Few characters are as recognizable as the Addams Family. They’re an ensemble cast with rich personalization that makes them feel “real.” That’s particularly true of Morticia and Gomez Addams, whose relationship has come to symbolize a healthy, enduring marriage (despite its outward quirks).
We’re examining their personality types using the Enneagram here, showing which cues we think are most important in identifying their types, which characters have compatibility and why, and more.
The Enneagram types that we’ve assigned to each character are our best guesses, given our observation of their speech, body language, choices, and more. We’ll explain which type we think they are and why, using examples when relevant. For very fleshed-out characters where we have a strong sense of their type, we’ll be able to be more detailed in our typing (for example, type , wing , instinct , and even level of health). For those with less characterization, we’ll do our best but will likely be restricted to guessing only the basic Enneagram type from One to Nine.
The Addams Family have been cult classic characters since the 1960s, but for this exploration, we’re focusing on our favorite incarnations: the 1991 and 1993 films, “ The Addams Family ” and “ Addams Family Values ,” respectively. We probably don’t need to say this for 30+ year-old films, but just in case: spoiler alert ahead.
Note that type descriptions below come from Blueprint, our Enneagram app .
What Enneagram type is Morticia Addams?
Our best guess for Morticia is a Nine with a One wing (the Dreamer): the Dreamer is imaginative, synthesizing, modest, patient, accommodating, habitual, dissociating, neglectful, and indignant. They are easygoing diplomats attuned to many perspectives, but can be deflective and unrealistic.
Morticia (played by Anjelica Huston) is the classic Nine: she’s other-focused, empathetic, calm, and peaceful. Her presence brings a sense of steadiness to the otherwise chaotic Addams’s, especially her husband, Gomez. She’s the glue that keeps the family together, which fits the Nine’s desire to avoid loss and separation from those they care most about (e.g., when she says “Our whole family, together at last . Three generations, above ground”). In line with the Nine’s tendency to feel like “nobody special,” she puts her individual needs and desires second to her family’s:
Morticia: [to Gomez] I'm just like any modern woman trying to have it all. Loving husband, a family. It's just, I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.
Nines tend not to radiate energy; they may have a lot of thoughts and emotions beneath the surface, but their faces and bodies tend not to show it. Morticia’s physical presence is extremely relaxed (e.g., the way she cuts the blooms off of roses ), even ethereal. She literally glides when she moves (and on the dance floor ). The One-wing adds an additional level of composure and self-control, best exemplified in the scene where Morticia very sedately announces that she’s going to have a baby …“ right now .”
More evidence of Morticia being a Nine occurs at the end of Addams Family Values when villainess Debbie Jellinsky straps the family into electric chairs. Even as she faces doom, Morticia can’t help but empathize authentically with Debbie, nodding along with her tale of woe and commiserating that she got (*gasp*) Malibu Barbie as a gift:
Debbie: My parents, Sharon and Dave. Generous, doting, or *were they*? All I ever wanted was a Ballerina Barbie. In her pretty pink tutu. My birthday.
[the slide shows her as a child, smiling and opening a gift]
Debbie: I was 10, and do you know what they got me? *Malibu* Barbie.
Morticia: Malibu Barbie.
Gomez: The nightmare.
Morticia: The nerve.
More Morticia quotes, analyzed:
Gomez: How long has it been since we've waltzed?
Morticia: Oh, Gomez... hours.
(Nines often go with the flow, willing to do whatever the people close to them want to do.)
Morticia: [to Tully, as he is torturing her] You've done this before.
(Nines are exceptional at remaining unaffected by the negatives in their environments.)
Morticia: Why don't you speak to Fester, darling? He's right outside the door.
Gomez: I would speak with Fester if that *were* Fester. But that is *not*! That is an *impostor*! An IMPOSTORE!
(Morticia is trying to bridge the gap between Fester and Gomez while they’re not on good terms, a talent that Nines are known for having.)
What Enneagram type is Gomez Addams?
