Enneagram -- SIX

"Six" by Tom Chou
The Skeptic.
Sixes are both affectionate and skeptical. They like people, but also fear the power that people have over them. They value trust, and when they trust someone, whether friend or boss, they are extremely loyal to that individual. This bond can be so strong that if these trusted individuals leave or move away, the sixes passion for life leaves with them.
Sixes have a skeptical mind that makes them good at recognizing bullsh-t and at seeing divided loyalties. Sixes are sometimes called team players, reflecting the fact that they both work well among a group they trust, and when they have a clear opposition on which to focus their skeptical energies. Skeptics can be brilliant leaders against an enemy (even if the "enemy" is just a deadline), and work especially well in an underdog position. Without an external enemy, sixes start to turn their doubts inward, or they may invent enemies, thus becoming paranoid.

Many skeptics have a goofy sense of humor that is nonconformist and yet still funny. This duality allows sixes to question convention without alienating it.

Famous sixes: David Letterman, Andy Rooney, Richard Nixon, Franz Schubert, Ross Perot, Mel Gibson.

Comparisons with other types: Fives and sixes both ask a lot of questions, and both have pessimistic streaks where worst case scenarios seem quite likely to them. Sixes have a strong desire to be liked, while fives do not. The six psyche is therefore more constrained by others, but also less likely to detach from society.

Ones and sixes are the most rule-bound of all the types. Both can be loyal and faithful to traditions. The major difference is that ones are most loyal to principles, ideals, and organizations, while sixes are most loyal to people. Another difference is that ones experience anger as their dominant negative emotion, while sixes experience fear and affection. Also, ones are more independent of others' evaluations, while sixes are more needy of their attachments to others.
Tom's site : http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~tchou/ennea_intro.html

"Six" by Tom Condom

People who anticipate the world's dangers.
When healthy they are often courageous, loyal and effective or cowardly, masochistic and paranoid.


Six is the most explicitly fearful style in the Enneagram. People with this orientation are especially aware of life's dangers, and wary of the hazards that may lurk beneath everyday appearances.

There are two types of Sixes - phobic and counterphobic. Their reactions to being fearful are so different that outwardly they can seem like separate Enneagram styles.
When phobic Sixes sense danger, they lay low. They may act cautious, compliant or ambivalent in order to avoid potential attack. When a counterphobic Six senses danger, they often deliberately provoke it. They may act outspoken and aggressive, wanting to handle trouble before it handles them. Phobic Sixes can be charming, modest, and meek while counterphobes can seem tough, challenging and aggressive.

Both counterphobic and phobic are rooted in a habit of fearing that is itself distorted. All Sixes have an inner defense of doubting, of disbelieving reality and their own instincts. They oppose themselves in order to have a sense of control in a world that they believe opposes them anyway. When healthy, both types of Sixes tend to grow towards each other, phobics becoming more courageous and counterphobics more accepting.

Awakened phobic Sixes are steady, loyal and idealistic. They live the "truth of duty," but in a voluntary, dedicated way. They are usually committed to a group, tradition or cause beyond themselves. They fulfill their promises, work hard, and are honorable, protective friends.

Healthy phobic Sixes are often gracious and diplomatic. They put people at ease and are well liked for their discretion and manners. Often they are very funny and have vivid imaginations. Healthy Sixes handle power with integrity and may be fair-minded leaders because they sympathize with underdogs. They can affirm their personal value but also want others in their chosen group to get recognition. They're not pushovers and will take unpopular stands when necessary. Generally, though, they work toward solutions that benefit the group and allow everyone to win.

When more entranced, phobic Sixes can become more blindly dutiful even as they assume less personal responsibility. They might subtly shift their power onto an outside authority and begin to romanticize those who seem more sure of themselves. The Six strikes an unconscious bargain with their hero or heroine, a bargain that says, "I'll do what you want me to do if you'll protect me from danger." The Six then hides under an imaginary umbrella, pledging fealty to this outside force, growing addicted to the security that this arrangement seems to offer. The healthy Six capacity for deep loyalty is double-edged - when entranced, Sixes are often loyal to the wrong person.

When they give away their power, phobic Sixes start to chronically worry and feel more consciously helpless. To compensate, they get cautious and wary, trying to anticipate the motives of others. They may also try to check their own aggressive or powerful impulses, so that they don't deviate from the submissive role they have agreed to play. They could have trouble finishing what they start as they slide from doing into worrying about who will criticize the finished product. They may seem friendly but give off mixed messages as anger breaks through. Phobic Sixes can also be nervous, hesitant, skeptical, tense, indecisive, overreactive, vulnerable, and conservative.

When deeply entranced, phobic people become addled with fear and openly dependent upon others. They might surrender their life to work, becoming an abject slave to a job or a boss. They could act like weak, powerless losers, and yet demand coddling from friends.

Unhealthy phobic Sixes often tyrannize with their helplessness. They place strict, narrow limits on what they will risk or try. This forces others around them to handle what the Six is afraid of. If the others resent this arrangement, the Six will accept blame but no responsibility, reacting instead like a child being scolded by parents.

