Relationships between strategies

34 in a relationship

Neighbouring strategies that both care about how others see them. The Three wants recognition for performance, the Four for uniqueness. They're attracted to each other precisely by what the other lacks.

Strategy 3

Winning Strategist

Desire
Worth and recognition
Fear
Being worthless without achievement

Strategy 4

Unique Individualist

Desire
Their own identity and meaning
Fear
Emptiness and ordinariness

How they're connected

They're neighbouring strategies, so each can be the other's wing. They have a lot in common and often understand each other without explanation.

Both strategies belong to the same centre (heart centre), so they deal with a similar theme, each in its own way.

What draws them together

Both care about image and how others perceive them. The Three wants respect for their performance; the Four wants to be seen as exceptional. The couple usually looks great from the outside, with an elegant, successful style.

The Three is drawn to the Four's rich inner drama as a counterweight to their own pursuit of recognition. The Four, in turn, is drawn to the Three's energy and their firm place in the world. Even in private, the Three's mind is on work. That irritates the Four, but it also lures them: they never get enough of the Three's attention, so they keep longing for it.

Where they click

  • The Three teaches the Four to act and follow through.
  • The Four teaches the Three to feel and act authentically.
  • Both have a sense of aesthetics and style.

The rest is in the Couples Guide. How to get it

Where the friction is

  • The Four longs for closeness; the Three promises time and then can't find it.
  • The Four overvalues emotional life, the Three undervalues it.
  • The Three sees the Four as moody, the Four sees the Three as superficial.

The rest is in the Couples Guide. How to get it

Working together

Their differences can lead to great collaboration or to a workplace disaster. They thrive when the Three helps the Four's original, slightly controversial idea succeed. It crashes when they compete, because both want recognition and neither backs down.

The rest is in the Couples Guide. How to get it

The two of you, specifically

This is only a general description of the Three and Four pairing. The Couples Guide goes deeper: you both take the Quick Test, and the guide works with your subtypes. The self-preservation, social, and one-to-one versions of the same strategy behave completely differently in a relationship.

  • The full text on where you get stuck and how to get out
  • Advice for each of you separately
  • The two of you, specifically: your combination of subtypes
  • How to understand your partner
  • Tips for growing together

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All combinations

What are the two of you really like?

Here you're reading how Strategist and Individualist generally work together. The Couples Guide shows your relationship: what draws you to each other, where you get stuck, and what to do about it.

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