Our best guess for Gomez is a Seven with an Eight wing (the Aficionado): the Aficionado is exuberant, active, versatile, tenacious, thrill-seeking, multitasking, excessive, rude, and reckless. They are Renaissance people who regale others with their knowledge, but can be dissipated and callous.
Runner up: 4w3 (The Aristocrat)
The Aristocrat is sophisticated, distinctive, lively, expressive, sensitive, extravagant, depleted, envious, and self-punishing. They are aesthetically astute and dramatic individuals, but can be difficult and disdainful.
Gomez, played by the late Raul Julia, is a mix of energy, drama, and self-expression. He was fairly tough to type because we were tied between the 7w8 (the Aficionado) and the 4w3 (the Aristocrat). One of the biggest differences between Sevens and Fours is how they handle negative emotions: Fours often lean into them, delving into the depths of despair, whereas Sevens are often out of touch with them, avoiding them and distracting themselves instead.
At first glance, Gomez looks like a Four because he’s passionate and theatrical, with outbursts like these :
Gomez: [shouting] Has the planet gone mad? My brother, passion's hostage. I seek justice - denied! I shall not submit! I shall conquer! I shall rise! My name is Gomez Addams, and I have seen evil!
[Grandmama waves Pubert in the air]
Gomez: I have seen horror!
[Lurch waves]
Gomez: I have seen the unholy maggots which feast in the dark recesses of the human soul!
He also has a flashy, posh sense of style, which is often associated with 4w3s.
Yet despite his passionate way of speaking--usually a Four trait--Gomez seems unable to process his negative emotions, which is more a signal of a Seven. For example, he’s ineffectual and unproductive after being kicked out of the Addams mansion, spending his time watching daytime TV:
Morticia: Gomez, why don't we go for a drive? The whole family.
Gomez: A drive? And miss Gilligan?
He’s also extremely animated in his movements, which fits the Seven’s tendency to be the most visibly energetic person in the room. Sevens are usually the life of the party, suave storytellers who captivate an audience, so Gomez dancing The Mamushka is no exception.
Sevens are known for being spontaneous, which makes Gomez’s marriage proposal to Morticia on the same night that he met her fit the profile:
Gomez: [to Morticia] You bewitched me. I proposed that very night.
As well as his willingness to act as a lawyer for his own family, despite not having legal experience:
Gomez: [to his family] They say a man who represents himself has a fool for a client. Well, with God as my witness, I am that fool!
And his adventure-seeking, risk-taking nature, including playing with weapons and perpetuating dangerous near-misses:
Gomez: [he has thrown a sword and pierced the wall not two inches from Tully's head] Ah, missed!
Gomez also appears to take the Addams Family fortune lightly, spending with abandon whenever the feeling strikes him (such as when he puts his own antique up for auction, then gets swept up in the moment and bids it up himself ). This behavior aligns with the Seven’s tendency to focus on today’s enjoyment first and tomorrow’s responsibilities second.
What Enneagram type is Wednesday Addams?
Our best guess for Wednesday is an Eight with a Nine wing (the Bear): the Bear is protective, quietly strong, resolute, shrewd, watchful, territorial, objectifying, coarse, and provoking. They are attuned to others and secretly tender-hearted, but can be selfish and menacing.
Enneagram Eights don’t mince words: if they like you (or don’t), they’ll let you know. Directly. They know what they want, when they want it, and they don’t tend to care how they come off to others. Eights pursue action and are unapologetically themselves. This mindset is evident in Wednesday Addams, played by Christina Ricci, who’s always carrying out her own devious projects throughout both movies (like trying to sabotage Pugsley and Pubert), and doesn’t hold back with insults or commands.
The Nine wing adds more self-restraint to the Eight, especially in terms of their poker face: they’re intense, but quietly menacing; their face will rarely tell others the extent of their emotions. Wednesday’s face rarely changes from her stoic default. There’s also a “weird” quality to many 8w9s: they may be obsessive about their interests and have an offbeat sense of style, taking pride in their non-conformity. Wednesday’s exchange with all-American camper Amanda (likely a Three) displays all of these traits:
Amanda: Why are you dressed like that?
