Some people explode with rage when someone looks at them the wrong way; others deny they ever experience anger. How we experience this emotion depends on several factors, including our Enneagram type, level of mental and emotional wellbeing, and our personal development work.

On the LIVE Without Borders podcast, I break down how anger shows up in all 9 Enneagram types, and share Stoic anger management techniques that all Enneagram types can benefit from.

Subscribe to the LIVE Without Borders podcast for more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life. Click a Button Below.

Let’s dive into anger by Enneagram type

First, let me talk to you about something fundamental to the Enneagram, and that is that we have three centers of intelligence: head, heart, and body.

Enneagram types 2, 3, and 4 are in the heart triad. Enneagram types 5, 6, and 7 are in the head triad. And Enneagram types 8, 9, and 1 are in the body triad.

You have all three of these centers of intelligence, but one is dominant and this is how you experience the world: head/thinking, heart/feeling, body/doing.

Each of these three triads has a core emotion tied to it: For head types it’s fear. For heart types it’s shame. For body types, it’s anger. Studying the Enneagram helps you find balance between all three centers.

I’m going to start by focussing on how the Enneagram types in the body triad, or body center, experience anger. Types 8, 9, and 1.

Body center

Type 8

Anger in the average type 8 is obvious and impulsive. They’re not holding back. When they get mad, it’s external: You can see it and feel it. Big energy. You know they are mad, and they know they are mad; they’ve got a high-level of awareness. This goes back to their core belief that they have to put on a tough front so people don’t take advantage of them or try to control them.

Type 9

Type 9s are most out of touch with anger. It tends to show us as being passive aggressive or stubborn if you try to push them into doing something without their consent. And sometimes if they are pushed too far or you catch them at a particularly bad moment, they can let loose on you, which really surprises the people who know them. This goes back to their core belief that to keep the peace, they should avoid conflict and rocking the boat.

Type 1

Now, the core emotion of type 1 is anger and resentment. Their core belief is that they know the right way to do things, and feel it’s their duty to fix things that are not being done correctly. They get mad when they mess up and when other people aren’t doing things the right way. They try to suppress this anger, but people can often read their body language. Sometimes they explode in anger, as well, when they are unhealthy.

Similarities and differences amongst body types

I mentioned in the first episode on the Enneagram that each Enneagram type has three subtypes. And so the anger awareness level for each type can vary depending on their subtype.

In general, 8s, 9s, and 1s — the body type — tend to get angry when they see injustice, and when they feel like people are trying to control them, but this is expressed in different ways.

You might be wondering, “Why is type 9 the anger triad?”

In the triads, one type tends to over-expresses the core emotion; one is out of touch with it; and one suppresses the core emotion.

In the body center, 8s over-expresses anger, 9s are out of touch with it, and 1s suppress their anger.

Heart Center

Type 2

2s are generally good natured. Anger comes up when their needs are not being met. When they’ve overextended themselves in giving and haven’t gotten anything in return.

Type 3

3s don’t show much outward anger either. They are very image-conscious and don’t want to seem like anything is wrong. They’re more likely to get irritated if something or someone is slowing their progress.

Type 4

4s are a lot more in touch with their emotions, including anger, but their expression of anger depends on the subtype. The one-to-one 4, also known as the sexual 4, can become extremely outwardly angry. Anger shows up when they’re being ignored or think everyone else has it easier than them.

Head center

Type 5

Type 5s are not outwardly expressive with their emotions. They often think they are an open book, but others can’t read them. When they do get angry, it’s usually because someone has violated their time and attention. 5s like to be in control of their schedule so they can have the privacy and space they need to recharge.

Type 6

In type 6, anger comes up when their security is threatened and trust is broken. It makes them mad when people are undependable and break promises. Here again, awareness and expression of anger depends on the subtype. The one-to-one / sexual 6 are a lot more confrontational and outwardly angry.

Type 7

Our sunny type 7s don’t spend too much time sitting in anger. They address it, maybe with a joke, and move on. Anger shows up when people try to limit their freedom: Forcing them into routines and commitments that they don’t want to do.

So that is an overview of how the 9 types experience anger, which the Stoics call a ‘temporary madness.’ Seneca wrote a book called On Anger to help us manage it. Marcus Aurelius talks a lot about using empathy to overcome anger, more on that in a moment.

Anger is an energy that we don’t want to hang onto, but this emotion does give us important information about ourselves and what’s going on in our lives.