Understanding the 4w3 personality (A comprehensive guide)

In this brief guide, we will explore the features of the 4w3 personality in the enneagram, and also some other concepts related to this personality.

What is a 4w3 personality?

4w3 is a subtype in the enneagram theory of personality which consists of the core traits of type 4 along with some traits of type 3 as well, and these individuals tend to be individualist, self-sufficient, artistic, and creative, but at the same time driven towards success and ambitious.

They may also be energetic, enthusiastic about the achievement of goals, and not quite as introverted as pure type fours maybe, or even as introverted as the subtype 4w5.

The 4w3 personality tends to show creative spirit and productivity in their behavior. 

The 4w3 personality type wants to be unique and expressive, and they may function along with the hopes of making a lasting impact on society in some way, which is similar to the wants and needs of type 4s, who want to be significant and unique in some way.

Basic fears of the 4w3

The basic fear of the 4w3 personality is not having significance or uniqueness in the world and not being able to form a distinct identity that truly represents who they are, and subsequently getting lost in the crowd. 

The 4w3 might express this basic fear a lot by frequently distinguishing themselves from the rest of the world in some way, usually in an artistic or creative manner, or maybe even in some way of achieving a tangible goal.

The 4w3 are motivated primarily by this fear of rejection and being incompetent, which is actually something that exists in both type 3 and 4, it is just their ways of dealing with it that is different, and which makes the two types different from each other at all.

Basic Desires of the 4w3

The basic desire of the 4w3 is usually along the lines of wanting to make a mark in the world and create an identity that is unique to them. They simply want to stand out in a crow, which may seem like a strange thing for a somewhat introverted person, but they actually tend to be reserved as a sort of preemptive defense against possible failure.

The 4w3 may be very scared of failure, and therefore desire the exact opposite all the time, which success.

They may want to accomplish big goals, contribute to the society in some relevant and major way, and try to create an image of themselves that best describes how they feel on the inside and what their talents and skills are really like.

The desire of uniqueness and personal identity that 4w3 carries, may lead them to intense bouts of creativity and self-expression, which may make them feel even more inspired.

Ironically enough, to seem more authentic, the 4w3 might actually unconsciously adapt the characteristics of others to defend themselves from the possibility of not being able to create their own personal sense of identity or significance.

Due to the three wing, the 4w3 individual may also desire success and be quite ambitious, not just in their career but also in other aspects of their lives, including their personal life.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the 4w3

The strengths of 4w3 personality are listed below:

• They may be imaginative and innovative
• They may be very artistic
• They may find novel solutions to major problems with ease
• They are capable of thinking outside the box
• They are ambitious and energetic
• They may be deeply in tune with themselves
• They may have little trouble understanding the feelings and motivations of others
• They are good at being swift and efficient
• They are consistently genuine and authentic

On the other hand, here are some weaknesses of the 4w3 personality:

• They may be paralyzed with the fear of failure
• They may constantly be trying to figure out who they are and what they want
• They may introspect too much and not know what they desire
• They may have tendency to cut people out when they are trying to reach some sort of understanding about themselves.
• They may be prone to recacting emotionally in difficult times
• They may focus too heavily on image
• They may experience self-doubt and insecurity
• They may have a tendency to seek approval from others

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

4w3 vs 4w5

A 4w3 might focus more on their careers than anything else and may often chase lofty goals and ambitions and also display the typical confidence of a Type Three towards ahciving them whereas the 4w5 might be more concerned with introspection and trying to make a unique self-identity by trying to figure it out for themselves first.

The 4w3 is also more likely to be an extrovert, they may focus more on the external goals, people and environment, whereas the 4w5 may focus more on the internal, in terms of goals, identity and information for further decision making processes.

A 4w3 is an intelligent, curious, creative person who has a million ideas and the typical Three wing ambition and ability to execute them, while the type 4w5 seeks to immerse themselves in all the feelings they hold inside themselves, creating a person who can empathize and understand the outer world far better. 

The Three Wing helps the Four in an 4w3 to move from the fantasy in their head to actual physical projects and businesses, while the 5 in 4w5 lends wisdom through intellectual analysis that leads to insights, but not in the tangible, material sense like actual results.

Because there is a real world leaning in 4w3 in terms of the Three Wing, it helps them balance out melancholic and dramatic tendencies, while the introspective tendency of the 4w5 might get somewhat emotionally charged at times, but the five wing will being it back to objective and practical due to the investigative nature of that type.

4w3 vs 3w4

3w4 may be likely to be always putting on a show, as they tend to be more externally motivated and ambitious than the 4w3, but not necessarily in a malicious, manipulative or boisterous in any way, more in terms of maintaining a mask of sorts for who they really are or how they feel, while the 4w3 may be more forthcoming as they are too concerned about their unique sense of identity to bother with any fronts.

The 3w4 may find it easier to be more assertive and less individualistic, and the 4w3 may find it too easy to be introspective, imaginative and they may be somewhat moody and withdrawn.

The 4w3 is likely to be more independent and introspective in self-expression and may show great self-awarness, whereas parts of the 3w4’s expression and general interactions with the society may be influenced by their need to seek validation and approval for their efforts or accomplishments or for having achieved their goals.

4w3 and ENFP

The ENFP is a personality trait under the MBTI system that the 4w3 is likely to associate with due to the common ground between the two regarding how they approach relationships and goals, and their extroverted and energetic attitudes to life.

The ENFP is a perceptive, feeling oriented individual who likes to associate with people but also likes to go out and achieve things.

They may be described as social and charismatic, which are things one might see in a 4w3 as well.

The ENFP 4w3 may be intent on expressing themselves through their artistic or creative channels, even to the extent of the exclusion of other ways and may tend toward intense and outwardly expressed emotions.

Due to the fact that type 4s believe in truly living and experiencing all emotions, positive or negativem, to their fullest, the ENFP 4w3 might struggle with self-articulation and expression.

The ENFP 4w3 will likely dress in an unusual way to set oneself apart or express some sort of a desire to be seen as normal or average due to being a social extrovert. 

The 4w3 ENFP may also emphasize more on social standing, probably owing to the Three wing, than someone with an introverted feeling possibly would.

Enneagram Test

The enneagram test is a part of the enneagram theory of personalit, which comes from the this ancient art of diagrammatically representing some points on a circle and connecting them with lines to form a symbol that encompasses a great deal of traits and types within itself.

The modern neuropsychological tool called Connectogram is said to have been inspired by Enneagrams, which involves a circle with nine equidistant parts on it (Enneagram is greek, where Ennea: Nine and Gramma: Writing or putting down information).

The enneagram test seeks to assess which one of the 9 personality types is most dominant in a person, and after taking the test the adjacent types may also be explored in order to get a sense of whether the individual might be a subtype, involving a wing.

A wing is a connnection that may form between two peronsality types that are adjacent to the enneagram, and the wing may be intentional or unintentional.

A wing offers possibility for growth and consists of traits that supplement or complement the dominant personality type in some way.

One may find the wing after necessary reading or talking to someone who may know about the theory, or one may also check out some enneagram books to get started.

The most common enneagram test that is validated and widely used is the Riso Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI), and while a number of online tests are available this is the only one that offers true and valid insights about the type of personality someone might be.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we explored the features of the 4w3 personality in the enneagram, and also some other concepts related to this personality. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments that you have.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 4w3

Citations 

Enneagram 4w3: The Four with a Three-Wing

Enneagram 4w3 vs. 4w5