Enneagram Type Eight
The Challenger
The strong, decisive type.
Overview of The Enneagram Type Eights
Also known as: The Protector, The Boss, The Intimidator, The Maverick, The Asserter, The Warrior
Core Fear: Of being harmed or controlled by others
Core Desire: To protect themselves, and to be in control of their own life and destiny
Core Weakness: Lust – an excessive appetite for life and physical pleasure
Core Strength: Innocence – to face life with an open heart, without judgment or expectation
Core Longing (the message your heart longs to hear): You will not be betrayed.
Disintegration under stress: Towards 5
Integration under growth: Towards 2
Common Characteristics of Enneagram 8s
Strong, confident and assertive.
Enneagram Type Eights are often strong, confident and assertive. They believe that you create your own destiny by forging your own path in the world. Self-assured and bold, eights tend to pride themselves on their ability to weather adversity and challenge.
They are generally happy to take the heat for unpopular decisions, if they think the fallout will be worth the gains. They are also likely to pick themselves up successfully after failure, believing that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Their strong, dynamic personalities make eights natural leaders. Charismatic and persuasive, they often inspire other people to follow them and fall into line. Their commanding presence coupled with their innate self-confidence means that you often know when an eight has walked into a room!
Independent with an eye for justice.
The leadership abilities of the eight go hand in hand with their desire not to be controlled by others. Wanting to prove themselves as independent and self-reliant, eights tend to find positions of authority as they feel safer being in charge of others. Their determination means that they rarely back down from a path of action, and they tend to get what they want in the end.
Enneagram eights have a strong sense of justice and fight for what is right. They tend to be generous and loyal, particularly to those in their inner circle.
They are willing to champion and protect the underdog, even to their own detriment. Those who find themselves protected and supported by eights are usually very grateful for this guardianship.
Straight talking and action oriented.
Due to their self-confidence, eights tend to be open and honest. They dislike ambiguity and want the truth. Often, to them the truth is very black and white and it is difficult to accept that other ways of thinking may be equally as valid as their own.
Eights don’t tiptoe around problems and confront the world head-on, believing that it’s better for everything to be out in the open than not dealt with.
Type eights are often very action-oriented. They are energetic and practical and enjoy being busy. Tending to go with their gut instincts, they find it easy to make decisions and get the ball rolling. Once started on a course of action, they work hard to get things done as soon as possible.
Forceful and impactful.
Eights have a lust for life. Believing that they deserve to have whatever they want, they tend to throw themselves into obtaining their goals, wanting to experience everything to the fullest. Often driven by a fear of not having enough, this desire can lead to them being negatively driven by their physical appetites. However, it also allows them to enjoy their existence in a fiercely visceral way.
At their core, eights want to leave their mark on the world. They want to ensure that they won’t be easily forgotten once they’re gone. They dislike the thought of being average and want to ‘make a difference’, leaving the world in a better place for those who come after them.
Although at their worst eights can be intimidating and domineering, forcing others to bend to their will, at their best they are inspiring, generous and protective, championing the underdog and working fiercely to create and sustain a fairer society.
Common Characteristics of Enneagram 8s
Strong, confident and assertive.
Eights are often strong, confident and assertive. They believe that you create your own destiny by forging your own path in the world. Self-assured and bold, eights tend to pride themselves on their ability to weather adversity and challenge.
They are generally happy to take the heat for unpopular decisions, if they think the fallout will be worth the gains. They are also likely to pick themselves up successfully after failure, believing that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Their strong, dynamic personalities make eights natural leaders. Charismatic and persuasive, they often inspire other people to follow them and fall into line. Their commanding presence coupled with their innate self-confidence means that you often know when an eight has walked into a room!
Independent with an eye for justice.
The leadership abilities of the eight go hand in hand with their desire not to be controlled by others. Wanting to prove themselves as independent and self-reliant, eights tend to find positions of authority as they feel safer being in charge of others. Their determination means that they rarely back down from a path of action, and they tend to get what they want in the end.
