Mapping the Narcissistic Ego

The 27 Subtypes That Expose How Narcissism Manifests Across Instinct and Personality Type-9 Page PDF infographic download

When most people think of narcissism, they picture a self-absorbed, arrogant, maybe even explosive personality. But that’s only one iteration of the narcissistic ego.

Narcissists aren’t always confident. Many times, especially the more self-conscious or “vulnerable” narcissists, they are self-doubting or helpless, and some are morally superior and ethically rigid. In all cases, narcissism stems from a fixated ego structure that believes that one's worth is tied to one's output, physical appearance, and perceived value over others.

Thus, the Enneagram personality system becomes a powerful lens for identifying and understanding the nine primary ego defenses and the narcissistic ego structures and how they present across various personality types.

Those familiar with Enneagram theory know that the nine Enneagram types have three distinct instinctual variations: Self-Preservation, Social, and Sexual (one-to-one). These instincts aren’t just preferences but primal arenas in which the ego becomes most fixated. And that’s where narcissism gets its fuel. That’s why there are 27 narcissistic subtypes—three variations for each of the nine core types, depending on which instinct is dominant. If you’re unfamiliar with the three instinctual domains, you can read more about them in the article here.

This downloadable handout gives you a snapshot of all 27 narcissistic patterns. It doesn’t require any deep knowledge of the Enneagram to use; however, it does require a willingness to look honestly at how ego shows up in yourself, your relationships, and the spaces you move through. We all have a little bit of the narcissistic subtypes within us, depending on our primary Enneagram type and instinctual type. While you may not be an “encapsulated” or fixated narcissist in the clinical or subclinical sense of the word, you may find that when you’re defended, you may take on a distinct flavor that matches your type’s narcissistic variation.

Photo by Михаил Секацкий on Unsplash

Whether you’re a coach, therapist, manager, or someone committed to your growth, this is a practical tool for tracking how narcissism manifests across a wide variety of personality types, without resorting to shallow labels or pop psychology.

If you want to dive deeper, I unpack all 27 types in my first book, The Narcissist in You and Everyone Else, where I explore how narcissism arises from unprocessed wounding and disrupted empathy. In my upcoming book, Center of the Universe (out July 10), I go further into how these ego strategies collide with our spiritual development and what happens when the soul starts to unhook from them.

This handout is part of that larger conversation. It’s one way to name what ego is doing, so we can stop mistaking it for who we are.

📥 Paid subscribers can download the complete handout below. Use it for reflection, with clients, or to track your own blind spots.

If one of these subtypes makes you uncomfortable, good. That’s usually where the work begins.