Why do I always react like this?

Have you heard of the "seven deadly sins"?

If you grew up Catholic, you probably have, and you know what they are: lust, sloth, anger, pride, envy, greed, and gluttony.

At some point in the Enneagram's history, teachers said, "Hey, these line up quite nicely with our personality types! And we also need two more!"

So two more "sins" were added: fear and vanity (or self-deceit).

Passions, not sins

In Enneagram-land, these 9 "sins" are not called sins, but passions. They are not something to be fixed or pushed away, and they aren't necessarily a bad thing.

Passions here are simply a response coming from the lower emotional center in our hearts.

Passions can help keep us safe.

And, they can really limit us if they are overused.

Here's how those passions line up with the 9 Enneagram types:

Type 8 - lust
Type 9 - sloth
Type 1 - anger
Type 2 - pride
Type 3 - vanity (self-deceit)
Type 4 - envy
Type 5 - avarice (greed)
Type 6 - fear
Type 7 - gluttony
We can experience all 9 passions, but there's one that is a little harder to escape.

This one is like a puppet master who is always working behind the scenes, pulling the strings and making you do all the things you do.

This puppet master is very compulsive, and we are quite unconscious of what he's doing back there in the dark.

How to work with the passions

Once you work with the Enneagram more intentionally, passions can become a real compass. You uncover some deep shadows in that lower emotional state and bring them into the light. You begin to recognize when you’re sliding into your familiar automatic patterns.

Then, different choices can be made.

One choice is to move toward your type's virtue, which is the higher emotional state of a type.

Virtues are sort of an antidote to the passions, and they emerge with awareness as we do our inner work.

Even without getting deep into the virtues today, it can be helpful just to notice the emotional pull of your type’s passion. Then, sense what loosens in you when you invite in the virtue.

So let’s walk through each passion and shine a little light on each one.

The Passions and Virtues for the 9 Types

As you read, notice what is going on for you. You might feel uneasy or annoyed, or embarrassed by one. All of that is information. Hold it lightly, and be curious about those feelings and sensations coming up for you.

Type 8 carries the passion of LUST, which in the Enneagram system is about intensity rather than sexuality.
Lust here is a kind of internal voltage, an instinctive way of meeting life with full force.
There’s a sense of “let’s cut to what’s real here,” and that impulse can speed things up.
Notice when there is a desire to push ahead full-steam - without taking emotions or other people into consideration.
The VIRTUE of type 8 is INNOCENCE.
Innocence moves us to a more inward-facing emotional state of being without agendas - and without the desire to be powerful.

Type 9 has the passion of SLOTH. Sloth here is not about laziness at all. It’s about forgetting one’s own priorities and blending into the environment.
It's also not only about ignoring the self but also focusing on the easy stuff that isn’t too hard. Focusing on the stuff that is comfortable.
If this passion resonates with you, notice when you are avoiding the big stuff or when you are focusing on others.
The VIRTUE of Type 9 is RIGHT ACTION.
Right action means presence and movement. Not hiding, not avoiding. Doing the thing that moves us forward out of comfort.

Type 1 sits with the passion of ANGER, and it usually shows up internally, not as outward rage.
Here, the puppet master is telling you that things could be improved, that there’s a better way, that something is just a little off, and this can really get under our skin - and we can get really rigid.
When anger rises, the shoulders tense, the jaw tightens, the lips clamp shut, and a wave of irritation or frustration moves through the system.
When it comes to noticing this passion of anger, notice that tightness and rigidity. Notice the inner pressure.
The VIRTUE of Type 1 is SERENITY.
Serenity here means accepting what is and being ok with imperfection; it's saying "good enough" - and letting it go.

Type 2’s passion is PRIDE. This passion is the habit of sensing everyone else’s needs long before noticing our own, and also assuming we’re the only ones who can step in and make everything better.
There can be a quiet belief that "MY care is the kind of care people need, and I’ll be appreciated and loved in return for giving that care".
What also happens here is that the puppet master makes sure that our own needs drift wayyyyy to the back of the line, where we rarely see them.
Something to notice with this passion of pride: When you feel yourself leaning in toward someone’s needs, pause and see if there is something you’re hoping or expecting they’ll give you in return.
The VIRTUE of Type 2 is HUMILITY.
Humility is giving without expecting anything in return.