Wednesday: Like what?
Amanda: Like you're going to a funeral. Why are you dressed like somebody died?
Wednesday: Wait.
Eights want to be in control pretty much from birth, which makes being an Eight child particularly hard: they want to be the bosses of their own universe, but parents, society, and other authority figures (like Camp Chippewa leaders) keep getting in their way. They take a commanding tone with everyone, regardless of the other person’s status, like Wednesday talking to her Uncle Fester (and admonished by her mother Morticia) here :
Wednesday: [to Fester] May I have the salt?
Morticia: What do we say?
Wednesday: [sternly, to Fester] NOW.
Or to camp leader Gary here:
Wednesday: I don't want to be in the pageant.
Gary: Don't you want to help me realize my vision?
Wednesday: Your work is puerile and under-dramatized. You lack any sense of structure, character and the Aristotelian unities.
Gary: Young lady, I am getting just a tad tired of your attitude problem.
It’s virtually impossible to be an Eight and not be told you have an “attitude problem” your entire life, so Gary’s scolding to Wednesday fits the profile.
Eights don’t beat around the bush, often stating things bluntly where others would stay quiet or use more finesse. They don’t like wasting time and will say what everyone else is thinking to clear the air. In classic Eight fashion, Wednesday tells another camper that the “birds and the bees” is BS:
Girl Camper: And then Mommy kissed Daddy, and the angel told the stork, and the stork flew down from heaven, and left a diamond under a leaf in the cabbage patch, and the diamond turned into a baby!
Pugsley: Our parents are having a baby, too.
Wednesday: They had sex.
Eights are natural leaders. They can’t help but take charge and resist authority, which is exactly what Wednesday does when she mobilizes the camp outcasts into a full-scale revolt during the Thanksgiving play.
Lastly, Eights are instinctual people who tend to have a strong sense of when others are trying to manipulate them. Wednesday is the first to notice that Debbie is not who she pretends to be and mounts a plan of attack to expose her.
More Wednesday Addams quotes, analyzed:
Joel: Wednesday, do you think that maybe someday you might want to get married and have kids?
Wednesday: No.
Joel: But what if you met the right man, who worshipped and adored you? Who'd do anything for you? Who'd be your devoted slave? Then what would you do?
Wednesday: I'd pity him.
(Eights are extremely aware of power dynamics, and despite wanting power, they also need to respect their romantic partners. Believing that their significant other is a wet blanket leads many Eights to lose interest.)
Margaret: [Questioning the absence of a Halloween costume] What are you, darling? Where's your costume?
Wednesday: This is my costume. I'm a homicidal maniac. They look just like everybody else.
(Eights tend to be drawn to raw and often socially unacceptable subject matter. They’re uninterested in small talk and will reroute average topics toward their own more intense topics.)
Joel: I'll never forget you.
Wednesday: You won't?
Joel: You're too weird.
(All Eights march to the beat of their own drums, but 8w9s in particularly often exude--proudly--a “weird” vibe.)
What Enneagram type is Pugsley Addams?
Our best guess for Pugsley is a Two with a One wing (the Altruist): the Altruist is loving, compassionate, encouraging, devoted, well-intentioned, serving, worrying, guilt-ridden, and passive-aggressive. They are warm-hearted and truly charitable, but can be self-critical and victimized.
Pugsley is a bit of a tougher character to type because he isn’t as fleshed out and has fewer lines. That said, we’re still fairly confident that he’s a Two, mainly because of his relationship with Wednesday. Twos and Eights are a common pairing: Eights are natural leaders, and Twos make excellent “seconds in command.” They’re most comfortable and happy helping a confident, capable leader carry out their will. You see this dynamic between Wednesday (8w9) and Pugsley (2w1) throughout both movies:
Wednesday: Pugsley, sit in the chair.
Pugsley: Why?
Wednesday: So we can play a game.
Pugsley: What game?
Wednesday: [strapping him in] It's called, "Is There a God?"
