Question: Is Yoko Ono an Enneagram Type 4 or the Sad Type 2?

Katherine: Enneagram Type 4 vs. the Sad Type 2. So glad you suggest this. It gives me a chance to add what many do not know about the sad type 2 that was lost in the dissemination of the Enneagram and needed to be added to the Enneagram literature.

I am not sure what I said 25 years ago, but Yoko Ono is a perfect example of the counter-culture social 285. She is an introvert but moves toward people the way a type 2 does; steadily pushing forward towards the outcome they desire. So, I would make a case that she is this archetype.

Working with thousands of people during my qualitative research in 1994, which has now been ongoing for 39 years, I found many nuances of the types that were unknown by most of the Enneagram Schools in 1994. Later, in 1996, I learned from Claudio Naranjo that key archetypes of some of the Enneagram types had been lost or assigned to the wrong type. Also, as is common with any evolving work, there were naturally occurring errors along the way.

Typing Yoko Ono as a type 4 makes abundant sense if you did not see a description of the Avant guard, introverted social 2, determining type based on descriptions of behaviors; rather than considering type based on the core fears and defense strategies of the types, and are unaware of the type 2s that were lost in the dissemination of the Enneagram, in particular: the sad 4ish type 2, and the strong, 8ish type 2.

I thought Michael Jackson was a type 4 at first. But when videos of Michael on YouTube emerged unscripted his type 2 qualities were very apparent.

Typing Yoko or Michael as social type 4 would be a natural hypothesis and conclusion if you do now know about the 4ish type 2 that is introverted, artistic, and sad. But here is the key:

Type 2 vs. Type 4
Yoko is most known for being John Lennon's widow, which keeps his memory alive. She has basically crafted a career of promoting John Lennon's famous quotes since he was tragically killed. She was the person that said he should use his celebrity to make a difference, and she is continuing to do just that.

Type 2 in the Tritype®
The identity of type 2 is focused on having an identity based on people needing them and what they do for others.

The defense strategy of type 2 is repression, so the focus is on the repression of the 2s own needs in favor of being needed and indispensable and then they consciously or unconsciously feel they have earned the right to have their needs met the way they need them met. It's just that this agreement is not voiced until the type 2 feels unappreciated.

Type 2 pushes, sometimes quietly but steadily, toward the focus of their attention. Social type 2 focuses on managing social situations to meet their need to be significant, important, and liked by "the many" rather than "the few." This is to maintain a position of being an indispensable person who has the role of the power behind the throne.

Type 4 in the Tritype®
The 4s are inclined to focus on their own identity and develop an identity that is based on their sense of loss and an internal sense of lack. The 4 will create an identity about their loss more than memorializing the loss. It is how it affects them rather than the world.

The defense strategy of type 4 is introjection which "takes the qualities of the loved one that is gone: inside themselves; combining the good, bad, and ugly aspects of their relationship with the other. The focus is on the 4s identification with their own suffering to give meaning.

I understand Yoko’s desire to keep him alive in her mind and heart and for her son. I lost my elder son, Brandon, when he was 25 years old. He died in a freeway accident when he stopped to help two disabled cars when he was trying to rescue people after the accident.

As two sexual 8s with 4 in the Tritype®, his brother, Spencer, and I come together to honor Brandon’s birthday and death day in an intimate way... We have introjected him because we have the 4-defense strategy as our heart type. So we remember what made him laugh, what made him happy, and what he loved to do, so we eat the candy he liked and watch the movies that he liked.

We do this because it is natural for the two of us because we both have the sexual instinct with type 4 as our heart type. We do this intimate and private connecting instead of reenacting the events of Brandon's social acclaim or gathering with all of the people whose hearts he touched and/or helped... But we did do that for them for the first two anniversaries...

Comparison with Type 2 vs. Type 4
Yoko spreads John Lennon's words from Imagine all year long. Brandon was a social 629, and he had type 2 as his heart-type as well. So, both Yoko and Brandon appeared to have type 2 as their emotional type and, in particular, social 2.

Social 2 needs the world involved with whatever they feel is socially important. Rather than identifying with their grief, Type 2 in the Tritype® memorializes the loss of loved ones because it is a positive, outward gesture that includes a more upbeat feeling of pride. So, their attention is focused on the person they are or were connected to, and it is usually expressed publicly and is socially focused.

My son Brandon’s approach was like Yoko’s. He memorialized the lives and significance of his pets, their collars, bedding, and bowls, and was the same with the loss of my parents, his grandparents. He cherished and framed my father's medals and Hall of Fame documents. He really wanted to do whatever he could to honor them, their ancestry, and famous relatives that he had never met... ;)

He was enthusiastic about family and friends but underneath, he was a sad type 2 as well. This is the world of social 2 in the Tritype®; they can be secretly sad.

