What's Behind the The Marilyn Monroe Effect: ESFP or Counterphobic Six?

Confident. Sensual. Beautiful. Flirtatious. Magnetic. Feminine. Glamorous. Alluring. Self-confident. Timeless.

Decades after her death from a barbiturate overdose, Marilyn Monroe's impact on popular culture is still potent. The Hollywood actress and comedienne remains one of the most recognizable faces (and bodies) in the world, and her films are still watched by millions. 

Even Gen Z—born well after Monroe's death in 1962—has had its collective heart captured by her charm and charisma. They've re-popularized the term “the Marilyn Effect” to describe the phenomenon where a woman oozes seduction and can captivate any room she enters.

Yet, despite all the fascination, Monroe remains an enigma. On screen, she's the relatable 'girl' character with the flirtatious vulnerability, blond hair and tight dresses. That's the Marilyn effect in action.

Off screen, the star harbored many insecurities. Her life has been described by some as “a dark pit of despair.” 

What are Marilyn's personality types?

When we dig into her personality types, two facets of Marilyn's character become clear. Her 16-type personality, which we assess to be ESFP, makes perfect sense—she's someone who lived for the limelight and enjoyed being the center of attention.

ESFPs are talkative, witty, and charming. They exude the type of confidence that lights up a room and draws people to them, like moths to flame.

Her Enneagram type is much less obvious. Type Sixes are loyal to friends, measured in their responses, and hardworking to a fault. They are also the most explicitly fearful of the Enneagram types. When they sense danger, they lie low. They need certainty and security to help them feel safe—this is the last type you'd expect to put their whole self on display for the world to pick apart.

Yes, Sixes are warm and likable—as Marilyn was. But the rest of the type description doesn't seem to fit the image of Monroe that's portrayed in biographies and on the silver screen. And, while ESFP Type Sixes do happen, it isn't the most obvious pairing of types.

So why do we think she's a Six?

The answer lies in a variant of the Six personality type—the counterphobic Six. Sometimes called the Sexual Six, the counterphobic Six tends to be more Seven-ish in their energy and Eight-ish in their behavior. That's mostly to do with the way they run towards their anxiety, and go quite hard on whatever they are most anxious about, rather than trying to wrap their lives in cotton wool like a more typical Six might do.

Understanding the Counterphobic Six

All Type Sixes operate from a fear that “I can't do this alone.” Phobic Sixes cope with this by gathering other people as a support system. They're friendly, gracious and go along to get along, all in the hopes that the group will make life less scary. They trust authority and follow the rules for the same reason, and can come across as cautious and compliant as a result.

Not so for counterphobic (CP) Sixes like Monroe.

When this type feels anxious, they often deliberately poke at it—they march up to the pitbull and yank its tail. For example, if someone’s afraid of heights, they may take up sky diving to show themselves how brave they are. Or if someone is anxious about other people's acceptance, they might become the friendliest, most charming person you've ever met to get you to like them. This can make them look brave, assertive and adventurous. No one would ever know they were operating from a position of fear.

Here are some other behaviors that we often see in the CP Six. Look how many of them match the Marilyn Effect and also, interestingly, the ESFP:

• Fearlessness: The CP Six calls up their fear and tries to beat it. Marilyn, for example, was famously crippled by stage fright, yet pushed hard to become a movie star. The breathy speaking voice is there to mask a childhood stutter.
• Rebelliousness: They may have an urge to push back against authority or societal norms. Whereas a phobic Six follows the rules as a way  to feel safe, CP Sixes might break the rules as a way to prove their courage.
• Stirring the pot: Where phobic Sixes are loyal and dependable, CP Sixes are social gadflies. They'll go places, meet people and do things just to provoke the establishment. They can be playful in their wit, more like a Seven, or challenging and punchy, like an Eight. Just look at Marilyn's styling choices—the overtly sexual “dumb blonde “ image was designed to attract and outrage in equal measure.
• Originality: Healthy CP Sixes are often creative and artistic in their expression. They use these outlets to overcome a general feeling of being outside the group. If they come across as vulnerable, that's quite by accident. Their creative persona might expose how they're feeling anxious or uncertain, but the CP Six would not humiliate themselves by admitting this in any other form. 
• Maverick tendencies: CP Sixes are often individualists and iconoclasts. They do things their way, not because they want the spotlight (though that's fine too), but because it helps them feel less afraid. If they can't do things with a group, they'll forge their own path. This can lead to highly unconventional approaches to life—for example, Monroe's multiple marriages, appearances in Playboy magazine and her close relationship with psychoanalyst Ralph Greenson.
• Strong physical presence: Counterphobic Sixes have a physicality about them that can come across as quite sexual—Marilyn took "sexual femininity" to new heights! When unhealthy, that physicality can be aggressive and unstable. The counterphobic Six might become compulsive and paranoid, acting out the things and situations that scare them in dangerous ways. We don't want to speculate on Marilyn's notoriously troubled personal life, but it could be argued that she ran deeper into addiction in all its forms (alcohol, drugs, affairs) than many people might in similar circumstances.

Typefinder Personality Type: ESFP

Let's round off with Marilyn's Typefinder, ESFP. This type is known as the Performer for a reason: they are vivacious entertainers who love to make a splash. Charismatic, bold, outgoing, talkative and witty—if we could wrap all of Monroe's on-screen roles into one common personality type, it would be this.

E / Extraverted: While we will never know what was happening on the inside, Monroe was very clearly an Extravert to the public.  She carried herself with a wittiness and charm that comes far more naturally to Extraverts than Introverts. "She was a young, vital woman who loved life, loved parties, and had a good time,” Monroe’s friend, Amy Greene, told Vanity Fair.

S / Sensing: It's hard to imagine Marilyn would be the comedic genius she has been lauded as without being completely in tune with the sensory world. From how we see her in the movies, to how friends describe her desire to use food as a pleasure (as well as sex), Sensing seems like a logical fit.

F / Feeling: While ESFPs may be notorious for being emotionally expressive (good or bad), they do tend to "perform" their feelings so you never quite know what's going on underneath. Marilyn hinted at her Feeling nature when she said, "I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I’m out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best."

P / Perceiving: The way ESFPs are known to be spontaneous and adaptable is intriguing when we look at Monroe's life in hindsight. She had so many ups and downs: from being born into a complex family situation (no father figure, mother in and out of psychiatric facilities), to sexual abuse as a child, to poverty as she worked for fame. Though these experiences were brutal, she rolled with them and was able to travel whichever way the wind blew.

Final Words: It's the Marilyn Effect, Not Normal Jean

Marilyn Monroe was an enigma—a complex, charismatic yet troubled individual who defied definitions. If her personality is hard to pin down, it's because the lines were constantly blurring between Marilyn, the movie star, and Norma Jean, the woman behind the persona. While ESFP and CP6 are the right types based on the public face she projected, we can safely assume the inner Norma Jean might have been something else entirely. As Marilyn herself said , "I restore myself when I'm alone."