Type 4
Dominant Center: Heart
Along with Types 2 and 3, Type 4 is dominant in the Heart Center and is therefore referred to as an “image type,” because the ego of the Heart Center is built around crafting and displaying an image for the world to see. This means that the fundamental unconscious agenda of Type 4 is to convince their world that they are the person as whom they would like to be seen. Because of this, the Heart Types typically have a performative aspect to the way they appear in the real world. This doesn’t mean every Heart Type is destined for the stage; it means that, when interacting with them, others can often feel them trying to project how they would like to be seen. For Type 4, this image is one that is extrinsic, raw, and untouchable.
4s assume that they do not belong in their environment. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, their ego starts from a place of friction with the world around them, distinctly aware of all the portions of self that are at odds with all that’s outside of them. This lack of harmony becomes the most obvious quality 4s see within themselves, and in early childhood, it begins to form their sense of identity. They develop a self-image of one who does not have a home in the place where they dwell – an alien stuck on Earth against their will. This default self-concept means that 4s quickly see all the things within themselves that almost “fit” but ultimately don’t, and they often have a sense that something within them has been polluted or poisoned – because surely, if they “fit,” things would be correct.
Passion: Envy
Type 4’s self-image creates in them a belief that as long as they exist in this world, they will always be frustrated and at odds with it. This ache of unbelonging produces Type 4’s Passion: Envy. Type 4’s Envy is their implicit resentment of the world outside of them that all seems to fit together, wishing desperately they were not an aberration. However, no matter how much 4s yearn to belong, the only “self” they have to cling to is their lingering feeling of being stuck as an anomaly. The Heart Center is the personality’s attempt to conjure value through their image. Because 4’s sense of self is wrapped up in their separateness, the most valuable thing they find within themselves is their uniqueness and distinction from others. They learn a reaction to the ordinary that compels them to individuate themselves. 4s permit themselves to be defined only by things that align with their sense of singularity – to do any less would be betraying the alien self they see. Envision this conflict as an eternal state of friction between all that is internal to Type 4 and all they see outside themselves. The implications of this friction are twofold, and simultaneous: a sense of their brokenness and incompatibility with the real world, as well as an experience of themselves as somehow transcendent and superior to it.
As a Reactive Type, 4s cling to their negative qualities tightly in order to differentiate themselves. The behaviors that follow can be hard for others to understand, as 4s seem to intentionally be interactionally difficult, emphasizing their own suffering as a way of enhancing their self-concept of lack. 4s have a reputation for being too pessimistic and too self-focused, because they automatically obsess over their examination of their own disappointment. Unsurprisingly, this way of being is often bothersome to types that feel more compelled to conceal their negative feelings than 4s do.
Type 4s come to glorify the shadowy parts of all things, most notably in themselves. They yearn for the world around them to become something deeper – something it is not. 4s prize themselves on having a specific and refined aesthetic sense, and they won’t hesitate to critique the appearance of things around them. Automatically they are able to see what is lacking in the world around them, too, because their self-image creates an antenna that’s extremely sensitive to what’s missing within any environment. 4s offer a critical perspective on their environment rooted in the Passion of Envy. 4s are jealous of others who seem to be content and at home within themselves, and this jealousy causes them to question what must’ve caused it. 4s attack their world for not being deep, interesting, or beautiful enough, but their attitude is a reaction against the implicit belief that something is wrong with them.
It’s imperative to note that being alien is not something Type 4s fear they will fall into – it’s something they already assume is true of them. While they do yearn to find a place of true belonging (which they believe will never occur), feeling out of place becomes their primary tether to the one thing they find to be of value: the depth they find in their uniqueness. The beauty of belonging seems unattainable, so the beauty of being special is what 4s believe they must advertise in order to conjure their value.
For 4s with a 3 wing, their wing’s ability to see into the collective (see Attachment Object Relation for more information) presents a complicated paradigm – 4w3s will often describe a yearning to belong while still finding themselves distinctly alien. But as a Frustration Type fueled by cyclical dissatisfaction, 4’s self-image is ever in conflict with the external world. While the Attachment Types (3, 6, and 9) often can resonate with this want to belong, their ego structures are not committed to being at odds with the real world. 4w5s, by contrast, lack any Attachment structures, meaning their alien quality exists without 3’s shiny and self-developing focus. As such, 4w5’s unbelonging is more nihilistic in nature, resigned to its lack of place.
