Core Need/Motivation

To find what is missing, to be experienced as deep and have significance.

How the Type Meets Those Needs

Type Fours feel that something is missing, defective, or incomplete about them. This often leads them to compare themselves with others - regularly coming up short. It seems to them that others are happier or have something they don’t. This drives their longing for significance, value, and a special kind of love.

The Four has a strong aversion to the mundane, the average, and the routines of life. Perhaps the most idealistic of all types, they develop this rich imagination that includes an image of how they and the world should be. Since reality seldom lives up to it, the Four pulls away from others to process all of the resulting disappointment and pain.

A strong feature of this type is their value for significance and authenticity, which sends them on a journey to find the missing self. This heart-type not only feels much emotion but can also read the world of emotion, often internalizing the responsibility for how others feel.

Their core emotion is shame or sadness over not being complete enough to be loved. Emotions can be overwhelming for Fours which is why they often go from the heart to the head, creating interpretations and telling themselves stories in order to make sense of their emotions while often being disconnected from their bodies.

The Gifts of the 4

The gifts of the Four are many. They are creatively connected. They pour their whole heart into the work of creating more beauty, not just functionality, in this world. They can even connect to the darker side of beauty. They can make others feel like they could be completely honest about themselves and not be rejected. They often go out of their way to make “room at the table” for those who are marginalized.