Power doesn’t have to show off. Power is confident, self-assuring, self-starting and self-stopping, self-warming and self-justifying. When you have it, you know it.
Ralph Ellison
Often referred to as the Challenger, the Type Eight individual pursues the path of truth and justice, like to keep situations under control, want to make important things happen, and try to hide their vulnerability.
Their primary need is the “Need to be Against.”
Eights tend to assert themselves powerfully in the environment so that no one and nothing in it can have power over them. In them, we see courage, will, self-reliance, leadership, authority, self-assertion. In the dark side of power, we see their ability to destroy what power has created. Eights are natural leaders among the personality types, and may even achieve some measure of historical greatness if their goals extend far enough beyond themselves to the common welfare.
The passion of the Eight is lust. This lust is for intensity, which is aimed toward everything. They fear they will be destroyed and overdo everything to make themselves feel alive – even overdoing things that are harmful to themselves.
The fixation of the Eight is vengeance. This is first aimed at themselves. No one can be harder on eights than themselves, and in turn, eights can be extremely hard on others – demanded more than is fair or realistic and making people pay for the ways Eights feel betrayed by them.
The Main Theme of Eight
- Asserts control over themselves and their environment
- Powerful and full of “gusto”
- Challenging, and uses excessive conflict as a strategy to influence and impact
- Feel that it is unsafe to be weak and vulnerable
- Believe that without strength and control others will take advantage of them
Core Wound
Perceived the world as hostile, believe they must be strong and not show vulnerability. They protect themselves from being controlled or dominated. They project power and strength to cover up feelings of vulnerability. They believe they need to fight for survival.
Center of Intelligence: Gut
Interpersonal Coping Style
Reactive. Try to power through problems through impulsive and confrontational reactions/explosions.
The path of Integration for Eight
In integration an eight moves towards the two. They levy their need to be against at such things as injustice and poverty and show up as generous and loving.
The path of Disintegration for Eight
In disintegration move to five. They cannot get their way through presence and force and taken on the mental reductionism of the five. They use keen insight into people to reduce them to the most easily manipulated fragment of their whole.
The Awakened Eight
The awakened eight expresses the virtue of Innocence. This is awakened through vulnerability. Their propensity to assume protective roles makes them careful to look out for those who are vulnerable.
Wings
The 8 with a 7 wing is the Maverick. The most openly assertive of all sub-types. They are blunt, realistic, consistent in their self-presentation. They are action-oriented, energetic, confident, take initiative and attracted to entrepreneurial endeavors. They are highly independent, outgoing, have a strong business sense and openly display attitudes and feelings. In an unhealthy state, they become impulsive, impatient, aggressive, pressure or bully others to get their way. They lash out in frustration, violent and have explosive tempers.
The 8 with a 9 wing is the Bear. With an aura of quiet strength and power held in reserve they are strategic planners. They are at ease with themselves and others. They prefer to have control behind the scenes, speak slowly but attuned to non-verbal cues. They are steady, almost immune to anxiety and assert leadership through support and protectiveness. In a healthy state, they become menacing, unpredictable, ruthless, indifferent, act in depersonalized ways and lack empathy.