A facet of Type 4 so vital yet so often forgotten and overlooked is that they are a Heart Type, meaning their primary egoic agenda will always be centered around a construction of their image. This means Type 4’s Envious image is just as fabricated, thin, and manufactured as those of Types 2 and 3. This is why core 4s have an ongoing convergence of self-obsession and self-hatred. As a Heart Type, they are intrinsically fighting off the feeling of Shame – the belief that they are not truly who they claim to be. Type 4’s self-glorification stems from their awareness of their own depth and mystery, and their self-hatred stems from having to cheapen that depth by trying to express it in their image. The Passion of Envy is 4’s aching to fit within the world the way others seem to – naturally, comfortably, and without having to betray oneself.
In order to preserve the purity of their perceived inner beauty and defend against the superficial world’s polluting effects, 4s keep others at bay with a persistent shield of negativity. They differentiate themselves (often verbally) from all the things that strike them as false, flavorless, or trite. This becomes the typical pattern of Type 4’s engagement, image, and dialogue: disidentifying with all the things they believe they are not. The cynical and pessimistic nature of Type 4’s communication style can make it rather hard for others to be around them. Unlike more adaptable types who can keep negativity to themselves, 4s can tend to bring conversations back to their disappointments and woundings. Such negative assertions reinforce the image of distinction 4s feel is in line with their identity. Complaining becomes a natural manifestation of Envy, as 4s want others to see their displeasure and affirm it, because even such a validation would (hopefully) lessen the pain of their Frustration affect. Unfortunately, no one’s comfort or encouragement has any real power when 4s are trapped in Envy. When neurotic, Type 4’s psyche is chronically addicted to a victim mindset, seeing themselves as beyond help.
Hornevian Stance: Withdrawn
Karen Horney developed three types of personality that map effectively on to the Enneagram. Her theory suggests that everyone learns one of three responses in an attempt to get what they want: the Assertive Types (3, 7, and 8) move against (or past) others, the Compliant Types (1, 2, and 6) move toward others, and the Withdrawn Types (4, 5, and 9) move away from others. Each type does this differently within their respective dominant Center. Type 4, as a Withdrawn Heart Type, pulls away from others as a means of crafting an identity of uniqueness.
The Withdrawn Types struggle to be present to their world, often late to taking necessary action. For Type 4, this trend manifests in their uncooperative nature, as they’re typically opposed to being a team player lest their individualistic identity be covered by their involvement with others. Withdrawal allows 4s to sit from afar and critique the world that they don’t understand (and that doesn’t understand them). When others move toward them, 4s move away with annoyance and disgust, implicitly believing that no one will ever truly grasp the depth of their pain.
Type 4s don’t realize that they are the ones reinforcing this message that they don’t belong, because no matter what attempts others make to truly see them, 4s are addicted to a narrative of disappointment. They don’t actually want to be comprehensible to others, otherwise their most valuable part of self – the alien part – would be lost. 4s complain about not belonging, but they Withdraw from any opportunity to actually find a seat at others’ tables. 4s secretly believe they are not worthy of being a normal person, but they rebel against this Shame by acting superior to others, expressing their disdain for the “shallow” world of those more conventional in their self-expression. Even Social 4s, whose attention falls on the world of connection and interaction, will insist on being disappointed with how others fail to see them for who they truly are.
4s pull back into their inner emotional landscape, where they can fantasize about their idealized self without having to submit to the torturous feeling of inauthenticity that comes when they try to express themselves but others don’t respond the way 4s hope. They Withdraw to protect the prized gem of their sensitive, expressive self from the world’s pollutants. Type 4s want to be purely themselves, but the cost is high: they forsake being a functional person in the real world and fully participating with others in a meaningful way.
Harmonic Style: Reactivity
The Harmonic Styles refer to how the nine different types learn to unconsciously handle life as it confronts them with unwanted circumstances. While the Positive Outlook Types (2, 7, and 9) use optimism, denial, and reframing and the Competency Types (1, 3, and 5) use objectivity, neutrality, effort, and mastery to handle their problems, the Reactive Types (4, 6, and 8), by contrast, use pessimism, emotional expression, and cynicism to manage the issues they face. The Reactive Types’ quick responses cause them to “overdo” the primary emotion of their dominant Center of Intelligence. Type 4s are “overdoing” Shame as a way of creating their identity. This negative response is the Reactive Types’ best attempt at seeing reality appropriately, but they inevitably skew their perspective to be more jaded and wary of life and of other people than needed.
