Healthy Sixes trust their
own experiences and are okay with being unable to predict the outcome. They are
productive, logical thinkers who organize their thoughts and actions around
what is most advantageous for the common good. Astute judges of character, they
are honest, loyal, reliable, and positive.
Six Traits
Sixes imagine and plan for the worst
Sixes distrust and authority figures
Sixes are sharp, analytically-minded
troubleshooters
Sixes are the ultimate devil’s advocate
Sixes are funny, understanding, loyal, and
compassionate
Sixes suffer from almost-constant low-level
anxiety
Sixes are quick and competent in a crisis… then
fall apart
Sixes wait for the other shoe to drop
Sixes are rarely sure they’ve made the right
decision
Fear influences all of the Six’s life choices
Sixes hate unpredictable situations and prefer
order to chaos
Sixes distrust flattery or too many compliments
Sixes are slow to open up but then never leave
you
Sixes are skeptical of the unknown and ask hard
questions
Sixes see two sides to everything and doubt
themselves
Sixes turn their anxiety into self-depreciating
humor
Sixes often forget their past success and take
on too much work
Enneagram Wings
6w5: are intellectual, cautious, self-controlled, introverted,
and seek security through an authority figure; they feel safest in groups
that share their values or belief systems; they protect their personal
information and seek alone time, which exacerbates their fears; often,
they over-analyze instead of act.
6w7: are entertaining, adventurous, and playful, willing to
take risks for their loved ones, but always careful to have a backup plan in
case the mission fails.
Phobic: these Sixes obey the rules and are loyal to authority, in
whom they place their trust, are deferential to their boss and avoid conflict.
They do not challenge their fears and instead stay inside ‘safe zones.’
Counter-Phobic: these Sixes are less compliant and agreeable, more
inclined to actively challenge authority to provoke a counter-attack (and
reveal the truth about the ‘authority’). They try to identify, target, and defeat their fears.
Under stress: Sixes act like unhealthy Threes (become
workaholics, pursue material success, and hoard resources to make them feel
more secure); they put on a facade of competence to dull their anxiety and
impress others with how ‘together’ they are, but refuse to do anything they
doubt they can succeed at or take unnecessary risks.
When feeling secure: Sixes move to the positive side of Nine, less
likely to have panic attacks about what could happen, stop planning for
disasters, and have less general anxiety. They become amusing, flexible, enigmatic,
and energetic, and less narrow-minded or rigid in their beliefs, able to trust
their instincts about other people and become less jaded.
Advice for the 6: doubt
yourself less, and trust yourself more. You have more courage and strength than
you know. Believe and trust in something bigger than yourself. Believe that whatever
happens, you can always find a place of safety, and you can trust your friends
to have your back. Consider prayer or meditation to calm your mind. Rebel when necessary, not out of fear. Record your successes and read them often, to
remind yourself that you can make good choices alone. Be positive about others’
ideas, instead of tearing them apart. Limit your exposure to the news. Learn to
recognize the difference between legitimate fear and free-flowing anxiety.
Influences on MBTI Types:
ISTJ: relies on
extensive knowledge and research to prepare oneself for the worst, motivated
through inferior Ne fears of “the great unknown”; unlikely to take risks,
semi-aggressive in pointing out logical flaws; may become rigid in their belief
system and traditionalist in their views.
ESTJ: a
safety-first decision-maker and reluctant leader, who prepares for all possible
negative outcomes and does not move forward until certain of success; may
distrust and push away from their emotions, fearing they might be a source of “weakness,”
leading to poor inferior Fi development (and insecurity in their relationships,
which causes additional anxiety); prone to traditionalist or nationalist
thinking (their ‘safe’ zone).
ISFJ: relies on extensive knowledge and research to prepare oneself
for the worst, motivated through inferior Ne fears of “the great unknown”;
unlikely to take risks, desperate to form emotional connections but hesitant to
reveal too much personal information; extremely loyal and care giving toward
those who win their trust, often uses self-depreciating humor to amuse others,
but semi-detached from their feelings (over-reliant on analyzing and
problem-solving with Ti).
ESFJ: takes on a
mothering role in protecting and shepherding their loved ones / trying to
anticipate and problem-solve any potential issues, eager to avoid risk, feels
safest in familiar territory and/or with others who share their values; low Ne
issues of paranoid suspicions, indecisive and second-guessing of their
decisions (low Ne issues + 6 fearfulness); strong reliance on inferior Ti, but
insecurity about its blind spots.
INTJ: distrustful
and secretive, prone to negative idealization and/or may face high Ni conflict
with 6 in trying to identify and eliminate problem areas as they go; may have
trouble identifying a safe zone, and involve themselves in a rigid ideology to
feel safe; pushes away from inferior Se / risk taking, overestimates how much
they can accomplish at once; due to indecisiveness, may mistype as a Ne or Si
type.