Eights have a strong sense of justice and fight for what is right. They tend to be generous and loyal, particularly to those in their inner circle.
They are willing to champion and protect the underdog, even to their own detriment. Those who find themselves protected and supported by eights are usually very grateful for this guardianship.
Straight talking and action oriented.
Due to their self-confidence, eights tend to be open and honest. They dislike ambiguity and want the truth. Often, to them the truth is very black and white and it is difficult to accept that other ways of thinking may be equally as valid as their own.
Eights don’t tiptoe around problems and confront the world head-on, believing that it’s better for everything to be out in the open than not dealt with.
Eights are often very action-oriented. They are energetic and practical and enjoy being busy. Tending to go with their gut instincts, they find it easy to make decisions and get the ball rolling. Once started on a course of action, they work hard to get things done as soon as possible.
Forceful and impactful.
Eights have a lust for life. Believing that they deserve to have whatever they want, they tend to throw themselves into obtaining their goals, wanting to experience everything to the fullest. Often driven by a fear of not having enough, this desire can lead to them being negatively driven by their physical appetites. However, it also allows them to enjoy their existence in a fiercely visceral way.
At their core, eights want to leave their mark on the world. They want to ensure that they won’t be easily forgotten once they’re gone. They dislike the thought of being average and want to ‘make a difference’, leaving the world in a better place for those who come after them.
Although at their worst eights can be intimidating and domineering, forcing others to bend to their will, at their best they are inspiring, generous and protective, championing the underdog and working fiercely to create and sustain a fairer society.
Strengths of Enneagram 8s
Courage and strength.
Strengths of Enneagram 8s
Courage and strength.
One of the most easily recognisable strengths of the eight is their courage. Believing that they are strong enough to cope with life’s struggles, they meet challenges head on.
More than this, they don’t worry in advance about having to deal with negative consequences, once again believing that they have the wherewithal to cope.
This means that eights leap into action where others would not. They often throw themselves into situations in the belief that they can easily succeed – and if they don’t, and someone has to deal with the comeuppance, it may as well be them.
One of the most easily recognisable strengths of the eight is their courage. Believing that they are strong enough to cope with life’s struggles, they meet challenges head on.
More than this, they don’t worry in advance about having to deal with negative consequences, once again believing that they have the wherewithal to cope.
This means that eights leap into action where others would not. They often throw themselves into situations in the belief that they can easily succeed – and if they don’t, and someone has to deal with the comeuppance, it may as well be them.
Generous, decisive and industrious.
They are generous, and there is little they will not do once they have committed to a person or a cause. Honourable and justice-minded, they will champion fairness and will not stop until they feel that their aim has been achieved.
Being action-oriented, eights can easily take the initiative when others are unsure of what to do. They tend to be decisive by nature and follow their gut instincts. They’re often known for having a lot of common sense. As they are independent, eights don’t feel the need to wait for external permission before taking action.
Eights also tend to be very hard-working. Once they have started something, they will happily see it through to the end. This means that it is not uncommon for an eight to have picked up and finished a task before anyone else has even decided on which course of action to take!
Leadership and vision.
Eights have natural leadership abilities and tend to possess good people skills. They enjoy spending time with others and motivating others to succeed. It is rare for others to defy an eight, as their take-charge attitude means that people easily fall into line and follow them.
The energy and vision of the eight is inspirational to those around them. Their self-confidence tends to ooze out of them, helping others to believe that they too can achieve in the same way as the eight.
Healthy eights enjoy leading others to greater self-confidence and success as much as they enjoy being successful themselves.
Generous, decisive and industrious.
They are generous, and there is little they will not do once they have committed to a person or a cause. Honourable and justice-minded, they will champion fairness and will not stop until they feel that their aim has been achieved.
Being action-oriented, eights can easily take the initiative when others are unsure of what to do. They tend to be decisive by nature and follow their gut instincts. They’re often known for having a lot of common sense. As they are independent, eights don’t feel the need to wait for external permission before taking action.
