Understanding the Enneagram Type 6 Personality - "The Loyalist"

Learn your Enneagram Personality Style for Free

Enneagram Type Six People are Committed and Security-Oriented

Basic Desire – To have security.

Key Motivation – To feel supported.

Virtue – Courage

Ego fixation – Cowardice

Color – Yellow

Key Characteristics

Engaging
Responsible
Anxious
Suspicious

Focus of Attention

Sixes focuses on thinking about what might go wrong and strategizing and preparing for it.
A response to an early experience of danger, Sixes has an adaptive strategy that centers on detecting threats and coping with Fear.

Passion – Fear

Fear is an unpleasant emotional and physiological response to recognized sources of danger; it usually goes hand in hand with anxiety, which can be more or less conscious, depending on the subtype.
Anxiety includes apprehension, tension, or uneasiness related to the anticipation of danger, the source of which is unknown or unrecognized and may originate inside one’s mind.

Core Wounds

You feel scared and insecure.
You feel the world is unpredictable and untrustworthy.
You believe the world is threatening and dangerous.
You became defensively suspicious.
You focus on being safe and secure.

Red Flags

Image conscious.
Boastful or self-promoting.
Dismissive of others.
Intense anxiety.
Feelings of suspicion or paranoia.
Spending excessive amounts of time anticipating how to handle future problems.
Overly pessimistic.
They are fixated on finding security.

Addictions

Rigidity in the diet causes nutritional imbalances (“I don’t like vegetables”).
Caffeine and amphetamines for stamina, but also alcohol and depressants to deaden anxiety.
Higher susceptibility to alcoholism than many types.

Center of Intelligence

Fear – The Head / Thinking Triad

Represses fear as a primary strategy.
Like the 9’s and 3’s, 6’s are just as good at pretending there is no reason to feel fear.
Sixes repress it by surrounding themselves with safety/security systems (often in the form of people) and being suspicious of the unfamiliar.
Since they can neither trust themselves nor the outside world, they can’t experience it as ‘fear,’ there is a Janus-like quality to Sixes.
Sixes are engaging, responsible, anxious, and suspicious.

Fear – of being without support or guidance.

Sixes strive to find support and guidance from those around them.
Their pervasive, underlying Fear is that they cannot survive independently and must seek as much support and direction from others as possible.
Sixes are constantly aiming to move away from isolation and towards structure, security, and the guidance of others.

Traits

Sixes are committed, security-oriented, reliable, hardworking, responsible, and trustworthy.

They are excellent “troubleshooters,” capable of foreseeing problems and fostering cooperation, but they can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious—running on stress while complaining about it.

They can be cautious, indecisive, reactive, defiant, and rebellious.

They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion.

They are the most loyal to their friends and their beliefs.

They will “go down with the ship” and hang on to relationships of all kinds far longer than most other types.

They are also loyal to ideas, systems, and beliefs—even believing all ideas or authorities should be questioned or defied.

Indeed, not all Sixes follow the “status quo”: their beliefs may be rebellious and antiauthoritarian, even revolutionary.

In any case, they will typically fight for others’ beliefs more fiercely than they will fight for themselves and defend their community or family more tenaciously than they will protect themselves.

They are loyal to others because they do not want to be abandoned and left without support—their Basic Fear.

Thus, the central issue for type Six is a failure of self-confidence.

They believe they do not possess the internal resources to handle life’s challenges and vagaries alone.

They increasingly rely on structures, allies, beliefs, and supports outside themselves for guidance to survive.

If suitable structures do not exist, they will help create and maintain them.

Sixes are the primary type in the Thinking Center, meaning they have the most trouble contacting their inner guidance.

As a result, they do not have confidence in their minds and judgments.

This does not mean that they do not think.

On the contrary, they think—and worry—a lot!

They also tend to fear making important decisions, although, at the same time, they resist having anyone else make decisions for them.

They want to avoid being controlled but are also afraid of taking responsibility in a way that might put them “in the line of fire.”

The old Japanese adage, “The blade of grass that grows too high gets chopped off,” relates to this idea.

They know their anxieties and continually seek ways to construct “social security” bulwarks against them.

They can move forward with confidence if you have sufficient backup.

