Taylor Swift's Eras as Enneagram Archetypes

Across her 10 studio albums, Taylor Swift has changed her sound, her image and, most importantly, the way she tells her stories. Each album explores a different part of her inner world. When you look at these eras through the Enneagram, they start to reveal more about her personal journey.

That is what we are doing here: looking at each era as if it were an Enneagram type, each one with its own hopes, defenses and feelings. Some matches come easily (1989 is a classic Type Three; Folklore almost writes itself as a Five). Others leave room for interpretation (Red, for example, carries both Four’s intensity and Six’s uncertainty). That is part of the fun. Like any good Taylor Swift lyric, these eras hold multitudes.

Whether you’re a long-time fan, a casual listener or just curious about how music and personality overlap, read on.You might see your favorite album or your own Enneagram type in a new way.

Debut, Taylor Swift – Type Nine 

Taylor Swift’s debut album casts the calm, steady warmth of a Type Nine. From the muted twang of “Tim McGraw” to the hesitant heartbreak of “Teardrops on My Guitar,” this era has a gentle longing with minimal confrontation. Instead of calling out problems or starting conflict, the lyrics quietly hope for things to get better

That shows up in songs like “Tied Together With a Smile,” where Swift sings about a girl who “wears high heels when she runs” and hides her sadness to keep others comfortable. Even in the rebellious moments, like the breezy boldness of “Our Song,” there’s no venom, just a wish to be heard in an unthreatening way. This is an era about trying to fit in and belong.

Why Nine?

Type Nines fear conflict and disconnection, so they often put their own needs aside to keep things peaceful. Much of Taylor Swift’s first album feels like it is watching from the sidelines. She is the girl “on the bleachers,” loving from a distance, and searching for her worth in someone else’s eyes. The feelings are gentle, wrapped in metaphors, country images and the sweetness of being young. Even when love is not returned, there is no bitterness or blame. It’s a Nine’s voice through and through: observant, idealistic and quietly caring.

Alternate readings: There are glimpses of Type Two in the desire to be loved (“Just to see you smile, I’d do anything”) and even Type Six in the undercurrent of loyalty and vulnerability. 

Fearless – Type Seven

Fearless is all about energy and moving forward. This era is built on hope, big feelings, and a constant urge to keep going, which matches what motivates Type Sevens.

The album opens with “Fearless,” a song about dancing in the rain and kissing in the street, not caring what anyone thinks. In “You Belong With Me,” the main character turns her longing into a daydream. Even when sadness shows up (“The Best Day,”  “White Horse”), the music stays gentle and looks ahead. The whole album feels bright-eyed, unyielding, always in motion.

Why Seven?

Sevens want to avoid being trapped at all costs: in sadness, in stillness, in limitation. Fearless channels that energy to chase after new experiences: first crushes, first heartbreak, the first time love feels true enough to ruin you. Even when Swift sings about pain, she narrates her grief, packages it, and keeps going. Even “Fifteen,” one of the album’s more sobering tracks, is more reflective than regretful.

Sevens process their emotions by staying busy and chasing something better around the corner. Fearless is the musical embodiment of that instinct.

Alternate readings: There’s a valid case for Type Three here (“Change,” “The Way I Loved You”). This was Swift’s first major crossover album, after all, and her first Grammy win. There are also soft traces of Type Two (“Hey Stephen”) in the album’s open-hearted lyrics, but they orbit the same sun: a desire for joy, connection and meaning without heaviness.

Speak Now – Type Four

Speak Now is a songwriter’s album. It’s personal, lyrical and perhaps Taylor Swift at her most self-authored. In this album, she creates descriptions of heartbreak, jealousy, fantasy and fury, all in the same breath.

Take “Dear John,” for example: “I took your matches before fire could catch me.” Or “Enchanted,” where she builds a fairytale encounter into an operatic yearning. Even “Mean,” though lighter in tone, communicates a need to be seen and understood by someone who dismissed her voice.

More than any era before it, “Speak Now” welcomes contradiction. It’s vulnerable and confrontational; whimsical and edgy. 

Why Four?

Fours want to be authentic, original and truly seen. They often feel things deeply—sometimes they are too much, too sensitive, or too intense—and that tension fuels both their creativity and their sense of being different. In this era, Swift writes her own songs, often without co-writers, and expresses everything from fairytale romance to open resentment. She is not just telling stories; she is making sure they are her own.