Reactivity within the Heart Center is a negatively skewed view of identity – contrasted with Type 2’s overly glowing and positive sense of self, Type 4’s self-concept is the inverse – the negative parts of self are magnified. The qualities and traits that create Type 4’s sense of lack become the clearest pieces of their psyche, or at least the most consciously accessible. Because Type 4 is a Frustration Type, the continual dissatisfaction of their Object Relation becomes 4’s blueprint for their own image and sense of identity. The “self” characteristic of the Heart Types becomes for Type 4 the vehicle of their subconscious discontent, forever displeased with who they are in the world.
Furthermore, 4s as Reactive Types are often rebellious, uncooperative, and more than willing to push back on other people who are bothering them. 4s’ Reactivity is a response to their intrinsic belief that the world is at odds with them. When others try to find connecting points of relatability with them, 4s often disagree, specifying that their experience is somehow different (and worse) than others’. Type 4s are machines of yearning, hoping that others will see them for who they are, but kicking back against the world when it tries.
Object Relation: Frustration
(with the Belonging Object)
Type structure is built through a learned way of orienting toward the world called an Object Relation, a dynamic that forms as a child discovers how they relate to their parent(s). Six out of the nine types orient themselves to an Object representing either Mother or Father, but the Withdrawn Types (4, 5, and 9) are oriented both toward the space the child finds between Mother and Father, unconsciously creating a third Object: the Belonging Object. Every child receives and absorbs some form of wounding from their parents, and their psyche consequently learns to orient toward the world through an internalized Object – a distorted minimization of what should be the parent. This Object is not a full person; rather, the Object is a representation of the supplier of the child’s needs that did not do its job. The Belonging Object provides the child with a sense of holding, home, family, and welcome: a place to exist, fully present, and be human.
Contrast Type 4’s Frustration affect with Type 9’s Attachment affect, which is attuned to the “holding” provided by the Belonging Object – where 9 is at some level perpetually responsible for a sense of unity within self and outside of self, Type 4 has just the opposite predicament, finding themselves perpetually disquieted by an insufficient holding zone within oneself and outside of oneself. This is where Type 4 often struggles with a classically hateful attitude – not just of the aesthetics, relationships, and systems outside them that don’t meet their intrinsic sense of perfection and beauty, but also those mechanisms within 4s themselves that fall short. 4s are consistently Frustrated with their inner workings, just as they are with the functions of their outer world. It’s reasonable to see how Type 4 can develop a hatefulness of self – or at the very least, a hate of one’s obligation to exist and function in a way that makes 4s feel they are sacrificing themselves or their dream life.
As an Object Relational affect, Frustration refers to the ego response that departs from the parent’s insufficient provision, causing the child to try to secure these resources for themselves. However, the child’s immaturity causes them to seek in excess the resources they once lacked, not knowing when to stop or when enough is enough. Put simply, the Frustration Type’s existence becomes a never-ending search for whatever it is they feel they don’t have enough of. The Frustration Type’s psyche remembers what they initially wanted and refuses to accept reality in any form that does not match their “memory”. An inner target persists within the Frustration Type, transforming everything into an arrow flying toward it. This sense of how things ought to be means the Frustration Types sense deeply how things ought not to be, as well. 4s, along with 1s and 7s, are intensely aware of how far off “the mark” all things are. Needless to say, this leads to a psychic function hinged upon finding the arrow that hits the bullseye, and dismissing all the “misses” in favor of the “hits”.
The Frustration affect converges with the Heart Center to create a distinctly sharp and precise sense of an ideal image or ideal self. The Heart Center is naturally attuned to the way things are postured, presented, polished, and performed; consequently, Type 4’s Frustration affect (manifesting as specific idealism) makes them particularly picky, often about artistic or aesthetic presentations. And while many other types may be into the arts, it is true that Type 4 often has a predisposition to be oriented toward beauty, as well as all the things that appear insufficiently beautiful. It’s in the realm of visual or auditory arts that Type 4’s specificity can manifest as elitism or a god complex – most art, no matter the form, will not match what Type 4’s Heart Center feels is a true representation of beauty.