But if that crumbles, they become anxious and self-doubting, reawakening your Basic Fear.” I’m on my own! What am I going to do now?”

A good question for them might be: “When will I know I have enough security?”

Or, to get right to the heart of it, “What is security?”

They constantly struggle to find firm ground without Essential inner guidance and the resounding support it brings.

They attempt to build a trusted network over a background of instability and Fear.

They are often filled with nameless anxiety and then try to find or create reasons why.

Wanting to feel that there is something solid and clear-cut in their life, they can become attached to explanations or positions that seem to explain their situation.

Because “belief” (trust, faith, convictions, positions) is difficult to achieve.

Because it is vital to their sense of stability once you establish a steadfast belief, they do not easily question it, nor do they want others to do so.

The same is true for individuals: once they feel they can trust someone, they go to great lengths to maintain connections with someone who acts as a sounding board, a mentor, or a regulator for their emotional reactions and behavior.

They do everything they can to keep your affiliations going.

“If I don’t trust myself, I must find something I can trust in this world.”

Until they can get in touch with their inner guidance, they are like a ping-pong ball, constantly shuttling back and forth between whatever influence is hitting the hardest at any given moment.

Because of this reactivity, the opposite is often also true no matter what we say about them.

They are both strong and weak, fearful and courageous, trusting and distrusting, defenders and provokers, sweet and sour, aggressive and passive, bullies and weaklings, on the defensive and the offensive, thinkers and doers, group people and soloists, believers and doubters, cooperative and obstructionist, tender and mean, generous and petty—and on and on.

The contradictory picture is the characteristic “fingerprint” of Sixes that they are a bundle of opposites.

Their most significant problem is building safety in the environment without resolving their emotional insecurities.

When you learn to face your anxieties.

However, they understand that although the world is constantly changing and is, by nature, uncertain, they can be serene and courageous in any circumstance.

And they can attain the greatest gift of all, a sense of peace with themselves despite the uncertainties of life.

When Healthy	When Unhealthy
Loyal Likable Caring Warm Compassionate Witty Practical Helpful Responsible	Hyper-vigilant Controlling Unpredictable Judgmental Paranoid Defensive Rigid Self-defeating Testy

Patterns

Thinking and Feeling Patterns

It’s hard to talk about one kind of Six because the three Six subtypes are distinct.
This can be traced to the three commonly understood ways of dealing with Fear: fight, flight, or freeze. Analytical and strategic in their thinking, Sixes thinks about how to manage uncertainty to feel safe.
Sixes think things through thoroughly, even to the point of getting paralyzed by overanalysis.
Aside from Fear, they tend to have less access to other feelings, though they can be the most feeling of the Head Types.

Behavior Patterns

Sixes are watchful and alert in different ways and share a standard orientation to authority.
They have a strong desire for good governance.
Still, they can be suspicious of and rebellious against real-life rules.
But, on the other hand, sixes are thoughtful and loyal to those they trust.
Sixes can be hard workers, intent on control and achievement, or they can have difficulty getting things done, getting caught up in procrastination, indecision, and Fear of success.
Their constant awareness of what might go wrong makes them excellent problem-solvers.

Arrows

When secure, Sixes move towards the positive side of Type 9- The Peacemaker.

Empathize more with others.
See things from a broader point of view.
Take life less seriously.
Put more trust in their inner authority.

When stressed, Sixes move towards the negative side of Type 3 – The Achiever.

Avoid feeling anxious by staying busy.
Become workaholics.
Reluctant to try new things for Fear of failure.
Take on a role or image to feel more secure.
They tell lies about themselves to get ahead.

Wings

Wings add flavor to your personality. Every Enneagram personality type can have either of the two types next to them as their wing.

Sixes can have a wing Five (Enneagram 6w5) or a wing Seven (Enneagram 6w7).

Enneagram 6w5

Sixes are usually very social, endearing, and lovable pragmatists who enjoy the safety of systems and people of authority to guard them against a volatile world.

When you add the Type 5 – The Investigator’s introverted and cerebral nature as a wing to a Six, you get – amongst other things – someone who is more independent and analytical, who likes to protect their privacy and pursue more solitary hobbies than communal ones.

