Enneagram Ego 3
"Over-Displayer"

This ego describes a person who not only strives for attention, but turns their entire personality into a weapon full of creativity and competence. "Displaying" does not refer to superficial behaviour, but is a complete expression of soul and identity. This ego wants to create an extraordinary, optimal personal world by means of desirable personality traits, talents and achievements, which ultimately becomes a means of attraction and attractiveness; they want to embody the form of an ideal role model that with a creative approach is capable of directing and organising society towards their own universe of values. In general, it is drawn to creative and theatrical areas, as these are the best places to assert one's own standards and realise oneself. They also usually invest a lot of energy in their own appearance in a creative but also vain manner. At its core, however, this ego has the problem that it presents an exaggerated, theatrical persona to itself and others, but without even realising it, as it perceives itself as completely authentic, honest and full of standards.

Furthermore, there are two different characters within this ego that represent two different realities: The Over-Displayer on one side and the Under-Displayer on the other. The Under-Displayer describes a show-off with insatiable desires and an uncontrollable imagination, who is bitter and presents their own achievements and abilities as better than they are; this character has difficulty realising their own fantasies, which is why they are a bluffer who is afraid to reveal their own personality to others. The Over-Displayer describes a person who creates a personal universe of values and standards and takes an efficient approach to all aspects of life; they are overly tricky and cunning to get what they want. They over-emphasiss both the negative and positive sides of their authentic personality to such an extent that others might find it strange and unauthentic. In the course of life, a single person can embody both characters, even at the same time. The following sections explain the totality of this ego-fixation.

Ego-Characteristics

Ego-Fixation: Displayer

This fixation feels the most profound deficiency in its ability to relate effectively with others; its capacity to live and connect with others is particularly deficient. Due to being neglected by their own father, this ego can only perceive themselves as their one and only role model, so they try to compensate for their lack of interpersonal capacity and experience by creatively displaying specific character traits, appearance or abilities - wanting others to notice their constant attempt to connect with them in a positive light. However, because they lack the ability to understand the process of forming interpersonal relationships, they fall into over-efficient behaviour that is often perceived by others as overzealous and impatient, which could ultimately ruin their new bonds. They perceive the world as a theatre in which they must compulsively bring out the very best of themselves in order to win and build relationships, which leads them to an endless cycle of constantly repeating attempts. However, this problem not only affects interpersonal relationships, but also leads to an inharmonious and tense relationship with reality as a whole, against which this ego exerts its own creativity and ingenuity.

Trigger: Lack of attention from masculine figures

Their own father figure was perceived as disinterested and indifferent and became increasingly distant; he may not have been present at all. This father figure did not give them the attention and strong protection they needed. This ego is therefore increasingly left to its own devices when it comes to building connections and relationships with others. This ego's reaction is to constantly try to build authentic relationships with other people by exaggerating its own identity and personality as if in a theatre. Above all, they hope that others will recognise them and their efforts and turn to them.

Dichotomy: Domain of Creativity

Moves between two extremes in the domain of creativity. This domain includes creative self-expression; including acting, theatre, entertainment, poetry, art, innovation and invention. Avarice is the poison of this realm, as this ego is too vain to be insignificant relation to others.

Ego-Delusion: Vanity

This ego feels a sense of terror about being ignored, so it does everything in its power to present itself in a better light in order to be recognised by others as a creative and talented person or to be accepted for its own specific efforts. This feeling also relates to one's friendships and relationships.

Ego-Projections:

This ego wants to perceive itself as creative, efficient, honest, authentic, articulate and artistic and strives to have a realistic perception of human nature. The reality of this fixation is perceived by others as the projection of a person who has pretentious, bluffing and deceptive tendencies and has difficulty realising their own goals due to their excessive fantasy.

Ego-Position: Self-deception

Their own trauma leads them into self-deception, with which they use their imagination to immerse themselves in a role or persona that they use to define their own personality and goals. They believe in this persona so much that they are carried away by themselves.

Ego-Justification: Dismissal of guilt

Tends to deflect blame after doing a mistake, while complaining and possibly transferring the blame to something else in order to keep their own self-deception up.

Ego-Balancer: Talented & innovative

Perceives themselves as very talented and innovative, which gives strength to the ego.

Ego-Reaction: Anguish

The sudden reaction of the ego to feel extreme anguish if others perceive them as inauthentic.

Ego-Insecurity: Pretense

An imbalance in the area of creativity makes them insecure about their own tendency to live out inauthentic goals and personalities.