Eights also tend to be very hard-working. Once they have started something, they will happily see it through to the end. This means that it is not uncommon for an eight to have picked up and finished a task before anyone else has even decided on which course of action to take!
Leadership and vision.
Eights have natural leadership abilities and tend to possess good people skills. They enjoy spending time with others and motivating others to succeed. It is rare for others to defy an eight, as their take-charge attitude means that people easily fall into line and follow them.
The energy and vision of the eight is inspirational to those around them. Their self-confidence tends to ooze out of them, helping others to believe that they too can achieve in the same way as the eight.
Healthy eights enjoy leading others to greater self-confidence and success as much as they enjoy being successful themselves.
Challenges of Enneagram 8s
As with all Enneagram types, the challenges faced by the eight are often fundamentally linked to their strengths – the two are opposite sides of the same coin.
Can become domineering, intimidating and dismissive.
As they want to be in charge, eights can easily become bossy or domineering. They are used to getting their own way and dislike it when others don’t easily ‘fall into line’. Eights can push back against what they view as insubordination, becoming intimidating and belligerent as they fight to remain top dog.
Eights tend to have a black-and-white worldview. They struggle to entertain the possibility that they could be wrong. They’re often so blinkered by their own worldview that they disregard the opinions of others.
It’s not that they actively disagree with these opinions, more that they don’t see the use of considering other perspectives when they believe that their way is always the best. To others, this can feel dismissive or even oppressive.
Placing too much value on power and status.
Eights tend to overvalue power and seek status above all else. They often have a ‘winner takes all’ philosophy, believing that they have to fight their way to the top.
Enjoying challenge, this is something they will willingly do. However, once again this means eights often walk over others in their quest for power, leading some to feel exploited by the power-hungry eight.
Eights have very quick tempers and become angry easily. They often see their anger as a justified response to a situation which is not to their liking, but fail to consider the people that their anger is affecting. They can become aggressive with words and behaviour, and at unhealthy levels can even become violent.
Struggle to be vulnerable.
Another struggle faced by eights is their desire to constantly be ‘strong’. They find it difficult to be vulnerable, viewing this as weakness. They have little tolerance for vulnerability or ‘soft’ emotions in others either, and can become frustrated with people that they view as too weak.
Not only does this mean that eights tend to bottle up all their negative emotions, but also that they can find it difficult to maintain close, intimate relationships.
Finally, perhaps the biggest challenge for eights is their tendency to be excessive. Believing that too much of a good thing is nearly enough, eights tend to overdo everything. Their all-or-nothing personalities means that others can get hurt as the eight rarely holds themself back.
These excessive tendencies can lead to burn out or constant dissatisfaction, as well as meaning that eights often ignore their own problems, becoming focused on what else they can attain or consume.
Challenges of Enneagram 8s
As with all Enneagram types, the challenges faced by the eight are often fundamentally linked to their strengths – the two are opposite sides of the same coin.
Can become domineering, intimidating and dismissive.
As they want to be in charge, eights can easily become bossy or domineering. They are used to getting their own way and dislike it when others don’t easily ‘fall into line’. Eights can push back against what they view as insubordination, becoming intimidating and belligerent as they fight to remain top dog.
Eights tend to have a black-and-white worldview. They struggle to entertain the possibility that they could be wrong. They’re often so blinkered by their own worldview that they disregard the opinions of others.
It’s not that they actively disagree with these opinions, more that they don’t see the use of considering other perspectives when they believe that their way is always the best. To others, this can feel dismissive or even oppressive.
Placing too much value on power and status.
Eights tend to overvalue power and seek status above all else. They often have a ‘winner takes all’ philosophy, believing that they have to fight their way to the top.
Enjoying challenge, this is something they will willingly do. However, once again this means eights often walk over others in their quest for power, leading some to feel exploited by the power-hungry eight.