Sixes with a Five wing often find they have a greater need for time alone, where they can use their considerate powers of concentration and focus on narrowing in on the things that they feel they need to solve, be it in their job or their private life.

These Sixes often fit particularly well into fixed systems like academics and analytical jobs, where the rules are well established, and they have a safe framework they can predictably move and advance.

When Healthy	When Unhealthy
They are severe and self-controlled. They are outspoken and passionate in expressing their beliefs. They possess extraordinary powers of concentration. They are very observant of their environment, with the foresight to predict how others react. They develop technical expertise and are practical problem solvers.	They can become secretive. They can become detached. They see the world as dangerous. They can become reactive and aggressive. They see others as potential enemies and Fear. They think people are conspiring to ruin them. They hatch plots against others.

Enneagram 6w7

When you combine the focus on commitment, safety, and preparedness of Sixes with the easy-going, playful nature of Type 7 – The Enthusiast, you get Sixes who are much more adventurous, funny, and extroverted than you would expect from this usually quite severe type.

Sixes with a Seven wing are just as willing to make sacrifices to ensure they and their loved ones are safe as those with a Five wing.

But they are willing to take on a bit more risk, come equipped with more energy, and are more ready to laugh about their insecurities.

These people are still Sixes at heart: Dutiful, caring, and battling that inner voice that tells them to always prepare for encountering the dangers of the world.

But they take it all with more lightness, thanks to the influence of their wing.

What makes them different from pure Sevens is that they are not as initiating and decisive.

They often rely on the advice and opinion of others, even more than Sixes with a Five wing – which makes them more independent.

What they get from the Sevens, though, is the humor to take their preoccupation with safety and security more lightly.

When Healthy	When Unhealthy
They are friendly, generous, and supportive. They have broad areas of interest. They cope with life through a sense of humor. They can have problems with procrastination and initiating projects. They don’t take themselves or life too seriously reassuring to others.	They can become overly dependent on others. They can become impulsive. They can become grumpy. They can become unpredictable. They can become reckless. They can become anxious.

Relationships

When Healthy	When Unhealthy
They are warm Playful Loyal Supportive Honest Reliable	Put on a tough act when threatened Suspicious Withdraw Controlling Inflexible Sarcastic

Styles

Interpersonal Coping Style

Dutiful – Analyze, seek info and opinions, and view from all sides while ignoring intuition.

Conflict Style

Reactive – Defensive and suspicious posture leads to overreactions and assigned negative motives.

Sub-types

Self-Preservation Subtype – Warmth

The anxiety of the Six blends with the self-preservation instinct to make Fear and insecurity a theme for this cautious subtype.
To feel safe, they build strong alliances and relationships with others.
Sixes are sincerely affectionate and warm-hearted in their interactions with others.
They repress anger and are hesitant to share opinions, preferring to be cautious rather than risk mistakes.
Sixes expresses the passion of Fear through a need for protection, friendship, and banding together with others.
In seeking defensive alliances, Self-Preservation Sixes endeavor to be warm, friendly, and trustworthy, which is why they bear the name “Warmth.”
The most “phobic” of the Sixes have difficulty expressing anger, feel uncertain, and engage in many self-doubts.
For Self-Preservation Sixes, Fear manifests as insecurity, and they focus on relationships to feel safer in the world.

This Six subtype connects to social ideals, working for a cause or standing up for the weak.
Sixes tend to be more ‘black and white’ than the shades of grey seen by other Sixes.
They may seem like One as they are precise and careful and prefer to follow the rules and procedures.
Highly rational and dutiful.
Sixes encourage compliance with rules or collective norms and ensure everyone knows what is expected of them.
They deal with anxiety by relying on abstract reasons or ideologies as a frame of reference.
Obeying authority by knowing the rules helps them feel safe.
This Six has more certainty and can be “too sure” of things to deal with the anxiety of uncertainty.
Social Sixes focus on precision and efficiency.
Sixes adhere to whatever the guidelines are as a form of protective authority.

One-to-One Subtype – Intimidation – Strength / Beauty (countertype)

This Six tends to be bold, assertive, and intimidating, which may lead to mistyping as an Eight.
Sixes believes that the best defense is a good offense.
This Six reacts against typical Six fears by running towards any fear or danger.
This head-on approach may appear rebellious or something of a daredevil.
Their need to feel safe makes it hard to connect to their doubts or feelings of vulnerability.
Sixes expresses Fear by going against Fear—by becoming intense and intimidating.
They take an assertive stance in their actions and how they look to hold the enemy at a distance.
Their anxiety is allayed through skill and readiness in the face of an attack.