This dynamic is the seed of outright masochism. In very unhealthy scenarios, a Six could tolerate great abuse and still be loyal to their abusers. Being beaten up allows them to feel punished, defeated, and then absolved of a basic responsibility for their own existence. It's like a horribly painful way of trying to stay a child. Unhealthy phobic Sixes avoid challenges, catastrophize, and may persecute others who deviate from norms. They can also seem meek, cowardly, legalistic, petty, intolerant, melodramatic, and dogmatic.




When healthy, counterphobic Sixes are often courageous, willing to take a tiger by the tail and yank. They can be physically adventuresome, highly skilled and have a real gusto for living. If they participate in a tradition, it is usually in the role of constructive gadfly. Their underlying mission is to serve the tradition by stirring it up - they consider themselves team players who offer useful alternatives, using the old as a springboard to the new. To this end they may be energetic, honest, assertive, and have many good ideas.

If a healthy counterphobe is not serving a tradition, they are often creative and original. The Six ability to look past appearances and question assumptions leads them deeper into a unique point of view. Artistic expression is attractive as a core assertion of their own power and as a way to resolve a potentially strong sense of alienation.

Entranced counterphobic Sixes often have an edgy, restless quality. Many channel their energies into physical activity; they can enjoy sports and tend to be more openly competitive than phobic Sixes. Counterphobes tend to hide their insecurities with cool or tough masks. The point of physical challenge is to expel fear by facing danger. Instead of being passively afraid, you take risks, stir up fear and then beat it. If phobic Sixes are addicted to security then counterphobics would be addicted to insecurity.

If they are extroverted, entranced counterphobic Sixes can sound irritable and challenging like Eights. They are often defiant or rebellious towards authority and habitually find counterexamples to whatever others assert. The difference between an Eight and a counterphobe is that the Six has a core of fear and a hidden dependency on the very authorities s/he seems to dislike. Despite their attitude, counterphobics are often loyal, hard-driven workers and highly idealistic. They may feel more acutely as if the world is unfairly biased against them; some have a ranting Oneish quality, especially when they talk about governments and power structures. Many counterphobics are wryly funny and good at satire. When insecure, however, their humor can punch and bite.

When deeply entranced, counterphobes can be aggressive, unstable, and senselessly contentious. Because they take action compulsively(to quell their inner fears), they are prone to making bad decisions. When unhealthy, their preoccupation with risk can degenerate into a recklessness that borders on self-destruction.

The counterphobicís battles with authority might grow chronic or all-consuming. They often get caught in cycles of suspicion, endlessly testing other peopleís motives. When deeply entranced, they never reach conclusions about who to trust and just keep on testing.

They may also be fruitlessly hyperactive, as well as paranoid, accusative, belligerent, and vengeful. Some counterphobes prize their hatreds and can be aggressively unlikable or even dangerous. When inflamed they can adopt a murderous vigilante-like mentality. Deeply entranced counterphobics generally act much worse than the authorities they accuse of abusing power.or cowardly, masochistic and paranoid.

FAMOUS SIXES
PHOBIC: Actor Jason Alexander, Woody Allen, Kim Basinger, Warren Beatty, Candice Bergen, Albert Brooks, Actress Lynda Carter, Stockard Channing, Ellen DeGeneres, Julie Delpy, Sally Field, Teri Garr, Cartoonist Cathy Guisewite, Actor Ed Harris, Philosopher J. Krishnamurti, Jack Lemmon, Comedian Richard Lewis, Actress/director Penny Marshall, Marilyn Monroe, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Richard Nixon, Actress Lena Olin, Anthony Perkins, Director Sydney Pollack, Paul Reiser, Pat Robertson, Meg Ryan, Carly Simon, Suzanne Somers, Bruce Springsteen, Meg Tilly, Beach Boy Brian Wilson.

COUNTERPHOBIC: Ellen Barkin, Photographer Peter Beard, U.S. Politician Jerry Brown, George Bush, Comedian George Carlin, Actress Judy Davis, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Mel Gibson, Gene Hackman, Adolf Hitler, J. Edgar Hoover, Dustin Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, Wynona Judd, Director Spike Lee, David Letterman, Gordon Liddy, Charles Manson, Steve McQueen, Filmmaker Michael Moore, Paul Newman, Chuck Norris, Lee Harvey Oswald, Actress Rosie Perez, Richard Pryor, Robert Redford, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Steven Seagal, Violinist Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg, Sissy Spacek, James Spader, Patrick Swayze, Ted Turner, Actress Sean Young, Russian extremist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Six With a 5 Wing
Sixes with a 5 wing are generally introverted and somewhat intellectual. When healthy, they often have many realms of interest as well as surprising competencies and skills. May have an original and idiosyncratic point of view. Can be bookish; some are interested in history or feel rooted in the past or related to a long tradition. Also good at predicting the future. May test potential friends for a long time but once you're in, you're in - a friend for life. When more entranced, they may project a willed remoteness. Have a "tip of the iceberg" quality - they show little but you sense hidden dimensions, intensity and activity. Tension between needing to be seen and withdrawing for protection. Might act arrogant or cryptic or cynical when afraid. When phobic, can be diplomatic and say things without saying them. Entranced counterphobics are either cool and loners or argumentative, tending towards violence. Can brood over injustices to them, entertain conspiracy theories, spend time alone building cases. Paranoia in private. May like secretive behind-the-scenes group activity. Sneaky vengeance, passive/aggressive toward others, self-attacking and self-destructive at home.