A Two is typically happy to go along with an Eight’s self-assured commands, and Pugsley seems to find his role playing partner in crime to Wednesday:
[to Pugsley, who is tied up, mumbling urgently around an apple in his mouth]
Wednesday: Don't be a baby. I know what I'm doing.
[she levels a crossbow]
Twos also feel that it’s important to maintain a positive air, which Pugsley tends to do. He rarely appears anything but happy to be involved and needed.
We thought that 2w1 fit Pugsley better because the Altruist is well-intentioned, thinking of others and the “right thing” a bit more than the 2w3 (like Debbie, who we’ll describe below). For example, Pugsley looking out for these unfortunate people below:
[Wednesday, about to bury two people]
Pugsley: Are they dead?
Wednesday: Does it matter?
What Enneagram type is Fester Addams?
Our best guess for Fester is a low health Five with a Six wing (the Problem Solver): the Problem Solver is investigative, knowledgeable, meticulous, logical, skeptical, collecting, socially awkward, argumentative, and paranoid. They are multi-skilled practical thinkers, but can be rejecting and belligerent.
Uncle Fester, played by Christopher Lloyd, best fits the low health attributes of the Five: private, awkward, secretive, and not great with people. He’s under severe stress in both movies, losing sense of his identity in the first and hoodwinked into marrying a serial murderess in the second:
Gomez: He’s sullen.
Morticia: He's furtive.
Gomez: Backstabbing.
Morticia: He sulks.
He’s often wracked with anxiety , an emotion common for the Thinking Center triad of Fives, Sixes, and Sevens.
Like most Fives, Fester feels alienated and misunderstood. He’s a loner, but he still craves that special connection with a romantic partner. Relational Fives idealize their perfect partner, setting high standards and yearning for someone who completes them. But given the low value they’ve placed on emotion for most of their lives, they may have a stunted understanding of true relationship compatibility or quality (like Fester’s inability to see how terrible Debbie is for him).
Uncle Fester: [as they are getting married, Fester tearfully recites his vows ] I, Fester Addams, do hereby declare my un-ending love.
[sobbing]
Uncle Fester: I will worship you forever. I will devote my every waking moment to your happiness alone.
[openly sobbing]
Uncle Fester: Henceforth, I am your eternal and helpless slave.
Debbie Jellinsky: [near indifferent] Nice.
[to Cousin Itt, who acts as minister]
Debbie Jellinsky: Ditto.
Fester is aware of his social clumsiness, but can’t seem to fix it:
Uncle Fester: I'm making such a mess of things. Gomez! How do you do it? How can I be like you? How can I be... suave?
Gomez: Woo her. Admire her. Make her feel like she's the most sublime creature on Earth.
For example, his attempt at a smooth compliment to Debbie falls flat next to Gomez:
Gomez: Perfection achieved. We are the luckiest brothers on Earth. We are unworthy of such splendor, undeserving of such radiance.
Uncle Fester: Uh... that's right! We should have... ugly girls!
He has trouble comprehending even the most direct statements from Debbie:
Uncle Fester: What are you saying?
Debbie Jellinsky: I'm saying I want you dead and I want your money.
Uncle Fester: But... but... don't you love me?
Debbie Jellinsky: AH HA HA HA!
Uncle Fester: Is that a no?
He also exhibits the low health 5w6’s unique combination of social awkwardness with an eagerness to please others (which stems from the Six-wing’s desire to fit in). It’s evident in the Addams Family Values scene showing Fester after he’s become Debbie’s punching bag , buying whatever she wants, dressing as she commands, and even wearing an awful toupee.
Like all Fives, Fester is portrayed as having a wealth of esoteric knowledge. The movies imply that he’s been around the world and has a variety of skills, and the kids seek him out for specialized information, like building the right explosive (“three parts dynamite with a nitroglycerine cap”) and the right way to commit a kill:
Uncle Fester: Haven't you ever slaughtered anyone?
Wednesday: He's only a child.
Uncle Fester: No excuse! Aim for a major artery. The jugular.
What Enneagram type is Debbie Jellinsky?
