The enneagram wings are basically the most dominant type after the main one. Even though you may have a dominant enneagram type, a single type does not represent everything you are and your personality, so you may identify more with one but also feel identified in some aspects by the other types.
A very graphic and correct way to see this is by aligning all the types from 1 to 9 and placing them in a circle. Thanks to the development of the enneagram test, the wings are usually the types that are on one side of the main one, for example, if you are 1 you will have 2 and 9 on one side, which will surely be your wings.
In short, the enneagram wings of the enneagram represent a further description of your dominant type, it is a way in which the other types influence the main one. These wings add more value and detail to what your enneagram may be and therefore, this will help you get to know a person much better after knowing their main enneagram. You can find more on an official post of the ennegram.
The relationship between your wings and your main personality type isn’t fixed; it can vary with time, and depending on the life circumstances you’re in, you might find yourself depending more on one wing than the other, or even developing both in a way that you become a more balanced version of yourself.
Knowing your wings is like having the key to fine-tune your personality. It allows you to see not only what you are at the core of your being but also how other adjacent aspects influence you, complement you, or even challenge you. It’s a way to understand that we’re not made of a single piece, but we are a mosaic of influences and possibilities.
Your enneagram wings can reveal characteristics and talents you didn’t know you had. This discovery can be a valuable resource for personal and professional growth, encouraging you to explore new areas of interest or skills you had underestimated. We often find ourselves in conflict with ourselves, torn between different desires or ways of reacting. Knowing your wings helps you understand these internal contradictions, offering you clarity on why you may feel or behave in certain ways in different situations.
Wings act like spices in a recipe: they can enhance the flavor or give it a completely different twist. Depending on which wing is more dominant in you, you might find that certain traits of your personality are softened or, on the contrary, intensified. It’s a game of balance and harmony that makes us unique. The influence of wings on our personality is both subtle and profound, akin to how spices transform a dish. But how does this translate into our behavior and self-perception? Let’s break it down further to understand how these dynamics operate in practice.
Wings can act as counterweights, providing a balance between two forces. If one wing pushes you towards action and determination, the other might invite you to reflection and analysis. This internal dynamic allows for greater adaptability and self-understanding in the situations we face. Imagine you’re in an important meeting; depending on the fluidity between your wings, you could adapt to the present moment with more flexibility, alternating between being assertive and receptive as the situation requires. This ability to ‘switch spices’ according to the context is a testament to the dynamic influence of wings.
Reading the enneagram wings will depend on the moment you are in and the professional you do the test with (if you do it with a professional). The tests usually give you percentages of what your wings are, but like any test, it leaves some results up to interpretation.
The most significant wing of the enneagram will depend on the interpretation, although by percentages you will always have one wing, another smaller percentage may be your wing at that moment. Our recommendation is that you do not just stick with the result of your main wing and the secondary percentages, we want to encourage you to know more about your enneagram, which implies that you also study the enneagrams of what your wings may be, so with the descriptions, you will know which is the best one that suits you. So, from this we can say:
Knowing your wings gives you a more complete perspective of yourself. It’s like having a manual that explains not just how you are, but why you react in certain ways to different situations. This knowledge is powerful: it allows you to work on yourself with greater precision, always seeking a more balanced and authentic version of your being. Discovering your wings is like opening your eyes to a new level of self-awareness. They teach us that we are complex and multifaceted beings, capable of adapting and growing. Wings remind us that there’s more to us than we thought, and this “more” gives us the ability to navigate life in surprising and creative ways.