There is also a clear search for meaning here, for emotions that matter. That’s why “Speak Now” interprets breakups instead of just recounting them. Why it brings dreams to life instead of just describing them. In this era, the focus shifts to her inner world.

Alternate readings: There’s an argument to be made here for Type Six, especially in the loyalty, fear and second-guessing woven through songs like “Back to December” or “Last Kiss.” 

Red – Type Six 

The album “Red” teeters on the edge between love and loss, hope and regret, clarity and confusion. That constant back-and-forth, and the urge to make sense of it, makes this era a natural fit for Type Six.

From the dizzying highs of “State of Grace” to the anxious unraveling of “All Too Well,” Red is a portrait of someone trying to find solid ground in an inner landscape that keeps shifting. “Loving him was red,” Swift sings, where passion feels risky and beauty comes with warning signs. There is a sense of urgency, with questions and doubts, trying to trust the fall even when the outcome already feels shaky.

Why Six?

Sixes are afraid of losing support. In relationships, this can mean holding on long after something is over, hoping to feel safe again. That tension runs through “Red.” Its emotional whiplash mirrors the Six’s search for something or someone to trust, especially when instincts and experience do not line up.

In “I Almost Do,” Swift holds herself back from reaching out because “it takes everything in me not to call you.” In “The Moment I Knew,” her trust is broken when her partner does not show up for her birthday.

Even the album’s structure feels like a Six: it swings between romantic hope (“Begin Again”) and disillusionment (“The Last Time”), never quite sure which version of reality to believe. That push and pull—searching for certainty, fearing the worst, and trying to stay loyal in the chaos—is classic Six.

Alternate readings: “Red” can be seen as a Four album, too, full of emotion and creative expression.

1989 – Type Three 

With “1989,” Taylor Swift stepped fully into the spotlight as a pop artist and cultural icon. Sleek and image-focused, this era is a masterclass in reinvention. 

From the polished hooks of “Style” to the sharp storytelling in “Blank Space,” everything about “1989” feels deliberate. There’s confidence and charisma, but also an underlying question: when the performance becomes the person, what happens next? In “Shake It Off,” Swift shrugs off criticism with a smile, but beneath it, she’s careful not to show vulnerability in a world that values composure over honesty.

Why Three?

Threes want to be valued, but they often tie their self-worth to achievement and recognition. “1989” captures that tension. Outwardly, the album is triumphant, but emotionally it stays guarded. Love songs are stylish rather than raw, and vulnerability is shaped into stories with neat endings. Even “Out of the Woods,” one of the more anxious tracks, is delivered with restraint. It’s an observation more than a passionate overflow.

It’s worth noting that this kind of emotional management isn’t the same as repression. A Three’s feelings are often streamlined and contained, much like the rest of their lives.

Alternate Readings: “1989” can well be associated with Type One (for its perfectionism) or Type Seven (for its energy and forward motion). 

Reputation – Type Eight

“Reputation” opens with a warning: “Big reputation, big reputation / You and me, we got big reputations.” It’s gutsy and unapologetic, asserting control and lining up almost perfectly with Type Eight, the Challenger of the Enneagram.

From the lines of “Ready For It?” — “Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me / Stealin' hearts and runnin' off and never sayin' sorry / But if I'm a thief, then he can join the heist” — to the iconic “Look What You Made Me Do,” “I don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me,” these lyrics project dominance, control and a refusal to be vulnerable unless it’s on her terms.

Even the love songs (“Delicate,” “Call It What You Want”) are cloaked in caution. Only once trust has been earned does the softness come out. This era is about Taylor taking back the narrative and doing it her way.

Why Eight?

Eights fear being controlled or betrayed. When hurt, they put up walls. “Reputation” is a textbook example of this. When the media turned on her and rumors spread, Swift didn’t ask for understanding. Instead, she built a world where she didn’t need anyone’s approval.

But Eights also have emotional depth beneath the surface, and that comes through in the quieter tracks. In “New Year’s Day,” for example, she sings about vulnerability, intimacy and staying power, but only after the storm is over.

Alternate Readings: Type Four also fits “Reputation,” thanks to its dramatic style and strong emotional undercurrent. You could also see it as a Type Three album: a performance, a reinvention, a brand reset.

Lover – Type Two

“Lover” is an album bathed in softness: pastel colors, open-hearted lyrics and a strong desire to connect. After the barbed-wire edge of “Reputation,” this era feels like a warm invitation. 

