An Epidemic of Hypocrisy and Its Antidote: Enneagram Type Three and Politics
Our institutions are corrupt and our leaders are hypocrites, here in the U.S. One side calls out the deception and double standards of the other side while denying or excusing their own equivocations. Influencers and the masses alike use social media to present themselves as funny, smart, insightful, successful — then try to make themselves look even better by mocking, deriding, or pitying whomever they can cast as inferiors — then react with rage against anyone who dares contradict them. We take for granted the aspiration of “bettering ourselves,” or even “getting ahead,” without considering what price there may be to our hyper-individualistic definitions of success. We are a nation deep in an Enneatype Three trance. It may seem that there is no way out of it, but as with every such trance, really all it takes is waking up.
Leaders in a Three Trance
Leaders demonstrating the Three trance tell people what they want to hear. As politicians, they would never reveal to their constituents that the demand for a utopia is unreasonable or that trade-offs and compromises will have to be made. They spin the truth constantly and lie when necessary. Leaders in a Three trance take any unfair advantage available — there is always a way to justify it. And of course, when the leader fails in any way, it was someone else’s fault. Leaders in a Three trance promote grandiose ambitions, as if we could eliminate every problem: if we just get rid of all the guns, we won’t have shootings. If we just build a wall on our border, we won’t have an immigration crisis. But the real problem is in rushing to fix something we only understand superficially. The problem is that the ego says “I can handle this” when it should be saying “This is bigger than me.” Leaders in a Three trance assure us that with hard work and determination, we can do anything. But that is a narcissistic fantasy which only seems believable to first-world citizens because we’ve been significantly shielded (so far) from the consequences of recklessly consuming resources and exploiting people to solve our every problem.
Systemic Manifestation of the Three Trance
At the level of government, the Three trance is evident in a political and economic system that rewards whoever rises to the top, no matter how they did it; a system which leaves plenty of room for backdoor deals; and which makes legislative gestures at ensuring proper oversight and transparency, while continuing to conceal its corruption. Its educational system pits children against each other as rivals, assigning letter grades or offering awards and titles to designate their relative merit and presumed worth.
At the level of culture, there is a normalization of unfriendly competition (the drive to prove one’s value by being better than other people); enmity between political parties (rather than collaboration); and corruption among leaders (as if this were a law of nature and nothing can be done about it). We assume that in a debate, the goal is to win (serving the ego), rather than to learn something new and reach mutual understanding. The desperate need to “do better” can also translate into workaholism, which our culture occasionally laments while nonetheless requiring it in many professions. And the media manifests a Three trance in their routinely deceptive reporting (which the masses accept when it is being done by those on their side and condemn when it is done by the enemy — a phenomenon related to the Six trance, as we’ll discuss next time).
Among spiritual leaders, the Three trance manifests in wanting to look good as a leader — saying the right words, having the right image, presenting oneself as both wise and humble. Optics become the focus rather than true development. Spiritual leaders in a Three trance are afraid of building up their followers, lest any rise up and outshine them or, heaven forbid, reveal the leader’s hypocrisy. So they try to attract the most manipulable followers. And, of course, spiritual leaders in a Three trance may become “ensnared” by wealth or sex, as worldly successes go to their heads.
Wake Up Call of Type Three at the Systemic Level
Subjectively, the type Three wake up call may be a feeling of being an imposter and a fear of being found out; or anxiety about having one’s self-image or ego challenged, revealing the insecurity which underlies the impulse to compete and to put others down. The Three trance may also be felt as a desperate desire to prove one’s value or worth, especially by imagining something grand that one is capable of (but has not actually accomplished). Or it may be experienced as a weariness at having pushed oneself very hard to fulfill a set of goals that feel empty or hollow in the end.
Objectively, it is a wake up call when people complain about corruption, manipulation, dishonesty, and hypocrisy in the media, other corporations, and government itself. Our political institutions are so corrupt at this point, it’s shocking to hear of a politician who seems to have genuine integrity. This is a wake up call. It is also a given that the mega-corporations which effectively rule our nation are self-serving and cannot be entirely trusted to observe the laws of our land, let alone to act in the best interests of the American people or the world. This is a wake up call. We have given over the governance of our country to people whom we presume to be some sort of con men (and women). We can do better.
