A part of the power sector,’ the Eight is a natural born leader. Eights are easily identified by their energy and temperament. They have an inner drive and ability to dominate their environment like no other type — think of the lion in the jungle, or head of the tribe.
Members of the instinctual sector (Eights, Nines and Ones) are natural born leaders. This makes sense because they are driven not from their heads or emotions, but from their instinctual center — the place of guidance for the species. Instinctual types look to head types to give them the details, and to emotional types for support, but they are able to make important decisions with efficiency. The CEO who writes one sentence emails and gets angry when there is too much indecision is typically an instinctual type. Eights want to act and move on to the next thing. They have a 'gut ability' to detect what is coming and make it work for themselves and others. Their ability to act in the moment is what keeps an organization — and the human species — on track.
Eights are driven by anger. Unlike Nines and Ones, who try to avoid anger, Eights let it rip. Their anger is a force to behold. The source of their anger is a desire to not be hurt or crushed by the environment. Eights see the world from a place where ‘survival of the fittest’ is a fundamental reality. Sentimentality, emotionalism, over-analysis, and indecisiveness are traits of weakness from the Eight perspective. Eights are determined to survive, and in their determination they direct those who follow them toward that which fosters life. They are the natural champion of the underdog, protector of the little guy, and a force of salvation for those requiring a little extra help in this world.
The downside of Eights is that when their forceful will is not externally directed in a positive way, they can be very destructive. Think of Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar named Desire.” He was not going down alone — he was taking Stella with him. Eights can be very controlling.
Unlike Ones, who are driven by moral rules and codes, Eights make up their own rules as they go along. If a moral rule applies to what they want to do, great. If they have to lie to get what they want, that may be fine too. The mafia boss is an archetypal Eight. The cliché ‘the end justifies the means’ was probably written about an Eight. They do whatever is necessary to accomplish the mission.
Because Eights have no external authority, they are free to find what works in any given moment: this also contributes to their ability to lead. Think of the great general in the battlefield — Patton, for instance. Eights are not hindered by what has been done before. They are not hindered by what others think. They are able to do what is appropriate to ensure optimal survivability in the moment. This ability is both the Eight’s grace and his or her Achilles’ heel.
At times, culture doesn’t like people who just do whatever they want and Eights may face retribution for their actions, especially if their will is not aligned with a higher mission. Often the Eight doesn’t understand this persecution. The Eight was just doing what needed to be done to protect his people.
Israel and Ireland are both Eight cultures. There is a sense of bravado and steely, self-willed determination.
In NLP terms Eights tend to run switch or self though occasionally run simultaneous. They often are internally referenced and tend to be a bit closer to the moment than their other instinctual counterparts. Eights are cool and tough.
To learn more about NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), visit Our Science.
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