Mitt Romney Is an Enneagram Three – What That Means

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:49 pm by Tony Jones

Mitt Romney Is an Enneagram Three – What That Means 2015-03-13T16:49:11-05:00 Tony Jones

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve been wondering what the Enneagram numbers are of our two candidates and what they means about our choices in the election. Although you’re not supposed to pin a number on another person, when someone is as much in the public eye as a presidential nominee, it’s pretty clear to Enneagram experts what number they are. So I asked around in the Enneagram community and found out that they’re a consensus on Mitt Romney’s and Barack Obama’s numbers.

Mitt Romney is a Three. Other famous Threes in politics are George Washington, Bill Clinton, and Condoleezza Rice.

So I asked Suzanne Stabile*, my personal Enneagram guru, to write up something about Threes, and here’s what she sent in:

Thanks to Tony for the invite to share some Enneagram wisdom about Threes. It is always a gift for me to talk about this great spiritual tool and all that it has to teach us about ourselves while challenging us to see others as they are rather than as we are. Threes are ambitious, self-confident, success oriented, image conscious and focused. The United States is the symbolic country of the Three so we all have a bit of Three in us and in some parts of the country; in Dallas, if one is a Three it’s like being an alcoholic who lives above the bar. Dallas is consumed with image, media, status and success.

Threes along with Sixs and Nines are the primary types of the Enneagram. They represent the core fixations at the heart of the human condition. In that sense they are universal. Healthy Threes embody ideal qualities that most of us respect and hope to emulate. They are optimistic and generous and likeable, but they are hard to know. When they take on leadership roles they usually have no desire to dominate or enforce an abstract ideal; which is to say they generally lead from the heart and work for something they truly believe in.

Enneagram teaching connects each of the nine personality types to a passion. The passions are comprised of the seven deadly sins plus two. The passion of the Three is deceit, which is not actually lying. It is the Three’s desire to be the poster child for whatever organization they represent: the ideal candidate for a political party, the ideal father, the perfect multi-tasking mother, top insurance salesman, mega church pastor…the list is endless. Threes find out what is desired by their “audience” and then they become that. To them it is about giving us what we want. The problem is they sometimes lose touch with who they really are.

This ability to alter again and again leads Threes to be more cynical and suspicious than other numbers. Since they are able to subtly and even unconsciously change their self-presentation to appeal to a particular person or audience, they naturally think we can do the same.

Threes pursue their goals with determination. They are good at networking and they are socially competent. When they are stressed and immersed in doing, they can become glib and superficial.

Success guides Threes, and without it they are unable to believe in themselves which renders them unable to believe in others as well. In these times there may be some confusion about image and substance and the relationship between reality and appearance. Their orientation to time is the future so they are always looking ahead to the next task and if there is no well-defined goal they find themselves without energy and direction. Threes are prone to self-promotion and interest promotion. They are good at selling what and who they believe in. In learning to make it their business to become what others find valuable they are the prototype of American success: aggressive, trendy, smart, efficient, effective and energetic. They would rather say too little than too much and while they sometimes make enemies in the forward rush, they apologize later.

Threes want to be affirmed. They like attention and want to distinguish themselves from others. They want to be admired and they often are.

S0, as a voter, you can make of that what you will. Coming on Wednesday: Barack Obama’s Enneagram number.

*If you’re interested in learning more about the Enneagram, I strongly urge you to download Suzanne’s “Know Your Number” workshop, or any of her other teachings.

politics

enneagram

suzanne stabile

Previous Post

October 13, 2012

Everyday Spirituality: Returning To Our Senses

Next Post

October 15, 2012 Are You an Ignostic?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category bible blogging books christianity in america church church history dissertation divorce Dog Training education emergent church essay family funny glbt jopa productions ministry minnesota movies music parenting philosophy politics Prayer publishing Questions That Haunt random same sex marriage speaking spirituality Teaching technology television theology Travels Uncategorized writing youth ministry

Select a Month January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 June 2006 May 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 August 2004 February 2004 January 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Rabbi" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lord Master Prophet Teacher