Enneagram Shadow Lines

I’ve never really aligned with mainstream theories of “growth” and “stress” arrows in the Enneagram. The most common theory is that in times when we feel most stressed, we lean into the lesser traits of our stress number, and in times where we feel the most growth or our “healthiest” we lean into the higher traits of our growth number.

But things aren’t really that linear at all. The Enneagram is dynamic and quite the opposite of limiting.

Instead of seeing these “growth” and “stress” lines as prescriptive (healthy and unhealthy), I like to see both our growth and stress numbers as access points. We have unique access to the traits of these “growth” and “stress” numbers. We can access these numbers and take exactly what we need from them to become our best self. With enough practice, we can begin utilizing parts of these numbers more and more in our daily life.

Recently, I’ve come up with the idea of calling both these lines “shadow lines.” This idea stems from continuing to observe people (myself included) who are so desperate to avoid contacting certain traits from their shadow lines in themselves. And in avoiding these parts of ourselves, we naturally start avoiding those parts in other people as well.

For example, as an Enneagram 9, I can get really frustrated with the anxiety that I might see in 6s, and the overconfidence that I sometimes observe in 3s. I can internally judge people who are anxious like a 6 as bad and “overly worrying/stressed,” and I can internally judge people who are confident/busy like a 3 as too much or “narcissistic.”

But I’m realizing more and more that these aren’t random traits that bother me, but traits that are difficult for me to avoid BECAUSE I have those shadow lines. In trying to avoid these parts of me, I loathe them so much that I shut down my own ability to access the good parts of my shadow lines, and also shut down my ability to let 6s and 3s be themselves.

How do you see people triggering you who are on one of your Shadow Lines?

Enneagram 1
Wanting to avoid the emotionality of a 4 and the impulsivity of a 7.

Enneagram 2
Wanting to avoid the directness of an 8 and the sadness of a 4.

Enneagram 3
Wanting to avoid the withdrawn tendencies of a 9 and the paralyzing fear of a 6.

Enneagram 4
Wanting to avoid the people-pleasing of a 2 and the rigidness of a 1.

Enneagram 5
Wanting to avoid the spontaneity of a 7 and the intensity of an 8.

Enneagram 6
Wanting to avoid the self-reliance of a 3 and the avoidance of a 9.

Enneagram 7
Wanting to avoid the self-limits of a 1 and the stillness of a 5.

Enneagram 8
Wanting to avoid the lack of action of a 5 and the people-pleasing of a 2.

Enneagram 9
Wanting to avoid the anxiety of a 6 and the overconfidence of a 3.

What are some of your perspectives on how traits from your Enneagram “shadow lines” influence your reactions to others? Have you noticed any patterns where certain traits in people trigger discomfort or judgment in you? Share your experiences and thoughts on how you manage these reactions, and let’s discuss how we can better understand and integrate these aspects of ourselves into our growth process.

If you ever have questions about the Enneagram, mental health, therapy, etc., please email me at hello@michaelshahan.com or DM on Instagram @michaelshahan_therapy. You can also book a therapy appointment or an Enneagram coaching session on my website.