Top questions and answers about the blind Enneagram type. How do I find my blind Enneagram type? How does my blind Enneagram type help me grow within my primary type?
1. You say we often forget the other types once we’ve identified our primary type. Why is that a problem?
When people discover their primary Enneagram type, they often narrow their attention and forget that the Enneagram is a map that describes nine areas of our human skills and capacities. Each of the nine types represents a distinct pattern of our human ability, and focusing solely on our primary type would mean missing out on multiple keys to growth.
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Focusing solely on our primary Enneagram type will lead to an incomplete self-understanding. Growth comes from integrating perspectives we tend to avoid, especially those that challenge our identity – like our blind Enneagram type.
By ignoring the other types, especially the one we resonate with the least, we limit our capacity for empathy, flexibility, and wholeness. It becomes easy to justify our habitual behaviors instead of seeing beyond them. Working with all nine types opens new insights, while the blind Enneagram type in particular reveals parts of ourselves that are often overlooked but deeply needed.
2. What do you mean by “the blind type”? How can something we don’t relate to hold the key to our development?
The blind type is the Enneagram type we resonate with the least. It feels unfamiliar, unimportant, or even uncomfortable. But within that discomfort and blindness lies a great opportunity. It is my experience that our blind Enneagram type holds one of the keys to growing in our primary Enneagram type.
Our blind type often contain the traits, capacities, or values we suppressed while shaping our personality. It holds the intelligence we lack, the behaviors we struggle with, and the perspective we most need to balance ourselves.
Working with the blind type helps us integrate qualities we may have rejected or never developed. Although it feels unrelated at first, it often reveals deeper truths about what is missing in how we live, relate, and grow.
When students in workshops start accepting their blind Enneagram type, they also begin to sense how their primary and blind type creates an Enneagram Life Theme that has impacted most of their relationships in the past.
3. Why is it not enough to just work with your primary Enneagram type?
The primary type reveals our core patterns, fears, and desires, but it can also trap us in a fixed identity. If we only focus on our dominant type, we risk reinforcing the very structure we aim to outgrow. One of the original purposes of the Enneagram was to explore how we are identified with our personality, and the softening of this identification. If we focus too much on the primary Enneagram type, there is a trap of thinking that we ARE an Enneagram type. We hear people saying that “I am a Type 1”, and for a beginner in the Enneagram, that might be a way of learning about how the patterns of Enneagram Type 1 are impacting one’s behavior. But we ARE not a type, the patterns of an Enneagram type drives us.
Real transformation often requires stepping outside our comfort zone. The primary Enneagram type also contains blind spots. However, a blind spot is related to the primary Enneagram type, whereas the blind type is the one we least recognize.
The blind type shows us where we are underdeveloped, inflexible, or resistant. It brings balance to the dominant tendencies of our primary type. When we work with both types, we begin to build a fuller picture of who we are and develop greater emotional, cognitive, and relational range.
4. Could our blind type explain why we keep running into the same issues in relationships or leadership?
Yes, absolutely. The blind type often represents traits or values we unconsciously reject in others. In relationships or leadership, we may clash with people who embody our blind Enneagram type because we do not understand or appreciate their approach.
This can create recurring misunderstandings and emotional patterns we cannot explain. Often, we will subconsciously get triggered by other people having our blind type as their primary type. My primary type is Type 3, while my blind Enneagram type is Type 7. Before understanding the concept about our blind type, I judged people navigating from Enneagram Type 7. I assumed they were naive, childish, and unprofessional, and that they would never really succeed in creating profound value for others. All my Type 3 fears were expressed in blind Enneagram type 7 language.
By recognizing our blind type, we start to see how our expectations and judgments are shaped by what we have disowned in ourselves. We become more compassionate and open to other perspectives. This can resolve long-standing conflicts, improve our leadership, and bring more balance into how we connect with others.
5. How does the blind type show up in how we receive feedback or avoid growth?
Feedback that touches our blind Enneagram type often feels uncomfortable, irrelevant, or even offensive. Based on our primary Enneagram type, we have negative assumptions about the feedback, and therefore we shut down and will find it very difficult to open up with curiosity and accept the wisdom of the feedback.
That discomfort is a clue that the feedback points to something we do not see in ourselves. Rather than integrating the insight, we may defend, deny, or rationalize. This limits our growth and possibilities to expand our skills and new learnings.
When we become aware of our blind Enneagram type, we begin to recognize the patterns in how we block feedback. We learn to pause, listen, and explore instead of reacting. The blind type helps us access the humility and openness required to truly evolve, making feedback a tool for transformation rather than a source of resistance.
6. Can understanding our blind type improve how we learn and change patterns?
Yes, very much so. Our learning style is often shaped by our primary Enneagram type and limited by what we are comfortable with. I often explain that our primary type contains the possibility to grow and mature as a human being, while working on our blind Enneagram type will expand our sense of meaning and purpose.
The blind type introduces us to new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that we have overlooked. It helps us identify areas where we struggle to change because we lack a full understanding of ourselves. The whole process of growing in areas that we did not know we could grow in, created this new perspective of exploration. Might there be more that I do not see yet!