Their dissatisfaction with image extends to the way 4s physically appear. As a Frustration Heart Type, 4s are attached to a romanticized concept of self, but they are forced to see that this version of themselves does not exist. Type 4s become very conscious of the parts of themselves that don’t match their inner ideal, and they often feel a deep wish to change specific aspects of their physical appearance. The Passion of Envy surfaces here – because 4s are so conscious of their negative qualities and are a Frustration Type, they often experience jealousy of others whom they feel are more beautiful than them. 4s will quickly identify and resent others who more fully or naturally embody the qualities 4s have idealized.
The Frustration Types are defined by the personality’s insistence on securing for themselves the resources they feel were insufficiently provided by their Object. This leads to a sort of psychic anemia, always trying to compensate for what was once missing. For a child, the Belonging Object is meant to provide a sense of holding, place, and identity as a distinct and unique entity in the family unit, separate from Mother and Father. These are the provisions that Type 4’s psyche intuits will never arrive in full portion; consequently, the personality becomes fixated on cultivating a sense of place for themselves. Just as Type 7 cannot be sufficiently stimulated or entertained and Type 1 cannot be sufficiently boundaried from bad choices, the world for Type 4 becomes a reminder that they will never fully have a place to belong, forever lacking a “spot” within the world that’s truly theirs.
This causes Type 4’s tendency toward an inflated self-focus. At some level, 4s believe that they know the tenets and standards of what makes something truly beautiful (and thus worthy of being crafted and presented), but the world around them cannot seem to identify those principles. Type 4’s behavioral disgust response toward the things they see as mundane or vapid is the ego’s subconscious attempt to elevate or magnify the depth, richness, and texture of their inner aesthetic world. This pattern effectively gives Type 4’s ego an experience of crafting the belonging they never had. The uniqueness complex Type 4 clings to is a way of building a “home” within an inner psychic landscape that feels abandoned, out of place, and foreign.
Such a divide means 4s often have a very nuanced and specific imagination – and while other types (most notably Types 7 and 9) can have rich and complex inner worlds, Type 4’s inner world is founded upon the discrepancies between themselves and their surroundings. Whether or not 4s can admit this, there grows within them a fondness for this dissonance and the psychic pain it causes the Heart Center, and as such, Type 4s learn to identify with and relish emotions that mirror this state of eternal friction. 4s impale themselves upon their own suffering, since the pain of unbelonging is the realest thing they know.
Common Misconceptions
Enneagram type structure is rarely understood at an elemental level. Without knowing the “bones” of a type, many supposed Enneagram teachers have written terribly misleading descriptions of each type. No type is an exception to this issue, so by examining the specific parts of 4, we hope to re-illustrate some of the more confusing or inaccurate conceptions of this type.
It has long been forgotten by those in the Enneagram community that 4 is just as much a Heart Type as Types 2 and 3 are. What we hope to emphasize here is that 4’s image truly is the inextricable core of its makeup, not just an accessory that can become a forgotten detail. As with 2s and 3s, 4s are not only concerned with their own self-image, but also with having that image affirmed by the external world. Thus, having a self-image that is low, negative, or having some degree of low self-esteem is not what makes someone a Type 4; rather, it is Type 4’s image of disidentification with the world outside of them that is central to this structure.
Because 4s are so staunchly differentiating themselves from the things they deem lackluster or insufficient, they unintentionally end up being just as crafted as the other Heart Types. This creates an internal conflict for Type 4 – their frustration is with their own crafted image’s inability to represent the identity within themselves they feel is meant to be raw, authentic, and uncrafted. An image of authenticity is, by nature, inauthentic. This truth is something Type 4s hope to avoid, but their tendency to delve into the depths of themselves means that this frustration puts them in a conflicted state, where admiration of their own beauty is confronted with the derivative ugliness of their image from their “true” self.
Recent revisitings in the Enneagram community of Type 4’s function have been valuable and refreshing, but some have forsaken some central elements of 4’s behavioral code. Contrary to more modern perspectives, 4s absolutely do yearn to belong while feeling that they cannot. The nature of Frustration with the Belonging Object means 4s are constantly reaching for a place to call home while never finding it. While part of them is certainly addicted to their unbelonging, it isn’t accurate to say they don’t hope for more.