To learn more about this series, as well as how the survey was conducted, please read this post.

Type Two

Commonly known as The Helper, The Caretaker, The Enabler

The Need to be Needed

Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved

Basic Desire: To feel loved

Key Motivations: Want to be loved, to express their feelings for others, to be needed and appreciated, to get others to respond to them, to vindicate their claims about themselves.

Twos are motivated by the need to be loved and valued. Females are often socialized to be Twos. Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs.

At their best: loving, caring, adaptable, insightful, generous, enthusiastic, tuned in to how people feel

At their worst: martyrlike, indirect, manipulative, possessive, hysterical, overly accommodating, overly demonstrative (more extroverted Twos)

Read this profile for a complete description of Type Two.

Type Two Bloggers*

Fiona Lynne, Accidental Devotional, Tanya Marlow, A Holy Fool, Jacob I Have Loved, A Simple Haven, Sarah Anne Hayes

*these are bloggers who identify as type two; it does not indicate they have participated in the Enneagram and Blogging survey

Typical Topics

• Hospitality

• Faith/religion

• Relationships (parenting, marriage, dating, friendship, etc)

• Feminism

• DIYs

• Illness and suffering

• How to live brave and courageously

• Life

Why did you start blogging?

While reasons for starting a blog ranged from building a platform to sharing stories with family, many Type Twos reported starting their blog because they:

• thought others might find their thoughts interesting or beneficial

• wanted to encourage others

• enjoy the community aspect of blogging- connecting and interacting with other bloggers or their own readers

For Twos, it all comes down to relationship. They love relating to others, whether in person or across the blogosphere. Blogging can be a great tool for forging community.

Do you have any goals related to blogging?

Besides building a platform or working toward publication, Twos want their blogs to be places that encourage honest discussion, sharing, and mutual learning. They also want their posts to be helpful and meaningful to their readers.  It's worth noting while many bloggers want a larger platform, many Twos want this not so much to build toward publication but to expand their circle of influence. After all, Twos need to be needed and the limitations of an Internet readership doesn't change this.

What do you like about blogging?

• Sharing their experience with others and getting positive feedback

• Friendships that have emerged

• Encouraging others

• Creative outlet

• Feeling they're part of a bigger picture

• Being able to help people think about God/their situation in a different or refreshing way

• Offers the possibility of dialogue

• Learning their words have positively impacted someone else

• Capturing an emotion that allows other people to experience it

• Affirmation received through comments, pageviews, and social media shares

What do you not like about blogging?

Twos reported it was easy to feel they weren't enough or they weren't doing enough: reaching enough people, doing all the best blogging practices, and so on. One Type Two, in particular, discussed the secrecy around Big Bloggers, noting she wasn't sure how her blog measured up or what she could do to improve her statistics. Other Twos expressed feeling pressured to consistently come up with strong content and criticized their limitations (i.e. lack of specialized degree or background).

Twos dislike the constant Internet arguments and controversies, feeling there is too much disagreement, competition, gossip, and back biting. They also don't like feeling left out. Twos referenced the existence of blogging cliques.

Because Twos are so relationship-focused, they struggle with the current emphasis on platform-building. They feel it's some sort of game they have no chance of winning, especially compared to the old way of gaining readers, which really suited Twos: reading other blogs, leaving thoughtful comments, and so on. As a result, Twos feel guilty when they don't have time to keep up with their blog reading habits. For them, reading blogs is a way of maintaining relationships.

Twos have a complicated relationship with social media. On the one hand, it connects them to people. On the other hand, it can seem too self-promotional and noisy. It's also easy to compare themselves to other bloggers and feel they aren't doing enough.

Lastly, Twos can spend a lot of time thinking about how their posts will be received, especially by their friends and family. They want their writing to reach others (that's why they do it!) but sometimes they hold back on what they want to write about for fear of shocking or offending their loved ones or losing opportunities as a result.

What are your strengths as a blogger?

Twos cited their vulnerability and honesty, as well as relationship-building as their greatest strengths. They thoughtfully engage with their comments and try to build their on-line communities. They enjoy connecting people to other bloggers through sharing links and guest posting.

Twos write about emotions and experiences in a relatable way. Readers will often respond, "me, too!" Even if the reader doesn't relate, they will walk away feeling enlightened because of the Two's honesty and empathy in dealing with the topic at hand.

What are your greatest struggles/temptations as a blogger?

Twos reported their greatest struggle is to overdo it- because in blogging there is always something to do. Another post to write, another comment to respond to, another blog to read. Plus, the ever-changing world of social media. They report being tempted to react to "All the Things, All the Time." However, they recognize this is not a healthy space for them and do their best to focus and prioritize.

A few Type Twos worried their writing would be perceived as depressing or self-indulgent or that they're the only ones who feel a certain way. They don't want to waste people's time. Twos report they are able to discuss past difficulties with little problem but are usually not able to share their present needs. Twos like being there for others; it's what they're all about. They wrestle with letting other people be there for them. Expressing negative emotions can feel quite foreign to them because they are more used to listening to others, instead of dealing with their own struggles.

Twos need to find the balance between being vulnerable and oversharing. They question what is appropriate to write about when, if at all. Adding to this, they report being tempted to write about certain topics because everyone else is or to chase pageviews. Twos have opinions and convictions but they don't like writing for shock value and don't want to add to the noise. It might take them a while to decide to share a particular story while they work through these things.

Twos often struggle with tying their worth to their blog. Every comment and pageview (or lack thereof) affects them in this way. "I am not worth more with a blog audience of a thousand and I am not worth less with a blog audience of ten."

Resources: The Enneagram Institute, The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective (Rohr), Enneagram Made Easy (Baron and Wagele), The Wisdom of the Enneagram (Riso and Hudson)