Harry Potter’s Enneagram (A Complete Overview)

This article will look at what enneagram ‘Harry Potter’ is and how his behaviour, actions and feelings from the movie series reflect this type. The article will pick up on some famous scenes from the movie in order to relate Harry to his enneagram.

What is Harry Potter’s Enneagram?

Harry Potter’s enneagram is a Type 8 that is also known as ‘The Challenger’. His type is associated with Wing 9 that also gives him the title of ‘The Bear’. Individuals with this enneagram have the following characteristics:

• Self Confident
• Decisive
• Willful
• Confrontational

We will take a look at the dominant traits this type exhibits as well as their strengths and weaknesses, basic fears and desires.

Type 8’s Desire.

The basic desire that this enneagram has is to protect themself and be in control of their life and destiny. Keeping in mind Harry Potter’s character, this enneagram helps explain his behaviour while looking at the past he has experienced and the state of the wizardry world. 

Lord Voldemort is out to kill him as he not only wants to show everyone that he is the strongest wizard in the world but the ‘Boy Who Lived’ is nothing but a lucky little boy who has no power to harm him.

Harry is aware of Lord Voldemort’s intentions; unlike others he is a constraint target and thus he has a desire to protect himself especially in the early series of the movie when he only suspects that he alone is in danger and not others. 

Another fear he experiences later on is that Voldemort will control him. He becomes aware of this possibility when the Dark lord is able to enter his mind and see where he is at. He becomes so scared that he takes classes with Professor Snape to control his mind and thus protect himself.

Hence, the Type 8 enneagram brilliantly defines Harry in terms of his basic fears; being controlled or harmed.

Type 8 Enneagram’s Basic Fear.

As mentioned earlier, this type has the innate fear of being harmed or controlled by someone else. This fear leads to the desire to automatically protect oneself from such harm. 

There are multiple examples from the life of the ‘Harry Potter’ character where Harry takes drastic action to protect himself as well as others. In one instance, he arranges classes for Dumbledore’s army in the Room of Requirement away from the Headmistresses eyes as he knows with the new syllabus they would never be able to protect themself.

In individual efforts, he takes whatever steps he can to improve his skills and knowledge in order to do whatever he can to battle Voldemort. He discovers the book of the Half Blood Prince and reads that thoroughly including the dangerous spells as he realizes their power. When he feels helpless, he even takes classes from Snape to control his mind and prevent Lord Voldemort from controlling him.

The basic fear and desire of ‘The Challenger’ are interrelated and go hand in hand. Each must be understood to understand the other.

The Dominant Characteristics of the Type 8 Enneagram.

In this section we will look at the most apparent traits of this type in isolation.  In the next section we will look at Type 8 with a Wing 9 to better understand Harry’s personality.

Challenging.

It is obvious from the name; these individuals are always up for the challenge! They like to push themselves beyond the limits to test their strength and abilities while also wanting the same for others.

Harry never shies away from something new. He is open to new experiences and thus scores high on openness and this means he is ready to face any situation. When the movie shows his name appearing in the goblet of fire with other participants from other schools, he is ready to take on the challenge and bravely competes in it. Even at an individual and personal level, he is never scared to meet new people or things. His meeting with Buckbeak and other mythical creatures shows he not only likes to learn but accepts the risk. As a person, being a fan of quidditch and an adamant player, he exhibits his fondness of challenging himself in sports as well. 

Charismatic.

These individuals have an aura of charisma emanating from themselves. They have the ability to pull in people not just with their power or ability but with how they just are as people. This attraction makes others keen to listen to what they have to say or think and others would prefer them to lead.

Harry, apart from being famous as the boy who lived, has the ability to move people with his words, throughout the movie, he is seen to gather people and motivate them to do the right or necessary thing. He is able to do this because people desire to hear him speak or lead them and this is possible because others consider him charismatic.

Strong Will and Vitality.

Harry is strong willed; this arises due to a number of factors that include his personality, his past and the desire to live safely from Voldemort’ harm.

He also possesses vitality that makes him energetic and alive hence he is able to take on any situation with a sense of hope and positivity that oftentimes gets him through the most hopeless scenes in the movie. Apart from others, he is sometimes naive and questions why things can’t be done. He sees possibilities where others don’t and this is because of his will power and sense of hope.

Natural Leaders.

Yes these individuals are natural leaders who believe in leading by example and care for their fellows or supporters. Throughout the movie, Harry is seen as the one who either takes the initiative or responsibility. He is not a one man show but he realizes the power in numbers and struggles to bring all on one page. They have the ability to motivate and inspire their followers, be good at communication and people skills like recognizing emotions and most of all they are at the front. This is why Harry was able to create ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ as people believed in him and considered him a leader.

Independent.

Although they make good leaders, people like Harry know that sometimes life calls for them to stand alone and face the music! In many scenes, Harry tells his friends that he needs to do this ‘task’ alone regardless of the fact that Ron and Hermione almost never let him do what he says. When setting out to kill the remaining Horcruxes, he tells the other two of the trio to let him go alone as this is his journey but they refuse.

When he must enter the forest to hand himself in to Voldemort, he does not take anyone with him because he realizes it is his fight. Throughout the story, Harry refuses to become dependent on anyone and chooses to spend his summers with his aunt and uncle despite how they treat him. He likes to count only on himself.

Too Industrious.

Yes these individuals are extremely hard working and diligent to the extent that they forget the human element of life. Hence, oftentimes when people are put off by their absence, insensitivity or lack of interest they get angry because after all, they are working for others!

When this does happen, this personality type becomes distant.

Fear of Rejection.

Type 8 personalities have another fear – they are scared others will reject, criticize or humiliate them in some manner or form so they either become quiet or distant or reject the other person entirely. You can see this in Harry’s behavior when he and Ron fight while they are out to destroy horcruxes. He allows Ron to leave knowing Ron is hurt and rejects the idea of him and Ron ever being friends.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

The Bear.

Harry is a Type 8 with a Wing 9 and this means his personality is pulled two ways. These individuals are kind when they are needed to be kind and can adopt strictness and be tough when they situation calls for it! At the same time, these individuals have issues with their emotions and may express their anger or regret in outbursts! However, this type is less likely to dominate or withdraw due to their fears.

Conclusion.

This article explored what enneagram type Harry potter is and related different traits and aspects of this type with his behavior in the movie series. 

Frequently Asked Questions: Harry Potter’s Enneagram.

References.

https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-8