Typical Comments
"I like seeing success breed upon
success."
"I've always been successful."
"I have a shelf full of empty trophies."
"I got pats on the back for doing well
in school, and my parents made it clear what would be approved of."
Description
People who are Threes are often expansive go-getters.
In organizations, they ensure high productivity. Formidable models for others, they are
efficient and supremely goal-oriented; consequently, they tend to rise to
the top in organizations, or to run their own companies.
What under-developed Threes personify for
all
of us is our image-making. They tend to self-promote, and can be
perceived as showcasing themselves at the expense of others. Threes tend to look
outward for their reflection in the eyes of others. Thus, their inner life can be
lacking. Their driving force is vanity, which shows up as self-deception (e.g.,
convincing oneself that a failure to involve the team in a major business coup was not
important because of the results achieved).
Development options include learning to
collaborate instead of compete, clarifying their own values/developing internal criteria
(vs. external validation), learning from failure, and accessing their feelings. A key
development need is
authenticity, speaking
from the essential self and not through personality needs.
Case
Description of a Three
Poems That Speak to
Threes