Our best guess for Debbie is a low health Relational Two with a Three wing (the Host): the Host is radiant, sociable, giving, capable, cultivating, flattering, saccharine, intrusive, and manipulative. They are energetic and joyful relationship-builders, but can be attention-seeking and histrionic.
Debbie Jellinsky, played by Joan Cusack in an iconic, campy villain role , is a colorful foil to the rest of the monochromatic Addams family. Twos are known for being seductive, knowing what others want and molding themselves to provide it in order to be needed and feel valued. Debbie, AKA The Black Widow, is the ultimate seductress, having built a criminal career of becoming exactly who her murdered husbands wanted her to be.
Twos (particularly those with a dominant Relational instinct) can be highly manipulative in low health (e.g., Debbie fooling Morticia and Gomez into thinking that she’s the perfect nanny). They are attentive and alluring, leveraging their interpersonal skills to charm and attract others:
Morticia: [to Debbie] You have enslaved him. You have placed Fester under some strange sexual spell. I respect that. But please, may we see him?
This chameleon-like behavior could resemble a Three, but what matters most in determining someone’s Enneagram type is the underlying rationale for the behavior, not the behavior itself. Why she shape-shifts is important; her main goals appear to be love and money/security. Thus what makes Debbie a Two is her repeated focus on whether she’s deserving of love, like here :
Debbie Jellinsky: So I killed. So I maimed. So I destroyed one innocent life after another. Aren't I a human being? Don't I yearn, and ache, and shop? Don't I deserve love... and jewelry?
And later in the same scene :
Debbie Jellinsky: You took me in, you accepted me, but did any of you love me? Really love me?
2w3s can be status-conscious, wanting the finer things in life and putting particular focus on having beautiful homes in which they can host others. The first thing Debbie does after latching onto Fester’s fortune is buy a lavish house:
Debbie Jellinsky: [shouts at moving men] These are beautiful things! They're from catalogues!
Female 2w3s in particular tend to favor feminine and sometimes even “cutesy” attire, like Debbie does with her pantsuits, pastels, perfectly coiffed hair, and big diamonds:
Morticia: [confronting Debbie in her house] You have gone too far. You have married Fester, you have destroyed his spirit, you have taken him from us. All that I could forgive. But, Debbie...
Debbie Jellinsky: What?
Morticia: ...pastels?
(Bonus) What Enneagram type is Joel Glicker?
Our best guess for Joel is a Six with a Five wing (the Defender): the Defender is trustworthy, understanding, analytical, committed, vigilant, political, cynical, pessimistic, and anxious. They are intellectual thinkers who champion the underdog, but can be overzealous and conniving.
Although he’s not technically a member of the Addams Family, we’re throwing Wednesday’s crush Joel in here because he’s a hilarious caricature of a phobic Six. Like most phobic Sixes, Joel can be….a bit of a hypochondriac , often appearing anxious and using his inhaler to soothe himself:
Joel: Do you know what happens if my mother uses a fabric softener?
Wednesday: What?
Joel: I die.
He claims to be literally allergic to the outdoors:
Gary: And Joel Glicker. I'm surprised at you.
Joel: I-I have to get out of here. I have allergies.
Becky: [mockingly] Oh, you're allergic? To sunshine and archery and crafts?
Joel: Yes.
In typical Six fashion, Joel’s always looking out for worst-case scenarios:
Joel: Wait!
Wednesday: Who's there?
Joel: Be careful. Tetanus.
Joel appears to be a 6w5 because his demeanor is more cold and analytical rather than warm and playful like a 6w7. He’s introverted, sticks to his hobbies, and would rather spend a day inside reading than hanging out with other campers:
Wednesday: What are you in for?
Joel: I wouldn't go horseback riding.
Wednesday: That's all?
Joel: And I wouldn't make a bird house.
Wednesday: Why not?
Joel: I just wanted to read.
Eights and Sixes are both intense, reactive people, so if Wednesday and Joel did get together as adults, it’d likely be an interesting ride. Then again, that ending scene of Addams Family Values seems to suggest that Debbie knocked off Joel from beyond the grave.
