Enneagram and the Imposter Syndrome: How the Two Relate

Enneagram and the imposter syndrome aren’t directly connected, but understanding Enneagram personality types can help us comprehend the imposter syndrome from a new perspective. In fact, every personality type can experience imposter syndrome in specific situations or developmental stages.

In this article, we’ll shed light on how imposter syndrome manifests in the behavior of each personality type, when and why they experience it, and how they can overcome it. Let’s jump in!

What is the Enneagram and How Does it Work?

Enneagram is a personality theory based on ancient wisdom, spiritual philosophies like Sufism and Neoplatonism, and a combination of psychological theories. Its origins are complex, as its main idea was to draw on the most practical aspects of several philosophical traditions and scientific insights.

That’s how Enneagram was developed to become a powerful model of human personality that recognizes nine personality types.

Unlike many other modern personality theories that divide people into categories based on their observable traits, the Enneagram focuses on each type’s core motivation and explains each type’s inherent needs, strengths, and weaknesses.

Moreover, the Enneagram theory allows for a lot more diversity when it comes to the nine personality types, explaining how each type can behave atypically when going through different developmental stages.

The pillars of Enneagram theory are Enneagram core motivations, Enneagram subtypes explained through Enneagram wings, Enneagram triads, and Enneagram arrows. Now, let’s see how Enneagram and imposter syndrome can be connected.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

The imposter syndrome describes a psychological experience when an individual doubts their achievements and constantly fears being exposed as a ‘fraud’ despite obvious evidence of their abilities.

Individuals who suffer from imposter syndrome tend to attribute their achievements to external factors that are beyond their control, such as luck or timing, discounting their efforts and competence.

Some of the common traits of individuals with imposter syndrome are personal insecurity, perfectionistic tendencies, feelings of guilt and shame, fear of exposure, and workaholism. Those who are prone to it often have many blind spots in their self-perception and very low self-respect.

Though this syndrome can affect any personality type, it is particularly interesting that it is widespread among high achievers, regardless of the Enneagram type. So, let’s move on to analyze each Enneagram and the imposter syndrome manifestations.

Enneagram Types and Imposter Syndrome

Exploring the Enneagram and the imposter syndrome together allows us to map concrete reasons, situations, and triggers that may cause each Enneagram type to experience this phenomenon. So, let’s see how each type is affected by this syndrome and what they can do to avoid or overcome it.

Enneagram 1—The Perfectionist

One's core insecurity revolves around the unconscious belief that they have to be morally perfect to deserve the love and respect of others. This inherent insecurity manifests as the need to do everything by the book, always setting unrealistically high standards for themselves and feeling inadequate when they fail to meet them.

So, for Type One, mistakes trigger their deepest insecurities, making them susceptible to imposter syndrome. For example, one mistake is enough for them to discount everything that they have already achieved and assign their success to external circumstances and not to their qualities.

Advice: Look at mistakes as lessons, not as evidence of your insufficiency. Make peace with the fact that perfection is unattainable and that giving your best is more than enough to achieve great results.

Enneagram 2—The Helper

Twos are entirely focused on other people’s needs, and their lives revolve around their relationships. As a result, they typically neglect not only their own needs but also their talents, skills, and competencies.

For this reason, despite all the hard work and talent they invest in their work, they see their success as a surprise, unaware of the fact that they fully deserve it. So, Twos experience imposter syndrome as a consequence of their lack of self-awareness and exaggerated focus on others.

Advice: Your worth doesn’t depend on how well you meet others’ needs. It is essential for you to understand that being aware of your qualities and developing your own talents is just as important as helping others do the same. The more self-aware you become, the less you will be prone to imposter syndrome.

Enneagram 3—The Achiever

Threes are highly dependent on external validation of their success, and for them, their achievements are the certificates of their value as human beings. They are highly focused on their public image, and the image of success with the recognition that follows is often more valuable to them than the concrete results they achieve.

Because of that, Threes like to use every possible shortcut to success, charming and seducing other people to impress them. As a result, when success comes, they may feel like they didn’t truly deserve it. They particularly suffer from the chronic fear that the day will come when they will be exposed as frauds.

Advice: The fact that you can find a shortcut to success indicates that you are resourceful, not deceitful. Your efficiency is something to be proud of. Invest time into introspection and acknowledge the talent and effort behind your success.

Enneagram 4—The Individualist

Type 4, the Individualist, is very vulnerable and one of the Enneagram types most susceptible to the imposter syndrome. They are prone to feeling less worthy of love and respect than others, as they unconsciously believe they are somehow inherently flawed.

This feeling of being “less than” or being inherently flawed makes them feel unworthy of success. As a result, they tend to easily discount their achievements as not as good as those of others.

Moreover, even when they receive public recognition for their achievement, they begin to doubt themselves the most and experience all the typical feelings connected with imposter syndrome.

