©1995-2020 Katherine Chernick Fauvre: Originator of Tritype®
Enneagram Rainbow Tritypes® | 279 vs 379
I call the 279 and the 379 the Rainbow Tritypes®. These Tritypes® like colorful events, colorful people, and multi-colored images. Both Tritypes® are diverse and accepting and generally love people. They enjoy friendly and easy relationships. They seek positive experiences, imagery and quotes in journals, calendars and/or posters. They are our cheerleaders in life and set the templates of what is possible, fun and achievable together.
These two Tritypes® are very similar at first glance. Because of these similarities, the 279 Tritype® and the 379 Tritype® can be lookalikes and mistaken for one another. However, the difference between the 3 and the 2 is important.
The 279 Tritype® is the most relational Tritype®, and the 379 is the most positive Tritype®. 379 Tritype® is even more positive than the 279 Tritype®. Both Tritypes® care about people, but the 379 Tritype® focuses more on their actual achievements, and ideally with people, whereas the 279 Tritype® focuses more on relationships and the time shared with others.
The 279 Tritype® needs easy relating and positive encounters...they try to smooth things over, so people are happy and easier to be around. ;) They focus on okay-ness. The 379 Tritype® needs to "be" an exemplar of what is positive. They are like a handful of colorful balloons. They also love images of rainbows and balloons regardless of which type leads.
Both Tritypes® avoid conflict, and both want to be upbeat...but how and why?
279 Tritype®
The 279 feels the need to be happy, relaxed, content and sharing experiences with others that are fun and interesting. They are known as the one that is always smiling, the great guy or woman that everyone likes because they are so kind, happy, considerate, helpful and easy to be around. Unconsciously they feel it is their responsibility to keep up this image and to work hard to keep people happy as well so they can be happy and at ease.
If someone is unhappy, they have trouble shaking it off, so they keep trying to help the unhappy person with encouragement and teasing. If that doesn’t work, they shut down because it just feels too painful. When those with the 279 Tritype® feel this despair, they also feel shame when they are not the ideal happy, easygoing person that everyone loves to be around.
This is because their defense strategy believes that everyone loves a happy, funny and cheerful person, not someone that is negative or needy (2), someone that is upbeat, entertaining, and fun, not someone that is sarcastic or easily bored (7), someone that is kind, easygoing, agreeable and accepting, not someone that is dull or indifferent (9).
When this happens, the 279 Tritype® seems to be overly happy and tells others not to worry. Everything is fine when maybe it is not. They are pushing for okay-ness to manage a very real fear that things aren’t okay, and they don’t know what to do or how to make it better. So, they pretend… to survive the overwhelming underlying distress they are feeling if you or they are not feeling happy.
379 Tritype®
The 379 Tritype® feels the need to be motivated, positive, efficient, and successful. They are known as the quietly ambitious, successful, fun-loving ambassadors of goodwill. They are the achievers with the soft touch that care about others. Unconsciously, they feel it is their responsibility to look, feel and act like the ‘ideal’ exemplar of the multi-faceted all-around good person that smart, kind, successful, and likable. Not only do they need to meet that ideal for themselves, but they also need to help others do the same.
This creates a great deal of pressure. So, the 379 Tritype® struggles when they have a disappointing experience, don't achieve a goal, miss an opportunity and/or have an off moment with others. They feel anxious stress that they suppress. They are quick to deny painful emotions in favor of pseudo-happiness and instead turn lemons into lemonade more than any other Tritype®.
So, when a painful experience is acute and needs time to heal, the 379 Tritype® can become impatient and be very hard on themselves for being down. Like the balloons, their happiness becomes deflated. When those with the 379 Tritype® feel this despair, they also feel a sense of inner emptiness that they feel they must hide from others. This is because their defense strategy believes that everyone loves a winner, not a loser (3), someone that brings people up and not down (7), and someone that is content, not complaining (9).