Eights have very quick tempers and become angry easily. They often see their anger as a justified response to a situation which is not to their liking, but fail to consider the people that their anger is affecting. They can become aggressive with words and behaviour, and at unhealthy levels can even become violent.
Struggle to be vulnerable.
Another struggle faced by eights is their desire to constantly be ‘strong’. They find it difficult to be vulnerable, viewing this as weakness. They have little tolerance for vulnerability or ‘soft’ emotions in others either, and can become frustrated with people that they view as too weak.
Not only does this mean that eights tend to bottle up all their negative emotions, but also that they can find it difficult to maintain close, intimate relationships.
Finally, perhaps the biggest challenge for eights is their tendency to be excessive. Believing that too much of a good thing is nearly enough, eights tend to overdo everything. Their all-or-nothing personalities means that others can get hurt as the eight rarely holds themself back.
These excessive tendencies can lead to burn out or constant dissatisfaction, as well as meaning that eights often ignore their own problems, becoming focused on what else they can attain or consume.
Levels of Development for Enneagram Type 8s
Healthy Eights
At healthy levels, Enneagram Type 8s:
- Are magnanimous, working for the good of others, focusing particularly on helping those who cannot help themselves
- Care deeply for others, noticing when those around them need help or protection
- Are self-sacrificing, putting others before themselves, and promoting others even to their own detriment
- Become radically generous, doing all they can to protect and support those around them
- Are courageous and passionate, unafraid to take action or speak up
- Are strong and confident leaders, able to inspire people to follow them and lead with direction and foresight
- Become self-restrained, learning to curb their excesses and be satisfied with less
- Take life as it comes, happy to let destiny take its course rather than forcing the world to bend to their will
Average Eights
At average levels, Enneagram Type 8s:
- Are hardworking and industrious, committed to tasks they begin
- Are independent and self-sufficient, preferring to function without needing other people
- Are assertive and dogmatic in their approach, becoming stubborn if they sense opposition
- Can be forceful and domineering in their pursuit of their aims
- Can be intense and excessive, indulging their appetites freely
- Are often driven by a desire for power and control, only happy when no one else is trying to control them
- Can be competitive and confrontational, wanting to ‘win’ in all their interactions
- Dislike showing their vulnerability and feel the need to hide weaknesses
Unhealthy Eights
At unhealthy levels, Enneagram Type 8s:
- Often become dictatorial in their attempts to make others follow their set path
- Can be ruthless or hard-hearted, disregarding others’ feelings and any consequences of their actions
- Feel a false sense of invincibility, causing them to make unwise decisions and leading to disbelief and rage when they fail
- Can isolate themselves from others, working with tunnel-vision and caring about little but their projects
- Can become vengeful, holding grudges and pursuing what they view as justice in a very ‘an eye for an eye’ type fashion
- Can become so scared that they’re going to be emotionally hurt that they lash out at others first to push them away
- Become increasingly aggressive and violent as they struggle to achieve their aims and keep their power
- Become megalomaniacal and obsessed with power, in extreme cases losing their grip on reality as they seek to reach whatever they view as the echelons of success.
