Bought a book on the Enneagram after being kind of impressed by the typing system to help me develop some characters. Then, of course, it occurred to me to apply it to my unhealthy obsession, House. Specifically, House and Wilson (for this post, at least).

I'm quoting information from both this website and the book Discovering Your Personality Type. I'm also trying not to quote the entire damn book, just parts that are particularly interesting/relevant. And there's the ever-wonderful House Transcripts for quotes from the show. I will admit this is probably mostly quotes with just a few of my rambling thoughts thrown in.

House
General
House seems to be Type 5, The Investigator (which is fairly disturbing, since that's mine as well). "Generally, Fives are focused, observant, curious, insightful, expert, perceptive, unsentimental, exploratory, and independent," and "Fives get into conflicts by being detached, preoccupied, isolated, unconventional, uncompromising, extreme, and provocative." Furthermore, Fives "do not want to feel uninformed, have their competency questioned, to accept easy answers, to be forced to respond before they feel ready, to suffer the ignorance of others, or to ask for help." I think it's easy to agree that all sounds very much like House.

As a five, House's most basic fear is "being useless, helpless, or incapable." House repeatedly shows that he doesn't value his own life very much, but on the other hand, he sees the work he does as being important. ("He [Hamilton] thinks you do your job, and what will be, will be. I think that what I do and what you do matters. He sleeps better at night. He shouldn’t." 109 - DNR) He takes this to an extreme, in that his worth is measured solely by his work, as he repeatedly is willing to sacrifice anything else in order to solve a case. Although House never seems worried about losing his job, it's safe to say that wouldn't be a pretty sight if he did. House has, however, suffered the feeling of helplessness and being incapable (more on this later).

Specifics
House is a low-Average to Unhealthy functioning Five; Level 6 sounds most like him: "Begin to take an antagonistic stance toward anything which would interfere with their inner world and personal vision. Become provocative and abrasive, with intentionally extreme and radical views. Cynical and argumentative."

He most resembles a Sexual Five, which causes conflict as "the Five defense is to withdraw, while the sexual instinct demands intimacy and connection." And, interestingly, "if Sexual Fives are disappointed in love, they may retreat and remain unattached for long periods of time, even years." When S4 starts, it will have been seven years since Stacy left him, and House still hasn't made any attempts at initiating a serious relationship. That House's disappointment came from Stacy second-guessing him (making him feel incapable) and leaving him crippled (feeling helpless) doesn't help matters.

"The difference between the 4 wing and the 6 wing in Fives is like the difference between Art and Science," and House more likely has a 6 wing, who "develop a suspicious scrutiny of other people's motives...Misanthropic and Scrooge-like when defensive. More able to keep their feelings cut off in a constant way. Can be cold, skeptical, ironic, and disassociated." Fives with a 6 wing tend towards an antiauthoritarian attitude, and sometimes described as having clumsy social skills. Although House has no interest in following social norms, it probably stemmed from his original inability to follow them: "You know, it's a real thin line between tortured genius and awkward kid who can't get girls because he's creepy." (323 - The Jerk)

Relationships
Fives are the most capable of doing without relationships, but this does not mean they don't want any. In reality, "Fives fear needing the affection and warmth of others, and feel asking for anything imposes on their own freedom and independence."

In regards to House and Stacy, again: "If troubled Fives feel that their area of mastery or their independence is at risk, they may retreat from a relationship - even if they truly love the person they are leaving." Stacy, although meaning well, hit him in both categories.

Fives are described as loyal and passionate as both friends and and lovers when "they find someone who understands their world view, appreciates their interests, and whom they respect. They can be funny, affectionate, and highly sexual, but they do not come to relationships easily."

In relationships, the problems Fives typically face include "being overwhelmed by others' emotional needs," "not expressing their feelings or giving few verbal or nonverbal cues," and "cutting off contact with people, withdrawing into deep isolation, feeling that they are 'poisonous' or bad for people."

Telling Moment
"You have dismissed anything physical, anything not coldly, calculatingly intellectual." (Wilson, 224 - No Reason)



Wilson
General
Wilson could be Type 9, The Peacemaker. "Generally, Nines are patient, steady, receptive, agreeable, comforting, sensual, and idealizing," and "Nines get into conflicts by being complacent, unaware of their own anger, ineffectual, passive-aggressive, resigned, and stubborn." Furthermore, Nines "do not want to have conflicts with loved ones, to feel cut off or separated from others, to be angry, upset, or disturbed, to have habits or routines interrupted, to be emotionally uncomfortable, or to be forced to face unpleasant realities." Sounds vaguely like Wilson.