Personal Growth

Learn to break free from external direction by authorities and take over responsibility for their lives and feelings.

Humor and the ability to laugh at one’s exaggerated fears can also contribute to driving Fear away.

Remember that there is nothing unusual about being anxious since everyone is anxious much more often than you might think. Learn to be more present with your anxiety, explore it, and come to terms with it.

Work creatively with your tensions without turning to excessive amounts of alcohol (or other drugs) to alleviate them.

Anxiety can be energizing if you are present and breathing fully.

You tend to get edgy and testy when you are upset or angry.

You can even turn on others and blame them for things you have done or brought on yourself.

Be aware of your pessimism: it causes dark moods and negative thought patterns that you tend to project on reality.

When you succumb to this self-doubt, you can become your worst enemy and may harm yourself more than anyone else.

They tend to overreact when they are under stress and feeling anxious.

Learn to identify what makes you overreact.

Also, realize that almost nothing you have feared has come true.

Even if things are as bad as you think, your fearful thoughts weaken your ability to improve things.

They cannot always manage external events but can organize your thoughts.

Work on becoming more trusting.

There are doubtless several people you can turn to who care about you and are trustworthy.

If not, go out of your way to find someone trustworthy and allow yourself to get close to that person.

This will mean risking rejection and stirring up some of your deepest fears, but the risk is worth taking.

You have a gift for getting people to like you. But you are unsure of yourself and may fear committing to them. Therefore, come down clearly on one side or the other of the fence in your relationships. Let people know how you feel about them.

Others probably think better of you than you realize, and few people are really out to get you.

Their fears tell you more about your attitudes toward others than they indicate about others’ attitudes toward them.

Type Comparisons

Type 6 and Type 1

Ones and Sixes share several traits in common.
Both Ones and Sixes excel at analytical thinking, and both worry about things going wrong.
One tends to feel anxious about making mistakes, and Sixes tends to experience more general anxiety related to many things potentially going wrong.
In response to their worry, Ones tries to be perfect and avoid making mistakes, and Sixes catastrophizes and imagines worst-case scenarios.
Both Ones and Sixes are uncomfortable with success.
Both styles create problems for themselves in completing tasks and moving toward success: Ones because they believe something is never perfect, constantly criticizing themselves, and Sixes because they continually doubt and question themselves and believe that becoming successful will make them a target.
Both styles tend to be activists supporting social causes they care about.
Ones because they feel responsible for making the world a better place, and Sixes because they identify with underdog causes and are sensitive to people in authority positions exercising power over others unjustly.
Ones and Sixes also differ in specific ways.
According to their standards, one worries about making mistakes and being wrong, while Sixes fear danger and external threats.
Ones are self-critical and tend to judge others, and Sixes doubt themselves and others.
Related to self-criticism and self-doubt, One tries—and inevitably fails—to be perfect, and Sixes either tries and fails to find certainty or finds it in a specific source of authority.
One particularly stark contrast between Ones and Sixes is that Ones tend to obey authority, whereas Sixes tend to be suspicious of charge and may even rebel against it.
One follows the rules, while most Sixes question them.
(One exception to this is the Social Six, who adheres to an outside authority and may strictly follow the rules offered by that authority.)
Both styles can procrastinate, but they do it for different reasons: One fears making mistakes and always wants more time to make what they do more perfect.
Sixes’ continual doubting and questioning make it hard for them to move forward.
In relating to people, One generally tends to trust people and give them the benefit of the doubt unless they break the rules or engage in destructive behavior. In contrast, Sixes mistrust others initially until they have observed them enough to satisfy themselves that they are trustworthy.
Sixes are very loyal and supportive after a person has earned their trust.