Six With a 7 Wing
Sixes with a 7 wing are generally outgoing and may appear more overtly nervous. More plainly want to be liked and will pursue others in contrast to 5 wing who pulls in. Can be charming, sociable, ingratiating. Have a faster tempo, stronger connection to 3. Often self-preservation subtypes, characterized by a personal warmth. Can have a cheerful, forward-looking drive and be disarmingly funny. Self-effacing, gracious and curious. When more entranced, may be self-contradicting and seem as if they want two things at once. Sometimes test others overtly, drive you crazy with mixed messages. It may be hard to follow what they're saying. When threatened, one defense is to become impossible to please. When counterphobic, they tend to be accusative. Some get caught up in big plans that they hope will result in material security. Also can be insecure, irritable, petty, irrational, chaotic. Subject to mood swings, inferiority complexes, runaway fears. May have hair-trigger flare-ups of paranoia. Falsely accuse others and then seem not to realize it. Other times they plead to be taken care of. Sometimes defensively conservative in their lifestyle. Some struggle with appetite.



Instinctual Variants by Thomas Condon - The Changeworks

Self-Preservation
Self-preservation Sixes often display a personal warmth that is meant to defang the potential hostility of others. If they sense aggression or disapproval in the environment, they may counterphobically zero in on it. Use humor, charm, self-depreciation to make friends out of possible enemies. Can flatter like Twos, play themselves down, work to maintain other people's affection. Act vulnerable, invite rescue. Ingratiating, but more nervously dependent than other Six subtypes. Also less in touch with their own hostility. Their home environment is sometimes important. May feel like their house is a fortress against the outside world's dangers. Worry about their ability to survive; have scary "worst-that-can-happen" fantasies.

Intimate
Sixes with this subtype tend to act strong or seductive when insecure. They are much more likely to be counterphobic, especially the men. May seem like Eights, take risks, talk tough. Act powerful and in control at the times when they feel most frightened. Worry about looking weak, having their fears show. May act arrogant but aren't really. Some study martial arts or seek a way of life that makes them strong. Beauty is another focus; trying to seem attractive so as to contain fear, get approval, and distract others. May consciously hide behind a seductive mask. Unlike Threes, Sixes know they are hiding. Can act cool and patrician or be flirty. Some have a focus on aesthetics. This subtype often has a stronger connection to the vanity of 3.

Social
Social Sixes tend to be dutiful and especially dependent upon authority. More often phobic than counterphobic. Often dedicated to a cause. When acting alone they will still refer to others in their mind for safety and agreement. May want to see your opinion first before they will offer their own. Could change their mind to agree with you. Often align with a group or a cause and will follow the rules loyally, trying to please the boss. "Company men." Focus on a social or work context and try to be ideal within it. Could persecute others in the name of their group's ideals. May imagine they can't live without the group's support: "If I don't play by the rules I'll be out on the street selling pencils." Later there's inevitable disillusionment. Then Six starts grumbling that they are not appreciated. Could go passive/aggressive, resent a boss they had romanticized. Connection to 9 is stronger with this subtype.
QUOTES :

"Fear is faithlessness." - George MacDonald

"Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind." - Shakespeare

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anais Nin

"A reasonable probability is the only certainty." - Edgar Watson Howe

"It takes more strength of character to withstand good fortune than bad." - La Rochefoucauld

"Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must be first overcome." - Samuel Johnson

"Faith always implies the disbelief of a lesser fact in favor of a greater." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing ... Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature." - Helen Keller

"Only in growth, reform and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"A thief believes everybody steals." - E.W. Howe

"Nothing in life is more remarkable than the unnecessary anxiety which we endure, and generally occasion ourselves." - Benjamin Disraeli

"The pseudo-conscience ... demands not obedience to the inner law of our being, but conformity to super-imposed convention." - Francis G. Wickes

"To fear the worst often cures the worse." - Shakespeare

"The only known cure for fear is faith." - WIlliam S. Sadler

Tom's site : http://www.thechangeworks.com/

"Six" by MaryBast
The Partner

Gary Schwab, Director of Operations, had been a loyal supporter of his company through many years of industry changes. A great defender of his people, Gary held himself to high management standards and saw himself as "the glue that holds people together" through times of stressful change.

With his team of peers he was often the one to point to problems in their process, and often to the group's benefit, though some of them would prefer to stick to the business side of things.

The people who worked for him admired the fact that he encouraged them to challenge him, but his own manager wasn't quite so open. It drove Gary crazy that his peers would agree when something was a problem, but when they got in senior staff meetings everyone else just "nodded and smiled." Gary couldn't stand it -- suddenly he'd blurt out his concerns.

He saw himself as practical and honest (and a good contingency planner) -- his boss saw him as negative, complaining, and resistant to change!

Gary's development work included some skills in positive reframing, but the primary shift for him was in recognizing his pattern of focusing primarily on the negative. As he learned to balance that focus of attention, his whole perspective shifted.


Typical Comments:

"I've been loyal to this organization for 25 years."

" I don't think we have very competent senior management."

"I wish we could work better as a team."