Type 3 carries the passion of VANITY or SELF-DECEIT. There’s some debate in the Enneagram world about which is “correct”; both point to the same inner movement: a sort of grooming of yourself so you will be seen as successful and valued for what you do - not who you are.
Emotions get edited out so the productive version of ourselves can stay in charge.
Something to notice and pay attention to with vanity are the moments when you shift how you present yourself to match what you think will land well, instead of what you truly want.
The VIRTUE of type 3 is VERACITY.
This virtue is all about emotional honesty with the self and with others.

SIDE NOTE about Type 3: The United States is a very Type 3 country, meaning that the culture leads with this passion of vanity. Vanity here can be seen as “the norm” because it really permeates everything in our culture; it’s almost applauded or praised if you are successful and you may be admired for what you do, not who you truly are!
So, for my Type 3s who are doing the work of the Enneagram, it is doubly hard if you live in a country like the US that leads with Type 3 energy because you are going against what is considered acceptable for an entire culture. I commend you for doing this hard work.

Type 4 lives with the passion of ENVY. This isn’t about wanting someone else’s car or vacation. It’s the ache that something essential is missing inside of us, and that other people seem to have it.
It’s a longing for a sense of wholeness or significance that always feels just out of reach.
The passion of envy pulls our attention to what isn’t here, what could be more meaningful, or what exists in someone else. When it takes over, the present moment starts to feel insufficient.
If this sounds familiar, notice the moments when your attention steps out of the present and starts looking toward what could be or should be, or when you compare your experience to someone else’s and feel that sense of missingness.
The VIRTUE of Type 4 is EQUANIMITY.
Equanimity here means having emotional balance, awareness, and gratitude for what is already here and now - not what is "missing".

Type 5’s passion is AVARICE. Not greed for possessions, but for inner resources, or a "hoarding" of information and opinions as well.
Type 5s seem to wake up with a sense that energy is finite. Social interactions, demands, and emotional exposure all feel draining for us.
The passion of avarice encourages us to conserve, pull back, and retreat. Sharing feels risky. Even offering a simple opinion can feel too revealing.
Working with this passion might begin with noticing moments when you pull your energy inward automatically. Pay attention to moments when you hold back information, involvement, or connection.
The VIRTUE for Type 5 is NON-ATTACHMENT.
This means we become more comfortable with detaching from the need to withhold energy, information, and opinions.

Type 6 sits with the passion of FEAR, and this doesn’t just mean being scared - every type can be fearful of something!
Fear for Type 6 is that steady hum of scanning for what could go wrong.
It’s constant mental preparation, anticipating, and wanting to be ready.
This passion can show up as questioning ourselves, questioning others, or questioning the plan. Not because we want to derail anything, but because we truly want to make sure things are solid.
Working with fear can begin with sensing when your mind is building out possible disasters before anything has actually happened.
The VIRTUE for Type 6 is COURAGE.
Courage is trust in the self to move forward even if you don’t have all the answers - to move forward despite that fear.


Type 7’s experience the passion of GLUTTONY. Gluttony here is not about food; it’s about wanting more experiences, more ideas, more possibilities, more plans.
The puppet master pushes Type 7 toward the next interesting thing, the next fun thing, the next adventure that promises aliveness.
As a result, it can be hard to stay present with anything that feels limiting, boring, or emotionally heavy.
Working with this passion often starts with simply noticing the impulse to hop to the next thing before the current moment is finished.
The VIRTUE for type 7 is SOBRIETY.
Sobriety here means we embrace the pain as well as the joy in any situation.

A word on typing

If you are unsure of your type, I invite you to sit with each passion for a few days. What feels a little too familiar - or a little uncomfortable?

This may be a clue as to which type you lead with, because growth and awareness come from being a little uncomfortable. Go with that, and be curious.

Which passions spoke to you?

Speaking of curiosity, I'm curious:

Which passion resonated with you the most? And why?
Moving forward, notice when you are in conflict or feeling uneasy.
Which passion do you think is at play in these moments?
Can you catch yourself before the puppet master makes his next move, and choose something more intentionally…?
Understanding these emotional patterns can help you catch the moment where the autopilot takes over your heart.
And then you have a choice: to take the controls back into your own hands, or maybe not. Either way is a CONSCIOUS CHOICE, not one made by a puppet master in your subconscious being.

And when we make conscious choices, we become more empowered in how we move through life.

Here's to being more empowered - and to bringing that puppet master out of the shadows!