Type 6 and Type 2

Twos and Sixes can look very similar to one another.
Twos and Sixes can worry and be fearful, but their fears have different sources.
Sixes worries about overall safety, bad things happening, and problems occurring, while Twos worries more about whether people will perceive them positively, the possibility of being rejected, and the safety of specific individuals who are essential to them.
Twos and Sixes are good at reading people but do so with different aims.
When applying their attention to others, Sixes look for hidden agendas and ulterior motives, whether someone is trustworthy or not, and potential threats.
In contrast, Twos tries to ascertain other people’s moods and needs as a way to connect with them and create rapport.
When relating to people generally, Twos tend to be aware of managing their image to please or align with others, while Sixes does not consider their appearance and how others might perceive them as much.
In addition, Twos wants to be seen and appreciated by others, while Sixes would often rather hide because being noticed can make them feel vulnerable.
Twos and Sixes can worry about what will go wrong and work hard to make things go well— Sixes are good troubleshooters and want to anticipate problems before they happen, and Twos because they want to please others and appear competent and attractive.
When making decisions, both Twos and Sixes can have difficulty deciding.
Twos have difficulty making choices because they often don’t know what they need or want.
They focus so much on other people that they can be unfamiliar with their preferences.
In contrast, decisions can be challenging for Sixes because they continually doubt themselves and question their potential choices.
They may also fear choosing the wrong thing and imagine the negative consequences that might result.
Twos and Sixes also differ in significant ways.
Sixes usually feel suspicious of or rebellious toward authority figures, while Twos wants to form good relationships with authorities.
Twos often want authority figures and other essential people to like them, so rather than being mistrustful, they will usually lead with behaviors designed to achieve a positive relationship with authorities if they can.
Also, Sixes catastrophizes and engages in worst-case-scenario thinking much more than Twos.
Twos are usually optimistic, and while they might sometimes imagine that people don’t like them, they typically don’t think about the worst case.
Another contrast between Twos and Sixes is how each deals with conflict.
Twos would like to avoid conflict most of the time if they can.
At the same time, Sixes, especially counterphobic Sixes, can sometimes move toward conflict, especially if they feel motivated to challenge an authority figure they believe is abusing their power.
Specific commonalities exist between the Twos and the Self-Preservation Sixes.
Both Twos and SelfPreservation Sixes are warm and focus considerable energy on creating friendships; they try to avoid showing aggression (though they both may do so when reactive).
Twos try to attract friends out of a desire to be liked and affirmed, providing them with a sense of well-being.
In a slightly different way, Self-Preservation Sixes want to create relationships that will serve as alliances to keep themselves safe amid friendly others who can band together against outside threats.
Twos are motivated to form friendships by the need to be liked and seen as indispensable so that they will have friends to meet their needs in the same way they meet others’ needs.
The Six has a strong need for safety against attack or other kinds of dangers.

Type 6 and Type 3

Threes and Sixes have some traits in common.
Threes and some Sixes, especially counterphobic Sixes, can be hardworking, assertive, and forward-moving.
Threes and Sixes specialize in reading people, though they do this for different reasons.
Threes scan their audience to determine what others value to create an image of themselves that others will see as successful and admirable.
Sixes read people to answer an inner sense of threat and protect themselves by looking for hidden agendas and ulterior motives.
Both styles can be personable and friendly, with Threes looking for approval from others and Sixes wanting to create safety by knowing who their allies are.
Both can also be practical and solution-focused, though Threes focuses on goals and finding the most efficient path to achieve the result. Sixes prioritize anticipating problems and dangers so they can prepare and find fixes proactively.
Threes and Sixes also differ in specific ways.
Threes focus on moving quickly and efficiently toward their goals, while Sixes can procrastinate for Fear of doing it wrong or because they are looking for problems.
Threes are skillful at matching an image of success and tend to appear confident in whatever they do, while Sixes can waver through doubting and questioning.
Sixes can also become stuck in Fear or paralyzed by overanalysis and imagining the worst-case scenario.
When engaging in work tasks and their lives in general, Threes pay attention to doing whatever it takes to achieve success and like to be recognized for their achievements.
Sixes usually fear success and so may tend to sabotage themselves (sometimes to avoid attracting the attention of others).
Related to this, while Threes are action-oriented and success-oriented, Sixes often avoid taking action that might lead to success because they fear that success leads to exposure and exposure may lead to the attack.
Being very goal-oriented, Threes works toward goals without slowing down long enough to think about what might go wrong.
In contrast, Sixes almost always think of what could go wrong, which makes them skilled troubleshooters—they naturally think about potential obstacles in accomplishing a particular task so they can prepare and account for them.
Finally, Threes can usually work well with authorities as long as they don’t interfere with Threes’ progress toward their goals. In contrast, Sixes tend to be suspicious of or rebellious toward authority figures, fearing they will use their power against them in unfair ways.

