Enneagram 8 – Average Health Level

Where Are You Right Now Enneagram 8?

You’re taking charge and asserting yourself, but you might feel the need to control situations or protect yourself from vulnerability. This can lead to tension in relationships or a sense of always needing to stay on guard. This is an opportunity to soften your approach and allow others to support you. Embracing trust and collaboration can help you find balance and connection.

How This Shows Up: Signs You’re Here

In daily life, you might take charge of situations, feeling the need to control outcomes to ensure things run smoothly. You could find yourself being more assertive—or even confrontational—if you feel others are overstepping or not pulling their weight. At work or home, you may push through challenges with intensity but struggle to delegate or show vulnerability, which can create tension in relationships.

I'm hard-driving, no-nonsense, dominating, intimidating

How This Feels: Emotional Indicators

You may feel a persistent need to stay strong and in control, accompanied by frustration or impatience when others don’t meet your expectations. There’s often a simmering tension, driven by a fear of vulnerability or being taken advantage of. While your determination keeps you moving forward, you might feel isolated or misunderstood, as if others can’t fully grasp your intentions or intensity.

WHAT’S FUELING THIS:

Common Triggers or Mindsets

A belief that you must stay strong and in control to avoid being vulnerable or taken advantage of.
Reacting quickly to perceived challenges or threats, often with intensity or assertiveness.
Distrusting others to handle things as effectively as you would, leading to a tendency to take over or dominate.

FINDING YOUR BALANCE

Pause before reacting and ask yourself, “Do I need to take control, or can I trust others to handle this?”
Practice vulnerability by sharing your true feelings with someone you trust, even if it feels uncomfortable.
Focus your energy on collaboration, channeling your strength to empower others rather than dominating situations.

Remember: This Is Temporary

Being in the average state is part of the natural rhythm of growth. While it might feel frustrating or heavy right now, remember this is just a moment in time—not your destination. You have the tools and awareness to shift toward balance and ease. Be patient with yourself, and trust that small, intentional actions can guide you back to the clarity and alignment you’re capable of achieving.

Celebrate Your Growth:

Even in an average state, you’re showing up and doing the work—and that’s worth celebrating. Recognizing where you are is a huge step toward growth, and it takes courage to pause and reflect. Every effort you make to understand yourself, even on challenging days, is a sign of progress. Growth is a journey, not a destination, so take a moment to honor how far you’ve already come.

New to the Enneagram Levels of Development? Start Here!

LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT

Each type is divided into 9 levels of Psychological Health, 1= highest & 9=lowest. These are grouped into Healthy, Average & Unhealthy. At each level, we employ different strategies to reinforce our identity

Core Traits of Enneagram 8 at each Level

HEALTHY

1

Heroic, magnanimous, protective, empowering, genuinely strong.

2

Confident, assertive, direct, resourceful, self-reliant.

3

Decisive, strategic, leading, honorable, visionary.

AVERAGE

4

Hard-driving, pragmatic, competitive, dominating, controlling.

5

Blunt, overbearing, aggressive, overpromising, brassy.

6

Intimidating, confrontational, defiant, mistrustful, cynical.

UNHEALTHY

7

Tyrannical, harsh, power-hungry, antisocial, deceptive.

8

Terrorizing, megalomaniacal, rage-filled, ruthless, vindictive.

9

Cruel, remorseless, sociopathic, destructive, disconnected.

Enneagram Levels of Development: Healthy, Average, and Unhealthy

HEALTHY RANGE:
In the healthy range, you’re not overly tied to your self-image or identity. You feel free to explore and express yourself in authentic and dynamic ways. By letting go of rigid definitions of who you are, you naturally align with your values and act in ways that reflect your true self, effortlessly reinforcing your sense of purpose and wholeness.

Level 1 – Liberation (Ego transcended-balance and freedom)
Level 2 – Psychological Capacity (Ego is identified as an ideal-self)
Level 3 – Social Value (Ego operating in a constructive way)

AVERAGE RANGE:
In this range, some imbalance starts to show, and your focus narrows. You may become more preoccupied with your identity and how others perceive you. To maintain this image, you might rely on social roles, subtle manipulation, or trying to control situations, all in an effort to reinforce your sense of self.

Level 4 – Imbalance (Ego-role assumed, defences increased)
Level 5 – Interpersonal Control (Manipulative & Defended)
Level 6 – Overcompensation (Ego inflation, conflicts with others)

UNHEALTHY RANGE:
In the unhealthy range, your focus on your identity becomes so intense that it distorts your perception of reality. You may see yourself in a way that feels completely disconnected from how others experience you, creating a sense of isolation or misunderstanding.

Level 7 – Violation (Survival tactic, neurotic)
Level 8 – Delusion and Compulsion (Major personality disorder)
Level 9 – Pathological Destructiveness (Psychosis, breakdown).

AVERAGE RANGE

AND ITS LEVELS

4. Level of Imbalance / Fixation: ENTERPRISING ADVENTURER

At the Level of Imbalance, Enneagram 8s become enterprising yet relentless in their pursuit of power and self-sufficiency. Viewing themselves as the ultimate protector and provider, they push hard to secure resources, taking bold risks and making strategic moves to stay ahead. Rugged individualists, they deny their emotional needs, focusing instead on competition, control, and shrewd positioning—driven yet secretly uncertain if it will ever be enough.

5. Level of InterPersonal Control: DOMINATING POWER BROKER

At the Level of Interpersonal Control, Enneagram 8s become domineering power brokers, determined to assert their strength and importance. They manipulate through control, demanding obedience and unwavering loyalty. Blunt and boastful, they exude a larger-than-life presence, using intimidation and force to maintain dominance. Their shadow trait, lust, emerges as a craving for intensity—whether through power, possessions, or reckless experiences—driving them to push boundaries without restraint.

6. Level of Over-Compensation: CONFRONTATIONAL ADVERSARY

At this level, Enneagram 8s become relentless adversaries, using intimidation and aggression to maintain control. Every interaction becomes a test of wills, and they refuse to back down. Belligerent and domineering, they keep others off-balance through threats and reprisals, creating fear-driven obedience. Contemptuous of weakness, they repress their own vulnerability, pushing limits with a volatile mix of anger, defiance, and raw, unchecked power.

Welcome To Your Enneagram Mood Check-In ✨