The Severance Enneagram: Identity Split Through Enneatypes

Using the Enneagram test and theory as a framework for understanding Severance Enneagram personality types gives us a new perspective for understanding both Severance characters and the Enneagram.

This hit TV show delves deep into themes of identity, control, and fractured self, making it a perfect match for the Enneagram framework.

In this article, we’ll explore the traits and behaviors of its popular protagonists and see how they align with Enneagram types. Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways

• Severance Enneagram types provide excellent insight into different personality types’ behavior under extreme stress.
• The characters in Severance, in most cases, showcase unhealthy versions of Enneagram types because of the show’s dramatic plot.
• Exploring various Enneagram fictional characters can help us understand the Enneagram test and theory on a deeper level.

What Enneagram Types Are Characters From the TV Show “Severance”?

The Severance's unique and captivating plot allows us to observe how various Enneagram types act and respond in multiple real-world and fictional scenarios.

So, let’s analyze the Severance Enneagram types:

#1. Mark Scout—Enneagram 5w6

Photo Credit: The Everett Collection

Enneagram Type Five with a Six wing thrives using their intelligence and analytical thinking to support their community. Though introverted, these personalities find their purpose through connection with others.

Mark Scout perfectly illustrates what happens to this type when they are cut off from everything that gives their life a purpose. As a result, Mark lives a life in which habits and duty have no meaning, while emotions are a Pandora’s box, never to be opened.

According to the Enneagram test and theory, Type 5w6 can survive in an emotionless world. However, when stripped of everything meaningful to them, these personalities become profoundly miserable and begin to question everything, just like Mark does when he realizes that something is amiss in the world around him.

#2. Helena Eagan—Enneagram 3

Photo Credit: The Everett Collection

The powerful Eagan heir, Helena Eagan, perfectly depicts the typical Enneagram Three’s inner conflict between authentic needs and the pressure to succeed. Ambitious, image-focused, and proud, she demonstrates loyalty to the company and presents herself as a determined, self-assured Type 3 leader while concealing deep insecurities.

Her intense need for external validation fuels her drive to climb the corporate ladder. Nevertheless, her inner, true self, or the so-called ‘innie’ rebels, due to the intense inner conflict between achievement and perfectionism on the one side and self-awareness and authenticity on the other.

#3. Dylan George—Enneagram 8w7

Photo Credit: The Everett Collection

Type Eight, also known as the Challenger, with a Seven wing, is an energetic, anarchic, independent adventurer who’ll always find a way to resist the pressure and authority of others. Through Dylan George's character, we see what happens to this type when they are stuck in a corporate structure with no meaning or perspective.

Unlike Mark, who stays loyal to his duties and rules, Dylan plays with the absurdity of the whole situation, and instead of trying to make sense of it, he aims to have as much fun as possible. So, he takes advantage of the corporate perks, determined to beat the system at its own game.

He is a bit of a wildcard in the show, bringing comic relief with sarcasm and eventually surprising the audience with the strength of his will in fighting against oppression.

#4. Seth Milchick—Enneagram 3w2

Photo Credit: The Everett Collection

Seth Milchick combines the most dangerous traits of Threes and Twos, acting like a corporate puppet master, managing people and controlling narratives effortlessly. He is the powerful oppressor, but he is never violent, using his charming smile to enforce corporate rules.

Just like a typical unhealthy 3w2, he knows exactly how to make others feel seen and heard and then use them for the corporation's goals.

The ambition of Type Three is fueled by Two's emotional intelligence, so Seth controls not only other people but the entire environment they live in. Once he wraps someone into his social net, there’s no escape.

#5. Devon Scout-Hale—Enneagram 2

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Devon is an excellent example of a healthy Enneagram Type Two. Twos, also known as the Helpers, at their best, are warm, stable, mature, compassionate, and practical, just like Devon is in Severance.

Her character is described mainly through her relationship with Mark, as Twos typically center their lives around their emotional connections. She is loyal to Mark and never stops showing up for him, demonstrating Twos’s devotion to relationships.

In the cold, detached world of Severance, Devon represents the archetype of the nurturer, providing her unconditional care to Mark in all circumstances.

#6. Gemma Scout—Enneagram 5w4

Photo Credit: cbr.com

At first sight, categorizing Gemma Scout as a Type Five, the Investigator, may not seem logical, as she isn’t as cold as Fives usually are. Though she embodies the intellectual nature, calmness, and detachment of Fives, she also exhibits a certain emotional depth. Therefore, she best fits the description of an Enneagram 5 with a Four wing (5w4).

So, as a Five, she is observant and analytical when she assesses people on the Testing Floor. However, she isn’t as emotionally flat as Fives would be in her situation; she often displays an unnamed longing, as though she is aching to remember her past self, embodying Fours’ melancholy.

#7. Harmony Cobel—Enneagram 2w1

Photo Credit: The Everett Collection

Harmony Cobel illustrates the dark empathy typical of an unhealthy Two with an Enneagram 1 wing who combines the Helper’s emotional intelligence with the unhealthy Perfectionist’s leadership and rigidity. She micromanages Mark’s life, behaving like an intrusive, controlling mother, exhibiting signs of emotional manipulation and victimhood.

At the same time, her One wing makes her righteous as she enforces Lumon’s policies with intense conviction. Her perfectionism, also characteristic of Type One, is evident in her strict routines and need for order.

#8. Irving Bailiff—Enneagram 6w5

Photo Credit: The Everett Collection

Irving Bailiff is a rule-follower and perfectly illustrates Enneagram 6, the Loyalist. His obedience is impeccable, and his loyalty is undeniable. He quotes the company’s principles like the Holy Bible and is fanatically devoted to his work. However, beneath his rigid exterior is the sensitive, anxious nature of Type Six, who craves security, belonging, and purpose.

In addition, his relationship with Burt demonstrates Sixes’ sensitive emotional nature and need for connection. The closer he feels to him, the less ready he becomes to follow Lumon’s rules blindly.

Which Severance Enneagram Type Would You Be?

Take our free Enneagram test and learn how you would cope with Lumon’s severe procedures! The Enneagram test is a great tool to support your self-discovery and personal growth by helping you understand your core needs, fears, and desires.

Final Thoughts

Severance is an exceptional artistic exploration of human nature, the fragmentation of identity, and the effect of trauma typical of a contemporary man. It explores our capacity to endure suffering and willingness to rebel, heal, and fight, not for happiness, but for authenticity.

Its narrative is highly relatable, not because it’s imaginative, but because it feels cruelly realistic to many people—the workplace is depicted as a prison that demands that you abandon your true self and follow the rules, while the reward is pure survival.

So, what’s the message of the Severance Enneagram characters? To make sure you love what you do? To rebel and never agree to abandon yourself? We leave it up to you to decide!