In “Lover,” Swift asks, “Can I go where you go?” In “Cornelia Street,” she confesses, “And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends / I'd never walk Cornelia Street again.” Even in the playful “Paper Rings,” love is all-in and unconditional. This is a deliberate offering where love is less a performance and more a currency for connection.

Why Two?

Twos often set aside their own needs to feel needed by others. You can feel that in Lover—a constant reaching out, a wish to be chosen, and a quiet anxiety beneath all the sweetness. In “Afterglow,” Swift sings, “Tell me that I'm all you want, even when I break your heart,” showing the Two’s self-blame and need for reassurance.

But there’s also strength here. Lover is hopeful, not naive. At their best, Twos give from a place of fullness, not fear. This era wants harmony, but it also values honesty. “The Archer” brings that into focus, asking, “Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?” It’s as unguarded as it’s self-aware.

Alternate Readings: There are hints of Type Nine in the album’s peacemaking tone, and a bit of Type Three in its polished style.

Folklore / Evermore – Type Five

With “Folklore” and “Evermore,” Taylor Swift retreats from the spotlight into the woods, both literally and figuratively. These sister albums are observational and layered, a clear shift from her more public pop sound.

In “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Swift tells someone else’s story. In “Tolerate It,” she narrates emotional neglect, but from a distance. And in “Marjorie,” she turns her gaze inward, working through grief with details, memories and space.

The storytelling here is careful and measured, as if she’s saying, “Let me show you what I see,” instead of, “This is how I feel.”

Why Five?

Type Fives worry about being overwhelmed by people, emotions or demands. To cope, they keep their distance, think things through and observe. “Folklore” and “Evermore” are full of this approach. These albums are reflective, with lyrics that are emotionally deep but often told through made-up characters, third-person stories or a sense of detachment.

In “Mirrorball,” Swift admits to feeling exposed and fragile: “I’m still on that trapeze / I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me.” That longing is wrapped in metaphor and restraint. Like a true Five, she tries to connect by analyzing, not by showing raw emotion.

Alternate Readings: These albums could also fit Type Four since they are artistic, moody, and often full of longing. Maybe we should designate them 5w4, Five with a Four wing.

Midnights – Type One

On “Midnights,” Swift turns her gaze inward again, and she does not hold back.  The album is full of confessions and self-corrections, a signature behavior of Type Ones. Where earlier albums might have blamed the world, Midnights often blames the self, and, often, not gently.

Take “Anti-Hero”: “I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.” Or “You’re on Your Own, Kid”: “I gave my blood, sweat and tears for this / I hosted parties and starved my body.”

Why One?

Type Ones feel a strong sense of responsibility and want to improve themselves and the world. They are often driven by a tough inner critic. That voice is clear on “Midnights.” It second-guesses (“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”), self-flagellates (“Anti-Hero”), and burns (“Dear Reader”).

And yet, there’s growth, too. The album is not just about feeling bad. In “Labyrinth,” there’s a softness. In “Sweet Nothing,” a sense of peace. These moments show what Ones can feel when they let go of perfection and allow themselves kindness.

Alternate Readings:  “Midnights” could also be seen as a Type Four album since it is intimate, emotional and polished.

The Tortured Poets Department – Type Four 

Type Four is often called the Individualist, the Romantic or the Tragic Optimist, and “The Tortured Poets Department” feels like a thesis on all three. It’s moody, literary, indulgent, aching with self-awareness, laced with melodic bitterness and grand metaphors, with a longing to be seen as special, to make sense of pain, and to alchemize it into art.

Take the sweeping, self-referential arc of “So Long, London” or the theatrical declarations in “But Daddy I Love Him.” In “Clara Bow,” Swift draws a throughline from old Hollywood stardom to her own identity crisis, creating self-mythologies: “You look like Clara Bow / In this light, remarkable / All your life, did you know / You’d be picked like a rose?”

Why Four?

Fours fear being ordinary. Instead of chasing approval, though, they turn inward, searching for authenticity, intensity and meaning that is truly their own. “TTPD” is rife with that searching: for beauty in decay, for poetry in heartbreak, for clarity in chaos.

—a dramatic touch that both pokes fun at and embraces the idea of being “tortured.”  Like Fours themselves, the album doesn't shy away from emotional mess. Instead, it leans into contradiction, melancholy and emotional excess.

Alternate Readings: A case could be made for Type Five here, especially on “The Anthology” tracks, where Swift is introspective, cataloging her own reactions with a sharp eye for detail.