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The wings – the neighboring sectors

NINE is in the center of the gut zone. The gut is NINE’s primary influence – and the source of NINE’s usual strategy, ‘keep it simple.’ Head and heart are kept equally ‘in reserve.’

When NINE is looking for an alternative strategy, the most natural thing is for the gut to remain the dominant influence while one of the other resources – usually kept in reserve – comes into play as a temporary secondary influence.

When the head comes into play as the secondary influence, it gives gut type NINE the combination of influences – ‘gut plus head’ – that we usually refer to as EIGHT. And the result is the use of strategy EIGHT, ‘test people out.’ All the usual consequences of strategy EIGHT follow: the temptations, and the gifts, and the characteristic traits, of sector EIGHT.

And when the heart comes into play as the secondary influence, it gives gut type NINE the combination of influences – ‘gut plus heart’ – that we usually refer to as ONE – and the result is the use of strategy ONE, ‘be on your best behavior.’ All the usual consequences of strategy ONE follow: the temptations, and the gifts, and the characteristic traits, of sector ONE.

These two neighboring sectors – EIGHT and ONE – are called the ‘wings’ of NINE. NINE is still NINE, in sector NINE – but there is easy and natural access to the strategies and temptations and gifts and traits of the two wings.

The same logic applies in the center of the head zone, where SIX has the head-zone wings FIVE and SEVEN; and again in the center of the heart zone, where THREE has the heart-zone wings TWO and FOUR.

In each case, there is just a minor change in the balance of influences from head and heart and gut: the primary influence – usually working alone – is complemented by one of the reserve resources.

A similar logic applies where a person’s usual strategy derives not from a single influence but from a combination of two influences.

For ONE, the gut is the primary influence, but the heart is a clear secondary influence.

Looking for an alternative strategy, gut type ONE may drop the secondary heart influence and rely for a while on the gut influence alone: strategy NINE would then emerge, along with its usual consequences in terms of temptations and gifts and other characteristic traits.

Alternatively, ONE might allow the primary gut influence and the secondary heart influence to swap places for a while: strategy TWO would then emerge, along with all of its usual consequences in terms of temptations and gifts and other characteristic traits.

This logic applies in every case where there is a primary influence and a secondary influence: the two alternative strategies ‘closest to home’ are those on either side of home base. And so for all nine types the immediately neighboring sectors – the ‘wings’ – are the most easily accessible ‘alternative strategies,’ whenever the occasion arises to try an alternative approach.

One way of describing the ‘wings’ effect is to say that the types ‘overlap’ – but for all this overlapping, the nine types do remain distinct. ONE and TWO, for example, may have much in common, but they do not collapse into a single type.

It is in the very nature of ONE to have aspects not only of TWO but also of NINE – and it is in the very nature of TWO to have aspects not only of ONE but also of THREE. ONE itself will have very little of THREE; and TWO will have very little of NINE.

This is how the wings might look for each of the nine types in turn.

	EIGHTs, who challenge the world around them, may do so with tireless energy – an aspect of SEVEN in EIGHT – confronting the world’s unnecessary and unjust complexity – an aspect of NINE in EIGHT. But EIGHTs love to be bad: there is nothing here of the two types immediately beyond the wings, which are rule-bound SIX and conscience-driven ONE.

	NINEs, engaging directly with the world, may choose to keep it simple by confronting whatever they meet – the EIGHT wing of NINE. Or they may keep it simple by being on their best behavior and keeping a low profile – the ONE wing of NINE. Whatever their approach, NINEs do meet the world directly as it is, without the complexity of the head work of SEVEN, or the emotional heart work of TWO – the next sectors along beyond the two wings.

	Being on one’s best behavior – for ONE – is a strategy applicable to virtually all situations: it keeps it simple, an aspect of NINE in ONE. The compassionate instinct of TWO is also likely to be a natural part of ONE’s ‘best behavior’ strategy – although for ONEs, the inner standards and conscience provide the main energy and drive, whereas for TWOs it is the perceived external needs that dominate. ONEs ‘on their best behavior’ will not naturally make a priority of motivating or impressing the gathered crowd like THREEs – and they find it very difficult to do the EIGHT thing: to stop being polite and confront instead. ONE can naturally have the wings NINE and TWO, but not easily the next sectors along, which are EIGHT and THREE.

	Compassionate, giving, and caring TWOs will often choose being conventionally good as the best strategy – the ONE wing in TWO – particularly in anything other than a one-to-one situation, the context in which TWOs feel most at home. But TWOs can extend their compassion from individuals to a group, and they would love a group’s recognition or respect – and this is the THREE wing in TWO. Comparing the sectors beyond the wings, TWOs are fairly directly engaged with their situation – unlike the more detached FOURs – and they log and manage and ponder every detail of their one-to-one relationships when they are alone – quite unlike ‘easy come, easy go’ NINEs, who just engage on the day.

	THREEs’ skills and expertise in group dynamics can also emerge as compassion and emotion one-to-one – the TWO wing in THREE – and can create the ability to communicate profoundly – the FOUR wing in THREE. THREE takes its cues from the group around – quite unlike the internal standards of ONE – and THREE responds to those cues directly: there is no FIVEish hesitation to think it all through first.

	FOURs share with FIVEs their sense of detachment from the world, and with THREEs the ability to create something which is valued by many – but they cannot naturally manage a vast range of unconnected one-to-one relationships like TWOs, and as the world itself seems so distant for FOURs, its detailed boundaries and rules seem utterly irrelevant – there is nothing here of SIX.

	FIVEs, thinking it all through before they act, are certainly natural neighbors of SIX, who stick with what they know – and they can share not only the detachment of FOURs, but also aspects of FOURs’ creativity – usually in ideas but also in images and dreams. Looking immediately beyond the two wings, detached and withdrawn FIVE is far from being the natural group leader at THREE, or the constantly active SEVEN.

	SIXes will often feel blessed and contented within the boundaries of the world that they know – an aspect of SEVEN in SIX. And sticking with what they know, SIXes will often want to think things through in some detail – before acting or moving a boundary – an aspect of FIVE in SIX. Beyond the wings, neither the detached individualism of FOUR, nor the aggressive rule-breaking of EIGHT, fits the pattern of SIX at all.

	Finally SEVENs, resolving to stay positive, are choosing to stay with what they know – an aspect of SIX in SEVEN – and they may take on aggressively – the EIGHT wing – every challenge to the goodness of the world. SEVEN’s continuous positive planning for action is distinct from the extremes which lie beyond the wings – FIVE, which contemplates more than it acts, and NINE, which engages naturally in the immediate present without such a complex future plan.

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