By exploring the blind type, we access a broader learning capacity and become more adaptable, creative, and resilient in how we grow.
7. What is a practical first step for someone to begin identifying their blind type?
This question almost seems like a trick question! How do I start seeing what I am blind to! In workshops we always amuse ourselves with this question, and for a good reason. If we have not yet seen what we are blind to, how do we start the process?
And we can not use the process we used for finding our primary type, as this process is mostly about seeing our patterns of sensing/acting, feeling and thinking.
Start by noticing which type you find least relevant, most confusing, or personally irritating. These reactions often point to your blind type. Ask yourself what traits in others consistently frustrate you. Reflect on whether those traits are missing from your own life or development.
You can also explore the nine types with curiosity, asking where your understanding feels most limited. Talking with a coach or trusted friend can help you see what you might be blind to. The key is not to force identification, but to notice resistance. That resistance is often the doorway to deeper self-discovery.
In workshops, I use narratives and archetypes to bypass the defenses of our personality. Our Ego does not want to explore the blind Enneagram type, so within our personality, we have a strong defence system against seeing our blindness (or shadows) clearly.
8. How do you bring this concept into your coaching or leadership development work?
I begin by exploring a person’s primary type and its patterns in their work and relationships. Within our primary Enneagram type there are much work for self-awarenes, self-accept and self-work. But we can get stuck in our primary type, and get on a plateau for growth and development.
Then we look for the type they tend to dismiss or misunderstand. We explore what that type represents and how integrating its strengths could unlock new growth. Through exercises, dialogue, and reflection, clients experiment with behaviors that feel foreign but are highly beneficial.
For leaders, this often means developing qualities they have ignored, like empathy, patience, or clarity. The result is greater balance, deeper connection with others, and more resilience. The blind type becomes a practical and personal pathway for transformation and leadership.
We can also explore the team’s blind Enneagram type, which the team as a whole does not recognize or even ridicule. Below are some examples of teams blind to the nine different type.
Blind to Enneagram Type 1
When a team is blind to Enneagram Type 1, it misses a moral compass and shared standards. The group may move quickly and flexibly, but without clear boundaries or accountability. Rules are bent, promises drift, and the sense of integrity in decision making fades. Without the voice of Type 1, the team risks justifying anything if it serves short-term goals, often leaving trust and credibility damaged.
Blind to Enneagram Type 2
A team blind to Enneagram Type 2 lacks sensitivity to relational needs and emotional support. Members may pursue objectives with efficiency while neglecting care for one another. Signs of stress, overload, or silent disengagement go unnoticed. Without Type 2’s warmth, the team loses connection, which undermines loyalty, psychological safety, and long term collaboration.
Blind to Enneagram Type 3
When blind to Enneagram Type 3, a team struggles to set direction and demonstrate results. There may be energy for dialogue and process, but little focus on visibility or achievement. The group’s work risks remaining unseen or undervalued by stakeholders. Without Type 3’s drive to succeed and be recognized, motivation can sink into endless preparation without delivery.
Blind to Enneagram Type 4
A team blind to Enneagram Type 4 overlooks emotional depth, authenticity, and meaning. Members may appear productive and aligned but avoid difficult feelings or unique perspectives. Conflicts get smoothed over rather than understood, and the group risks becoming superficial. Without the contribution of Type 4, creativity shrinks and the human side of challenges is ignored.
Blind to Enneagram Type 5
When a team is blind to Enneagram Type 5, it underestimates the value of knowledge, reflection, and analysis. Actions are taken without sufficient grounding in data or context. Meetings become dominated by opinions and energy rather than insights. Without Type 5’s capacity to step back and think deeply, the group may become impulsive and waste resources on untested ideas.
Blind to Enneagram Type 6
A team blind to Enneagram Type 6 avoids asking hard questions about risk, reliability, and loyalty. Enthusiasm runs high, but blind spots around vulnerabilities or external threats grow. Members may not notice dependency on one or two voices or the erosion of trust. Without the grounding of Type 6, the group lacks resilience and becomes fragile when reality turns uncertain.
Blind to Enneagram Type 7
When blind to Enneagram Type 7, a team becomes serious, rigid, and overly cautious. There may be focus on problems but little imagination for new possibilities. The energy feels heavy and options feel limited. Without Type 7’s spark of enthusiasm and creative vision, the group loses the ability to inspire itself and to adapt through play and experimentation.
Blind to Enneagram Type 8
A team blind to Enneagram Type 8 avoids conflict, directness, and decisive action. Conversations circle without resolution, and members hesitate to express strong views. Decisions are delayed or diluted in compromise. Without the energy of Type 8, the team lacks protection of its boundaries and the courage to confront power dynamics, leaving it exposed to external pressure.
Blind to Enneagram Type 9
When blind to Enneagram Type 9, a team overlooks the need for inclusion and shared perspective. Voices get ignored, and the group forgets to slow down for consensus. Polarization grows, and differences remain unresolved. Without Type 9’s harmonizing influence, the team cannot integrate diverse contributions into a sustainable whole and risks fragmenting into silos.
