What Are Your Enneagram Wings? Understanding Your Type On A Deeper Level

The Enneagram is a powerful self-improvement tool that can be used to home in on the underlying ego fixations that motivate our actions. The complex system represents nine personality archetypes and the unconscious behaviors that each type deploys to make sense of the world.

"An Enneagram wing is the numbers directly on either side of your Enneagram type, i.e., the wings of a type Two are One and Three," Enneagram educator and coach Funlola Fagbohun, tells mbg. "We 'borrow' energy from our wing, which allows for a lot of dimension and personality to our overall Enneagram type. Borrowing energy shows up as resembling many of the qualities of the number that border our type."

For example, a Type Two's wings are One and Three. There is debate about whether every type is equally influenced by its two wings (known as two-wing theory) or if only one of your wings is the dominant wing that affects your personality (known as one-wing theory). In one-wing theory, a person's full Enneagram type is expressed with both their main type and associated wing together. So a Type Two could be a 2w1 (a Type Two with a One wing) or a 2w3 (a Type Two with a Three wing). 

A recent study from the American Journal of Psychiatry signals validity for both theories: "Individuals are generally more influenced by one wing than the other, although traits from both wings may emerge in response to different environments." In that way, wings can be seen as personality options that people can toggle between depending on their context and health level. 

Your Enneagram wings are the numbers on each side of your main Enneagram type. For example, Fours have Three and Five as wings—though one may be more dominant than the other. There are a few approaches to finding your more dominant Enneagram wing.

You could take a test online to receive a scored assessment that analyzes your results. The more dominant wing can be ascertained by looking for the higher score on either side of your basic type. A caveat though: While tests are a good starting point to see what types you naturally identify with, complete accuracy depends on your ability to see yourself clearly—warts and all. Since the test works in nuance, and variables like life stressors or mood can throw it off, it's not always the most accurate representation.

If the test doesn't provide clear results, self-typing is another method you can use to get closer to your true number. To self-type, read all of the nine Enneagram descriptions in detail to search for patterns and lived experiences you strongly identify with. Fagbohun shares the best way to determine your wing is to really look into the two types that border your main type.

"Enneagram wings have a large effect on how your type shows up in the world and are just as important as your primary number. They add a lot of flavor and depth to your type and, depending on your wing, the overall profile can show up very differently," notes Fagbohun. 

By only knowing your Enneagram number, you will be working off of limited information. Finding out your preferred, dominant wing allows you to get into the granular details of your personality. For example, a Two is still empathetic and overly focused on helping others, but a Two with the perfectionistic energy of a One wing (2w1) will integrate principled integrity and a strong moral compass into their personality. As a result, they are infused with a stronger sense of duty, and their commitment to helping may be directed toward community and through amplifying social justice issues instead of just focusing on their loved ones. 

In comparison, a Two with the ambitious Three wing (2w3) is less concerned about morality and instead emphasizes traits like confidence and competency. This type won't be as oriented around service as they will be around image, but their goals remain the same. Twos still work on fulfilling other people's desires to get what they want since they fundamentally struggle with vocalizing their own needs. This is why people with the same core type can react differently in similar conditions because the wing lends influence to the situation.

Since the Enneagram system represents movement and growth, knowing your wing offers a wealth of context as you navigate across the system and do the inner work necessary to confront any compulsive habits that may be holding you back. 

Yes! If you find yourself equally preferring both of your wings, Cervetti says it likely means you have found balance.

"A person can access either wing depending on what is needed in a moment," she notes. "Everyone uses their wings at different levels and can depend on circumstances. Most people rely on one wing more than the other, but there are some who are adequately balanced with both sides."

"Unlike your Enneagram type, which you only have one of, it is possible to borrow energy from both of your wings—there does tend to be a dominant wing, but that's not the case for everyone," says Fagbohun.

"Wings influence the main type, both positively and negatively. Knowing your wing increases that self-awareness to strive for a healthy balance," Cervetti says.