ATA Enneagram Type 8 Personality Style
ATA Enneagram 8 – Striving to Feel Powerful
ATA Enneagram Eights interact with the world by Striving to Feel Powerful.
Eights are action-oriented self-starters who love to be in charge. They focus on getting things done and overcoming any obstacles that lie in their way. When they overdo their Striving to Feel Powerful they may not adhere to the rules or norms that others expect them to follow and their behavior can become uncontrolled. When stressed, Eights may fear that if they become too connected to others or experience their own emotions too deeply they will become dependent on others.
Chief Asset: Passion. Eights are robust and energetic. They bring great passion and determination to whatever they undertake.
What They Like in Others: Confidence, lack of pretense, straightforwardness.
What They Dislike in Others: Timidity, bullying, rigidity.
How They Frustrate Others: Arrogance, hostility, stubbornness.
Approach to Problem Solving: “It’s time for me to take charge.”
Belief About Work: “Things work best when I’m in control.”
How Others See Eights: Honest, outgoing, fun-loving, and strong-willed, but sometimes blunt, excessive, reckless, and arrogant.
Eights Get Into Trouble When They Tell Themselves: “The world is a threatening place that will not cut me a break. I must take from life anything good that I can get.”
Enneagram Eight Leadership & Communication Style
The Type Eight Leader: The Commander
The High Side of the Commander: Eights are decisive, bold, and confident, and inspire these qualities in their followers.
The Low Side of the Commander: Eights can be arrogant, hostile, and demanding, and may focus on their own agenda rather than the good of the group.
Where They Shine: When going gets tough. Eights bring tremendous self-confidence and energy to their work, and they thrive in the heat of battle. They love a challenge to overcome.
ATA Enneagram Type Eight Personality Communication Style:
- Eights may be initially quiet but forceful, passionate, and opinionated when engaged.
- They expect others to have strong opinions and to be willing to stand up to defend those opinions.
- They are often impatient and fail to hear others out, tending to form opinions quickly wanting to move on.
Derailers for Type Eight
- Bullying: Verbally abusing co-workers, often in the guise of “tough love” or “straight talk,” sometimes in an attempt to be helpful and sometimes for your own amusement.
- Volatility and Overwhelming others: Overwhelming others with anger or the intensity of your opinions; aggressively pushing your agenda; focus on task at the expense of feelings.
- Always being right: Arrogance and unwillingness to hear feedback or other points of view.
- Needing to be the boss: An overwhelming need to be in charge, or at least feel like you are in charge.
- Rough around the edges: Cultivating a coarseness of manner; getting enjoyment out of shocking people; rebelling against the status quo.
- Impatience and impulsiveness: Unwillingness to delay action or decisions; expecting others to act at your pace.
Blind Spot for ATA Enneagram 8:
Insensitivity
Eights are often unaware of their tendency to be insensitive and its effect on their relationships. They don’t see that others view their “straight talk and tough love” as a lack of caring or empathy. Although they claim that they are trying to help by being honest and fair, they are sometimes unconsciously reacting to the lack of toughness and decisiveness they see in others and fear seeing in themselves.
Connecting Points for ATA Enneagram Type 8
Support Strategy at Point 5: Striving to Feel Detached
Eights are often capable of making difficult decisions because of their ability to become emotionally detached. Sometimes, however, that ability is overused and they can become insensitive to the needs and feelings of others.
Neglected Strategy at Point 2 – Striving to Feel Connected
While Eights can generally build strong connections to others, there are critical times when they should connect to others but do not out of a concern over being vulnerable.
Listen to the Conversation about Enneagram Type 8
The Awareness to Action Enneagram Podcast
In this episode of the Awareness to Action Enneagram podcast, Mario Sikora, María José Munita and Seth “Creek” Creekmore discuss Enneagram Type Eight, “Striving to Feel Powerful.” Mario shares what makes him a Type Eight, how “powerful” can be interpreted in different ways, and the blind spots that come with that. This discussion will hopefully provide a deeper understanding of, and not so much fear about, the Type Eight personality style.
“I think that it’s so limited to think that Eights are angry or pushy or like that all the time. I think that if you leave them alone in their domains, and there are no threats, there’s no need to push, they will be just like anybody else.” -María José [09:16]
“What I’m looking for and I think most Eights are looking for from other people is to just give it your best effort.” -Mario [22:47]
“It’s never more clear than when I watch Eight friends of how much and how deeply they feel and want to have an effect on the world in the way that they feel like is the best way to do that.” -Creek [38:41]
ATA Enneagram Type 8 Subtypes
The striving for power in Enneagram Type Eight is distinctly expressed through the three Subtypes.
| POWERFUL PRESERVING | POWERFUL NAVIGATING | POWERFUL TRANSMITTING |
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Explore the Other Types
Growth for Enneagram Eight: Self-discipline
Eights, who are striving to feel powerful, seek a feeling of aliveness through testing themselves against their environment. They push themselves and others, becoming excessive and—at times, destructive—as they relentlessly pursue their goals. Eights bring tremendous passion to solving problems and defending others, but without the commitment to a cause greater than their own desires they can inadvertently create havoc. Unfortunately, they are often unwilling to accept feedback and they resist changing their ways.
Self-discipline is the correction or regulation of oneself for the purpose of improvement. Eights need to learn to take feedback and consider it rather than reflexively rejecting it. They benefit for using that feedback to create a plan for improvement based on the exercise of self-discipline. It helps them to submit to a practice of some sort with demands they must surrender to; some activity in which they are a follower rather than a leader—hire a personal trainer, study a martial art, begin a meditation or spiritual practice, seek the guidance of a mentor, etc.
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A Fun and Informative Deep Dive into Understanding the Enneagram 8
“The Godfather” and the Enneagram Type Eight, Striving to Feel Powerful from “The Enneagram in a Movie Podcast.”. An offer you can’t refuse. The desire to shape your own destiny rather than be a puppet on someone else’s string. Protecting the family against all threats. Doing favors and expecting loyalty in return. Walking right up to someone and—Bada-bing! In other words—POWER. Perhaps the greatest movie ever made, “The Godfather” is about all these things and more, and there is no better depiction of the “striving to be powerful” at the heart of what it means to be an Eight.”