Most results I found for “Evan Hansen Enneagram” indicate that Evan is either a Type 6 or an unhealthy Type 9. It’s easy to see why someone might reach either of these conclusions. Worry and anxiety are typical of a Type 6. Unhealthy 9s will go to great lengths to avoid conflict and difficult situations. However, I don’t think these analyses take into account Evan’s motivations. The Enneagram types center around core fears and desires.
The core desire of the Type 6 is to have safety and security. The core desire of Type 9 is to maintain harmony. I can understand how people see these in Evan. Type 6 and Type 9 also connect to each other and Type 3 in integration/disintegration. As a Type 6 myself, I don’t see these dynamics at play. I believe Evan is seeking significance. I think Evan Hansen is an Enneagram Type 4, and here’s why.
About Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen is a musical about socially anxious high schooler Evan Hansen. Evan’s therapist has him write letters to himself to boost his self-confidence. One day, one of the letters ends up in the hands of troubled schoolmate Connor Murphy, and the letter is found on him after he commits suicide. This leads Evan to pretend that he and Connor were best friends. Evan becomes close with the Murphy family, including dating long-time crush Zoe Murphy. Of course the charade ends up falling apart, but we get many insights into Evan’s personality along the way.
Something Is Missing and Feeling Alone
The show opens with Evan narrating one of his letters. He acknowledges that he just needs to be himself, but also that he needs to be confident, interesting, approachable… All traits that it seems obvious he doesn’t think he possesses.
“Waving Through a Window” is his first song of the show, and the lyrics continue that theme.
On the outside, always looking in
Will I ever be more than I’ve always been?
‘Cause I’m tap, tap, tapping on the glass
I’m waving through a window
I try to speak, but nobody can hear
So I wait around for an answer to appear
While I’m watch, watch, watching people pass
I’m waving through a window, oh
Can anybody see, is anybody waving back at me?
Evan clearly seems to think he is missing something in himself, that he is different from the people he is watching around him. He wants to be seen and included, but he doesn’t know what the answer to attaining those things is. These are all elements of the Type 4 personality.
Fantasy Life
After Connor commits suicide, the Murphys approach Evan with one of his letters that they think is Connor’s suicide note. Evan panics and does not tell them what it actually is. He is invited to dinner at their house, and, instead of coming clean, he fabricates a story of the day he and Connor spent at an old orchard that has special meaning to the family. He is able to quickly concoct a story in the song “For Forever”:
We pick a spot and shoot the breeze
Like buddies do
Quoting songs by our favorite bands
Telling jokes no one understands
Except us two
. . .
There’s nothing that we can’t discuss
Like girls we wish would notice us but never do
He looks around and says to me
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be”
And I say “me too”
From the beginning it is clear that Evan doesn’t really have any friends, so he wouldn’t know what exactly you would do with a best friend. His ability to quickly describe spending time with Connor is likely based on a rich fantasy life spent imagining what it would be like to have a best friend.
After sharing the story of “two friends on a perfect day,” he tells the Murphys that Connor used a secret email account to communicate, so Evan has emails he can share. At this point, he enlists his “family friend” Jared to help him fabricate the emails. This is a continuation of Evan’s ability to create a very Type-4-like fantasy of his friendship with Connor in the song “Sincerely Me.” Here, Evan is able to be the helpful, supportive best friend he imagines himself to be. What we really see are Evan’s inner thoughts about changing himself, not Connor.
‘Cause all that it takes is a little reinvention
It’s easy to change if you give it your attention
All you gotta do is just believe you can be who you want to be
Sincerely, Me
Enneagram Four Goes to Two in Stress
The further Evan gets into the charade of a friendship with Connor, the more stressful the situation becomes for him. He begins to be overly involved in the Murphys’ lives, including dating Zoe, and highly focused on the idea that he is helping them. The lies Evan is telling makes the family think there is more to Connor than the troubled boy they saw. His desire to continue helping the Murphys is much like the Enneagram Type 2, which is the Type 4 direction of disintegration (or stress.) He even has a “conversation” with Connor (there’s more of that fantasy life) who convinces Evan that he’s the only one who can help the Murphys.
In “Disappear,” “Connor” convinces Evan that keeping him in everyone else’s awareness will mean they both matter.
If you can somehow keep them thinking of me
And make me more than an abandoned memory
Well that means we matter too
It means someone will see that you are there
This leads Evan to conceive of “The Connor Project,” which is both a way to keep Connor top-of-mind and also help other kids who may have similar worries about their worth and visibility. Evan shifts his focus from his fantasy life to action in the form of helping others. This is indicative of a Type 2 who finds their worth by helping others.
Evan continues this trajectory of helping others with his words of encouragement in his “speech” in the song “You Will Be Found.”
Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you’re broken on the ground
You will be found
A Spark of Growth
The first song in Act II is “To Break in a Glove,” where Larry Murphy explains to Evan the best way to break in a new baseball glove. This song is all about doing what’s right instead of taking shortcuts, even if it’s hard or takes a long time.
Cause there’s a right way in everything you do
Keep that grit
Follow through
. . .
You do the hard thing
‘Cause that’s the right thing
Yeah, that’s the right thing
This is a perfect metaphor for teaching Evan that he needs to do the right thing, no matter what. After Larry says that Evan’s dad must be proud to have a son like him, at first Evan agrees. But a moment later, Evan shares that his dad left when he was seven. He comments that his dad’s new family takes priority over him. This is the first time we see Evan do the right thing, and it also gives us a hint about Evan feeling like he isn’t good enough as he is because his dad left.
Evan Tells Us What Type He Is
Not literally, of course, but now is when we start to get a more concrete notion. First, Zoe expresses her frustration that everything revolves around her brother. Then, in “Only Us,” Zoe tells Evan he doesn’t have to “convince” her to like him or to be “scared you’re not enough.” Evan’s response to this tells us his core desire:.
I never thought there’d be someone like you who would want me
So I give you ten thousand reasons to not let me go
But if you really see me
If you like me for me and nothing else
Well, that’s all that I’ve wanted for longer that you could possibly know
And there it is. All he ever wanted is to been seen and accepted for who he is. Evan Hansen is an Enneagram Type 4.
An uncomfortable incident at the Murphy’s house further emphasizes this when they invite Evan’s mom, Heidi, over for dinner. Until now, Heidi had no idea that Evan has spent so much of his time with the Murphys. She is angry to find out he has been lying to her. She says to Evan that they don’t know him, and Evan fires back, “And you do?… You don’t know anything about me! You never even see me! … They like me! I know how hard that is to believe. They don’t think there’s something wrong with me, that I need to be fixed like you do!”
No wonder Evan has struggled so much when he feels like his mother doesn’t even accept him for who he is!
Evan Grows
The song “Good for You” primarily starts as a song of frustration from Heidi, Jared, and their friend Alana that Evan has lied to and used them to get something that he thinks is better. However, we also see Evan admit that what he has done is wrong and wants to find a way out.
Can’t erase what I wrote in ink
Tell me how could you change the story?
All the words that I can’t take back
Like a train coming off the track
‘Cause the rails and my bones all crack
I’ve got to find a way to
Stop it, stop it! Just let me out!
Evan starts in his direction of integration (growth) to Type 1. After Alana shares the “suicide note” more broadly in order to maintain interest in The Connor Project, Evan finally gets his chance to do the right thing in “Words Fail.” He tells the Murphys what he did and apologizes. While this doesn’t fix anything, it is Evan doing the right thing and accepting that he needs to stop running from himself.
All I ever do is run
So how do I step in
Step into the sun?
In the movie version of the story, Evan takes doing the right thing one step further. He makes a social media post admitting to everyone else what he did. He is acting out of principle, like a Type 1 would do.
Evan Hansen Accepts Himself
Evan’s mom has also read Connor’s “suicide” note by now, and she recognizes it for what it is. She tells Evan that she didn’t know he was hurting so badly. Evan is able to confess to her what he has done, including his own attempt at suicide. She tells him, “I already know you, and I love you.”
In “So Big, So Small,” Heidi assures Evan that she will be there for him regardless, and she acknowledges his big Type 4 feelings.
Your mom isn’t going anywhere
Your mom is staying right here
No matter what
I’ll be hereWhen it all feels so big
‘Til it all feels so small
In the show’s finale, we hear him read his last “Dear Evan Hansen” letter.
Today is going to be a good day
And here’s why, because today, today at least you’re you and that’s enough
Evan has finally accepted that he is not defective, and he is able to have compassion for himself. Like a healthy Type 4. And as Evan and the cast reprise the chorus of “For Forever,” it is with a hopeful, accepting tone instead of one of fantasy and delusion.
That’s Why Evan Hansen Is an Enneagram 4
Examining Evan Hansen through the lens of the Enneagram Type 4 provides a deeper understanding of his character and motivations. His journey marks Evan with a sense of feeling different, a rich fantasy life, and a longing for acceptance. Evan’s actions, from fabricating a friendship with Connor to creating The Connor Project, stem from his desire to be seen and loved for who he truly is. Despite his mistakes and the ensuing chaos, Evan’s growth is evident. He learns to confront his fears, accept his flaws, and embrace his true self. His story resonates with anyone who has ever felt misunderstood or unseen, highlighting the human need for connection and authenticity. Evan’s transformation from a lonely, anxious teenager to someone who can finally accept himself is a testament to the resilience and potential for growth inherent in all of us.
