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Type Fours are connected to their own rich, inner life and are concerned primarily with proving their uniqueness and pursuing the Ideal. Threes are self-assured, ambitious, and charming—driven by a desire to be the best. Type Fours are adjacent to Type Threes and therefore share some behavioral tendencies. These are known as Type Fours with a Three-Wing, or Type 4w3.
Type Fours are known as “The Individualist” due to their desire for uniqueness, connection to their own and the world's melancholy, and their pursuit of the Ideal in life, love, and work. Type Threes are known as “Achievers” due to their image-conscious, charismatic, high-energy pursuit of advancement. A three-wing tempers the Four's self-absorption with a desire to prove their specialness through achievement, causing them to be more task-focused than they naturally would be. This wing also tailors their dramatic persona to a more socially-acceptable—but still distinctive—representation. Due to their ability to achieve high levels of success while displaying an uncommon, even eccentric, image, Type 4w3 are known as “The Aristocrat.”
However, unlike “Individualists” a 4w3 may feel they have compromised their core type's deeply-desired authenticity in order to succeed through a fabricated image. This tension between a Four's sense of internal lack and the Three's polished facade can create deep cognitive dissonance, thus exacerbating a Four's inherent feelings of shame and unworthiness.
Type Fours default toward an internally-focused posture, meaning they are deeply connected to their emotions. However, an Enneagram 4w3 will become more productive and socially-conscious than the core type.
Here are some of the key traits to an Enneagram 4w3 personality.
Did you know: When unhealthy and stressed, the more socially-active 4w3 is more prone to dramatic, public outbursts.
Enneagram types have fears and desires - things to avoid and things to seek.
Core fear: Uniqueness goes unacknowledged due to lack of public-facing achievement
Core desire: To be both the most unique and successful
| Type 4w3 Strengths | Type 4w3 Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Broader impact of work | Image conscious |
| Self-considered | Prone to public and dramatic public outbursts if stressed |
| Hard-working and productive | Unable to articulate intuitive feelings and beliefs |
| Can produce work with strong emotional resonance | Struggle with cognitive dissonance if authenticity is compromised |
Note: The three-wing of an Enneagram 4w3 helps counteract the Four's natural introspection and allows more people to come into contact with their emotionally-resonant work, but can also lead to a proliferation of false-selves intended to please their “audience.”
Some Type 4s do not exhibit wing traits significantly enough to say they have a wing. When this happens we say they are a 'core' Type 4. Not all Type 4s have a wing, as we see in our research results below.
Figure 1: Type 4 vs Type 4w3 vs Type 4w5
What this chart shows
This chart shows that 74.1% of Type 4s do not have a wing type, in other words they are 'core' Type 4s. And 2.2% of Type 4s are 4w3 and 23.8% are 4w5.
Notes:Although people with other types find themselves in these lines of work, and those identified as 4w3 may work outside these areas, here are a few likely spaces in which this type will be successful (or not):
Journalist or Writer
Motivational Speaker
Artist
Researcher
Machinist
Analyst
This is not a definitive career list. There are lots of Type 4w3 careers that are happy and successful which do not fall into the 'recommended' category. These are just suggestions of some of the best careers for a 4w3.
Here we will list some of the famous 4w3 people you may have heard of. Are you also 4w3? Do you recognize any personality similarities you can relate to?
Lady Gaga
American singer-songwriter and actress. She is well known for having her own style and pushing boundaries such as her meat dress, the meaning of which she said: 'If we don't stand up for what we believe in, if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones.'
John Lennon
The face of the biggest band in history. John Lennon was truly an individualist. Considered the first rock and roll star by some, Lennon exercised his creative flair in writing, music, art and political activism.
Kanye West
One of the most acclaimed and influential artists in the 21st century. Kanye West divides opinion for his, sometime, controversial comments and actions. His strong artistic skills have allowed him to conquer many different industries, including music and fashion (will politics be next?).
David Bowie
One of the most influential figures in 20th century music. Actor and singer-songwriter, Bowie, and all his alter-egos, were beloved by his fans.
Amy Winehouse
English singer-songwriter, Amy was known for her deep and emotional songs and unique singing voice. She sadly became part of the "27 Club" when she died of alcohol poisoning in 2011.
Oscar Wilde
One of the most famous playwrights in history, he was truly an "Individualist", saying "be yourself, everyone else is already taken"
Taehyung (BTS)
Taehyung, also known as "V", is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He is part of the world-famous K-pop band "BTS".
Our research is always ongoing so please let us know if you think we've missed a noteworthy Type 4w3 worth highlighting.
University of Chichester, Advanced Applied Psychology
Chloe Yarwood, MSc in Advanced Applied Psychology from University of Chichester. Specialist in personality type theory and developing valid personality questionnaires.
Type 4 Celebrities
