Style Eight

The Challenger

Eights have a preoccupation with power. When they are healthy, they are natural leaders, protectors of the weak and filled with a gusto for life. They are in the forefront of fights for justice; they are fierce friends and loyal comrades. You can count on them to the bitter end. They see life as a battlefield and those are the virtues of a good soldier. Healthy Eights are honest, direct, touchingly gentle with the weak and often display an unguarded innocence, especially in a context of nature.

When Eights become unhealthy, their energy changes. They become more vengeful instead of seeking justice. They pump up their power and can't acknowledge vulnerability. Their war metaphor for life leads them to think in black and white, dividing the world into us and them. They attack to see how strong you are and they are without mercy in battle.

Eights you may know: Mike Tyson, Rush Limbaugh, John Wayne, F. Lee Bailey, Bob Dole, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Saddam Hussein, Grace Slick and Debra Winger.

Recognizing Style Eight

  1. They may fill up the room with focused energy.
  2. They may test you frequently in order to trust.
  3. They may define themselves by what they're against.
  4. Power may be the central issue.
  5. They may have black and white thinking.
  6. They may operate out of mere surface impressions.
  7. They may be oblivious to their inner processes.
  8. They may have trouble admitting needs.
  9. They have difficulty acknowledging vulnerability.
  10. They may not know how anger serves them.

How You Can Help

  1. Encourage symbolic bodywork.
  2. Determine "whose" justice they are pursuing.
  3. Introduce complexity and nuance.
  4. Point out their tightly focused attention.
  5. Distinguish between authority and control.
  6. Try to broaden the discussion/focus.
  7. Direct their anger at legitimate targets:
  8. Help them admit their needs.
  9. Help them claim inner values.
  10. Have them argue the opposing position to break focus.