"All my life, I've questioned my own ability."

Description:

Partners at their best are highly team-oriented leaders and excellent managers who bring out the best in everyone. These are energetic executives who attend to interdependent organizational needs, which shows up in their language as thoughts about the group.

Their driving force is fear, which is manifested in less well-developed Sixes as accusation of others (particularly those in authority), in looking for hidden agendas, and in self-doubt. They may procrastinate and/or blurt out their feelings with a kind of reckless courage (driven by their anxieties), and then worry that they've shot themselves in the foot--and they may have. The good news is that they challenge others in ways that hold them accountable; the bad news is that they're always looking for the bad news!

Developmental skills include getting a reality check on their fears, empowering themselves vs. blaming others, focusing more on possibilities vs. worries, and centering their verbal presentations on a central theme and several key points. A key development need from the Buddhist perspective is morality, recognizing their own contribution to situations instead of playing "victim"; in more common terms, Sixes need the courage of their own convictions.




EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
for John Jones--Type Six

Note to the Reader: What follows is a composite development plan created for a typical Type Six executive. While "John" is unique in many ways he also clearly illustrates how some Six dynamics play out in the workplace. As you read through this plan, begin to formulate what you would suggest as developmental actions for John (and for Sixes in general). Then compare your ideas against his actual development work.

I. KEY STRENGTHS

John, the sources of input to your development process agree that you are a very bright, confident, and capable executive with CEO potential. You are well - respected at Company Z. The following comments highlight some key strengths among the four core success factors for senior executives:

In the area of leadership you are seen as capable of both concrete and abstract thinking -- you can focus on the detail (very thorough, organized, and reliable), but also see the big picture. You really understand how to bring a high-growth product to a market and work with CEO-level people; in addition you are a good learner and have picked up this business well.

You were described as a complex person but with simple ideas of what it takes to be successful. Rather than being seen as intellectual or introspective, for example, you were primarily described as someone who focuses on movement. You are in control, highly professional and polished, and you exude executive confidence. A special strength is your ability to take a complicated task or objective and break it down in order to get it done. You are extremely well-organized and can handle a huge amount of information, evaluate it, and deal with it.

You place a high value on serving the organization as a whole, and it shows: You have an appreciation for the various roles that need to be played in the company, promote cross-functional discussions, copy others on voice mail, and remind your reports to include others. Your staff has received a consistent message about their responsibility to the rest of the organization and their impact on operations. Employees from other functions respect this.

In terms of management, you really appreciate what it takes to motivate people and understand the little things that make a difference. You make sure to thank people for their work, and you treat others with respect. You are appropriately friendly and thoughtful and a role model for flexibility, yet you are also able to integrate discipline. You are clear with people about what they need to do to improve, but they always know you're in their corner. You promote growth in the organization, developing strength from within as well as seeking "new blood," and you are not afraid to deal with performance problems. You have been a wonderful coach and mentor for people who have needed it -- several mentioned employing some of your approaches -- and you support your people with others in the organization. Following sound principles of situational management, you interact differently with different people and are willing to change your style once you learn that people feel the need for it.

Interpersonally you are described as a very loyal person and an "affliator." You have been observed in strong disagreement with a customer and have been appreciated for how directly, yet professionally you have handled yourself: you get to the issues of concern without being accusatory and are willing to listen and be swayed; you will also "name" things when others may not, even at great risk, if you believe it's the right thing to do given the circumstances. In general you are persuasive yet open to changing your own point of view and you encourage differences of opinion. Your commitment to work is energizing to others -- you're intense, focused, and goal-oriented, with high standards and the ability to help others focus in a "chaotic" environment, yet you show respect for home life as well as career demands. Your process for mutual feedback with direct reports has been impressive.

Your personal image, John, is one of high integrity, derived in part from your high empathy and understanding. Others know that you will keep confidences. It is also clear that you learn and grow from failures and respond positively to challenge. You like to learn, to share, and have eagerly and authentically embraced this development process -- as much or more so than anyone I have ever worked with.



II. DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Leadership

You are somewhat of a puzzle to others on the basis of your emotional (and that is meant as a compliment) style. One person summed this arena up by describing you as "a package of contradictions." You are clearly detail-oriented and focused on what it will take to get things done, yet can also project an element of reckless abandon. Sometimes you act on impulse; other times you focus on why things can't be done. For example, even though you are fully capable of taking people to task, you will agonize about letting them go, even when it's clear that's the only course of action. You can be either highly suspicious or almost gullible, outspoken or extremely quiet.

From the point of view of your Myers-Briggs Type ENFJ preference you are an "extroverted feeling" type, whose primary strength lies in the ability to empathize with the feelings and values of others. Supported by your secondary intuitive preference, this gift is apparent in your highly motivational management style. There are two potential downsides, however:

As an extrovert you tend to talk out loud as you think things through and this -- combined with your "feeling" instincts -- makes it seem that wherever you are at the moment is your stated position. This would be a useful area to work on just to reduce confusion among others. It is especially important in working your boss, because his own Myers-Briggs preference is quite different (INTP). As an introvert he is more likely to think things through before he verbalizes them (and probably thinks everyone should), and as a "thinking" type he is not as likely to value your "feeling" responses.