How Leaders Can Turn the Tide
Change begins when leaders recognize that their competitive striving is compensation for the sense that behind the facade there is no self to be proud of; only a frightening and painful nothingness. Embracing this emptiness, they discover it actually represents a kind of freedom, like a blank page on which anything can be expressed. Casting aside their idealized self-image, they become very realistic. No longer trying to make reality into what they prefer it to be, they accept the situation as it really is — and themselves (and, by extension, their society) as having hard limitations. Their response is then pragmatic and flexible. Where before they shifted their thinking rapidly in order to protect their ego, now the same mental flexibility makes them agile learners. Moving toward Six, they learn to cooperate and serve a purpose and a community greater than themselves. No longer afraid of competition, they become coaches and mentors, spurring on others to excellence. The antidote to corruption is realism. The antidote to hypocrisy is humility. The antidote to unfriendly competition is collaboration.
Type Three Essence Emerging at the Systemic Level
At the level of government, the essence of type Three is expressed in legislation that anticipates corruption and deception in government and industry and takes action to prevent abuses. It is expressed in an economic system that rewards transparency; and election processes and government accountability procedures that disclose conflicts of interest. It means replacing empty public relations gestures with real reforms. In education, it might mean a re-imagining of the structure of the system itself, replacing egoistic competition with models that are cooperative, flexible, and realistically consider the strengths, needs, and interests of individual students.
At the level of culture, it is a recognition of the emptiness of trying to make lots of money, or to garner praise and acclaim, or to accrue status symbols of whatever kind. A healthy Three culture de-normalizes bragging and grandiose ambition, and, relatedly, political corruption. It means smashing our self-image as hapless victims of deceptive leaders; recognizing our complicity as we elevate smooth-talkers who shield us from an honest self-reckoning. It means, instead, supporting the rare voice of integrity that confronts us with the side of ourselves we don’t want to see; or the rare journalistic source that presents the facts without embellishment or manipulation.
Spiritual leaders demonstrate the essence of type Three with the practice of “Beginner’s Mind.” They don’t let others’ expressions of adulation and respect go to their heads and they consider themselves students, not masters. Not being concerned with the appearance of great wisdom, they admit to mistakes and limitations, and ask for help as necessary. They do everything they can to set up others for success and take joy in seeing others excel, even beyond the leaders’ own accomplishments. What was previously experienced as an absence of self at their core is revealed to be a pure and humble heart.
Suggestions for Waking Up
As a leader, in whatever your circle of influence, you can notice the wake up call of type Three: the feeling of being inauthentic or not true to oneself. It can be especially helpful to notice when one feels triggered by dishonesty or hypocrisy in others. When your ego feels challenged, perhaps when you anticipate being evaluated for something (work, creative projects, relationships), or in a disagreement with someone (in an actual conversation or in your mind), notice the feeling of insecurity. Or when you consider your goals, notice any feeling of hollowness. Embrace the mental destruction of your idealized self. Let go of the self-image that protects you from the empty feeling inside. Allow yourself to be a beginner. Notice the freedom it gives you in your relationships when you no longer have to defend your ego. Notice the freedom it gives you at work when you let go of the need to project an image. Allow yourself to be as you are, without expectations. You can be wrong. You can be weak. You can be ignorant. It’s all okay. And when you accept yourself as you really are, the necessary space will open up for true wisdom to express itself through you.
Finally, as a follower, listen for the signs of deception in leaders’ voices. Listen for a tone of superiority. Listen for defensiveness in response to criticism. Listen for big promises without an accounting of costs. And when you recognize these signs in the vast majority of voices, remind yourself of how things could be different. Ask what it would look like for these voices to be transformed. Encourage humility in others if you see a genuine opportunity. And seek out the most honest voices you can find. Support them. They are a minority, but they are there.
This article is part of a series on the Enneagram and politics. An introduction to the series can be found here. And an essay on type Seven in politics here.
