YOUR RESULT:
Enneagram Type Six
THE SKEPTIC LOYALIST
Why we need Type Sixes…
Enneagram Type Sixes are perceptive, witty, and responsible. They are focused on discerning who they can trust in this world, and preparing themselves for the worst. They desire to be safe and to maintain security, so they are often scanning their surroundings for potential threats.
WHAT DRIVES THE TYPE SIXES?
CORE DESIRE
To be safe. To have security and certainty.
CORE FEAR
Feeling fear, being cut off from support or abandoned.
HOW DO TYPE SIXES SEE THE WORLD?
WORLD VIEW
The world is a dangerous place and therefore I must anticipate all my threats in order to survive.
FOCUS
Am I safe? Can I trust them?
SELF-TALK
“I can’t possibly make it on my own or trust my own judgements.”
THE VIRTUE AND THE VICE OF THE TYPE SIX
COURAGE
The ability to manage the complexity of being safe even when you do not feel safe.
ANXIETY
The inability to discern the different between a real threat and a perceived threat.
What is the Enneagram?
The word Enneagram comes from the Greek words ennea (nine) and gram (points or drawing). It refers to the nine different Enneagram Types, identified as numbers 1-9, and teaches the 9 different ways of being in and seeing the world.
Each number, or personality Type, has unique core motivations that drive specific thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
The insights of the Enneagram are useful for self-development, self-compassion, empathy, relationship building, effective communication, conflict resolution, and improvement of team dynamics.
ARE YOU A HEALTHY TYPE SIX?
Healthy Sixes are playful, witty, and energetic. They are able to experience more peace amidst chaos, and they are able to trust themselves instead on feeling a need to rely solely on another authority figure.
Average Sixes are constantly worried about what could go wrong and second guessing themselves. They oscillate between confidence and self-doubt. They can often feel suspicious and mistrusting of others, looking for a hidden agenda.
Unhealthy Sixes are controlled by their anxiety. They either completely withdraw from their fear without engaging with the world, or they are overly-aggressive with their fear. Both result in loss of security through meaningful relationships.
AN OVERVIEW OF TYPE SIX
Type Sixes represent the human capacity for collaboration, support, and healthy relational dependence. They are prepared, committed, and responsible. At their best, they are courageous, self-trusting, and flexible. At their worst, they are divisive, suspicious, and unable to own their mistakes.
Sixes are driven by fear and desire to have information. Fear manifests itself as anxiety for Sixes. They plan for worst-case scenarios to be better prepared for disasters. However, they have difficulty turning off the “What ifs…” As a result, their fear tends to portray them as pessimistic, fearful, or combative.
THINGS THAT CAUSE FEAR FOR A TYPE SIX
- When others withhold important information
- Uncertainty
- Making important decisions by themselves
- When things are going well. (“When’s the other shoe going to drop?”)
Type Sixes communicate with supporting intellectual data and speculating on what might happen in the future. They can transition between confidence and doubt in any given conversation. They are often surprised to hear other people experience them as pessimists. They often see themselves as realists.
Type Sixes take an emotional approach to conflict. They are prone to asking a lot of questions to ensure adequate emergency and contingency plans are in place.
PRACTICE MEDITATION DAILY
It is particularly challenging for you to feel comfortable with silence. You might think a meditation practice is impossible for you, but it is necessary for you. Unlike other Enneagram Types, you have a chaotic inner committee consistently causing mental chatter. Part of your meditation practice includes becoming familiar with your inner committee. Listening to them doesn’t mean responding by taking action, and it doesn’t mean agreeing with them. Mastering the art of meditation typically requires daily practice for at least 6 months – and internal peace of mind is undoubtedly worth the discipline.