This type idealises the universal innate quality of Merging Love (a name given by A.H.Almaas). The personality constellates around manufacturing this quality. How do we embody sweet, merging gold love in the world? Through being warm, kind, loving, supportive, generous to special others, and sometimes over-inflating our importance to them as we avert our gaze from our own feelings of need. This characteristic self-inflation is type 2’s Passion (Enneagram term for a personality’s chief feature), Pride, and it is most evident in the area of the dominant instinct.

Names given to Enneagram Type 2

The Giver (the Narrative Enneagram), the Helper (the Enneagram Institute), the Loving Person (Jerry Wagner), Striving to be Connected (Mario Sikora), Authentic Altruism (Khaled ElSherbini).

Core characteristics of Enneagram Type 2*

*According to Enneagram teacher and seminal author, Beatrice Chestnut from her book, the Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge

Seeking to please others as a way to evoke affection.
Feeling driven to win others’ approval through indirect methods such as seduction and strategic giving, as a way to gain emotional and material support without having to ask.
Finding self-worth in being needed by those they value and unconsciously seeking to get their own needs met in return.
Tending towards self-aggrandizement and self-inflation.
Often appearing boundlessly and indispensably generous, helpful, attractive and supportive. Cheerful, optimistic, warm and friendly.
Having the genuine ability to listen to others, empathize with their feelings and meet needs.
Because they imagine that others are as sensitive to criticism as they are, may sugarcoat and shade the truth out to avoid hurting someone.
Operating on the unspoken assumption that “if you take care of me, I will take care of you.”

One of the Heart Centre types

Along with types 3 and 4, Enneagram type 2s are members of the Heart triad. If you care about inner development and transformation, you want to ensure that you understand the significance of the Centres. If you intend to self-study, I recommend getting a copy of something like the Wisdom of the Enneagram or the Enneagram Triads.

Because each triad share characteristics, this aspect of the Enneagram can also help you to know whether you are the type you think you are, or whether you have mistyped. Below are some general characteristics that have been associated with the Heart types, 2s, 3s and 4s.

Characteristics of Heart triad*

*From Enneagram teacher Peter O’Hanrahan.

Priority: Relational needs for contact and approval, and establishing personal identity through connecting and being seen.
Strengths: Flexibility and skill in relationships; achieving success by attuning to and meeting social expectations; and access to empathy and the vast potential of the human heart.
Neurotic style: Building up emotional energy and then discharging it unconsciously into the environment (‘hysterical’).
Defense: Emotional intelligence enables the creation of an ‘image self’ in order to gain recognition and approval from others. This helps to overcome internal feelings of deficiency or emptiness. Personal wants and needs are replaced by meeting the expectations of others. Variations of style: helpful (2), successful (3), or authentic (4).
Key phrase: Substitution of value. (Value is not in me, but I can find value in the approval and eyes of others).
Primary emotional layer: Sadness (related to the loss of self).
Life challenge: Balancing self and other, autonomy and dependence.

Enneagram Type 2 Subtypes

As discussed on the instincts page, ‘subtype’ is the name given to what happens when our Enneagram type intersects with the instinctual part of us. Some teachers prefer to simply name this situation as a ‘type/instinct’ combination, versus giving it a special name

Remember that descriptions are approximations. The descriptions below are from Dr Beatrice Chestnut, whose work built upon the teachings of Claudio Naranjo, and Russ Hudson, who has slightly different descriptions (which he shared over a series of Tweets once).

Self-preservation 2

‘Privilege’/ ‘Me first’ – the ‘countertype’ (Ichazo, Naranjo and Chestnut)

Harder to identify as Type 2s (may look more like 6s or 4s).
Having a childlike quality in presentation and expression, they’re less oriented to giving and more burdened by helping.
More self-indulgent, playful, and irresponsible than the other two 2s, they are more fearful and ambivalent about connecting with others.
More guarded, fearful, less trusting and more ambivalent about relationships, easily hurt and hypersensitive to slights.
Sensation-seeking and look for pleasurable experiences to distract themselves from feelings of self-abandonment and inner deprivation.
Fantasize a lot about being loved and admired and idealizes people early on in relationships.

‘Entitlement and Rewards’ (Hudson)

Get concerned about the health, wellbeing, and practical needs of others.
Strong willpower and know how to get things done, but have the most inhibition about doing things for themselves (shame arises around needs).
When troubled, they can develop psychosomatic problems (their bodies pay the bill for unprocessed emotions).
More likely to seek sympathy for their sacrifices.
At their best, they learn genuine self-care and can be truly gifted at addressing real needs.
‘Me First’, Naranjo’s name for this subtype, is problematic and has led to people thinking of this as ‘the 2 that doesn’t give’. It is more that ‘after giving so much to others, I deserve to get my self-preservation needs met. I have earned them’. But often the ‘rewards’ that the self-preservation 2 selects (i.e. sugar) are not what is actually needed.
Inner critic can be harsh with this subtype.

