Enneagram 6: The Loyalist
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.
Sixes imagine and plan for the worst
Sixes distrust 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
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 that whatever happens, you can always find a place of safety, and you can trust your friends to have your back. Rebel when necessary, not out of fear. Record your successes and read them often, to remind yourself of your previous success. Be positive about others’ ideas, instead of tearing them apart. 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.
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