A Psychological Analysis of Lotor as a Type Eight
According to Enneagram, Type Eights, also known as The Challengers, are typically defined as confident, passionate, rebellious, brave, goal-oriented, skilled, decisive and independent. For most of the series, we see Lotor display the tendencies of an Average Eight, often skirting the line into Unhealthy (especially at the end) but capable of journeying towards Healthy (namely with Allura), each of which I’ll discuss in detail.
Eights often grow up in conflict-heavy environments and to say that this is the case for Lotor would be an understatement given the severity and sheer longevity of the abuse and trauma he’s faced for 10,000 years. This unfortunate upbringing obviously had a negative effect on his life and is often the catalyst that pushes him closer to an Unhealthy Eight than a Healthy one.
For Eights, their deepest fear is being harmed or controlled by others and thus their driving motivation is to protect themselves and maintain control of their lives and this is very true for Lotor who goes to great lengths to evade those who would breach his privacy and threaten his life and autonomy. Due to his circumstances, he is in a near-constant state of survival mode which motivates him to seek control at all times. Eights are also afraid of being hurt emotionally more so than physically and therefore endeavor to hide their vulnerability beneath a steely facade and can even isolate themselves to avoid potentially being abused by others.
Lotor is also incredibly hard-working like an Eight, focused predominantly on the pursuit of his goals. This is one of the factors that makes them such great leaders as their unrelenting drive, passion, determination and effortless ability to persuade can inspire others to follow them. We can see this through Lotor’s general’s loyalty to him and his ability to influence the Galran masses. Though Eights can make great leaders, their ability to sometimes be overly controlling coupled with a lack of transparency can lead their followers to eventually become resentful of them and this is a factor that, unfortunately, contributed to Lotor’s generals eventually betraying him.
Eights can be very rebellious and have little regard for societal norms and what others think of him, which we also see Lotor practice as he shirks many Galran ways and continually chart his own course. This attitude often puts him at odds with others, but Eight’s inherent bravery makes them open to a challenge of which they don’t easily back down. Though Lotor generally tries to avoid conflict when he can to protect himself and avoid bloodshed, he’s also not afraid to stand up to others when necessary and we see this in his defiant interactions with Throk, Sendak, Zarkon and Honerva.
Though Lotor is capable of killing, it’s also clear he doesn’t favor needless loss of life and instead prefers to protect it, especially that of the innocents suffering under his father’s evil regime as Eights typically see the world split between “strength” and “weakness”. They, the strong, feel the need to protect those that are weak and use what power and influence they have to try and make the world better for them (which is also why they’re sometimes also referred to as The Protector). A great example of this attribute can be seen when Lotor tries to defend the mining colony from Zarkon’s genocide. Ultimately, Lotor’s plans revolve around rooting out injustice and helping the galaxy at large the best way he knows how.
Eights are also imbued with an intrinsic sense of willpower which provides an intensity that makes them appear fierce and intimidating to others. Though Lotor is more often composed than not, he is capable of bursts of anger - a trait the Eight can be quick to in order to defend themselves. We see this most often in retaliation of those he hates and fears most e.g. Honerva and Zarkon but the behavior also emerges in his final fight with Voltron.
At their absolute worst, Eights can become violent, antagonistic and even display sociopathic behavior (which is why this type is also sometimes called The Tyrant). They will fight to destroy anything in the way of their pursuit of power and this perfectly explains Lotor’s actions towards the end of his time on the show.
Pushed to his limits, Lotor’s last-minute desire for power comes - not from a genuine motivation to rule and subjugate others - but as a defense mechanism against the emotional hurt and betrayal he so deeply feared. His ‘plans’ are a way to have absolute control so he may be fully protected once and for all as this fear of losing control or being harmed can sometimes be projected onto others which causes them to lash out at the world and force others into submission. As is common with Eights driven to this level of Unhealth though, Lotor’s threats are empty though, which makes sense given that there is nothing in the story thus far to validate such wild and baseless claims.
