Relationships between strategies

29 in a relationship

A kind and tender pair. Both can empathize with the other, and both easily lose themselves in them. The Two can wake the Nine to life; the Nine helps the Two find themselves.

Strategy 2

Caring Altruist

Desire
Love and close relationships
Fear
Rejection and feeling unneeded

Strategy 9

Calm Mediator

Desire
Inner peace and harmony
Fear
Conflict, separation, and loss of connection

How they're connected

They're not directly connected. Pairs like this are often drawn to each other precisely because of their differences.

What draws them together

The Two and the Nine can look alike. Both merge with others' needs and take on their emotions. But the motive differs: the Nine looks for life's meaning in a partner; the Two looks for their identity in others. Because both merge, they influence each other even without words.

The Two wants to help the Nine find a purpose, especially when the Nine has a talent the Two can be proud of. The Two is drawn to the Nine's gentleness and kindness. The Nine likes affection and lets the Two show it fully. The Two asks, "What do you want?" and the Nine answers, "I want you, just as you really are."

Where they click

  • A calm, kind, and tender relationship.
  • Both are empathetic and know how to listen.
  • The Nine helps the Two tell real feelings from adapted ones.

The rest is in the Couples Guide. How to get it

Where the friction is

  • Both suppress their own needs.
  • The Nine feels controlled when the Two becomes indispensable.
  • The Two gets bored when the Nine doesn't use their potential.

The rest is in the Couples Guide. How to get it

Working together

This pair works like jumper cables: the Two gets going because of other people's needs, and the Nine needs a jump-start. The Nine often has a goal of their own but has buried it under secondary duties. The Two knows how to turn goals into reality, so when their plans meet, the Nine takes off.

The rest is in the Couples Guide. How to get it

The two of you, specifically

This is only a general description of the Two and Nine pairing. The Couples Guide goes deeper: you both take the Quick Test, and the guide works with your subtypes. The self-preservation, social, and one-to-one versions of the same strategy behave completely differently in a relationship.

  • The full text on where you get stuck and how to get out
  • Advice for each of you separately
  • The two of you, specifically: your combination of subtypes
  • How to understand your partner
  • Tips for growing together

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All combinations

What are the two of you really like?

Here you're reading how Altruist and Mediator generally work together. The Couples Guide shows your relationship: what draws you to each other, where you get stuck, and what to do about it.

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