Threes can mistype as eight and you still see it. Someone who defines an eight as power-oriented but not reactive is an example. Niccolo Machiavelli was a three. If we study his life a little bit, it is obviously focused on public reputation above all. Threes fit into the triangle and building power in a more systematic, society-focused way, along with the six. There are other power types than just eight. Three and six are both examples. Even five weighs in. In fact, all the types are concerned with their own form of power. 

Notice the little smirk on Machiavelli's face; the suppression of emotion. A cool facade. A calculating quality. So with that in mind, the Machiavallian disposition is most characteristic of three. They are hugely manipulative and strategic people, many in power positions. But, image types. The power of eight is different, and more openly aggressive. Stalin, Saddam Hussein. They are more intimidating. They are more raw. Instinctual, etc. 

The power of eight is deep, not superficial; it veers between extremes of chaos and protection, to be used for good or evil. And it is there in raw form from a very young age. It manifests in very physical ways, usually, as the child pushes the limits of their physical body. Eights can be intellectual, of course, as they grow and learn to temper their impulses, with a line to five. But the power of eight is contrasted in opposition to six, Set versus Osiris, in stories of raw, innate, instinctual power at eight and legitimized, broken down to reconstructed, castrated, puffed up power of six. 

Eights were often big bullies and powerhouses when they were kids. Depending on variants, of course, some social eights were more helpful and did not control others as much but usually fought against unjust authorities and protected. They were brutal against opponents. Eights are a reactive type. They are about emotional authenticity in the end, they don't do emotional detachment very well, they aren't good at setting aside feelings to get the job done. They'll slow down or feel in internal conflict until the conflict is settled. Threes mistyping as eights will seek power yet hide behind false images. 

My ex-wife is probably a good example. They are much better at putting their feelings in a box to push through some task. Then over time they miss how much they have become estranged from feelings altogether, they become like cold machines. They are a calculating type. They are not earthy and lustful. They can go without sex, etc. If it means they can have other types of power, to keep a high position, to seem superior to others. E.g. The eight will always go for all of it at once. They cannot say no to themselves, to their appetites, nearly as easily. 

Years of bullshit, hiding in deception, and then a massive betrayal and power shift while still denying and bullshitting. Eights betray in more open ways. They let people know when they are turning against them. They don't betray friends, etc. They protect their own. Eights are authentic. They can be liars if it saves their skin. But they don't lie for the sake of pure image. They don't lie just to manipulate, to build up their ego.  

Sometimes you find a little bit of that, but it's rare if they do. It doesn't dominate the personality. Machiavalli is sometimes mistyped as an eight but he's clearly a three. He was massively focused on image and public reputation. Eights don't go that far with it. They prefer raw, instinctual, sensate, resource-focused, materialistic, lustful power above all else. Different energies altogether. The eights usually have very clear-cut allies and enemies and even if they bully their allies a bit, they always try to resolve with them and to offer or ask for forgiveness to engage in lustful, potent, close, powerful relationships. 

Conflict is accepted as a part of life and magnanimous actions are taken for the sake of the relationship, the group, etc. They prefer to be the leader and often throw their weight around to establish it. But it isn't about the position itself, it's about the feeling of being there, of exercising the power. Threes get focused on the medal and the chase, they detach from the feelings of being there, you get threes who are massively successful yet feel nothing. 

They had to detach to get there, and they just lose touch with their true feelings. They confuse even themselves. Then they can have toxic and nasty feelings and not know what to do with them, not know how to escape. Then they crash hard and have no clue how it happened, because in the crash they also were detached. They crashed because of an internal crisis, realizing they had sold out their feelings to get there, etc. Totally different situation. 

When eights fall from power and crash hard, they know it's happening and can feel themselves slipping. It isn't self-inflicted, it's because other people stop them in direct, clear cut ways. Eights will ask for what they want openly, directly. But they won't always know how to find the duplicitous way around to people's hearts. E.g. the route back with an ex-lover through some friendship. 

They'll ask if they can have it and then they'll walk away, feeling betrayed when it isn't given. Overall patterns. Image types are more able to confuse what's going on with persona issues. They absorb power through the persona. Emperor Palpatine was an example. He's a three, whereas Vader is an 8. Eights rise to power through authentic domination of others. They can use charisma, influence, and so on. But a different flavor from threes. Look for superficiality with the three, look for lies to save face, look for vanity. 

Look for tricking people, through charm. They can lie to anyone. Deceive anyone. Even themselves. That's their downfall. They have no values in the end. They become psychopaths. No emotion there, no happiness. Just destruction of others and horrible mishandling of their life. They can have a bunch of resources and doing nothing with them, treating others badly so they can build a persona, and the inner self is destroyed, the soul becomes hollow. They become very disturbed.

Btw I finally came around on Elon Musk, for those curious. Probably so/sp 7w6. Remember I was brainwashed on typewatch for years. I absorbed many of the typings on there as fact and then found ways to justify them. Including a mistyping of myself as 5w6. So, bear with me if you see errors I'm making that are obvious. I'm more sure still of others, I believe Batman was 8w7, I know it's not a popular typing of him but it seems clear-cut. But I accept many of the typings I assimilated from Typewatch were probably not quite right. I think many were correct on there but with exemplar thousands of people wide, it was just too ambitious and done too quickly. Too many biases. Not all of those can be right. 

8 mistypes: 3 vs. 8