9. What’s the risk of not working with your blind type?
If we ignore the blind type, we stay trapped in a one-sided personality structure. Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson developed the Levels in the Enneagram. The nine levels express different levels of presence, maturity and health. The higher levels are called Level 3, 2 1, the lower levels are called Level 7, 8 and 9 and the Normal levels are called Level 4, 5 and 6.
In the higher levels, we navigate as presence. Whereas at the normal levels, we are practicing presence, so we can create a healthy balance in all areas of our lives. It seems that only working on our primary Enneagram will help us grow in the levels below Level 3. I call the area between Level 4 and 3, the class ceiling that most people do not break. We remain at the Normal or Low as it takes deeper work to act as presence.
But integrating our blind Enneagram type can be one of the keys to this work, and help us grow and mature in our primary type.
Just focusing on our primary Enneagram type will limit our relationships, our leadership, and our inner freedom.
We keep repeating the same patterns without understanding why. We miss important feedback, reject needed support, and fail to develop our full potential. Over time, this can lead to burnout, disconnection, or regret.
The blind type is not a threat but an invitation. By refusing that invitation, we deny ourselves the richness and depth that come from becoming more whole. The risk is not just stagnation, but a life lived through only part of who we are.
10. How do I find my blind Enneagram Type?
After posting this article, questions about how to find the blind type were asked several times. I am therefore adding this question and its answer (as of September 1, 2025) to this article.
Let me start with the progress of finding our primary Enneagram Type. From my perspective, all Enneagram work is shadow work, as it involves seeing, understanding, and accepting how we are blind to the dynamics of our own personality. The primary job of the Enneagram is to explore and discover how we are attached or identified with our personality, Ego, and Enneagram Type. So, what we are looking for are the patterns (somatic, emotional, and cognitive) that we repeat to create a state of safety, normalcy, or “me”. We explore the Basic Fear, Basic Desire, Fixations, Passions, Triggers, Assumptions, SuerEgo-messages, and other drivers and motivators for not being “cold, hungry and alone” being some of the initial states to avoid when growing up. Our primary Enneagram type is designed for us to avoid “unpleasant states” in our lives. We use the Enneagram to get a deeper understanding of these fears, drivers, and motivators and to accept that they are running our behavior even if we as adults can solve the state of being “cold, hungry, and alone”. I have been talking about this in these episodes of the International Enneagram Association Podcast Flemming Christensen on Enneagram Blind Types and the Enneagram as a Way of Life and Using the Enneagram as a Mindset with Flemming Christensen.
This is the same way we find our wings and Enneagram Instincts. And over the years, we are getting specialized in our primary Enneagram Type and Instincts as they serve us the purpose of feeling safe, normal, and “me”.
But it is different when working with our blind Enneagram Type, as we are looking for human qualities, capabilities or skills that we have not yet identified, grown and mastered. My primary Enneagram Type is Type 3, and I master many aspects of Type 3. I would say that I am excellent at doing the Type 3, and even if it is not healthy for me, and will still tend to do Type 3 behavior as it is so natural and easy for me. My blind Enneagram Type is Type 7, and I am about growing and hopefully one day mastering some of the human qualities, capabilities or skills of Enneagram Type 7. But I have an aversion toward the human qualities, capabilities or skills of Enneagram Type 7. They are unfamiliar, and during my life, I have seen them as naive, impractical, childish, unproductive (can you hear my Type 3 talking?), and infantile time-wasters.
We have negative assumptions or aversions about the human qualities, capabilities or skills of our blind Type. We can mistake or negative assumptions and aversion as being towards people of the type, but it is essentially about the human qualities, capabilities or skills and not the personality as we know our primary Enneagram type to be. In my training program, students often want to discuss the personality of the blind type, and one of the key learning points is that the blind type is not a “type” in the traditional sense, but rather a “point”. Oscar Ichazo was originally talking about points and not types, as he suggested that we could all integrate the human qualities, capabilities, or skills of each of the points in our personality and thereby in our lives.
So to find your blind Enneagram type, you have to forget for a moment everything you know about the personality type of the Enneagram and look more for the human qualities, capabilities, or skills of each point. You are not using your experience of the Enneagram in the traditional sense, but instead, you are looking at the human qualities, capabilities, or skills that are dormant and not yet explored, matured, and mastered.
In the training program, we are using narratives, metaphors, and poetry to explore parts of our personal skillset that are still blind. And when we know both our primary Enneagram Type and our blind Enneagram type, we will also have access to our Enneagram Life Theme, that is the dynamics between the primary and blind type.
My wish…
I wish everyone knew that the blind type is not something to fix, overcome, or avoid. It is not a flaw – it is a gift waiting to be discovered. The discomfort you feel when exploring your blind Enneagram type is not a warning sign but an invitation to grow.
Hidden within it are traits you need, emotions you have suppressed, and strengths you have not yet developed. When we engage with our blind type, we open the door to freedom, depth, and new possibilities. It is one of the most powerful and compassionate tools for becoming more whole and more fully human.
Links
The Enneagram and why your blind type matters on Amazon
