by Lindsey Bracket @LindsBrac

The Enneagram is a great tool for building authentic (and flawed) characters. Experts believe everyone carries tendencies of the nine different types—which makes us (and our characters) incredibly complex. The Enneagram’s focus is discovering what motivates you to act the way you do—which is exactly what you need to know when developing a new character, right?

I’d love to tell you I create “well-rounded characters” (Amazon reviewer’s words, not mine) because I’m healthy spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But my own personal journey through understanding the Enneagram has taught me I am far from health when it comes to understanding my own motivations. Realizing that at my core I want to be seen as special was eye opening—and it really stung.

Type Fours are highly creative, sensitive, and self-aware. They are willing to see and show themselves off authentically because they believe they possess unique talents and flaws. This emotional honesty, however, can make Fours moody and self-conscious, especially when others do not recognize them as fundamentally different. This desire for individualism leads Fours to believe no one can understand their desire for significance, and because they are driven by this desire, their greatest fear is that their life has no meaning.

Common Type Four Characteristics:

• Introspective
• Romantic
• Idealistic
• Appreciate beauty
• Melancholic
• Take everything seriously
• Compassionate
• Intuitive

But these are just basic ideals that may embody someone who identifies as an Enneagram Four. Like all the types, a Four can move between healthy and unhealthy spheres. When at their healthiest, Fours exhibit many characteristics of The Perfectionist (type 1), but when in a state of unhealth they move toward The Helper (type 2) and become insistent that everything must be their own, unique way.

The Enneagram Institute notes, “As long as they believe that there is something fundamentally wrong with them they cannot allow themselves to experience or enjoy their many good qualities… Fours grow by learning to see that much of their story is not true—or at least not true anymore.”

This arc of their personality makes Fours wonderful literary characters. Imagine what you can do with a character overcoming the realization that her flaws are not the only unique aspect of who she is. For inspiration, look to Sense and Sensibility’s Marianne Dashwood, Anne Shirley, and Catherine and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

Who are some of your favorite Type 4 characters? Share in the comments below!

For more Enneagram Type Three Study:

• Modern Mrs. DarcyEnneagram.netThe Enneagram at WorkEnneagram and Coffee on Instagram

  Eclectic Energies

  Enneagram Types of 99 Fictional Characters

  Don’t miss the rest of the posts in this series!

  • Part 1: How to Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write
  • Part 2: THE PERFECTIONIST: How to Type Your Characters with the Enneagram
  • Part 3: Enneagram Type 2—How to Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write
  • Part 4: Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write – Type Three
  • Part 5: Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write – Type Four
  • Part 6: Use Enneagram to Type the Characters You Write – Type Five
  • Part 7: Use Enneagram To Type Your Characters – Type Six
  • Part 8: Type Your Characters – Enneagram Seven
  • Part 9: Type Your Characters – Enneagram Eight
  • Part 10: Type Your Characters – Enneagram Nine

Lindsey P. Brackett writes southern fiction and cooks big family meals, but she complains about the dishes. Her debut novel, Still Waters, released in 2017 and was named the 2018 Selah Book of the Year. Her latest novel, The Bridge Betweenreleased July 31, 2019. Someday she hopes to balance motherhood and writing full-time. Until then, she’s just very grateful for her public school system.

Connect with Lindsey and get her free newsletter at lindseypbrackett.comor on Instagram@lindseypbrackett.