ENTJ: often
builds their own system which enables them to feel safe, or distrusts authority
other than their own; uses Se to deal with problems as they happen, but has a
negative outlook on life and always prepares for the worst; may be indecisive
and self-doubting, has inferior Fi issues of feeling anxious in their
relationships, which combines with Ni ‘reading’ between the lines / into things
overmuch.
INFJ: distrustful
and secretive, prone to negative idealization and/or may face high Ni conflict
with 6 in trying to identify and eliminate problem areas as they go; may have
trouble identifying a safe zone, and involve themselves in a rigid ideology to
feel safe; pushes away from inferior Se / risk taking, desperate to form
emotional connections but hesitant to reveal too much personal information;
extremely loyal and care giving toward those who win their trust, often uses
self-depreciating humor to amuse others, but semi-detached from their feelings
(over-reliant on analyzing and problem-solving with Ti).
ENFJ: takes on a
mothering role in protecting and shepherding their loved ones / trying to
anticipate and problem-solve any potential issues, eager to avoid risk, feels
safest with others who share their values; uses Se to deal with problems as
they happen, but has a negative outlook and always prepares for the worst;
strong reliance on inferior Ti, but insecure about their relationships; may
fall into a narrow ideology (Ni) to feel safe.
ESTP: far more
risk-adverse and more analytical than other ESTPs, may mistype as an ISTP due
to reliance on Ti, with inferior Ni struggling to identify future negative
outcomes; prone to a lot of negativity about the future (and singular
conclusions about it); less self-assured about their ability to wing things,
prone to low-level anxiety over tert-Fe (the desire to connect to others, but
uncertainty and suspicion causing detachment issues).
ISTP: intensely
analytical, with frequent Ti/Ni loops (predicting the worst and preparing for
it), not inclined to risk-taking, low NiFe desire to connect to a larger
ideology or group who can provide security in being “right”; especially good at
pointing out logical fallacies, and trusting of their ability to ‘read into’
authority figures’ motives.
ESFP: more covetous
of traditionalism and rigid ideology than other ESFPs, prone to knee-jerk
reactive (and often competent) impulses; less emotional and more driven to arm
oneself with Te facts / logic / strong decision making, but struggles with
continual self doubt, waffles on decisions once made, and feels insecure about
going out on a limb alone; may cling to an ideology of the future that makes
them feel safe (Ni).
ISFP: less
emotional and more reliant on logic than other ISFPs, prone to Ni-looping (fear
of singular negative outcomes, and then uses Te to try and effectively head
them off); hard-working and responsible, but does not like additional
responsibilities; may distrust their logic center, and feel safer when others
agree with them. Prone to negativity and becoming secretive and withdrawn when
anxious.
ENTP: quick to
read beneath the surface and assign motives to authority figures, or point out
flaws in proposed ideas; often indecisive, self-doubting, craves external affirmation
and reassurances about their logic (tert-Fe needs); may be safety-conscious and
reluctant to abandon old belief systems that root them into ‘feeling’ safe about
the unknown (inferior Si); less risk-taking than other ENTPs, and more traditional
/ covetous of finding something, anything to cling to that seems “true.”
INTP: super-analytical
and detached, wants to connect to a community through shared values (low Fe)
but suspicious, distrustful, quick to read beneath the surface and assign motives
to others or second-guess their relationships, often loyal to former ideologies
or belief systems (faith, science, nationalism, family, etc) as their security
checkpoint; will read up on many different things in order to “arm themselves
for the worst.”
ENFP: quick to
read beneath the surface and assign motives to authority figures, or point out
flaws in proposed ideas; often indecisive, self-doubting, and distrustful of
their Ne (they may not feel it is ‘practical’ in the real world) – which means
over-reliance on tert-Te to problem solve, point out rational flaws in proposed
ideas, and come up with worst-case scenarios instead of the usual Ne-dom
optimism; may be detached from their emotions as a result of continual Ne/Te
looping; may be safety-conscious and reluctant to abandon old belief systems
that root them into ‘feeling’ safe about the unknown (inferior Si); less
risk-taking than other ENFPs, and more traditional / covetous of finding
something, anything to cling to that seems “true.”
INFP: less
emotional and more reliant on logic than other INFPs, quick to read beneath the
surface and assign motives to authority figures, or point out flaws in proposed
ideas; often indecisive, self-doubting, and distrustful of their Ne (they may
not feel it is ‘practical’ in the real world); strong Si-roots (areas in their
thought process they refuse to question, challenge, or second-guess); may
distrust their logic center, and feel safer when others agree with them. Prone
to disappearing when anxious.