As a Nine, Wilson's most basic fear is of "loss and separation." Wilson has already gone through this when his brother went missing, and is constantly teetering on the edge of losing House throughout the course of the series. Besides his job, Wilson says, in 118 - Babies and Bathwater, that his (screwed up) relationship with House is all he has going for him. Wilson goes through increasingly extreme lengths to make sure he doesn't lose House to a broken heart, drugs, or jail.

Specifics
Wilson is an average-functioning Nine; Level 4 sounds most like him: "Fear conflicts, so become self-effacing and accommodating, idealizing others and 'going along' with their wishes, saying 'yes' to things they do not really want to do. Fall into conventional roles and expectations. Use philosophies and stock sayings to deflect others."

Wilson is definitely a Sexual Nine, which provides another source of internal conflict: "Sexual Nines seek a sense of well-being by finding something or someone to merge with...that being said, Sexual Nines have many anxieties about losing themselves by submerging their identity in the other." Specifically, in regards to his marriages/relationships with women and his relationship with House: "They sometimes attempt to 'solve' this inner conflict between their desire for merging and their desire for independence by 'triangulation.' They engage in two separate, simultaneous relationships that serve different needs while never completely showing up in either."

Wilson is also definitely a Nine with a 1 wing. Nines with a 1 wing "often have a sense of mission, public or private, that involves working hard for the welfare of everyone they are committed to. Principled expression of love," and are well-liked. They "tend to be self-neglectful" and "operate from a dubious, fractured morality...Dutiful to what they shouldn't be...settle for being overlooked or just partly recognized. Passive tolerance of absurd or damaging situations." They tend to fall into one-sided relationships where they give too much, and were likely "model children" that worked to please their parents.

Relationships
"People are often drawn to Nines as potential life partners for many reasons. They are comforting and supportive, warm and sensual. They adapt well to domestic life and enjoy being with their partner. And they seem to be utterly without any needs of their own." But, when a Nine's needs are not met, they are prone to withdrawing in order to avoid conflicts.

A Nine's relationship problems tend to include "agreeing to things the Nine has no intention of complying with," "the 'No Talk Rule' - refusing to discuss the real problem," and "suppression, control, and outbursts of temper - all of which are generally unrecognized and unacknowledged by the Nine."

Telling Moment
"Who cares if he's what he says he is? Who the hell is? If love's based on lies, does that mean it's not a real feeling? Doesn't it bring the same pleasure?" (Wilson, 206 - Spin)



Relationship
"This pair is characterized by a sense of quiet, non-intrusiveness, spaciousness," which is apparent throughout the series. More than once, House and Wilson have been seen in each other's company, but not needing to actually talk. They do tend to give each a lot of space - when House isn't running off women, and Wilson isn't manipulating House, that is. While they both appreciate this, this space can be the cause of tension in the relationship, making it difficult for them "to take the initiative (to make a date, for instance) or to be decisive about calling on a regular basis, or even to know what their feelings are telling them about the other."

Nines "appreciate the Five's ability to be curious about them and to draw them out of the kind of 'inner fuzziness' that Nines can get into." Granted, House's curiosity manifests in more obnoxious ways - stalking Bonnie and spiking Wilson's coffee with speed, for example. In 219 - House vs God, House's obsessiveness - I mean, curiosity - succeeds in snapping Wilson out of his "inner fuzziness." Nines also tend to idealize, and may end up creating an image of the Five that the actual Five can not live up to.

Fives, on the other hand, "appreciate Nine's warmth - and when there is a real personal or sexual connection between them - their nurturing qualities." However, the Nine's inconsistent attentions towards the Five can cause the Five to "become cynical and pessimistic about the relationship, analyzing the Nine and intellectually dissecting the relationship both as a defense from being hurt and as a way to express anger over their disappointment."

"If they are more or less on an intellectual par with each other, they can be a powerful and stimulating couple: the pungent wit of the Five is softened by the droll understatement of the Nine." (Do I really need to elaborate on that?) Unsurprisingly, they draw most comfort from their intellectual compatibility, rather than emotional. "One or both of the couple may be relatively cut off from their feelings so that they do not actually know how much they care for the other, or even if they are in love." (Silence, fangirls.) If House didn't already know how much he valued his relationship Wilson, then it took ODing and Wilson walking away for him to realize it; he's quite detached from his feelings. There is no question that Wilson is aware how much he cares about House. For those who believe he is in love with House, it's possible he's unaware of it, as he keeps getting involved in unfulfilling relationships with people who aren't House.

"Work and solitary interests can take the Five's attention, and the pursuit of peace and more supportive relationships can draw the Nine away." House, obviously, can get too involved with his cases; recall 308 - Whac-A-Mole, when Wilson comes to borrow one of House's fellows, but House won't let any of them leave in the middle of the differential. Meanwhile, the lack of support from House encourages Wilson to seek other relationships; however, this leads back to the issue of triangulation. "Unless there is an intense reason to see each other frequently," which there is, "the relationship will wither away."