So, Brandon and Yoko both honored and demonstrated their love for the loved ones they lost in a public way that focused on how their loved ones were good and great and positively impacted the world. They moved out toward others.

Brandon was proclaimed a hero in the newspaper and on tv and then officially documented as a hero by the fire department and highway patrol. The proclamation was given to us at his funeral. We knew he would have been so proud, so we were happy that he was honored in a way that mattered to him.

Social and type 2 in Tritype®
If social is combined with type 2 in the Tritype®, you will see some type of long-term public memorializing of the achievements of the loved one.

Expressions of Emotions - Type 4s vs. Type 2s (Sad 2s)
Similarities and differences between Type 2 and Type 4
The 2 is sad when they do not receive the appreciation they feel they have earned by doing so many things for others. They feel uncomfortable in their body as they try to repress the anger that grows into resentment.

The 4 is forlorn when they are reminded of and identified with their flaws. They feel depleted, disoriented, and lost. They try to make sense of their suffering and feel they need an emotional compass to find their way out.

Both 2 and 4 may become punishing when they feel denied something they want. It is the emotional center's way of trying to find a way to have their needs met. Both 2s and 4s have a designated person or people they believe have withheld from them or have denied them something they feel is essential to their sense of self. Because they are motivated by emotion and shame, they keep trying to get what they need from designated others.

Naranjo described the down moods and/or depression of the sx 4 and sx 2 in a very clear way. Both 2 and 4 idealize love. And both feel heartache on an ongoing basis. Both feel depleted by the heartache they feel when someone they have chosen does not pay attention to them. Both are image types that create an identity from their views of their experiences.

The 4s create an identity around the heartache they feel and the sense of loss. They feel disconnected and in need of rescue.

The 2s create an identity by connecting to others to feel a sense of abundance. They feel that they are able to connect with and get a smile out of even the most difficult people.

The 4s have wet, emotional depression and melancholy that never gives up the hope that one day "their rescuer will come," whereas the 2s have strong reactive emotions in the hope that they will finally be given what they worked so hard to earn.

The 2 over-expresses a false sense of love and joy and disown their disconnection to their heart, and move to angry resentment. This is due to their defense strategy of being a loving and caring person that manages the needs of others... They secretly hope to win over the hearts of others to feel liked and safe. This is also due to a perception of having suffered a love trauma.

The 4 over-expresses their chronic frustrations, they disown their disconnection to their heart and move to angry contempt. This is due to their defense strategy of being an elite, sensitive intellectual with an innate sense of beauty and aesthetics. Their defense strategy is to amplify their emotional states to feel more deeply, and this results in reenactments of earlier traumas and painful dramas.

As mentioned, the 2 is wet but cheerful to gain attention. This is due in part to sharing the same center with the 4. Both are in the heart center. The 2 often has beautiful glassy or teary eyes that are hypnotic and move towards you. The 4 has beautiful vacuum cleaner "oral' eyes that draw you in.

The 2 is sad when they do not have the attention that fills them with a sense of joy and happiness. They seek fulfillment for having seen and then given the other what they need...They see a way out of their depression when they notice another's need. Filling it reminds them of who they are, and they quickly cheer up, but they still focus on the special item or time they wanted and were not given.

What is most noteworthy about the emotionality of the 2s are the moments of tearfulness and/or the hysterical attempts to get their "someone" to stay and pay attention to them.

2s struggle with entitlement when they want the time and attention and when they are not being gifted what they want most... When they have moved into resentment, it is because they feel that they have earned it and are desperate to be shown they matter.

Ichazo called the 4 the "Over-Reasoner." He described the 4 as always looking for a reason for their suffering, a reason for less-than-ideal circumstances. They continue to seek the reason for their suffering, and when they can't, they identify the person or persons responsible for their suffering in an attempt to restore a sense of hope. Such as: "Someday my rescuer will come."

Both 2 and 4 are trying to portray and refine the image that will help them get what they need... and manage the distress of not being enough... The goal is always to restore a sense of hope. The 2 moves toward others with an offer of hope, and the 4 moves away in the hope that they will be followed...

The 2 moves to entitlement because they have earned the special item, time, and attention based on everything they have done for others. Their identity is based on their acts of kindness. Upon reflection, they often hear themselves saying, "after all I have done for you, him or her."

The 4 moves to entitlement due to the personality construct of eliteness. 4s have carved out an identity by piecing together special and meaningful things they like. Upon reflection, they often hear themselves saying," I hate people that are vulgar, crass, unrefined, and shallow, with no sense of aesthetics."

More on Tritype® here:
Katherine created a test that has been programmed to pick up particular patterns that the types use.
Take the Test here: https://enneagramtritypetest.com
General Information: www.katherinefauvre.com/tritype
YouTube: Katherine Fauvre | Creator of Tritype®