“If you judge people, you have no time to love them”- Mother Theresa
In-depth Description of the Enneagram Type 2
Warm and kind-hearted are the perfect words to describe the enneagram type two. Also known as the giver, type 2 are sincere people who are willing to sacrifice their needs for the sake of others.
Their need to help others and be close to others can make them become people-pleasers. Type two derive their joy from being the perfect friend. They want to be there for their loved ones in their times of need. They are at their happiest when forming relationships.
Their craving to serve or be of help to others endears them to many people. Thus, this type can easily be part of many social groups and circles.
An unhealthy two will often do things for others with the hope of gaining something in return. They will go to great lengths to please people. This can lead to them hurting others to achieve their aim.
One of the greatest motivations of this enneagram type is to be accepted by others. A healthy type two will be able to balance out the need to help others and also take care of themselves.
This enneagram type is a part of the triad that exists between type 4 and 3. This triad focuses on feelings of unworthiness. This is because these three triads often feel that they have to change themselves to be loved.
Basic Motivation– they want to be loved and accepted by everyone. To do this effectively, they will repress their emotions.
This can lead to depression and unhappiness.
Basic Fear– their basic fear is rejection or being unloved. In other to fight this fear, they often go to great lengths to be of assistance to others. Unhealthy type twos will often do terrible things just to remain in the good books of their friends.
How Rare Are Enneagram Type 2?
They are fairly common as they make up about 13-15% of the total population.
Strengths of the Enneagram 2
1. Good source of Encouragement
Type twos are usually a great source of encouragement to their friends and loved ones. They are willing to go the extra mile to encourage and motivate them. This makes them the perfect friend or companion.
2. Friendly and Approachable
Enneagram type 2 wants to be loved and accepted. This means they often have to be on their best behavior to get the approval of many. So they are always easy to approach. You can be sure that this type will be as helpful as possible.
3. Dedicated and Reliable
Their basic desire to please and be loved ensures that they are always dedicated to the task at hand. Type 2 will always show up and be of help even in very difficult times.
4. Nurturing Spirit
Enneagram 2s are nurturing by default. This makes sense as the art of nurturing is one of the easiest ways to show care.
Thus, type 2s will hold their loved ones dear and try to give them the best care possible. This nurturing spirit can be excessive to some types such as type 8s.
However, it comes from an abundance of love.
5. Loyal
Type 2s are fiercely loyal to their friends. They will stick to them no matter what. Again, they hope that they are appreciated for the efforts they put in.
The most impressive thing about 2s is that their loyalty grows really quickly. This is why they are often called a companion.
6. Genuine
As mentioned earlier, they really just want to be seen as helpful or useful. There’s a genuine need right now. While they don’t mind being appreciated, they don’t really think about this when they help others.
There’s nothing more magical than that.
7. High Energy Levels
Type 2s come in different variants. While some might be introverted, they typically have high energy levels. This allows them to help others while maintaining a balance in their lives.
Thus, they often seem to be everything to everyone.
8. Good Listeners
Because of how much they love interacting with people, it’s not a surprise that they’re great listeners.
Type 2s take time to listen to people. Depending on their function stack, they can also be deeply empathetic. This superpower allows them to get along with all enneagram types.
Weaknesses of the Enneagram 2
1. A Need for External Validation
While they are genuine about helping others, type 2s will want to be appreciated. They are humans after all.
Soon enough, 2s realize they love these words of affirmation and start expecting it. When it doesn’t come, they might feel unappreciated.
This can slowly take a toll on their self-confidence.
2. Self-Neglect
While type 2s strive to maintain a balance, they can often become unbalanced. Usually, this happens when they start focusing on the needs of others too much. Other times, it can happen when they put the needs of outsiders over their own family.
For example, type 2s can spend time solving people’s problems only to be exhausted to deal with their children’s problems.
The long-term effect is definitely disastrous.
3. Easily Offended by Criticism
Type 2 are quick to take criticism as an attack against themselves. Rather than see criticism as a way to improve, they often are quickly annoyed and sensitive to negative feedback. This can quickly lead to unintended problems with the people around them.
4. Not Acknowledging Their Needs
Type 2 are always looking for ways to help others. This often means that they forget or simply do not have time for their own needs.
5. People-pleasers
Enneagram 2 wants to be loved and seen as desirable. This need can easily make them seek approval from other people. They are notorious people pleasers. This might lead to low self-esteem and problems with their self-confidence.
Defense Mechanism- Repression
Enneagram type 2 often use repression as a defense mechanism. They repress their real needs and feelings to help others. Unhealthy enneagram 2 can even fail to take care of personal needs just to make others happy.
Enneagram Type 2 and Wings
Just like every other enneagram, the type two enneagram will either have 1 or 3 as a wing type.
2w1– when paired with type 1, they can become quiet and a bit more serious. Their dislike of criticism is heightened, and they find joy in taking care of others. You can read more about 2w1 here.
2w3- when paired with a type 3, enneagram 2 becomes more driven and ambitious. Also, they are better communicators. While they still want to be of help, they also have a strong need to create meaningful relationships with others. You can read more about 2w3 here.
How to Communicate With Enneagram Type 2
- Try not to be overly critical with a type 2. They actually put in their best.
- Always be patient when communicating with a type 2.
- Show some appreciation for what they bring to the table. Help them to see how much you value them.
- Make sure you attend to the conflict in a direct manner. Do this while appreciating the good things they do.
Enneagram Type 2 and MBTI
No two type 2s are the same. This is often down to their various backgrounds, beliefs, and MBTI types. Here, we’ll focus on their MBTI types. There are so many combinations with the MBTI.
You can find a majority of them on this website. As more articles are written on each type, the links will be provided below.
Here is a complete database of Enneagram 2 as the dominant type and all possible MBTI combos.
ISFJ: ISFJ 2w1| ISFJ 2w3
ISTP: ISTP 2w1| ISTP 2w3
ISTJ: ISTJ 2w1| ISTJ 2w3
INTP: INTP 2w1| INTP 2w3
ENTJ: ENTJ 2w1| ENTJ 2w3
ENTP: ENTP 2w1| ENTP 2w3
ESTP: ESTP 2w1| ESTP 2w3
ESTJ: ESTJ 2w1| ESTJ 2w3
Enneagram Type 2 and Possible Job Interests
Enneagram 2 is interested in serving and helping people in life. This means that they are naturally drawn to jobs that allow them to do this with many people.
- Life coach
- Teacher
- Politician
- Nursing
- Child care worker
- Baking
- Chef
- Blogging about parenting
Jobs That Enneagram Type 2 Should Avoid
- Lawyer
- Accounting
- Sales manager
- Stockbroker
- Modeling
- Acting
Famous People and Characters Who Are Enneagram 2
- Jimmy Carter
- Celine Dion
- Mother Theresa
- Nancy Reagan
- Hagrid (Harry Potter)
- Dolly Parton
How Enneagram Type 2 Can Stay Healthy
- Identify your own needs. Make sure that you know how you feel about every situation you find yourself in.
- Understand what your core values are. Try not to use other people’s opinions and yardstick as your own opinion.
- Have healthy boundaries. Trying to please people can leave you drained and feeling unhappy. Make sure that you keep those healthy boundaries up. They will allow you to focus on your own needs and motivations.
- Show who you really are. Stand up and share your true self. You will be happy you did.
