WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD
What powers the Type Three is impressive – from the engine, down to the paint job, straight to the wheels. The entire damn machine is a work of art – spotless, and showroom ready for friends, family, and strangers to enjoy. To sum it up, Threes work hard, win trophies, and look good while doing it – and they want you to notice.
If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play
– Deion Sandersgood . If you play good, you get paidgood .
KEY INGREDIENTS OF A TYPE THREE “ACHIEVER”
- Hard worker, often a workaholic
- has a difficult time balancing work and life
- obsessed with success and accolades
- can require constant praise or validation
- very charismatic and charming
- highly likely to be agenda-driven
- often image-oriented, projecting even a false winning image to cover up deep weaknesses.
WHAT IS THEIR AGENDA?
To create a winning image that everyone loves. Whether that wining image is real or not, that is the question.
THEIR IMMEDIATE DEFENSE TO CONFLICT
Threes are extroverts and turn on the charm attack when faced with challenges. Usually, they won’t fight or debate you, they’ll flip on a smile, turn up the politeness, and convince you that there is nothing to fear. They are the greatest salesmen, and can sell ice to an Eskimo.
WHAT IS THEIR GREATEST FEAR?
Threes will lose sleep over losing. They dread being insignificant and having no impact in the world. Some Type Threes may even fear being unremembered; or even worse, going down in history as anything other than a winner.
WHO ARE THE TYPE THREES IN THE REAL WORLD?
They work hard to reap the benefits, to build up the image they want to sell, which is success. What they slave over can be anything from work, to their time in the gym. And in the end, they want you to know how accomplished they are.
Have you ever encountered a gym rat who is selfie happy?
How about an individual who loves to take selfies next to the fancy car that they worked so hard for; which is parked in the nice house, and next to the perfect looking spouse. Oh, did you see the grand vacation they just got back from on Instagram? Just checking – make sure to “like” their pic or else they’ll really be bothered.
Social media was made for Type Threes. It’s their heaven.
POLITICIANS ARE USUALLY TYPE THREES
Most career politicians are Type Three Achievers. They are charming and have a way of saying what you want to hear, only to do the complete opposite when they get into office.
Again, they are all about creating an image that you may like, which could be 100% opposite of who they are.
Are they lying? Yes, most likely.
This is why most politicians say they usually come to the center after they are elected. In the long run, there is no big difference between Republicans and Democrats. They are feeding you a beautiful lie to keep their job.
President George Bush Senior didn’t keep his promise of no new taxes.
President Obama said you could keep your doctor if he passed Obamacare.
Hillary Clinton said it was a YouTube video, not terrorists, that motivated an attack on our US Embassy.
President Bush said there were WMD’s in Iraq.
Lies, lies, and lies – and they did this with a smile.
Currently, in Washington, there is a new type of personality type that has invaded their safe space, and that happens to be a Type One Reformer. Type Ones can be direct, rude, unapologetic, and up to challenge the Type Three’s image. This doesn’t sit well with “The Achiever,” especially if their image is a mirage. A Type One will typically call their “fakeness” out.
Deion Sanders – Looking good to play good, his words.
Deion Sanders is one of the most prolific football players in NFL history and is most likely a healthy Type Three. He doesn’t lie to create a winning image. He actually works hard, performs well, and earns every accolade. Sanders is a self-confessed workaholic. During his professional career as an athlete, he played both football and baseball. He is, in my opinion, the modern-day Renaissance Man.
WHAT IS THEIR SPIRIT ANIMAL?
The Beaver—yes, the furry little animal who works day and night building dams. When they are not working, they are busy grooming themselves, making sure every strand of fur is perfect.
FICTIONAL EXAMPLES
Unhealthy Type Three Achievers are probably the most overused personality type for bad guys (aka antagonists) in the fictional universe. It’s so awful, that once you learn the Enneagram, you can pretty much predict who will be the villain. Once the well-dressed rich businessman appears, you automatically can assume that he wants to destroy the world – somehow. And maybe he wants to sleep with the hero’s wife too.
Yawn.
There’s the Kingpin, also known as Wilson Fisk, who is a Type Three. To refresh your memory, he was one of the nemeses of Spider-Man, Daredevil, or the Punisher. The big bald dude was your typical charismatic man, obsessed with winning at any cost, and in love with wealth.
Lex Luthor – Winning at all cost.
