Well after reading some descriptions about the Enneagram 8 on the internet and from the forums now, I decided to give you the source, I have drawn my Point of View about the 8 from.
It is translated from german and I hope I didnt destroy its meaning. It takes a more spiritual / humanistic approach. It is less about structured analysis and thinking-based ways to look at things.
What I want to accomplish is not to shed some better light on a personality that is interpreted as the "overbearing controlling tyrann", I want to show something about their motives and I think that exerpt fits em well.
Ok here it is (1:1 translation, hope it is readable):
Type Eight
---
Live wires
-
Eights are often recognized on first sight, because they are taller than life. They bring their influence to bear and draw attention to themselves. They enter a room buzzing and everybody knows that they are there. They are often louder and stronger than the rest of us. They draw their energy from experiencing their own strength. They are live wires. The energy of the eight is reflected in their gestures, their faces - and it is taxing to others.
-
Simply too much !
-
If you spent half an hour together with an eight, you want to flee. It is too much, it is simply too much ! That is meant when talked about the "voluptuousness" of the eight. Everything they do, they exaggerate. And they do it in a way, others would call "negative".
-
Confrontation
-
They meet reality confrontational. For this "confrontational intimacy" others do not have the appreciation for. Their advances are to start to argument with you. And one could think the eight does not like me. In reality the eight tries to come closer to others by behaving this way. And the eight is surprised at the others backing out. In their inner world eights are often sad and they ask themselves: "Why does nobody like me?" Nevertheless they do not change their rules of their game. They always try the same "advance".
-
Bad boys
-
While ones are sample childs, eights are bad boys. Their self-perception is: "I am upsetting". And they even like it to be "upsetting". One can imagine, how much problems eights have with church, where you are told: "Be nice and honest and good and pious". That makes no sense to an eight. The good guys are to eights sissies or cowards.
-
Altercation
-
An eight woman explained, she needed 40 years to develop confidence in Jesus. Because like Jesus was portraied - as blond, blue-eyed softie, who looks down smilieing on children - he did not tell her anything. This Jesus was not worth of her loving. Eights need someone, who get with them engaged into an altercation.
-
Justice
-
Eights do have, by factory design, a sense for justice. They see the dumbness and injustice in the world and they love to unmask it. They want to put mischief down. Without the eight the world would probably never change. One would get along with the dumbest systems.
-
Fighter
-
One should never try to challenge the eight. If you raise your voices, the eight raises his voice even higher. They love to fight and their is no price they would retreat for.
-
Hidden child
-
The key to the eight is to see the little boy or girl in them. You sometimes do not see it, but it is there all the time. They tend to show it in their whole life only to two or three other people. If eights start to behave like a wild and start bitching and roaring around and if you want to back off, it is the best to speak to the hidden child in them. Expect it that there is a hidden child.
-
The Protector
-
Eights try constantly to protect the little boys and girls in this world, everything that is weak and vulnerable. In the Developing World there are many missionaries, who are eights. They are ready to go through unbelievable offensivenesses. They take the greatest privations to help those people, who are in need of help. Their love towards the weak and vulnerable is boundless.
-
Passion
-
So if you try to inflate yourself and play the eight on them, they prick your ballon. But if you come weak and vulnerable, they will care for you out of their heart. At the end of their lives, eights sometimes carry a great burden around. They think about how many people, there have been who did not like them or who they have hurted. They actually stomp on others and spurn them. Their passion is equally their sin and their gift.
For eight this means: they have to overcome their devastating passions and they need to make way for life-making passions.
---
That is about it, thanks for reading, if you did so.
I think based on this description, their is no need for an Eight to be prone to a Te - function for example. With an existence based on passions.
Especially the last part about passions, I can rely to. And I find it very frightening..