Curious About Enneagram Type 4? Here's What To Know About The Individualist

The Enneagram is a popular personality system that categorizes people into one of nine types based on how you answer a series of questions. And if you or someone you know is an Enneagram 4, they're known as the Individualists of the bunch.

Type 4's, or the "Individualists," according to the Enneagram system, are independent and free-spirited, but this also means they often feel misunderstood by everyone else.

These people are the "seekers" of the bunch, unafraid to ask deep questions about their purpose, identity, and life in general. Imaginative, deep thinkers, and sometimes melancholic, this type is also known to isolate themselves.

As certified Enneagram practitioner Ryan Lui tells mindbodygreen, 4's aspire for an ideal world, and they may see the glass as half-empty—but it's just because they're figuring out how to make it truly full. "What they really want in life is for life to be complete," he explains.

Of course, the problem with that is, "If you keep thinking like that, of what can be, you can get into a depressed funk, or general negativity, never being grateful or thankful for what you have or what is," Lui explains.

A 4w3 is going to couple the 4's creative individuality with the successful and go-getting attitude known to 3's (which are referred to as the Achievers of the Enneagram). According to Nguyen, these 4's are going to be a bit more sociable, confident, assertive, hardworking, and productive.

A 4w5 couples the 4's unconventional, artistic, reserved attitude with the more withdrawn, intellectual, and problem-solving qualities of the 5. "These types tend to be more thoughtful, avant garde, mysterious, imaginative, and absorbed with their own hobbies and interest," Nguyen tells mindbodygreen.

All the Enneagram types go through different stages of development, which can range between healthy, average, and unhealthy. It's not uncommon to go back and forth between these different stages based on your own personal growth and what's going on in your life at any given point.

At an average levels, Nguyen tells mindbodygreen, type 4's are still creative and authentic, but they're more focused on what's missing in their life, as well as longing for something to be different. She notes there can be envy at this level, as well.

At their unhealthy levels, type 4s are overly dramatic and identify so strongly with their emotions they mistake them as ultimate truth, Nguyen explains.

Romantically, 4's have a few things they should keep in mind in terms of their compatibility with other Enneagram types. But first, it's important to remember compatibility with any personality system always depends on the individual's maturity level and willingness to learn and grow.

That being said, Nguyen tells mindbodygreen that 4's believe in plunging deep in their relationships. "They're looking for a special, unique connection where they're highly attuned to each other."

According to Nguyen, the biggest misconception around Enneagram 4's is that they're unreliable and can't be counted on.

"Creative 4's are independent and free-spirited at heart. Since their identity is generally composed of their feelings, they are driven by what feels right in the moment, which can leave a trail of half-finished projects in their wake," she explains.

Each of the Enneagram types has a direction for growth somewhere else on the Enneagram wheel, and for 4's, it's type 1's.

According to Enneagram educator and author of The Enneagram & You, Gina Gomez, because 4's can get bogged down by their negative emotions, the best self care for this Enneagram type is a grounding ritual that they can practice daily.

"This could be a walk through nature, a yoga sequence, meditation focused on the root chakra, or simply sitting still and practicing gratitude," Gomez previously wrote for mindbodygreen, adding, "These rituals will help type 4's steady their emotions, bring them into the present moment, and can also promote a connection to their bodies."

When it comes to what causes stress for this Enneagram type, according to Enneagram coach Jay Martynov, it's the very isolation and sense of separateness 4's force on themselves. Individuality is great, yes, but, "An ability to recognize yourself in others will create a sense of unity," he says.

No Enneagram type is better or worse than another. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, which play out in each individual depending on how developed they are.