I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure
Enneagram type 3s are confident, efficient, energetic, hard-working, and optimistic when at their best and living in healthy levels. Sometimes called the performer but I’m sticking with Enneagram Type 3: The Achiever!
How Do You Know If You Are a Type 3?
As is true of all enneagram types, your type is determined by core motivation. Yes, there are traits that are more common to type 1s but traits are not what determines your type. (You could be a type 3 who doesn’t like the spotlight!)
So if you are trying to figure out if you are a type 3, you’ll want to look into the core motivations to see which one resonates with you.
Enneagram 3: The Achiever
Core Motivation of Type 3
Core Desire: to be valued/admired
Core Fear: being not valued/not admired/being worthless
Wounding Message: “It’s not ok to have your own feelings or identity.”
Core Longing (what they wish they believed to be true):“You are loved and valued for simply being you.”
Core Weakness: Deceit (as in deceiving themselves into believing that they are only the image that they show others).
Positive Traits of Type 3
Optimistic, confident, hard-working, efficient, competent, motivating, energetic.
Negative Traits of Type 3
Self-promoting, vain, workaholic, inauthentic, too competitive, impatient, validation needy.
Type 3 Wing Options
Type 3’s have wing options of 2 and 4.
Keep in mind that while most people have one dominant wing (hence 3w2), but some people find they have balanced wings, and some find that they do not make use of their wings.
Type 3 Stress Number
In stress, 3s take on the negative traits of type 9 (complacent, apathetic, retreating, disengaged).
Check out Enneagram Types Under Stress for more info.
Type 3 Growth Number
When 3s are growing they take on the positive traits of type 6 (more committed to others, more aware of their feelings, more able to drop their masks).
Triadic Groups of Type 3
Center of Intelligence: Heart/Feeling Center
This means 2s take in and process the world through their feelings.
Check out my Centers of Intelligence post for more info on the Gut Center.
Hornevian Group (also called “Stances”): The Assertive Group
The assertive group means that 3s move against people in hopes of earning what they desire (attention).
Check out Enneagram Hornevian Groups for more info.
Harmonic Group: The Competency Group
Harmonic groups explains how the types deal with conflict and 1s are in the competency group meaning they put emphasis on solving the conflict in a competent way.
For more info, check out my post on Harmonic Groups.
Harmony Group: The Pragmatist Group
Harmony groups explain how your type relates to the world. Type 3s are in the pragmatist group because they seek their own place in the world (and they attach to what makes that work for them pragmatically).
My post on Harmony Groups has more details.
Levels of Health for Type 3
Depending on their level of health, a type 3 can look a bit different from another type 3. The three main levels of health are Healthy, Average, and Unhealthy.
3s when healthy: are more authentic and self-accepting. They are competent and ambitious to improve themselves and consequently others are motivated by their example.. They are able to believe in their own value and are self-confident; not needing the admiration of others as much.
3s when average: are more concerned with their achievements and how they appear to others. Still quite efficient and goal crushers but are not fully themselves or their authentic selves. May promote themselves and their talents in hopes of earning more admiration.
3s when unhealthy: are envious of others’ success and may even become vindictive. They can be deceptive in order that their short-fallings are not exposed. Very afraid of failure and humiliation and may do whatever it takes to maintain their facade of success.
These are just the three main levels of health. There are actually a total of nine levels of health; three levels in each of these main levels.
If you want the full break down with all the details for the levels of health, I highly recommend picking up Riso and Hudson’s book: Personality Types.
