your wing influences how you express these traits in the world.
Understanding your wings can provide deeper insights into your behaviours, relationships, and personal growth journey. It's like discovering a new dimension of yourself that enriches your self-awareness and interpersonal dynamics.
Combines moral rigor with calm diplomacy.
The Idealist combines the idealism and moral compass of the core Type 1 with the calmness and peacefulness of Type 9.
They tend to be more introverted, reflective, and serene than the more assertive 1w2.
Their core belief still centers around doing what is right, but they are more likely to avoid conflict and prefer creating harmony in their pursuit of improvement.
Their core fear remains of being unethical or wrong, but this wing adds a fear of disconnection or discord. Their motivation is to improve the world in a calm, non-disruptive way.
This subtype may be created in childhoods where high expectations were present, but expressing anger or rocking the boat was discouraged. Thus, they strive for righteousness in a quieter, more measured manner.
Merges high standards with warm, proactive support.
The Advocate blends the moral conviction of Type 1 with the people-pleasing and helpful nature of Type 2.
They are more outwardly focused than the 1w9 and typically more energetic and passionate about helping others.
Their core belief is that doing good involves both personal integrity and active service to others.
They fear being seen as selfish or immoral, and are driven by a desire to be seen as helpful, ethical, and caring.
Their motivation stems from both internal principles and a need for external validation.
This type often forms in environments where worth was associated with being both 'good' and useful to others.
They tend to take on a nurturing role but may struggle with resentment when their efforts go unacknowledged.
Their desire to fix the world is matched by their drive to support and connect.
High ethical standards meet calm diplomacy and active support.
A Type 1 balanced between both wings blends the calm, thoughtful presence of the 9 with the warm, service-oriented energy of the 2.
This creates a reformer who is both compassionate and composed.
They uphold high moral standards, but they do so in a way that is empathetic and inclusive rather than rigid or dogmatic.
They are driven to make the world better, not just through principled action but also through connection and harmony with others.
This balance helps them temper their inner critic with patience and kindness—toward themselves and others.