Then there was Lex Luthor. Ring a bell? Remember, he was Superman’s nemesis. Yeah, another bald guy. And -another wealthy businessman who wanted more than money, more than to be wealthy – he wanted to rule the world!
Do you think writers self-project their agenda a bit too much in movies? Uhm… you would think they’d change the formula after 50 years, right?
And then there’s the Hallmark Movies. It’s always the Unhealthy Type Three who works too hard to enjoy Christmas, right? The usual generic premise follows the thought that if the main character had more Christmas Spirit and put their personal agenda aside, they could cure cancer. By the way, if you’re wondering, most Hallmark Movies are written from the antagonist’s point of view, who happens to be a Three.
Tony Stark – putting profits and personal gains first
All I have to say is thank God for Tony Stark. Finally, a heroic Type Three. A character who loves wealth loves attention and isn’t afraid to admit it.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE :
Before I jump into describing the different nuances of the healthy, average, and unhealthy versions of
For the “gym selfie” Three:
An Unhealthy Version will share this picture because they are masking other insecurities they want to distract you from. Maybe they are having problems at home, maybe they’re going broke, maybe they are conning you. But the gym selfie creates a false image to distract you.
An Average Version will share the gym selfie to seek appreciation and validation. They want you to “like” their picture, so they know others are watching and listening. They love showing off their body, but don’t want to be called a narcissist, so they always attach a deep thought about life to each gym selfie to throw their audience off, because this gym selfie is just not about “me” it’s about “you.” What you think about them, is very important.
A Healthy Version would be confident of who they are, how they look, and they are not ashamed of sharing it. They don’t care about what you think. Even if you say they are a narcissist, they don’t care. They are not seeking validation or approval. They’re just sharing a gym selfie because they want to show everyone the results of
THEIR FUNCTION IN LIFE
Without Threes in this World, nothing would get done. They are the go-getters, the doers, hence their nickname The Achievers. They take classroom theories, put them to the test, and engineer dreams into reality.
AVERAGE CHARACTERISTICS
Average Type Threes are very mostly secure in who they are. They don’t have fragile egos and don’t require constant validation from others. These personalities are usually extroverts who are very charming salesmen.
Threes tend to be the snazzy dressers is society. The image they portray is just as important as winning Everything they do, from their hobbies, to the car they drive, to the house they live in, to their clothes, and the wine that they
Why do they dress like winners? Well, if you’re not jealous yet, you will be. It’s because they are winners. They win – yeah, they win quite often. And they can be quite competitive and obsessive about it. If they’re not winning, they’re
Hearing how three’s win all the time can be quite depressing, but it’s still difficult to hate them. It’s because threes are likable. They are great storytellers and fun to be around.
I’m sure your foaming at the mouth, waiting to hear the dirt on the Average Type Three! Well, I’m dying to write about it!
Because Threes compulsively succeed, they can take on too many projects, spreading themselves too thin. This usually leads to larger problems, such as missing out on the bigger picture. Ironically, for someone who seems to win repeatedly at the most difficult task, the Three fails to win at the easiest small jobs. The small jobs that only requires time, and having a good time, to succeed.
For example, being a good father or a great mother, can be tough for Type Three. Paying attention to their spouse’s needs, is extraordinarily
Why is it hard? Well, Type Three’s are project and equation-based. Projects get done, equations get solved. But there’s no end to being a spouse, it’s not a project. And not every equation in a marriage can be solved directly. Sometimes answers are subjective and not literal. Solutions to relationships can be metaphoric and sometimes unrealistic. Overall – again, all a marriage requires is time, and having a good time. It shouldn’t be that difficult, but it is for threes.
Like Most Type Threes – Tony Stark has problems with deep communication.
And if you think Type Threes are great communicators, you’re in for a surprise. While they may be able to give a speech quite
THE TRIGGERS OF A TYPE THREE
The trigger line of Type Three takes a b-line directly to the Type Nine Peacekeeper. What type of actions are more likely to piss off a Type Three? Someone who sits on their
Billy McFarland – fake image, fake accomplishments
UNHEALTHY CHARACTERISTICS OF A TYPE THREE
As a quick reminder, there is a difference between a triggered personality and an unhealthy one.
A triggered personality may have unhealthy characteristics, but they are only temporary. A trip to the unhealthy zone may last a minute, an hour, a day, or a week. The keyword is that it’s a bad vacation and they’ll return home soon.
An unhealthy personality will sit and soak in their personal turmoil until they mature, become self-aware, and self-correct. This journey may take years or it may never happen.