Passion: Deceit

Deceit in the sense of professional acting, whereby others are shown the optimal image for the respective moment. The exaggerated presentation of one's own personality, values and standards is perceived as a weapon with which one's own goals can be realised.

Virtue: Justice

For them, the world is inharmonious and has no sense of justice and equality. Instead of seeking harmony in the laws of the world, this ego displays itself as its own law and optimal role model with a superior pretentiousness towards the world. This causes social complexes in them and a readiness to deal with the constant wrongdoings of humanity and society. With the virtue of justice, the honest, harmonious form of the world is embodied, which is not distorted by the deceitful ideas and social complexes of this ego.

Trapdoor: Efficiency

Their natural tendency towards creativity, together with their striving for efficiency in terms of their single-minded behaviour, allows them to go beyond their fixation. The creative activity and inspired nature of this ego can produce stunning creations or results that can lead to a higher state of self.

Holy Idea: Harmony

This ego cannot perceive or appreciate the perfect, harmonious state of reality, to which it reacts by developing its own sense of a perfect, harmonious reality full of values and standards. This vanity makes them extraordinary doers and performers of their (seemingly) perfect and harmonious reality, one that is imbued with hopes and dreams and becomes an extension of their own personality and a weapon of attractivity. However, this subjective reality is in a state of complete disharmony, as it hides both a complete uncertainty and discomfort, with intense anxiety and anger about not being good enough. In order to achieve a true state of harmony, this ego must achieve its own goals through its efficient endeavours.

Difficulty: Unconvincingness

Is very worried about being unconvincing to others.

Immoral Force: Dishonesty

Their passion for deceit and their lack of harmony in relation to the world develops into the immoral force of dishonesty. Having a tendency to become dictatorial, they make excessive demands to the world and others, tending towards dishonest trickery with which they manipulate and command others for their own goals. This ego rarely feels guilty for its own dishonest way of treating others.

Existential Attitude: Authentic - Theatrical

Is authentic on the one hand, but theatrical on the other.

Defense Mechanisms: Identification, Repetition Compulsion

Identification causes the person to unconsciously adopt the characteristics of another person to varying degrees and therefore behave like them in order to come closer to an ideal self-image; this can relate to both real and fictitious role models. An example of this is someone who adapts to the characteristics of their idol. Repetition compulsion describes a behaviour in which the ego, driven by subconscious psychological pressure, repeats the same patterns of behaviour over and over again in the hope of achieving their goals and attaining relationships.

Compensatory Mechanism: Over-exertion

Tends to overexert themselves in order to fulfil their own fantasies, dreams and hopes.

Possible Disorder: Histrionic personality disorder

In isolated, extreme manifestations of this ego, it is possible to resemble histrionic personality disorder.

Way of self-realization: Creativity

The Displayers way out is their creativity, with which they define and shape their own personality and future in order to achieve a state of inner harmony.

Domain of Creativity

Representative Characters

Schemer(Over-Displayer)

The Schemer is a character that represents a very cunning person that creates their own personal universe out of values and standards, trying to display an efficient, creative approach in all areas of life. They are excessively technical, crafty and tricky in getting what they want. They try to appear so authentic with their personality that they can appear strange and exaggerated to others.

Bluffer(Under-Displayer)

The Bluffer is a character with insatiable desires, an uncontrolled fantasy. They dream of fame, are hot-tempered and bitter; a boastful person, a swindler or fraud who falsely represents their achievements and abilities. They hide aspects of their own personality.

Positive Domain

Know-how

Strives for a high level of expertise in one or more areas out of their own interest, which may also be an honest expression of their own wishes.

Fantasy

Dedicated to creative activities, such as art, in which one's own fantasies can be lived out without restrictions and without falsifying one's personality.

Negative Domain

Cunning

Fabricates lies, invents stories, cheats or deceives other people in order to be perceived by them in a better light. Exaggerates their own abilities.

Daydreaming

Sinks too much into dreams of success or recognition, but takes no realistic steps to fulfil them. Lives a sluggish life.

An imbalance in these areas can lead to lies and hatred directed at oneself; in the worst case to permanent overexertion.

Used Literature

The Enneagrams of the Divine Forms: Perfect, Eternal, Unchanging Truths. - Oscar Ichazo
The Enneagrams of the Fixations: The Original Teachings. - Oscar Ichazo

Everything on this page was written independently by Advanced Personality.

Enneagram Ego 3"Over-Displayer"