The least developed preference for ENFJ's is their introverted thinking capacity. This is recognized by others in their comments that you need to use a more balanced analysis instead of "blurting things out" and by your own desire to develop a more formal process for thinking and analysis.

A second perspective on your "paradoxical" nature is provided by the Enneagram descriptions of the Six. Two manifestations of your personality type can get in your way:

You mentioned someone describing you as having a "kamikaze" quality, and it is my opinion that your riskiness can be a good model for others, who may be more cautious interpersonally. On the other hand, you can seem over-reactive, even when -- as someone said -- "the sky really is falling down!" Particularly when you are looking into the future and naming problems you foresee, if you focus primarily on potential problems (which are often easier to predict) it can make you seem negative or even resistant to change.

Typical of a Six, your consensus-based approach to decisions and your openness to being convinced can come across as indecisive or procrastinating. When others probe your opinion they sometimes find you are not committed to it. Once you make a decision you are dependable at following it through, but you are seen by some as "waffling" over making the decision in the first place. In particular, your peers are concerned about how long it took you to fill Ed's position. As mentioned earlier, John, there is no question about your ability to be a CEO, if that is what you want (there is somewhat of a Hamlet quality to your conversations about this with others -- as if you are waiting for an answer outside of yourself.) And others believe you would be successful if you work through your tendency toward vacillation.

Management

As mentioned earlier, reactions to you as a manager are generally quite positive. Two key issues identified by subordinates were related to your high standards. While your people find you to be fair and appreciative, they also feel you work them really hard. Frankly, I doubt if this area would be much different for your peers, given the company's needs, but you might attend to the following:

You have a core competency at managing change, but you need to know more about the project details to assist them in setting realistic time frames. One way they feel they could be helped to meet these demands is by paying more attention to how priorities are set.

Other comments have to do with the level of your standards and how they are applied. It is not so much that they think your standards for quality are too high -- more so that you want things to be done in a particular way. In addition, your impatience sometimes shows up in taking over meetings, which they attributed in part to your being spread too thin before Ed came on board. It also shows up in your picking up the phone during a conversation and trying to solve a problem for them. In direct contrast to this, some of your people actually want more of your time, but of a different nature: They wish you could be more accessible for training and coaching.

One other possibility in working with your own staff would be a focus on strategic planning and cross-functional team building within your areas of responsibility. Your staff members feel they need more discussion and consensus building around strategic issues--they sometimes feel they work at cross-purposes and they need help defining divisional roles.


Interpersonal

Your presentation skills are excellent, John. You organize your thoughts in a way that others understand; you're generally poised, confident, professional; you speak well extemporaneously; and you make good points. The only area of criticism is that you are typically too wordy. When people are overwhelmed with data, your salient points may get lost.

Personal

One of the key attributes of successful senior executives is their ability to listen to and learn from feedback. You know that I have been singularly impressed with your openness to learning through this development process. There is an arena for development, however, in your relationships on the Executive Team. Your peers describe you as worrying too much about what others think of you, and as unnecessarily upset when you feel people don't value what you've done. More important, they think you sometimes read things into a conversation that really aren't there. You are doing profound work on your tendency as a Six to look outward for approval and to worry over-much about others' "hidden agendas;" it will be important to maintain this focus, particularly in responding to criticism or perceived criticism without defensiveness.
MaryBast's site : http://ww4.choice.net/~marybast/index.htm

"Six" by Don Riso

The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Defensive, and Paranoid

Basic Fear: Of being without support and guidance
Basic Desire: To have security and support
The Six with a Five-Wing: "The Defender"
The Six with a Seven-Wing: "The Buddy"
Potential Neuroses: Paranoid, Passive-Aggressive, Dependent, and Avoidant Personality Disorders

Key Motivations: Want to have security, to feel supported by others, to have certitude and reassurance, to test the attitudes of others toward them, to fight against anxiety and insecurity.

Healthy
Able to elicit strong emotional responses from others: very appealing, endearing, lovable, affectionate. Trust important: bonding with others, forming permanent relationships and alliances. Dedicated to individuals and movements in which they deeply believe. Community builders: responsible, reliable, trustworthy. Hard-working and persevering, sacrificing for others, they create stability and security in their world, bringing a cooperative spirit. At Their Best: Become self-affirming, trusting of self and others, independent yet symbiotically interdependent and cooperative as an equal. Belief in self leads to true courage, positive thinking, leadership, and rich self-expression.

Average
Start investing their time and energy into whatever they believe will be safe and stable. Organizing and structuring, they look to alliances and authorities for security and continuity. Constantly vigilant, anticipating problems. To resist having more demands made on them, they react against others passive-aggressively. Become evasive, indecisive, cautious, procrastinating, and ambivalent. Are highly reactive, anxious, and negative, giving contradictory "mixed signals." Internal confusion makes them react unpredictably. To compensate for insecurities, they become belligerent and sarcastic, blaming others for their problems, taking a tough stance toward "outsiders." Highly partisan and defensive, dividing people into friends and enemies, while looking for threats to their own security. Authoritarian, prejudiced, and fear-instilling to silence their own fears. Counterphobic.