A Triggered Three: retreats into a cave much like a Type 8 or 9, as they are at first, paralyzed with fear. Not having a solution scares the crap out of them. But once they are in their cave, and settled their emotions, they usually devise a plan, or a possible solution, reemerge to take
An Unhealthy Type Three: Well, that gets a little complicated.
I need to quickly point out that an Unhealthy Type Three shares ZERO characteristics with an unhealthy Nine Personality. An Unhealthy Three is in a league of its own.
Achieving the image of being a winner, was more important than being a real winner, because it covered their insecurities of being useless, or even flat out stupid. Unhealthy Type Threes were always okay with faking it all the way to the end, all they were seeking was the feeling of validation.
Faking it, was probably the one good skill an Unhealthy Type Three had. They were charming people. I mean, they are charming people. They’ll charm you out of a dollar. They’ll charm you out of your life savings.
Perfect Examples of Unhealthy Type Threes: Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes, and Billy McFarland.
Bernie Madoff – Charismatic Scammer
GROWTH FOR A TYPE THREE
The growth line for the Three goes straight to the Six Loyalist, which means in order for the Average Three to grow, they need to embrace the loyal qualities of a healthy Type Six. For example, that busy businessman’s priorities should be placed with his wife. Be loyal, less selfish – pretty simple.
THE HEALTHY TYPE THREE
Unhealthy Threes can look like Healthy Threes. Isn’t that scary? Think about that for a quick second here and let it sit in. This is why there are such things as fraudsters or con men. Unhealthy Threes can sell you a bag of goods. They are just as talented of a salesman as a Healthy Three! Just as charming
The main difference between an Unhealthy Three and Healthy Three is their image.
- Unhealthy Threes – Image and story they tell is intelligently fake
- Healthy Threes – Image and story is 100% authentic
Healthy Threes will also have a better work-life balance and not be wound up with success.
In order for a Type Three to be Healthy, they must truly embrace their Type Two Wing and visit the Type One Personality quite often. Embracing their Type Two Wing will result in them caring for others. Visiting the Type One will keep their ambitions and priorities on the straight and narrow path.
Great Examples of Healthy Type Threes are: Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharp
Shannon Sharpe – well spoken, well dressed, and healthy type three.
ARE TYPE THREES NARCISSISTS? THEY COULD BE, BUT THINK AGAIN
Type Threes are often mistaken for narcissists because, from the surface, they look materialistic, and sound as though they are constantly bragging about their accomplishments. But having those characteristics doesn’t mean they have a mental disorder. This is just the way a Type Three communicates.
The key ingredient to a true narcissist is the amount of empathy they hold. For a narcissist, their empathy tank is on empty. They don’t care about you, your family, or anyone else except themselves, and that gives birth to more problems. A Type Three can be a narcissist, but so can the rest of the other personalities.
There is a very good chance that Unhealthy Type Threes suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. But it won’t be obvious when you encounter it, they are that charming.
MISCHARACTERIZATIONS
Anyone who likes to dress nice and talk about themselves must be a Type Three, right? Well, there’s a good chance that they are. But remember, what’s under the hood is still more important than the shiny exterior.
- When it comes to their image, or how they dress
- Type Fours – will create an image that separates themselves from the social norm. Their image is also part of their identity, a manifestation of their feelings.
- Type Threes – their image is a display of their accomplishments.
- Type One, Threes, and Eights, are the extroverts on the Enneagram. How they communicate is slightly different.
- Type Ones – Tend to be complainers, debaters, pointing out faults of society, and others. Comedy comes naturally to them, as they can find all the quirks in life that we forget to laugh about. Remember, they want to fix everything. Three’s just want to fix themselves.
- Type Eights – These personalities are the drill sergeants of the world and far from charming. Their communication will come off as harsh and intimidating.
- Type Threes – Are very appealing, entertaining communicators.
WORKING WITH A TYPE THREE ACHIEVER
If you have an Average to Healthy Type Three on your team, you’re in for a treat. They are natural
It you have a product to plug, Type Threes are incredible. They can sell it (even if it’s broken).
If you have an Unhealthy Type Three on your team, many times you won’t know it until the end when everything falls apart. Type Three’s are compulsive liars and very good at it. They paint an image of being highly skilled, qualified for the job, and up to the task, but it’s all a mirage. You will spot red flags in the beginning, but their charisma will make you think differently. Get out before it’s too late.
Okay, all done here. Onto the Type Four Individualist!
Steve Young