Advice: The key to overcoming the imposter syndrome lies in overcoming your belief that others are better than you. Everyone has flaws and virtues, and everyone is unique in their own way. Your talents, efforts, and perspectives are just as worthy as anyone else’s.

Enneagram 5—The Investigator

Enneagram Type 5, also known as the Investigator, intentionally chooses a secluded life, as they are among the most introverted Enneagram types who feel comfortable exploring their intellectual pursuits alone. They acquire plenty of knowledge during their lifetime, so it is hard to find something that they are completely unfamiliar with.

Bearing in mind how competent they are, their imposter syndrome usually isn’t triggered in their workplace.

However, they may feel alone in the crowd of people at different social events, like a family dinner, work anniversary celebration, or birthday party, and as if they don’t belong there, despite being invited. Excessive socializing may make them feel like they are pretending to be something they are not.

Advice: You are just one of many feeling awkward in a crowd of unfamiliar people. Notice the subtle cues that make other people feel as uncomfortable as you are. Most importantly, make peace with the fact that you don’t have to fit in; be yourself, and you’ll find your place.

Enneagram 6—The Loyalist

The anxious Type 6, known as the Loyalist, is another Enneagram type that is highly prone to imposter syndrome. The weakness that makes them prone to it is their need to rely on others for leadership, guidance, and direction.

Therefore, whenever they are chosen to be leaders themselves, Sixes feel incompetent and as if they don’t deserve such a position, no matter how competent and diligent they are.

That’s because they struggle to overcome their need for external authority, and by becoming an authority, they feel as if the ground under their feet has been pulled away.

Advice: Learn to separate your fear from your intuition. Your fear might never disappear altogether, but if you practice ignoring unrealistic fears, you’ll eventually learn to rely on yourself and build the confidence you need to overcome the imposter syndrome.

Enneagram 7—The Enthusiast

The playful Enneagram 7 (the Enthusiast) hates routine, planning, and organizing things. They glorify spontaneity and rely on their quick wit, charm, and talent to get by in every situation. As a result, they are exceptional, resourceful improvisators.

However, this skill to improvise may not be sufficient in every situation, particularly when they face someone who is well-prepared and who outperforms them. So, in contact with people with a more mature and professional approach to a given situation, Sevens may feel like imposters due to their lack of preparation.

Advice: Introduce more discipline into your daily life and make reasonable plans for your future. By not investing effort into planning and organizing your life, you are overexploiting your talents and paving the path to feeling like an imposter of your own life. You are missing out more by not planning than by putting some thought into preparation.

Enneagram 8—The Challenger

Eights (or Challengers) aren’t easily triggered to feel like imposters. They are self-aware, confident, and determined to achieve their goals despite any obstacles they face, and they don’t have time for self-doubt.

Nevertheless, a strange thing happens to Eights in intimate relationships—their fear of vulnerability causes them to put on their poker face in the most intimate moments.

As a result, they may feel like they are faking it in romantic situations when their partners expect them to show tenderness instead of raw strength. So, the imposter syndrome in Eights is triggered by emotional intimacy.

Advice: It is essential that you understand the difference between weakness and tenderness. Being kind, affectionate, caring, and gentle has nothing to do with being weak. On the contrary, it shows your emotional strength and maturity.

Enneagram 9—The Peacemaker

Similarly to Twos, Nines are also almost entirely focused on the needs of other people, but unlike Twos, they focus on the community as a whole, not on individual relationships. Nevertheless, they tend to neglect their personal needs and desires for the sake of others and are unaware of the many virtues and talents they possess.

So, since their focus is largely invested in their connections with others, they fail to notice how diligent they are in professional settings. As a result, when they achieve success, they are unaware that their hard work and talents led to it but believe that they just got lucky and didn’t actually deserve it.

So, in terms of the Enneagram and the imposter syndrome, Nines experience it in professional settings when they get in the limelight due to their success.

Advice: Celebrate your success and enjoy it! Take a thorough look at all the steps that led to it before you humbly assign it to luck and external circumstances. Your effort and contributions matter!

Don’t know your Enneagram type yet?

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Key Takeaways

Understanding how your Enneagram and the imposter syndrome are connected is the first step toward overcoming it. Exploring your Enneagram type and comprehending your core motivation, strength, core fear, and desire make dealing with imposter syndrome much easier.

With that in mind, let’s wrap up with some key insights about Enneagram and the imposter syndrome:

• Types who are most prone to imposter syndrome are Threes, Sixes, Fours, and Nines because of their sensitive nature and inherent insecurities.
• Eights and Fives are the least prone to experiencing imposter syndrome due to their highly independent and self-sufficient nature.
• By addressing their core insecurities, every Enneagram type can successfully overcome the imposter syndrome.