The Aggressive Type (updated)
Reichian Character #5
Other Names
Formerly known as the Psychopath, the origins of this Type are not clear. It is not present in Reich’s original work, Character Analysis. But it is nonetheless a well-accepted type.
Safety Strategy
The fundamental safety strategy of the Aggressive Type is to take control of situations and dominate, to avoid the feeling of vulnerability. They channel their energy up their body, to their face and chest, creating a powerful and charismatic front with which to face the world. Some also have a fluid, seductive quality to them. They can pull you into their dominion before you even realise that it’s happened! Quick witted and thrill seeking, where the Rigid Type simply tenses up and hardens in the face of a challenging situation, the Aggressive will fluidly shift personality – at times commanding and authoritative, at times charming or seductive.
Although they may appear on the surface to be natural leaders and highly alpha, they are usually too unstable to actually run large organisations.
Origins
Masters at hiding themselves, and being the last of the Character Types to typically develop, the origins of the Aggressive are not as clear as with the other Types. However, aged between around 5 and 15, there will often have been a sudden loss of trust in a parent or other authority figure. Feeling vulnerable and betrayed, the Aggressive internally resolves to never trust another human, to become strong and self-reliant and to learn to dominate situations such as to never again feel such vulnerability.
Positive Qualities
Aggressive Characters are dynamic leaders, entrepreneurs, powerful speakers and inspirational motivators. They move our energy, get us up on our feet, engaged with life. They take risks. They add colour. They never say die, never give up. They fight to the last. They are the quintessence of the “Captain Kirk” spirit – ever ready to boldly go where no one has gone before.
All human culture needs its Leavers, Orals, Endurers and Rigids. They invent stuff, create art, get stuff done and maintain standards, in that order. But what distinguishes American culture from the rest of the world is the high proportion of Aggressive Types. Without them, and the culture of risk-taking that they embody, America would never have become the superpower that it has.
Negative Attributes
Up on stage, in front of the crowd, the charisma and presence of an Aggressive Character can be mesmerising. But there’s a paradox here. Whilst we’re all fired up in the wake of a dynamic concert or motivational speech, they are backstage, behind a wall of security, preferring their own company and choice of drugs.
Aggressive Characters cannot really access pleasure in the normal human sense. They learned to channel all their emotionality, as energy, up their body to create a front. They seek sex, not for pleasure but rather for a sense of power. They seek followers, instead of friends. They can inspire us and fill us with energy, but they themselves feel empty inside. Their need for adrenaline and to feel on the edge frequently leads them into trouble with the law.
Aggressives struggle deeply with normal human friendships. The Aggressive Character prefers to have people following them, in a state of admiration, rather than to develop close friendships. They love to be influencers, politicians, entrepreneurs, or rockstars. Over time, the lack of people in whom they can trust tends to lead the Aggressive into difficult situations.
Aggressive Types can be manipulative and Machiavellian. Their minds work ultra-fast to determine their best strategy in any given situation. Many Aggressive Types rarely experience self-doubt. When Aggressive Types make mistakes, it is not easy for them to admit that they were wrong. They prefer to double down on their strategy, determined against all odds to prove that they were right all along!
The antipathy that Aggressive Characters feel towards those they perceive as “mere mortals” can be considerable. When driven to extremes by circumstances, without a means to feel how their actions affect others, they can wreck lives and leave complete chaos in their wake.
Appearance
People high in the Aggressive Type typically feature:
A striking front aspect. They direct their energy to their chest and face.
Less grounded Aggressive Types tend to have an almost triangular upper body shape, with a narrow waist and underdeveloped legs.
Some Aggressives however prefer seductive fluidity over appearing powerful and prestigious. The body shape of this type will appear less focused on the top half and more flexible in the hips.
Behaviour
Fast-thinking and chameleon-like, Aggressives love to jump into new situations to see if they can hold their own or dominate the scene.
In a new social environment, they may find ways to marginalise anyone they perceive as competing with them for control or attention.
They seek admirers and followers. To achieve this end, they may appear open and friendly and give individuals a large amount of attention to begin with. Once hooked, however, the individual is invariably pushed towards the back of the Aggressives interests.
Aggressives live life on the edge.
Aggressives often pursue sex in a predatory fashion, though this will be for the sense of power it gives them, rather than for pleasure.
Psychology
Being the last of the five Types to develop, Aggressives have high egoic strength and therefore heaps of energy and drive.
Aggressives have a deep, psychological need to not feel vulnerable, especially in front of others.
They tend to need excitement and challenge and thus hate anything or anyone they perceive as holding them back, see Endurer entanglement below.
Aggressive Types tend to have an extreme fear of having their freedom taken away or being in any way cornered.
Aggressives, in direct contrast to Rigids, will find it impossible to accept anyone as having authority over them. Rigids will accept authority from another as long as they respect them or the structure surrounding them.
In like manner, Aggressives have literally no respect for rules, whether social or legal. Rules are for other, lower beings. Similarly, they have no respect for those who follow rules. They regard the compliance of others as indicative of their inferiority.
They vastly favour rational thought and decisive action over introspection and allowing or trusting feelings.
Aggressive types struggle to learn from mistakes, because they rarely admit that they make them. They tend to double down under pressure.
Whilst powerful, seductive and charismatic, Aggressive Types are by no means necessarily malignant. They actually only pose a potential problem to society when their heart is closed and they run into a situation that sends them over the edge.
Unlike the other four Character Types, the Aggressive does not suppress, control or avoid their energy. They allow the flow of emotional energy through the body but they channel it away from human emotionality.
Endurer Entanglement
Aggressive-Endurer entanglement is a very common feature of company team-leading dynamics. The Aggressive is driven to move the project forwards by any means available. The Endurer is driven to subtly undermine that forward motion, without actually taking a position - H&S rules etc.
Therapeutic Directions
Feeling their back more. They direct too much energy to the front.
Learning to feel and show human emotions, as opposed to simply channelling the energy of them up the body.
Allowing the feeling of being vulnerable in front of others.
Learning to trust others.
Coming to understand and share their underlying emotions, especially in times when they fly off the handle. Learning non-violent communication can be great.
Learning to be with themselves and not needing excitement, or admiration from others. Simple sitting meditation practices can be great for this.