Overview
General Archetypal Names: Achiever, Motivator, Performer
Core Motivational Theme: Recognition/Success, Value/Worth
Core Fear: being unaccomplished, invaluable, unsuccessful, unacknowledged, not good enough/unworthy (in the context of social/group relationships)
Core Desire: being successful, recognized, inspiring, acknowledged, socially valuable, worthy
Center of Intelligence: heart/feeling
Connecting Points: 6 (head/thinking), 9 (gut/instinctive)
Archetypal Journey (Levels of Consciousness)
From least to most conscious, these archetypes represent the varying ways that a human may respond to the core motivation arising out of point 3 on the Enneagram.
“If you aren’t recognized and successful you are nobody. I will do whatever it takes to get to the top; my deception doesn’t hurt anybody.”
“I want to be recognized and successful. What does everybody like and want? How do I need to present myself to win their favor and convince them of my worth?”
“I choose love and truth over things and others’ opinions. I only want what I can earn through honesty, excellence, and integrity. In being true to myself, I am fulfilled and enlivened. In giving from the heart, I am worthy and valuable.”
Integration and Disintegration / Connecting Points
Examples/Helpful Resources/Suggestions
1. Watch How craving attention makes you less creative | Joseph Gordon-Levitt TED Talk
The problem: Seeking attention leads to shame, lack, isolation, and rejection.
The solution: Paying attention leads to fulfillment, honesty, collaboration, and love.
The whole point of TED Talks is to pack a ton of value into a brief presentation. In his honest, self-reflective presentation “How Craving Attention Makes You Less Creative” actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt does just that—providing an extremely useful glimpse into the challenges and integrative solutions to the 3 aspect of the psyche.
2. Be Mindful of your Manifestation, Recognize the Limits of the Law of Attraction
Many Law of Attraction teachers and people drawn to it are threes, and it is no accident that it is so. The Law of Attraction naturally attracts threes; it speaks to positive thinking, abundance, and success. While benefit can certainly be gained from setting intentions, visualizing, focusing, and moving towards goals; the Enneagram is a useful tool in pointing out the limitations of the Law of Attraction in ways that aren’t often stated in Law of Attraction teachings. While the Law of Attraction emphasizes how to use your thoughts and beliefs to have anything you want, it’s important to dig deeper than that. Who is this you that is desiring these things, and what do they hope to be gain and lose from the fulfillment of these desires? If one just jumps into manifesting their desires without giving awareness to their personality’s tendencies, their desires are often just unconscious attempts to get rid of their core fear’s sense of “I’m not enough” or “this isn’t enough” through successes, achievements, and validations. But desires that arise out of this core fear’s sense of I’m not worthy unless…, not valuable until…, or I want this because it will relive my sense of…, don’t bring fulfillment even if they are fulfilled. No amount of positive thinking or affirmations can offset the suffering caused by giving one’s life energy over to the chasing of desires borne out one’s core fear, only awareness of the pattern can bring its relief. Awareness of the pattern creates freedom from it; bringing peace, love, and fulfillment. Desires borne out of these qualities are more likely be fulfilled and to be fulfilling.