When this happens, the 379 Tritype® can seem to be bouncing all over the place and overly positive. If a situation turns sour or is less than positive, this Tritype® can choose to ignore the change in energy and insist that everything is still great and that all things are possible. The 379 Tritype® is attempting to have a positive view to manage very real sadness and disappointment that their ideal expectations are only moments that are inconsistent and are fleeting at best. So, they pretend.
Working with the Rainbow Tritypes®: 279 vs 379 in General
These two Tritypes® are trying to reframe their negative emotional states into positive learning experiences to remain interesting and fun to be around. When in pain, the 379 Tritype® can come across as shallow due to their efforts to be positive when they feel negative. Done to excess, they can feel like empty calories to themselves and to others.
When they are down, their world becomes bleak and gray and devoid of color. It is an opportunity for introspection and growth, of course, but for this Tritype®, it is extremely difficult to do because it means embracing the bleak and the gray which their Tritype® is defended against. But, until they grieve whatever loss they are experiencing or have experienced in the past and let in the pain in small doses, their world will remain bleak with a broken façade.
Most pretend they are happy to remain likable and safe, but friends and loved ones read that something is amiss. This is when you can remind them that when they identify and name the pain (tag it), their world will become colorful again and that their ambitions and upbeat personality will return and feel real.
Working with the 279 Tritype®
When working with the 279 Tritype®, it is really important to help them remember that everything actually will be okay again when they better understand uncomfortable situations by talking about them. Remind them that they will feel happier and more content after they have had the discussion about their hidden sadness and the pain they avoid. Once they have found their center, you can begin the journey of working on the more flexible self-image they need to cultivate in order to more fully heal.
Remind the 279 Tritype® that the deadness they are secretly feeling and the effort that it takes to go through the motions is exhausting, and the attempts to fake it until they make it are also exhausting. Help them begin to see that the fear of being cut off will actually begin to subside when they take steps to let in what they avoid. It must be in tiny steps, though, as the defense strategy is wired to be upbeat and will go on tilt and stop engaging and start pretending when they don’t feel upbeat. If they are not upbeat, they will be overlooked and unimportant.
The good news is that the 279 Tritype® will feel more relaxed and connected to themselves, which feels better than just okay. They feel the need to have everyone be okay to avoid the painful feeling of being disconnected or separate from others. They remember many times when they were really looking forward to just being with people they cared about and how they love people, and just being together, having a good time that is stress-free. They are often the glue that makes it easy for different types of people to come together. They love to make others happy and share in the happiness others experience. When those with the 279 Tritype® are feeling stressed, it helps to understand that they also feel shame and need to be reminded that they are a really nice, easygoing person that everyone does love to be around.
Working with the 379 Tritype®
When working with the 379 Tritype®, it is really important to help them remember their amazing ability to see what is positive, possible, and harmonious in any given situation. Help them reconnect to themselves via their accomplishments. The disconnection happens when they feel that they are seen as less than the ideal exemplar of whatever image they have of themselves. Once they have found their center, you can begin the journey of working with them on the greater depth of emotions they need to cultivate and bring into awareness to more fully heal.
Help them begin to see that the fear of being uncool and un-fun or unsuccessful will actually begin to subside when they take steps to let what they avoid and are so good at concealing. It must be in tiny steps, though, as the defense strategy is wired to be a winner that has it all and will instantly deliver an artificial image to hide behind to feel safe when they are not positive. This is because if they fear if they are not upbeat, they will be overlooked and seen as unimportant and uncool.
The good news is that the 379 Tritype® will feel more positive, upbeat, and good-natured when they are connected to themselves. They act as if not to be insincere but to hide their sadness when they feel down. They lose their motivation to do, be, and become. This is crushing because they want success and seek stardom even when it is in understated ways. Help them to remember who they are, all of who they are, and what they have already accomplished that others haven’t.
They love people and the energy that comes from being connected to others. They like color in every form. They love projects and are very ambitious and can accomplish a great deal. But, they need the affirmation that comes from others to, in turn, have the confidence they need to share their inspirations with everyone they meet. Like the flowers that turn to face the sun, 379s need to be inspired and be inspirational, and when they have it, they share their enthusiasm with the world.
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®
©1995-2020 Katherine Chernick Fauvre