Enneagram Type 8: The Hero

Core motivation: a fear of being controlled by others, a fear of vulnerability, a desire to control their environment, power

Coping strategies: denial, aggression, intimidation

Fundamental needs: control, stimulation, achievement, leaving a legacy, protecting themselves and others

Enneagram test: here

Other names: The Challenger, The Protector, The Boss, The Leader, The Hero

Before we jump into Type 8 characteristics, it helps to understand that many of these traits come from a deep fear of feeling weak or controlled by others. Their strength and power are often an attempt to hide their vulnerability and softer feelings.

Type 8 is usually not hard to spot. Look for the following traits:

Presence.
Eights have a commanding presence. They do not demand attention; they command attention simply by being present. Challengers possess a special kind of energy that other people can feel, and they usually get respect and attention without much effort. Naturally dominant, Eights own the room.

Go-getters.
Eights are proactive and do not hesitate to take the initiative. If they set out to do something, they give it their all until their mission is accomplished.

Decisive.
Eights are capable of making fast decisions, even in stressful situations. They believe they must be able to deal with big problems and are ready to take full responsibility for their choices.

Assertive.
Eights can stand up for themselves and others. They will not accept mistreatment, and they will be clear about their wants and needs.

Leadership.
Eights are natural leaders. Both male and female Eights would rather give orders than be ordered around. It does not matter if the Eight is a housewife or a CEO — they are going to lead and tell others what to do.

Independent.
Independence is one of the Eight’s core values. Because of their intense need to be autonomous, they avoid accepting other people’s help and resist being indebted to anyone.

Confident.
Eights believe in their ability to control their environment and get the results they want. Because they often believe they can push past ordinary limits, they may appear overconfident or simply “too much.”

Important.
One of the Eight’s biggest fears is being average. Eights want to make a difference in the world; they want to leave a legacy after they are gone.

Inspiring.
Eights inspire others with their energy and vision. They believe in themselves, and they also believe in others. They instill hope in others about what they can achieve and who they can become.

Strong.
To mask their vulnerability and discourage others from messing with them, Eights adopt a tough exterior and deny any weakness or fear.

Rebellious.
Because Eights do not want others to control them, and because they see themselves as protectors of the weak, they often rebel against established authorities and rules.

Protective.
Eights do not hesitate to stand up for their friends and loved ones and may become very aggressive when defending them. A healthy Eight is not a bully and does not enjoy seeing other people being bullied.

Confrontational.
Eights do not tiptoe around problems; they confront whatever or whoever bothers them head-on. They believe it is much easier to communicate their feelings about a situation right away than to stay stuck in anger and resentment.

Vision.
Eights are big-picture thinkers. They see opportunity where others see only gloom and hopelessness. They can take on a failing project and turn it into a success. Eights are exceptionally hard workers — they work hard and enjoy doing so.

Eights can sometimes overdo their forcefulness and express too much power. The Eight’s strengths may turn into weaknesses.

Too intense.
Their intense questioning, brutal honesty, and ability to see through people may scare others off.

Intimidating.
Eights want to give the impression that they are always in control of the situation, even when they are not. They may intimidate others by throwing around their power and authority, ordering people around, and criticizing them.

Angry.
When Eights feel they are about to lose their grip, they may explode into rage. In that state, their ability to reason is diminished, and they may say and do things without thinking them through.

Impatience.
Eights want to move things forward as fast as they can. While they are great big-picture thinkers, they often ignore important details, not to mention other people’s opinions and feelings.

Aggressive.
Eights believe that the best defense is a good offense and may attack others when they feel threatened. Just like pufferfish double their size when in danger, Eights can become “big” when threatened or challenged.

Excessive behavior.
Because Eights want to see themselves as “big,” even when they are not necessarily that big or strong, they tend to engage in extreme behaviors. Some examples include overeating, not sleeping enough, working too late at night, or partying too much.

Insisting on being right.
Eights believe they are the most influential people in their surroundings, and because of this belief, they assume their opinions are the only correct opinions to have. They may bend the truth to match their perception without even being aware of what they are doing.

Workaholics.
To affect their environment, build things, and leave a legacy, Challengers need to be productive. But with their tendency toward excessive behavior, Eights often overdo things and work too much and too late. They may feel anxious when they are not working and deny their natural human limitations or physical needs.

Black-and-white thinking.
Eights mentally divide people into two categories: the strong and the weak, with nothing in between. While healthy Eights see themselves as protectors of the weak, unhealthy Eights may decide that the weak do not deserve their respect.

Enneagram Type 8 Subtypes

Some Enneagram experts divide each Enneagram personality type into three subtypes: self-preservation, social, and one-to-one. Depending on the Eight’s main focus, we have the Self-Preservation Eight, the Social Eight, and the One-to-One Eight.

Self-Preservation Eights focus on protecting their interests. Social Eights use their power and authority to protect others. One-to-One Eights tend to be attention seekers and may try to control others through their charisma and provocative behavior.

Another way to classify Eights is by their health level.

Each personality type can be divided into nine health levels. Eights can range all the way from big-hearted and compassionate heroes at level 1 to destructive and dangerous psychopaths at level 9.

Wings

In addition to our primary type, we are affected by the two neighboring types. There are no definite boundaries where one type ends and another begins. In this case, Type 8 can be affected by Type 7 and Type 9. As a result, there are two distinct subtypes: the Eight with a Seven-Wing (8w7) and the Eight with a Nine-Wing (8w9).

How to Deal with Eights

Eights can be challenging to deal with if they are unhealthy, but healthy Eights should not be a problem. They tend to have a distinct communication style that is very direct and somewhat in-your-face. But Eights themselves may not understand why this upsets other people when they are only trying to make a point.

They respect reliable and competent people whom they consider to be at their level. They dislike laziness and irrational behavior. Unless you are prepared for a confrontation, do not try to intimidate Eights or make them feel threatened. Avoid telling them what to do and allow them to feel free to make their own choices.

Why Type 8s Need Control

Why do Enneagram Type 8s feel such a strong need to dominate and control their environment? This need stems from their deeply held conviction that the weak are constantly abused and taken advantage of by others. Because of this belief, they decide that they need to be strong to protect themselves and the people they love.

Famous Eights

• Mikhail Gorbachev
• Donald Trump
• Franklin Roosevelt
• Muhammad Ali
• Sean Connery
• Joseph Stalin
• Fidel Castro
• Pablo Picasso
• Charles de Gaulle
• Napoleon
• Saddam Hussein

Enneagram Type 8 and MBTI

People who belong to this personality type could be ENTJs or ESTJs.

Enneagram Test Type 8: 100 Signs You Are an Eight