Great post! I’ve had a long and deepening appreciation for the Enneagram. The popularity of identifying “types” obscures what you zoom in on so effectively: the role of the core fear (or original wound, some might say). I’ve just seen James Gunn’s new Superman, and it suggests an extension of your thesis: When writing about an established character, decide whether to be true to the motive of earlier versions or to change the core motive for a more complete “remake.”
I’m eager now to see the 1978 film again, but off the top of my head I’d say Christopher Reeves played Clark Kent as an Enneagram 9, while James Gunn oh-so-slightly changed the character’s deepest fear. Part of the satisfaction of the remake is that we recognize much of the character, but the deepest threat to the psyche is new. I won’t spoil it … :-)
That's definitely been something I've had to consider as I've been gathering examples of each type for the book. Not every version of a character is written as the same type. Sometimes the book or comic book version may be one type, and the film adaptation make them another for one reason or another. It's fun and interesting to speculate about the reason behind the change of motivation!
Great post! I’ve had a long and deepening appreciation for the Enneagram. The popularity of identifying “types” obscures what you zoom in on so effectively: the role of the core fear (or original wound, some might say). I’ve just seen James Gunn’s new Superman, and it suggests an extension of your thesis: When writing about an established character, decide whether to be true to the motive of earlier versions or to change the core motive for a more complete “remake.”
I’m eager now to see the 1978 film again, but off the top of my head I’d say Christopher Reeves played Clark Kent as an Enneagram 9, while James Gunn oh-so-slightly changed the character’s deepest fear. Part of the satisfaction of the remake is that we recognize much of the character, but the deepest threat to the psyche is new. I won’t spoil it … :-)
That's definitely been something I've had to consider as I've been gathering examples of each type for the book. Not every version of a character is written as the same type. Sometimes the book or comic book version may be one type, and the film adaptation make them another for one reason or another. It's fun and interesting to speculate about the reason behind the change of motivation!