Warrior meets Takes Charge or, Julia Roberts meets Sean Penn

Today's letter is W, and we're looking at the Warrior personality, Julia Roberts, matched with the Takes Charge personality, Sean Penn.

The Warrior personality can as easily be male as female. In this pairing, I’ve chosen a female to represent the Warrior personality, and Julia Roberts seems to be of this type. Warriors are often skeptical of strangers but loyal friends. Like their related personality types—Responsibility and Guardian—fear is the lens through which they view the world, however, unlike their related types, instead of giving in to fear and anxiety, they deny their fears with bold actions. Read more about the Warrior [Strength or Beauty] personality. (Julia.)

They, with the related types mentioned above, are the True Believers, the Defenders of the Faith and of the weak. In movies and books, the Warrior personality is often a Superhero, or an ordinary person who takes extraordinary risks to fight for what he or she believes in. (Superman; David & Goliath). Books and movies featuring this personality type are also frequently along the lines of skeptics being confronted with strange relaties. (Contact; X-Files; Outer Limits). Of all personality types, Warriors are the biggest skeptics.

The Takes Charge personality, generally a masculine personality, in contrast, is often portrayed  in books and movies as Knights, Gods or Goddesses, Lawmen, Champions, Samurai, or gunslingers or pirates. Seeing life as a war between weak and strong, they’re the avengers of wrongs done to themselves, their loved ones or friends. They protect the weak, although they might secretly hope someone had their back. When the story involves romance, the Takes Charge personality needs to learn how to show his needs and weaknesses. Movie examples: (The King & I; Gone With the Wind). Charismatic, he has big appetites and a fiery temperament. Read more about the Takes Charge personality.

So what might a relationship between Julia Roberts and Sean Penn—both fiery types—(or if not them, persons of similar personality types) be like?

Both have a defensive outlook on life, and so they could bond together against the world, so to speak, since they believe other people are not trustworthy. Because they are by nature skeptical of others, they’re happy to find people they can trust after a time of testing. Once they know they can trust each other, they trust deeply. Both are loyal, honorable, responsible, hardworking, courageous, protective, and have a soft spot in their hearts for the underdog. High energy, they’re doers.    

Neither of them is particularly romantic. He values loyalty, and she’s unusually loyal, even in tough times. She values strength, and when up against it, he rises to the occasion.

More overtly emotional than him, she’d bring warmth, playfulness and sensitivity. Both are good at seeing problems and thinking things through. She might advise him, but he would be the leader, especially as he’s a bold, quick decision maker. He enjoys taking on challenges. He’d be her hero, and he’d be moved by her devotion and similar courage. Unlike many personality pairings, this one is not only likely to last, but to deepen over time.  

But if there were threatening issues between them, both would go on the counterattack. Even more of a leader than she is, he expects loyalty and even obedience from her. She wouldn’t mind it, except at times when she needs to show him that she won’t be taken advantage of. And he will ultimately respect her for it. It’s when she’s weak that he’ll lose respect for her.

Additional Information:

What is the Enneagram, and What are Enneagram Personality Types?  

What are Instinctual Subtypes?  

Traits of the 27 Individual Subtypes  

Sources from which I collected and synthesized information about the matches