Unhealthy
Fearing that they have ruined their security, they become "clingingly dependent" and self-disparaging with acute inferiority feelings. Seeing themselves as defenseless, they seek out a stronger authority or belief to resolve all problems. Highly divisive, disparaging and berating others. Feeling persecuted, that others are "out to get them," they lash-out and act irrationally, bringing about what they fear. Fanaticism, violence. Hysterical, and seeking to escape punishment, they become self-destructive and suicidal. Alcoholism, drug overdoses, "skid row," self-abasing behavior.

Don Riso's site : http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

"Six" by C.Thomson

Negative Expectations

Susan Sarandon often plays a six or seven and in Safe Passage she plays a marvelous counter phobic six.

Here are some clues that tell you that you're watching a counterphobic six. First, on the high side, there's this wonderful loyalty to her family. In spite of the fact that she has kicked her husband out, she keeps in constant contact, calls him at 5 am to share her fears (of course) and takes care of him even while scolding and ranting at him. Towards the end of the movie she takes a civil service test (which, of course, she has a devil of time with because it means taking effective action in the outside world, something sixes often have trouble doing. She passes but one of the questions is "Who are you." She can't get past the group: She writes that she is the mother of seven sons and then has nothing more to say. That's how a six can identify with the group.

Her fears are obvious throughout, but with the counter phobic six, there is a lively ambiviance. When they are afraid, they must do what they fear. Fear is not only no reason to abstain from an action, it is the very reason they must take action. The fears are not about real things. Real crises sixes often handle quite well. As one counter phobic six friend of mind remarked. "When I was in the hospital with a serious injury, everyone remarked on how well I handled it. But they didn't know, I had been preparing for this all my life." Sarandon handles the news that her son may have been killed quite well. She holds the family together, she continues to work, she doesn't collapse or go hysterical.

But the movie starts with her calling her estranged husband at 5 am about a premonition dream. She gets the person who is going to be harmed wrong three or four times, but that really doesn't bother a six. There's danger out there, we have to be on the lookout because it is going to strike, we just don't know where. As Colin Powell spoke for our very sixish military, "Our greatest danger is the unknown enemy." And he put our money where his mouth is. The Pentagon has decided as an official policy that we now must be ready to fight wars on two fronts. When one enemy (USSR) collapses, two spring up to take its place! That's a counter phobic six trance.

The negative expectations are integral to any six. Murphy's law is a cosmic pattern. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, and it's going to be worse than we can possibly imagine. But the six doesn't stop there. They go looking for what can go wrong. They interpret everything in the light of the danger they know is there. The counter phobic six goes into action and attacks that danger that they know is there. The two vivid examples in Safe Passage, of course, are the carrying her son off the field and almost killing the dog to defend her son. And not just killing, but hand to tooth combat! Notice in the counter phobic six, when they are reflective, they are afraid, but when real danger comes, they don't think at all. They act and they act impulsively and even foolishly. Sometimes this danger-defying activity can be sustained. I know a young counter phobic six who is scared to death of heights. His job? He washes the outside windows of very tall buildings. Likes the rush, I guess.

Sarandon does the restless, edgy quality of the counter phobic six very well. You can feel that her life isn't working. She has that victim look so prized in thriller movies but she is the victim of her own fantasy. Notice the power of her fears: she holds the family together, one woman against eight men. They don't have a chance. She whipsaws them with threats and neediness. They all want to take care of her and she simultaneously both takes care of and slightly bullies them - and her type seven husband who won't see the pain of what's going on, but is very good at playing with the kids.
Clarence Thomson's site : http://www.enneagramcentral.com/l

"Six" by J.Wagner

Personality Style Six: The Loyal Person
Core Value Tendency: SIXES are attracted to and value loyalty. They desire to be faithful, conscientious, responsible persons, keeping their word and honoring their commitments. They want to make the world a safer, more secure, more reliable, trustworthy place to live in. Doing your duty and honoring your traditions is what life is all about.

Adaptive Cognitive Schema: Faith is the objective principle that keeps SIXES connected to their true self and to reality. When SIXES believe in themselves and in their inner authority, they have the certitude that they are already on the side of Being. The Force is with them. They believe the universe is ultimately trustworthy and is out to do them well, not to do them in. When SIXES are in touch with their genuine self and others' true selves, they are neither afraid nor need to prove their strength and loyalty. Courage and commitment are naturally present.

Adaptive Emotional Schema: The state that accompanies the SIXES objective paradigm is courage, an inner strength that comes from being in touch with one's inner self and with the objective laws of reality. Courage involves taking responsibility for one's own beliefs, decisions, and actions. It is the "courage to be" oneself. Any organism spontaneously responds to protect itself and what it values.

Adaptive Behavioral Schemas: Faith and courage lead to being semper fidelis and semper paratus, always faithful and always prepared. SIXES actively scan their surroundings for what might go wrong. They have an intuitive sense for danger and so are rarely caught off guard. SIXES respond well in emergencies because they are usually prepared for them. When crises arise, they respond spontaneously and effectively. Since SIXES are conscientious, responsible, and value doing their duty, they make excellent stabilizers and maintainers in organizations and systems. They can be trusted to be reliable leaders and faithful followers. Because they keep their word, SIXES manifest a stick-to-it-ness and their commitments can be counted on.

