The Passion of the Three

The Passion of the Three is deceit. It is not simply about lying to others which is what we normally associate with deceit. It is also about lying to oneself. Along with the Two and the Four, the Three is concerned with projecting an image of themselves which they feel will be more acceptable in some way than their real self. In the case of the Three we see not only the projection of an image but an attention to perfecting that image. As Threes are concerned with value they are adept at projecting an image of themselves that will, above all, be valued in their particular society. In a sense we could say that they become a 'perfect model' of the values of that society. So if a society values academia then the Three will model and perfectly- represent the values of academia. If a culture values celebrity (as we have seen in Western Countries in the last 30 years or so) then they will invest in modelling and perfectly representing the values of celebrity (such as success and money). The problem with this approach is that they mistake the ego self - the false self - for the real self and by investing all their energies in cultivating and perfecting a false self they lose a sense of their real self. Unfortunately Western culture, with its focus on advertising, marketing and image has in many ways encouraged investment in a packaged self to the extent that many of us, Threes or not, have been unconsciously led in this direction. Threes have been able to benefit from this but they can also suffer more because of it. In fact when Threes start to question who they really are and what they feel, many report that they feel very empty inside. They don't know who they are. As a result, their quest for value is never satisfied. We see therefore, as we do with all the other Types, that the Three does not find what they are seeking through their passion. This is because a sense of real value doesn't come from the outside. It comes only from an internal connection - with our real, our authentic self.