The Enneagram Type 9 is called the Peacemaker or the Mediator, and with a habit of attention that gravitates towards harmony, these are often the people who hold society together and help the rest of us get along. Easy-going, soothing and gifted at being able to hold multiple points of view simultaneously, Type 9s can be the most powerful type in the Enneagram. Look no further than Barack Obama and the Dalia Lama to find famous examples of Type 9.
When in balance, Type 9s can be amazing leaders, team members, friends, parents and partners. But when operating at the mid to lower levels of awareness, conflict-avoidance takes center stage, and challenging behavior may start to present itself.
If you have Type 9s in your life, you probably already know they dislike conflict, but you may not know how intense it can be for them. Some Type 9s report they feel as if they vanish in the face of a serious disagreement, even if it isn’t their own.
Because they experience confrontation so intensely, they work hard to avoid direct conflict, and unless they’ve done a lot of inner work to relax their habit of attention, they may have adopted some unhealthy strategies along the way. This can be tricky to recognize because sometimes Type 9s themselves can be in denial and out of touch with their true motivations.