EMPOWERMENT
EIGHT | EMPOWERMENT
At their best, Eights are magnanimous and use their strength to improve the lives of others. Energetic and intense the Eight strive to be strong and avoid feelings of defenselessness. Their focus tends to go to fairness and justice. When wronged, or the weak are taking advantage of, they will fight back. Their challenge is to combine assertion and control with interdependency and cooperation, as well as learn how to manage their excessive energy.
We can support the Eights in our lives by encouraging them to accept his/her own vulnerability, distinguish it from weakness, and reduce excessive impulsive behavior. In conflict, Eights want respect; be sure to match the intensity of their energy, be forthright, and firm, yet flexible.
Strengths: Empowering, direct and protective
Challenges: Excessive, angry, dominating
Speaking Style: Eights usually speak assertively and exert strong leadership.
Basic Proposition
The original innocent state of sensing the essential truth in everything and in each individual goes into the background in a world that Type Eights perceive as hard and unjust, where the powerful take advantage of others. Eights come to believe that they can assure protection and gain respect and regard by becoming strong and powerful, by imposing their own personal truth and by hiding vulnerability. Concurrently, Type Eights develop a big, exuberant energy. Their attention naturally goes to injustices and to what needs control or assertiveness. Denial glues the structure together by helping them to blank out or ignore dangers, or to prevent themselves from experiencing vulnerability. Their ultimate concern or fear is being totally vulnerable and powerless. As compensation, Eights sometimes control by becoming forceful, overly direct and impactful, declarative, confrontational, the enforcer of their view of truth and justice, intimidating, and impulsive.
Basic Propositions were written by Dr. David Daniels, M.D.