Hornevian groups: Enneagram glossary definition
Short answer
The Hornevian groups sort the nine Enneagram types by how they go after what they want: assertive types (3, 7, 8) move against or toward goals directly, compliant types (1, 2, 6) try to earn it by meeting expectations, and withdrawn types (4, 5, 9) pull back into themselves. The name honors psychoanalyst Karen Horney. The grouping is Enneagram tradition.
Three social styles
Centers describe where a type's attention lives. The Hornevian groups describe something more visible: the social stance a type takes when it wants something. Do you push, do you try to earn it by being good and useful, or do you step back and wait? Each group contains one type from each center, so the Hornevian lens cuts across the gut, heart and head triads rather than repeating them.
| Group | Types | Horney's movement | Stance in brief |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assertive | 3, 7, 8 | Against people | Expects to get needs met by acting on the world |
| Compliant (dutiful) | 1, 2, 6 | Toward people | Earns needs by meeting standards, duties or others' expectations |
| Withdrawn | 4, 5, 9 | Away from people | Retreats into an inner space to meet needs |
Where the term comes from
Some teachers use different words for the compliant group, such as dutiful or superego, because "compliant" can sound like obedience. Ones, Twos and Sixes are not necessarily agreeable; the point is that they orient to an internalized standard or a sense of what is required.
How it is used
Hornevian groups are handy for telling apart types that look alike. Three and Seven are both energetic and upbeat, but both are assertive, so that does not separate them. Four and Two are both feeling-focused, yet one is withdrawn and the other compliant, which says a lot. Teams sometimes use the groups to understand why one member charges ahead, another waits to be asked and a third disappears to think.
An example
A family wants a bigger house. The assertive member starts scheduling viewings that afternoon. The compliant member draws up a careful budget and checks what the bank, the grandparents and the school district would think. The withdrawn member imagines the perfect home in quiet detail and hopes the right listing will turn up eventually.
Research
Related terms: harmonic groups, object relations groups and center of intelligence.
Frequently asked questions
Is "Hornevian" a word Karen Horney used?
No. Enneagram teachers coined it to credit her three movements. Horney herself did not write about the Enneagram.
Are compliant types people-pleasers?
Not necessarily. The compliant or dutiful group is defined by orientation to standards and expectations. A One can be very critical and still be in this group.
Which Hornevian group is best for leadership?
None. Each stance has strengths. Assertive types may move fast, compliant types may keep commitments, and withdrawn types may think things through. Good leaders come from all three.
Sources
- Horney, K. (1945). Our inner conflicts: A constructive theory of neurosis. W. W. Norton.
- Hook, J. N., Hall, T. W., Davis, D. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., & Conner, M. (2021). The Enneagram: A systematic review of the literature and directions for future research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(4), 865-883. doi:10.1002/jclp.23097