Enneagram 8
Motivation: To be challenged
8s are people who love to live in the space where life causes a little friction. What that means is that they never settle for “good enough” or “comfortable” - instead they like to make things bigger and better. Out of all nine numbers, 8s have the most energy for accomplishing things. They are also the only number that is not affected by conflict, meaning that while other numbers may enjoy a good conflict or debate, 8s are the only number that can engage in conflict and have more energy afterwards. Conflict is not debilitating for 8s because it merely provides another opportunity to experience the fullness of life. 8s love a good challenge, and a conflict can be just that.
8s are highly valued for their ability to push things forward and make them work - be that a family, a business, or a hobby. 8s are often brutally honest with those around them, and provide the rest of the world with a transparent, “what you see is what you get” attitude. 8s carry themselves with what is arguably the highest level of self-confidence on the entire Enneagram, and this pushes them even further in their quest to solve problems and accomplish tasks.
In their hardest moments, 8s struggle greatly with feeling vulnerable in front of others. Showing their softer, more emotional side is very difficult for an 8, and others often find it hard to work with them because their energy and confidence is so high. 8s do not do well with the softer side of business, meaning that others often find themselves run over by the 8. It may feel like it is hard to hold your own against an 8 who is going at full force, especially if you struggle with conflict or are a people pleaser. Contrary to popular opinion, 8s do not try to bring others down or destroy them when they are upset - but 8s are masters at ignoring those that they do not respect. And that alone can make a partner, colleague, or family member feel steamrolled.
Center: Body
Body Triad number (8, 9, 1) are all motivated to find agency in their life. This means that they are searching for a way to affect their own life and want to find the freedom to live their life the way that they want to. This search for agency is often accompanied by a feeling of anger when their personal boundaries are pushed up against or overtaken.
8s are built on the belief that almost all threats to their agency originate from outside of them (in contrast to 1s, who believe that they originate from an internal place). This makes 8s wary of forces that may try to control or force them into something. As mentioned above, 8s do not prey on people, but they may (metaphorically) push you down if you are in their way.
Stance: Independent
Independent numbers (3, 7, 8) are all feeling repressed and have an independent reference point. This means that these numbers are united by a difficulty accessing genuine connection with others and are all able to stand independent from their environment and not be affected by it.
Feeling repression often shows up as “steamrolling” others in an attempt to get what that number wants. In 8s, feeling repression means that they often make others feel unheard. Because of their high confidence, it can extremely difficult to hold your own against an 8. This makes it so that people often feel like the 8 does not care about them or what they think. Feeling repression also causes the 8 to have a difficult time accessing the softer emotions underneath their anger.
An independent reference point means that these numbers are able to stand apart from their environment. This results in all three of these numbers not feeling obligated to respond to other peoples’ pleas for attention, time, or care. These numbers don’t often feel guilty for pursuing what they want, even if it goes against what those around them want.
Vice: Lust
Lust is a strange word for this, so let’s define it. It is not a physical lust, but a lust for MORE. 8s love to feel the friction between themselves and their life, and they love to push through boundaries and accomplish anything that they put their mind to. This makes the 8 experience a “lust” for bigger and better. 8s are very rarely satisfied with just sitting in one place not doing anything. 8s are constantly motivated to keep going, pushing, and solving.