Eights in this state can become reckless in their delusions of invulnerability and this also accounts for Lotor’s uncharacteristically aggressive attacks and use of the Sincline ship to take advantage of and inadvertently damage the fabric of the universe.
Of course, an Eight’s need for control and avoidance of showcasing vulnerability makes them susceptible to losing touch with others and overall become closed off from emotional connection and the ability to empathize which could arguably have contributed to his actions regarding the Altean colony. Though he made decisions he was deeply sorry for, his disconnect with others may have made it easier for him to go through with it regardless, especially as he believed it would help more people in the long run.
Though we do see the worst of Lotor in the end, we also get plenty of glimpses of his best too. With Allura specifically, we see a softer, more open side to him that is capable of deep respect, compassion and even vulnerability as he’s finally willing to share his deepest self with another person. Allura shows him the first modicum of true support and validation that he’s probably ever received and her reciprocation of his kindness and affections promotes the further exhibition and growth of his best qualities in return.
Though Allura is essential in Lotor’s positive development, he is equally influential in her own story as well. Because of Eights’ fearless nature, they often help others address their own fears and insecurities which we see Lotor do with Allura as he supports and encourages her on her journey to becoming a better alchemist.
So, what would we need to see for Lotor to become a Healthy Eight by the end of the series if he’d have lived? I won’t go into specific plot details of what I would have done but, to be brief, if the show had allowed him to go down the path of redemption, he’d need to attempt to reconcile with those he’s wronged, acknowledge his mistakes and seek to do better. By repairing his relationships with Allura, the paladins and his generals, he would also begin to understand that the world isn’t against him, he’s worthy of being loved, and that vulnerability isn’t a weakness and won’t always lead to betrayal.
As previously stated, at their best Eights will also use their strength to protect and inspire others and can thus become truly inspiring leaders. We’d no doubt see Lotor work alongside the paladins once more in their efforts to battle injustice in their final fight to rid the galaxy of it once and for all. Getting the chance to play an instrumental role in helping to save the day and defeat his own mother would also allow Lotor to achieve another essential step towards becoming a Healthy Eight which would be to address the root of his anger. This would most likely involve him coming to terms with who Honerva truly is and forgive her (for his sake, not for her).
Under Stress, the Eight will take on the traits of a Type Five (The Investigator) and retreat from their emotions and connections with other people and preferring to delve deeper into whatever it is that they’re passionate about, sometimes even abandoning self-care and becoming more secretive and hyper-vigilant of betrayal. Because Lotor is in survival mode most of the time, he's often acting under some degree of stress which only enhances these negative traits.
In Growth, a Type Eight will adopt the traits of the Type Two (The Helper) such as compassion, empathy, sincerity, vulnerability, self-sacrifice and a desire to be loved - all traits, I might add, which belong to Allura, who I personally believe to be a Type Two or very close to one (I haven’t fully researched her Type yet so don’t quote me on this). This is an interesting match given their connection to each over the course of the story. Basically, at his best, Lotor is more like Allura and at her worst, she's more like Lotor, which proves they have a lot of common ground to connect on given their, at times, similar core values and vices.
Unfortunately, the tragic events at the end of Lotor’s story brings out the worst in him and even cruelly reinforces his deepest fears by having literally everyone he knows and cares about betray him which results in an extreme display of his unhealthiest traits (and not a revelation of secret villainy). Though I personally wish things had turned out differently and still have issues with the overall execution of this storyline, this behavior is at least consistent with what an Unhealthy Eight is capable of.
If the show had chosen to go down a Healthier path, we could have seen an ending where Lotor is not only alive, but more emotionally available and secure than ever due to his newfound positive connections and finally at peace with himself and the world around him, allowing him to become the great and honorable leader he’s capable of being and usher the universe into a new era of peace and prosperity just as he always desired.
Enneagram information gathered from PersonalityPath.com, EnneagramInstitute.com and Truity.com