Levels of Development for Enneagram Type 8s
Healthy Eights
At healthy levels, Enneagram Type 8s:
- Are magnanimous, working for the good of others, focusing particularly on helping those who cannot help themselves
- Care deeply for others, noticing when those around them need help or protection
- Are self-sacrificing, putting others before themselves, and promoting others even to their own detriment
- Become radically generous, doing all they can to protect and support those around them
- Are courageous and passionate, unafraid to take action or speak up
- Are strong and confident leaders, able to inspire people to follow them and lead with direction and foresight
- Become self-restrained, learning to curb their excesses and be satisfied with less
- Take life as it comes, happy to let destiny take its course rather than forcing the world to bend to their will
Average Eights
At average levels, Enneagram Type 8s:
- Are hardworking and industrious, committed to tasks they begin
- Are independent and self-sufficient, preferring to function without needing other people
- Are assertive and dogmatic in their approach, becoming stubborn if they sense opposition
- Can be forceful and domineering in their pursuit of their aims
- Can be intense and excessive, indulging their appetites freely
- Are often driven by a desire for power and control, only happy when no one else is trying to control them
- Can be competitive and confrontational, wanting to ‘win’ in all their interactions
- Dislike showing their vulnerability and feel the need to hide weaknesses
Unhealthy Eights
At unhealthy levels, Enneagram Type 8s:
- Often become dictatorial in their attempts to make others follow their set path
- Can be ruthless or hard-hearted, disregarding others’ feelings and any consequences of their actions
- Feel a false sense of invincibility, causing them to make unwise decisions and leading to disbelief and rage when they fail
- Can isolate themselves from others, working with tunnel-vision and caring about little but their projects
- Can become vengeful, holding grudges and pursuing what they view as justice in a very ‘an eye for an eye’ type fashion
- Can become so scared that they’re going to be emotionally hurt that they lash out at others first to push them away
- Become increasingly aggressive and violent as they struggle to achieve their aims and keep their power
- Become megalomaniacal and obsessed with power, in extreme cases losing their grip on reality as they seek to reach whatever they view as the echelons of success.
Personal Growth Recommendations for Enneagram Type 8s
These recommendations aim to help eights themselves achieve healthy levels of development, as well as to give suggestions to others as to how to help the eights in their lives.
- Try to think before you act. Remember that leaping into action without considering consequences or other people’s feelings can get you into trouble sometimes.
- Try to act with self-restraint and curb your impulses. Sometimes, being mild and moderate is ok!
- Practise managing your temper and emotions. Remember that your anger is not always justified, and learn to control your outbursts.
- Try to understand the value of vulnerability and weakness. It is ok to be open with people, and to struggle sometimes too.
- Practise allowing others to be in charge. Try to listen to their ideas, and learn to recognise when it’s ok for you to step back.
- Realise that you can’t be completely self-sufficient. You need other people as much as they need you.
- Try to learn the value of being open and vulnerable with others. Practise letting your guard down more – you will see that not everyone is out to get you, and that intimacy will ground and stabilise your relationships.
- Try to realise that you over-value power. You will probably feel far more satisfied with life if you devote yourself to causes you believe in, rather than fighting to be at the top.
- Try to realise that you over-simplify power. Your real power lies in your ability to inspire and uplift others, rather than in controlling them.
- Learn to take life as it comes. You will feel most at peace when you can live in the present and accept what life throws at you, without trying to manipulate it to your will.
Personal Growth Recommendations for Enneagram Type 8s
These recommendations aim to help eights themselves achieve healthy levels of development, as well as to give suggestions to others as to how to help the eights in their lives.
- Try to think before you act. Remember that leaping into action without considering consequences or other people’s feelings can get you into trouble sometimes.
- Try to act with self-restraint and curb your impulses. Sometimes, being mild and moderate is ok!
- Practise managing your temper and emotions. Remember that your anger is not always justified, and learn to control your outbursts.
- Try to understand the value of vulnerability and weakness. It is ok to be open with people, and to struggle sometimes too.
- Practise allowing others to be in charge. Try to listen to their ideas, and learn to recognise when it’s ok for you to step back.
- Realise that you can’t be completely self-sufficient. You need other people as much as they need you.
- Try to learn the value of being open and vulnerable with others. Practise letting your guard down more – you will see that not everyone is out to get you, and that intimacy will ground and stabilise your relationships.
- Try to realise that you over-value power. You will probably feel far more satisfied with life if you devote yourself to causes you believe in, rather than fighting to be at the top.
- Try to realise that you over-simplify power. Your real power lies in your ability to inspire and uplift others, rather than in controlling them.
- Learn to take life as it comes. You will feel most at peace when you can live in the present and accept what life throws at you, without trying to manipulate it to your will.
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If you’d like to learn more about the Enneagram, pop your email address in the form below. We’ll email you once a week with our hand-picked favourite Enneagram reads.