Warden

## Life Task

Realization of truth and justice in each moment's flow of reality. Accepting one's personal weakness offers the possibility of integration.

*"I must be strong."* - Warden Principle

## **Description**

Like all enneaclasses, the name "Warden" is not referring to any classes from media that utilize the same name. Rather, it was the name selected to better convey specific information about other gamers and to gamify the powerful notions found in the **Enneagram.**Every person has access to all the classes but primarily settles on one which frames the personality. Accessing other classes' potentials and maximizing the capacity of the primary class takes a large degree of work and effort, and this work could be viewed as lessons an entity must overcome to become unified.

Wardens are essentially unwilling to be controlled, either by others or by their circumstances; they fully intend to be masters of their fate, to “take charge,” to do whatever needs to be done.

Wardens are competitive, strong willed, decisive, expansive, practical, and tough minded. Wardens typically have an enormous amount of energy and frequently have powerful physical appetites.

There is an unapologetically expansive quality to the physical presence of the Warden class. Generally, they don’t have to announce their presence for others to know they are there.

The central problem for Wardens is that the need to avoid being controlled can manifest in the need to control, the need to be “in charge,” the compulsion to dominate.

Wardens often experience life as a struggle for existence in which only the fittest survive. Life thus dictates competition from the point of view of the Warden, and Wardens naturally intend to be the ones who survive.

They typically adopt a survival strategy that involves either a rise to the top of the existing hierarchy, or an “opting out” altogether of the current system and its structures of power. Wardens of the former sort are typically found in positions of leadership, whether it be of their own family, company or political party.

Wardens of the latter sort tend to be independent contractors, free-lancers of all sorts, and even outlaws – those who, in other words, exist outside of the accepted framework of civil society and its often artificial system of rules and obligations.

Wardens of both basic tendencies need to feel financially independent, and while most Wardens do manage to find some means of making peace with their society, they always retain an uneasy association with any hierarchical relationship which does not position the Warden at the top.

While some Wardens adopt something of the “lone wolf” persona, most Wardens have quite a number of social connections, whether to family members, friends or business connections. Wardens are very much present in the world and are frequently extroverts.

True intimacy however does not come easily or naturally to Wardens. Soft and tender emotions tend to make Wardens feel “weak,” and, more to the point, intimacy requires Wardens to lower their defenses and thereby become vulnerable.

Vulnerability, in turn, triggers the Warden’s fear of being controlled. Thus, intimate relations are often the arena in which the Warden’s control issues are most obviously played out. Questions of trust assume a pivotal position. Wardens tend to test their intimates to see if they are worthy, to see if they can be trusted not to betray the Warden’s confidence.

While Wardens do not trust easily, if they do admit someone into the inner sanctum, they generally prove to be stalwart friends and steadfast allies. Not all Wardens do form truly intimate relationships however, as some Wardens are simply unwilling or unable to compromise their sense of self-sufficiency.

## **Class Identification Questions**

Every entity falls primarily within one of the enneaclasses, originally. While it can be difficult to elucidate which correlates with any individual, these nine questions (for each class) were designed to analyze certain aspects of the personality so that one can come to an understanding of their class.

1. Do you have clear and firm ideas about what is right and wrong in situations that are important to you?
2. Do you generally find that you need to be alert for people with hidden agendas?
3. Do you find that the most irritating and difficult people to deal with are those who beat around the bush and never directly say what is on their minds?
4. Would you agree that indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity and therefore a valid argument against getting caught in group decision making?
5. Are you at ease in leadership positions and find them falling naturally into your lap?
6. Do you find that others often simply expect or assume that you will take charge?
7. Do you think of yourself as a practical person who understands what it takes to get the job done?
8. Are you the kind of person who is unafraid to take a stand against injustice, especially injustice toward people who are unable to defend themselves?
9. Do you generally express your views just as intensely as you feel them and even feel exhilarated in a discussion in which everyone disagrees?

## **Preoccupations**

Preoccupation relates to the matter of being preoccupied or engrossed with something, so what you might find here are areas of examination with which this class might find themselves involved.

