Type Three
Riso and Hudson labeled a Three personality as the Achiever. Palmer and Daniels preferred the Performer. Others have dubbed this type the Succeeder and the Effective Person. This book calls this personality type King of the Hill because Threes will claw their way to the top of their chosen professions; in fact, they feel compelled to clamor over anyone who gets in their way to achieving maximum success. They have a deep-seated need to be seen as the top dog — prestigious, powerful, rich, and highly enviable.
Energetic, focused, and often driven, Threes are also the Enneagram's chameleons. They will mold themselves to be whatever is going to get them what they want or whatever will earn them the most money, get the girl who will make them look the best, or rise to the top of a social group, be it the country club crowd or the local chapter of the Teamsters. Threes focus on work and material success and often identify so strongly with their accomplishments that they seem to feel that they are what they do. They want to do very well and look good while doing it, so they are attracted to high-profile jobs and lavish lifestyles. They are often drawn to politics, Hollywood, or other high-status professions.
Threes can be ambitious, accomplished, competitive, goal-oriented, charismatic, opportunistic, conniving, and false. Their secret fear is that there really is nothing under the mask they present to society. They struggle with being deceitful and selling themselves short when they make career, social status, money, and a manufactured image more important than their friends, family, and, ultimately, their own true selves.
Pathological Threes can become cold-hearted, devious opportunists willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. But at their best, Threes are gracious, self-assured, highly accomplished, and admirable people who embody our American cultural values — when they are balanced.
Some famous people who embody Three energy include David Bowie, Dick Clark, David Copperfield, Tom Cruise, Michael Jordan, Elvis Presley, Summer Redstone, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, O.J. Simpson, and fictional characters Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby, Scarlett O'Hara, and Macbeth.