Maladaptive Cognitive Schema: When SIXES exaggerate their loyal qualities, they over-identify with the idealized self image of I am loyal; I do my duty. To compensate for a set of maladaptive beliefs that they are not strong or faithful enough, that they may be cast out of their group, that they are likely to be harmed, they become overly suspicious and circumspect, doubting their own orthodoxy and ability to protect themselves and doubting the good intentions of others. The world is seen as a dangerous place that needs to be monitored, guarded against, and restrained.

Maladaptive Emotional Schema: As a consequence of living in an unpredictable and hostile world, SIXES experience the passion of fear. Mistrusting their own common sense and inner authority,

they fear they may not be up to the task or challenge, and may let others and especially authority down. They fear the judgments and actions of authorities.

Maladaptive Behavioral Schema: Perennially perceiving the world as threatening and dangerous, and feeling fearful most of the time, SIXES adopt either a phobic or counterphobic stance. From a fearful reactionary place, they let their worries inhibit them, doubting their decisions and delaying their actions. From a counter-fearful position, they impulsively push through their fears, often recklessly pursuing, attacking, or acting out the very thing they are afraid of.

What is Avoided: Seeking to be safe, phobic SIXES avoid being rebellious or devious. Counterphobic SIXES avoid being caught off guard with no exits. SIXES avoid ambiguous ideas, positions, relationships, and situations. They want things clear and want to know where other people really stand on issues. They can be dogmatic, fanatic, vigilantes, brave and daring to compensate for feeling phobic. SIXES may avoid making their own judgments and decisions without the confirmation of someone else. They don't trust their spontaneous reactions.

Defensive Maneuvers: SIXES ward off unacceptable impulses and behaviors by projecting them onto others, thereby keeping them away from their sense of self. Instead of acknowledging their own anger at having their inner authority encroached or disrespected, SIXES project their anger onto others and then experience the world as hostile and threatening. They give away their authority and then either fearfully go along with what they are told or challenge any external authority in a reactionary manner. SIXES may either become defenders of the faith or conscientious objectors.

Childhood Development: SIXES often had caretakers who did not wield their authority well. They may have been abusive, authoritarian, absent, overly protective, or inconsistent. SIXES learned the world was dangerous and unreliable. They developed a wary ambivalent attitude toward authority figures. Either they wanted to get authority on their side to protect them or they needed to oppose authority to protect themselves. Their "fearful mind" developed to help them sense and ward off danger, protecting them from being caught off guard or betrayed.

Non-Resourceful State: When SIXES are under stress, they trust themselves less and become more worrisome and indecisive. They might become more dogmatic and orthodox to resolve their doubts. Or they might become more suspicious of others and be more rebellious against any form of authority. They take on more projects, get busy and run around instead of dealing with their inner fears. They may assume a role or identify within some group to feel more secure, becoming devoted followers or loyal middle managers.

Resourceful State: When SIXES are in a resourceful relaxed state, they get in touch with their inner authority. They trust their instincts and have faith in themselves. They accept the responsibility for their own choices and act on them courageously. They believe they can take care of themselves in an emergency. They believe the world is on their side vs against them. They remain calm and say to themselves: "I am settled" vs I am upset. They make molehills out of mountains instead of vice versa, realizing they tend to imagine the worst, blow things out of proportion, and see danger and evil intentions where there are only inconveniences and inadvertences. They find truth in all sides of an issue vs polarizing issues into who is on their side and who is against them. I am therefore I am courageous replaces I am loyal therefore I'm O.K.
Jerome Wagner's site : http://www.enneagramspectrum.com/

"Six" by Helen Palmer

Mind-state: Doubt Faith Social: "Duty"
Emotional Habit: Fear Courage Self-survival: "Warmth"

One-to-One:"Strength and Beauty"

Sixes are identified by many names, suggesting a range of opinion about the type's core structure. We have come to prefer the name Loyal Skeptic, which reflects the two-sidedness of the Sixes' self-presentation. On one hand tentative, loyal and dutiful, and on the other risk-taking, skeptical and bold, they outwardly represent the most difficult of the types to understand. Sixes have been called The Doubter, Guardian, Over-Adventurer, Loyalist, The Loyal Person, Devil's Advocate, Persecuted Persecutor, Trooper and Questioner, each name representing an angle on the type.
The Dilemma
Inner doubt is is at the core of apparently contradictory outer behavior. Doubt is a way of sorting information in which attention naturally shifts to examine the opposite side of a question. Behavioral vacillation is the result of a mind that questions: "Yes, but..." and 'Have you considered?" and "What about the other side?"

Areas of General Agreement About Type Six
Most authors agree that Sixes, as a mental type, have difficulty taking action. Thinking may replace doing in a classical 'analysis paralysis' mode of operation. Most authors also agree that fear and building protective security are central to this habit of mind. Focused on potential danger and harm, Sixes become vigilant and scan the environment, often imagining worst case outcomes in trying to make life predictable. Finding little to trust in a world perceived to be dangerous, they naturally try to figure things out, entertain their doubts and test for certainty. To reduce apparent threat, they either confront or avoid what frightens them - on one hand loyally aligning with "good" authority for protection, while on the other, being mistrustful and challenging authority's power.

