Social 9(SO9)

Sloth in the Social Sphere

Social sloth can be simply described as the need to be in the group. Sloth here manifests as a constant merging with the group, emulating socially acceptable forms of behavior and communication in hopes of gaining acceptance, making superficial contact with others. They lack a sense of ease in social situations, because of their sensitivity to whether they are really welcome or not. Often they replace bonds by acting as if the group values and wants, or values of anyone else, are their own, often accepting these social norms without questioning them. This can manifest as a compulsive doing for others. By postponing their own needs and doing what is expected of them they make their psychological inertia stronger, making it harder for them to come in touch with themselves and know who they truly are. Everything being said, SO9s tend towards modesty and discretion and will do whatever as long as the group is in harmony.

Ichazo titled SO9 "Participation", these people need to be in the group, they desire to feel part of it, be it a group on their job, a family or a community, however they wish to do this without perceiving their own experiences of alienation (this is more of a disconnect from themselves rather than actual alienation). Naranjo described it as someone who would never be confused for a lazy person, someone who is hyperactive and very hard working, almost like a workaholic, but this is just a front to disguise their psychospiritual laziness, a laziness of not knowing how to access your inner depth, your inner self.

Trait Structure

Social and Friendly

The Social E9 makes friends easily. However, there is always a feeling of precariousness in his belonging to the group. He feels good in the company of animals and children, for they are very accepting and honest.

Good host

The Social E9 likes to organise informal meetings with friends, and is a very good host. In the same way, he is a very attentive guest who is always willing to lend a helping hand with preparations. In addition to partaking in all kinds of groups and hobbies, the Social E9 likes to go out to parties and to travel. Participating in social events satisfies the need to belong.

Emotionally intuitive

The E9's emotional intuition often allows him to be an emergent of the group. He is easily able to express and verbalise the attitudes or movements not expressed by others.

Chatterbox

These people are often very talkative in group settings. When they do not feel fully merged with the group, they can be quiet, but still attentive to what others want from them. They have great senses of humour, and frequently crack jokes and recall funny anecdotes. On the other hand, this humour can also be used to soften contact between others.

Hyper-availability

Activity and over-availability can lead to depression and even physical illness, as the Social E9 continues to live for others while neglecting his personal needs.

Tendency towards addiction

In the Social E9, there is a tendency to be addicted to drugs like alcohol. It starts off as a social disinhibitor, which makes conversation easier and acts as a means of narcotisation. This type also finds pleasure in sports, especially during youth, and so it is much more athletic than the other subtypes of E9. But it can also be obese. The weight of the Social E9 will reflect his mood, gaining weight when depressed.

Workaholism

They are hard-working and tend to do more than is needed of them. Responsibility is lived through a commitment to the tasks at hand. At the same time, they want to take care of the whole world and make them happy, taking on requests from others without judgement or opposition. Their identification with the task, their desire to be useful, the emphasis on efficiency at work and the desire to be recognised for what they do will sound like the Conservation E3. Both subtypes are quite extroverted and both are indeed workaholics. There are also Social E9s who try to take care of their image, seeing it as important to gain social acceptance. The basic difference between these two is that the Conservation E3 hopes to shine through his efforts and persona, whereas the Social E9 hopes to receive a sort of metaphorical membership. Another difference is that the Social E9 has less foresight compared to the Conservation E3, and is more likely to think after acting.

Impatient and Impulsive

This character may be too quick to jump into action without reflecting or considering problems or issues. This impulsiveness allows the E9 to be out of touch with his emotions, and also let him rush away from his inner world as fast as possible.

Responsible and Collaborative leader

Social E9s tend to hold positions of responsibility, but because they do not fully believe in themselves, they will only hold a position of authority if it matches with the will of those "beneath" them. They usually assume a kind of horizontal leadership, since its tendency is naturally collaborative and includes others in its projects. They are often practical when solving problems and always try to find collaborative solutions. They like working in teams and believe that competitiveness, envy, and squalor are bad things for practicality. In work they are very good companions to their peers, but will be hesitant to help their inferiors.

Contrary to abuse of power

In vertical relationships, the Social E9 is often loyal and devoted to the authority figure. However, he is very opposed to the abuse of power and conflicts he considers to be socially unfair. They strike a chord with he who is guilty of abuse or hypocrisy, and will often position himself against it without considering the consequences.

Curiosity

The Social E9 will be unnaturally curious about what is going on around him, which can lead to being easily distracted. This is a reflection of his lack of inner experiences, something shared with all E9s. Everything is interesting in this world, of course, but the Social E9 supplements all kinds of introspection and inner experiences with an extreme curiosity about the outside world.

Clueless

Forgetfulness is frequent in this type, which is to be expected as they cover so many activities in such a short period of time. It is very difficult for them to recognise their own limits. It is often difficult for them to admit that they don't feel like doing something, and this can often boil over into unconscious aggression that replaces the confrontation that they want to avoid. They may also withdraw and abandon people for seemingly no reason.

Idealist

Closely linked to the unconscious feeling of exclusion is a distinctive strong belief in social justice. It is not uncommon to find Social E9s in social programs, taking up positions of responsibility to help society's most vulnerable. In his drive to improve the world and feel like he is a part of it, he can easily adopt and conform to external values. He can adopt the values of any group with sincerity and conviction, and he sees this as a way to channel his idealism. However, they will have difficulties in dealing with in-fighting, or may lack the ability to question the ideals of the group. Social E9 will often "Fight another person's war," sincerely endorsing the claims of others. Sometimes the curiosity, combined with the utopian idealism, lends this subtype towards esoteric paths or other outside distractions that lead the E9 away from himself. There is a tendency to get lost in the clouds, to converge with cosmic energies and to get lost in universal archetypes. A crazy idea of the Social E9 is that he has no authority over himself, that anyone may impose their will on him and he cannot say no.

Ingenuous

If naivety is common in the Social E9, then this can lead to them often staying in situations they do not want to be in. Many Social E9s speak of their indecisiveness of when to create intimate ties and establish friendships, which is reflective of their deep need to belong.

Claudio Naranjo's Social 9 Description

E9 Social – Participation / Belonging

The social nine is a good-natured person. And what moves a good-natured person? What is behind these cheerful and light-hearted people? According to this map, the passion of E9 social is participation. What you need is to feel part of it. But anyone who has an intense need to do, to become part of something, is a person who does not feel part of anything.

For the social E9, the experience of not fitting in, of feeling different, of believing that they do not have what it takes to be part of a group or a community, leads them to overcompensate, to express a kind of generosity, being very attentive to the others and the group. It is a character very gifted in satisfying the needs of others. And he becomes a good leader. The best type of leader, in the sense of being a good person, generous and sacrificed in the face of any type of responsibility that others want to give him.

His passion is to do what is necessary to pay the toll that allows him to be admitted to the group. But, for this, a lot of effort is needed: the social E9 are the workaholics of the enneagram. They feel that they have to give a lot, but at the same time they have to be nice and pleasant. His internal motto is: “do not show the pain, do not put weight on the mind of another”. His expression is more happy than sad, but that does not mean participation, but a kind of partial participation: a substitute.