Sexual 2

‘Aggressive/seductive’ (Ichazo, Naranjo and Chestnut)

Seducers of particular individuals, gain approval through being generous and attractive.
Emphasize their personal appeal and promises of support to make others like them and do things for them.
A more emotional, passionate 2 who seduces specific individuals.
Solves the dilemma of having needs but not wanting to express them by having a strong bond with somebody who will give them anything they want.
Irresistible, may possess a ‘dangerous kind of beauty’.
Justify actions, words, madness, wildness, invasiveness and selfishness ‘in the name of love.’

‘Craving Intimacy’ (Hudson)

A person who seeks intense closeness with specific people, although not with everyone.
Want to have a few key relationships and to earn a special place in others’ lives.
Have high energy and are often quite outgoing.
Engage the world with humour and a bold spirit, and often mistaken for 7s.
Conquer the objects of their attraction by lavishing them with attention and interest.
Have the ability to make other people feel attractive and desirable.
When troubled, can get obsessed with the objects of their attraction, feeling rejected yet unable to accept the rejection. This can lead to aggressive behaviour.

Social 2

‘Ambition’ (Ichazo, Naranjo and Chestnut)

An adult, leader, more powerful 2, seeks to gain approval from others through being competent and influential.
Pride is expressed through having influence and they cultivate an image of being influential.
Because of the need for admiration, they are competitive and may at times be indifferent to, insensitive to, or in denial about the emotions of others.
Although it operates unconsciously, strongest reliance on ‘giving to get’ as a strategy in interacting with others.
More introverted and workaholic than the other 2s.
Tend to deny vulnerable emotions such as shame, fear, mistrust, envy, and jealousy.
Can resemble 3s and 8s.

‘Unconscious ambition’/ ‘Everybody’s friend’ (Hudson)

More shrewd and political than the other 2s and are not caretakers, but they help by nurturing capacities and by creating opportunities and connections for others.
When less healthy are afraid of being cut out of relationships between people they’ve introduced/helped.
The matchmakers of the Enneagram, support people and causes they believe in and see ways people can connect for mutual benefit.
Good mentors, see the gifts of others.
Remember things about people and have a gift for making others feel included, wanted, and appreciated.
Make their way in life by using their social gifts to create alliances around their work and meaningful causes.
When troubled, can overbearing and manipulative, often without realizing it.
At their best, they create conditions of welcome, acceptance, and a powerful sense of shared purpose.

Types connected to 2 (and how connected)

Type 8 – the ‘Stress’ (Hudson) or ‘Resolution’ point

The inner lines are important when it comes to a growth path. As a general rule, the more dynamic movement between the arrow points and core point, the less fixated we are in our types. And the more conscious the movement, the greater our depth of presence (and freedom from the patterns).

The lines can also help us to know for sure that we have typed correctly. Following Russ Hudson’s teaching on the lines, moving to this style helps 2s who have been ‘2-ing out’ too much. It’s called the stress point because we tend to go there because the strategy of the core type has been over-exhausted.

When the movement happens unconsciously, a Type 2 might “express uncontained anger, have temper tantrums, get bossy and controlling, see their advice as the only truth of what others need, manipulate more openly, and become excessive, impulsive, and self-indulgent” (Chestnut/Paes).

When the movement happens consciously, they are able to “set limits with others; there is no more ‘ego-driven’ generosity/speaks to their own needs directly; more positive anger, more direct action, and not so much concern with image” (ideas from Paes/Chestnut).

Type 4 – ‘the Security’ (Hudson) or ‘Energising’ (Chestnut) point

Many of us struggle to own the behaviours we see at the security point for our number, in particular the ‘low’ behaviours. However, as discussed elsewhere on this site, the integration of the security point becomes a way of knowing if we’re making progress in our inner work.

When the movement to Type 4 happens unconsciously, Type 2s “become more emotional in a way that feels unmanageable/humiliating, become needy after avoiding needs, get fixated on feeling misunderstood and not appreciated and can be moody or dramatic”.

When the movement is conscious, a Type 2 “becomes more inside-looking, develops greater self-understanding, recognizes own needs, feelings, and desires, separates own emotions from other peoples’ emotions, experiences ‘positive’ pain and develops the ability to express feelings/needs more artfully” (Chestnut/Paes).

Centre Integration Point – Type 5 (Paes/Chestnut)

Shows up when Type 2s pull back, restore, conserve energy, and reflect mentally.

The ‘Wings’ or types on either side – Types 1 and 3

The presence of the attributes of the types on either side of our core type is another way of knowing whether we have typed correctly. When it comes to inner development and transformation, they aren’t as significant.

Enneagram teacher and direct student of Naranjo, Micheal Goldberg, teaches that each Enneagram type is formed out of a reconciliation of the forces of the Wings.

According to the theory, type 2 is reconciling the resentment of type 1 with the vanity and the striving for a perfect image of Type 3. It is a stretch between high morals (being good), and duplicity (looking good), to which the 2 responds with flattery.

In terms of practical interventions, accessing Type 1 “helps a Type 2 to develop the 1’s discernment to give to those in need, rather than the favoured few; align with objective standards (less likely to bend rules); and be honest and strengthen personal boundaries” (ideas from Integrative Enneagram Solutions).

Accessing Type 3 “supports a 2 in developing more self-esteem and focus, enabling effectiveness and delegation; learn that good team players do not have to do everything themselves; and tap into the ability to adapt and get along with others in various settings” (Integrative Enneagram Solutions).