The Basic Proposition

You lost sight of the original state of hope where everything works and is accomplished naturally according to universal law. You came to believe instead that what gets done is dependent on each person’s individual effort. You learned to get love, acceptance and recognition by working hard to be the best and maintaining a good image. At the same time, you developed a driving, go-ahead energy of self-deception to match to your image of success and approval. Your attention naturally goes to tasks and accomplishments.

The central issue for healing

The task for Threes is to avoid making life into tasks. Performers are not just human doings, but human beings. So the simple prescription here is to slow down enough to allow your feelings to emerge and to realize that love and acceptance come to you for being as well as for doing.

Performers depend on active force and mistrust being receptive. Hooked on producing and succeeding, they do what it takes to get to the goal, automatically adjusting their image to become what they perceive will bring the rewards. This is where deceit comes in. Performers take short cuts and sometimes soften the truth to get the job done, which makes sense since the focus is on gaining approval and creating an image of success through the accomplishment of tasks.

Six healing and growth commitments for Performers:

• Slow your pace and allow your feelings to emerge
• Welcome the feelings, realize that doubt and anxiety often arise first
• Develop empathy and understanding
• Develop receptivity and patience
• Be truthful to yourself and your own true feelings
• Allow for failure

Previous: Type 2 | Next: Type 4

Key themes of all types: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Registered?
Learn how this type differs from all other types
Listen to Dr. Daniels interview the nine types on VoiceAmerica Internet radio

Read more about key themes of the types in The Essential Enneagram by David Daniels, M.D.

Buy David’s book