* Control of personal possessions and space and control of people who are likely to influence the Warden's life.
* Aggression and the open expression of anger.
* Concern with justice and the protection of others.
* Fighting and sex as a way of making contact. Trusting people who can hold their own in a fight.
* Excess as an antidote to boredom. Late hours, heavy entertainment, bingeing. Too much, too loud, too many.
* Difficulty in recognizing the dependent aspects of the self. When affected by others, can deny real feelings by withdrawal, by claiming boredom, or by internally blaming the self for past misdeeds.
* Control of personal objects, space and people likely to influence the Warden's life.
* Tendency to see things in extremes, people either strong or weak, fair or unfair, with no middle ground; an automatic denial of other points of view in favor of single "legitimate" opinion that supports the Warden’s security.

## **Special Abilities**

Each enneaclass has several unique traits which may be cultivated in such a ways as to give advantages when dealing with situations that are characteristic of that class. Those of the Warden can be roughly summarized to:

* being independent and self-reliant
* being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
* being courageous, straightforward, and honest
* getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
* supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
* upholding just causes

## **Weaknesses**

Each enneaclass also has several areas of weakness where they generally do not thrive unless work has been done towards alleviating these shortcomings. While the following examples are general statements, it is expected that most Wardens dealt with or are dealing with issues of this nature:

* overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
* being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
* sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
* never forgetting injuries or injustices
* putting too much pressure on myself
* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

## **Class** **Synergy**

Some enneaclasses naturally work better together than others, which leads to many moments of understanding and misunderstanding. Many potential adverse situations can be overcome by understanding those around oneself and learning how to best optimize those others, which quite frequently results in some synergistic outcomes.

* Controls the office hierarchy. Sets limits to ensure self-protection. Who's in charge? Is the leadership fair?
* Demands to be fully informed. Changes in details can stimulate concern about being manipulated.
* Will assume leadership. The focus of attention goes to others who are strong contenders for control of the project, the firm, the loyalty of followers. Respects honest leadership. Likes a worthy opponent.
* Unwittingly polarizes people into factions. Wants to know where everyone stands. Will provoke to get clear answers.
* Anger is direct. No hidden agenda. Holds no grudges if anger is expressed.
* "My way or the highway." Sees own opinion as the correct approach. May see compromise as weakness.
* Enforces rules that support personal advantage. Bends the rules that don't.

## **Charm Guide**

Relationships among gamers of various enneaclasses are often tenuous due to a lack of understanding. This may not be of consequence in regards to relationships that are superficial or purely of a business nature, but these relationships only compose a small subset. It can be beneficial to learn what makes each class comfortable and respected in order to forge more meaningful and deeper connections. For the Warden class, some of the techniques towards achieving this end are as follows:

* Stand up for yourself... and me.
* Be confident, strong, and direct.
* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
* Give me space to be alone.
* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

## **Class Specialization**

Human evolution requires three basic survival behaviors, referred to in the Enneagram as the instinctual specializations: the self-preservation specialization, the social or group specialization, and the one-to-one or intimate specialization. Because these are survival behaviors, each Enneaclass includes all three subtypes. Although you manifest all three to some degree, you usually express one of these three subtypes more than the other two. Both environmental circumstances and your Enneaclasses's structure influence their expression, especially the core emotion associated with your adaptive strategy and what you put your energy into.

**Self-Preservation Instinctual Specialization**. Your attention and energy go to issues related to personal survival, such as safety, security, comfort, protection, and adequate basic resources of food, shelter, and warmth.

***Social Instinctual Specialization.***Your attention and energy go to issues related to your community and group membership, such as role, status, social acceptance, belonging, participation, and fellowship.

***One-to-One Instinctual Specialization.*** Your attention and energy go to issues related to connection in vital relationships, such as bonding with special others, sexual intimacy, attractiveness, closeness, union, and merging.

 Punisher | Social | A sense of powerlessness or injustice is overcome by being part of an aligned group, usually in a leadership role. This spec.'s anger and aggression are mediated by the group’s needs, and harnessed for a common agenda. Loyalty to friends and social causes take precedence over personal feelings and needs.