Good will is assured through warmth and duty, but Sixes can turn feisty and oppositional when threatened. Doubts and ambivalence about what to trust can lead to inaction, procrastination, and incompletions, all of which can definitely depleasure life. These inner concerns and fears get attributed (projected) to others, leading to both implicit and explicit accusations and blame. To others, Sixes can appear over-controlling, contradictory and guarded. On the higher side, most would agree that they more typically manifest great warmth, devotion, courage in the face of difficulty, creative intelligence, and loyalty to the well-being of others.

The Core Theme of Six
We see each type operating from a basic proposition that shapes its motivation and behavior. Here's the fundamental proposition for Six:

The original potential for faith in self, others and the universe was compromised by a world experienced as threatening and unpredictable. Sixes see that it's not possible to count on an untrustworthy environment, so it makes sense to hesitate and question. The shift from faith to fear has also been called a fall from grace. Separated from the eternal safety of essence, or pure being, Sixes seek certainty - something to count on that momentarily recaptures the enduring security of higher being. They stay out of harm's way, or with apparent contradiction, defy security, face danger with bravado, and create their own certainty.

The logic of 'phobic' behavior is to stay out of harm's way, while the counter-phobic tendency is motivated by the logic that it's better to face danger than feel fear. Sixes therefore present a spectrum of behavior ranging from phobic avoidance of potential harm to counter-phobic confrontation of fears. Sixes can be alternatively meek or bold, cautious or outrageous, cowardly or courageous. The commonality of these extremes is the attempt to gain certainty. If either fight or flight is successful, Sixes may not even know they are afraid. The illusion of certainty -- believing that you know exactly what you're up against -- quells imagined fears and quiets inner doubts.

Internally, Sixes constantly question in order to get to certainty. They become 'proof junkies.' It's like seeing the world with a negative spin through glasses that magnify danger. Sixes unwittingly attribute (project) inner concerns, doubts and aggression onto people outside of themselves which helps to 'explain,' and therefore reduce, inner uncertainty. Ultimately, the structure of the type rests on a paranoid base, the opposite of trust and faith in others. In deep pathology, the Six devolves into true paranoia, where certainty replaces doubt ("I know you're out to get me") forming, sadly, a convincing mimic of the original state of faith.

Common Misunderstandings
Some authors and teachers have over-emphasized the compliant, dependent and obedient aspects of Six - the phobic side - while neglecting the challenging and aggressive counter-phobic aspect of the type. Sixes are indeed, outwardly changeable, but this behavioral volatility comes from the core motivation of consistently seeking certainty in an uncertain world. In order to get to certainty, Sixes either pursue or spurn security, challenge or avoid danger. They are therefore not security seekers per se, but they do seek the reassurance of certainty.

Certainty runs the gamut from unshakable spiritual faith to the opposite extreme of absolute paranoia. The doubt experienced between these two extremes is in the service of finding certainty. Although they are changeable, Sixes are not ambivalent like Nines, in the sense of having choosing from among many plausible choices. The changeability of Sixes manifests not because they have lost a priority and are seeing all sides of a question, or because two choices are equally weighted. Rather, the inconsistency of Six is motivated by uncertainty and doubt that a chosen course of action can be successful.

Hence, most Sixes demonstrate a mixture of counter-phobic and phobic behaviors that may appear contradictory, yet are inwardly consistent with a doubting mind seeking certainty in a world that constantly changes. Despite these pressures, many Sixes are quite consistent. They do not vacillate between behavioral extremes on the gamut between faith and paranoia, nor do they present a mass of contradictions.

Areas of Divergence
We view the central task for Six as reclaiming faith in self, others and the universe. Faith is reclaimed by way of converting fear to courage for action, which heals apparently contradictory external behavior and quiets doubt. Others view the healthy Six as moving toward the heart or security point of Nine, called "the direction of integration." Here the Six is said to be open, receptive, peaceful, kindhearted. We believe these positive aspects arise from reclaimed faith itself. Nor do we hold that the stress or action point of Three shows up primarily in disintegration.

Although it may be true that the diagram depicts a flow of energy between the points, and that from the flow perspective, (following the direction of the arrows), there is potential energy available at Nine, a bottle-neck of energy at Six and less available energy at Three, we see an advantage in focusing psychological and spiritual healing at the Sixes' core preoccupations where the energy is concentrated.

Another provocative view considers the core types of Three, Six and Nine to be so out of touch with their preferred center that the center's activity is repressed. These types are then dominated by one of the other two centers. We view this simply as the Sixes' loss of inner trust and knowingness being replaced by doubt, rather than another center dominating. Yet another view considers that the types are wrapped around the core issues of their heart or security point, and that in the instance of Type Six, there is a sell-out to the comfort-seeking of Nine, coupled with a general avoidance of emptiness and the chaos of non-being shared by all people. While we agree that every type needs to 'sink into' the emptiness beneath type, here again for us the place of reclaiming bottle-necked energies and integrating spiritual experience with a healthy personality for Sixes lies at Six. Finally, some authors consider Sixes as compliant or dependent. We believe this to be quite misleading, as it does not account for aggressive, counter-phobic Six behavior, especially the Strength and Beauty instinctual subtype.

These and other views have profound implications for the path of both personal and spiritual development.