Type 6 and Type 4

Fours and Sixes can have very similar outward styles.
Both Fours and Sixes are intuitive and skilled at reading others—Sixes because they protect themselves from threats by looking to see other people’s intentions, and Fours because they are emotionally intuitive and empathic—and these traits help them form supportive relationships.
People of both types can be good troubleshooters, Fours because they naturally see what’s missing in a specific situation, and Sixes because they automatically think about what might go wrong so that they can prepare for it.
Fours and Sixes can challenge authorities and the established way of doing tasks and projects.
Fours can be nonconformist because they have original perspectives and are oriented to depth and the authentic expression of feelings.
And Sixes can rebel because they think in contrarian ways and feel unsafe with and suspicious of those who have power over them.
Both Fours and Sixes tend to have negative feelings about themselves.
Fours usually feel they are defective or missing something somehow, and Sixes tend to doubt, question, and blame themselves.
Both Fours and Sixes can get stuck in life and have a hard time moving forward, Fours because they can be overly self-critical and overly attached to specific emotions, believing things are hopeless, and Sixes because they can overthink issues and events, experience “analysis paralysis,” doubt their abilities, and fear success.
There are also clear distinctions between Fours and Sixes.
Fours are sensitive to how others might perceive them and want to be seen as unique and original.
On the other hand, Sixes do not focus on the image others have of them as much.
Fours want to stand out and be viewed as unique in the eyes of others, and Sixes identify more with the underdog and the “everyman/everywoman” archetype.
Fours live primarily from and in their emotions, while Sixes dwell more in their heads and are predominantly mental and analytical.
Sixes’ most regular emotional experiences involve Fear, doubt, and worry, while Fours more often feel emotions related to sadness and melancholy.
Sixes search for certainty and inevitably don’t find it or adhere to something specific out of a need for certainty.
Fours mainly focus on what they don’t have that others have—often an unattainable love relationship—thinking they can finally be happy if they can attain it.
Finally, Fours’ chief aim is to feel loved and appreciated for who they are, while Sixes focus more on feeling safe in the world.

Type 6 and Type 5

Fives and Sixes are alike in many ways.
Both Fives and Sixes can be reserved and withdrawn.
More phobic Sixes, in particular, resemble Fives, as both types tend to be introverted and seek security by moving away from other people.
Fives maintain a distance between themselves and others to guard against being depleted.
In contrast, Sixes are wary of others and withdraw out of Fear that other people might represent some danger or threat.
Both types are slow to trust others when forming relationships.
This is because Fives and Sixes have safety and security concerns, though phobic Sixes tend to feel more actively fearful and anxious about outside threats. At the same time, Fives excel at avoiding frightening situations well before they occur.
Fives and Sixes can be vigilant when interacting with others and protecting their boundaries, and both can become angry when their boundaries are challenged.
Fives need clear boundaries to prevent intrusions and potentially energy-draining interactions with others, while Sixes have a common fear of being attacked or shamed somehow.
Both Fives and Sixes are analytical thinking types who intellectualize regularly, meaning they rely on their thinking function significantly to avoid feelings —they may believe about feelings but have difficulty feeling them.
Fives and Sixes also differ in some of their traits.
Counterphobic (Sexual) Sixes can look very different from Fives, much more extraverted than the introverted Five.
Sixes have more apparent issues with authorities than Fives do.
Sixes can be suspicious of and openly rebellious toward authority figures.
But, at the same time, Fives can follow authorities if they choose to (and if they don’t, they may go against the established leader in a more quiet, less noticeable way).
Sixes focus on questioning and doubting in the quest for certainty.
At the same time, Fives pay more attention to the accumulation of knowledge, the reduction of needs, and the economical use of resources like time and energy.
Fives value emotional control, while Sixes do not prioritize the power of emotions similarly.
Fives can be very objective when analyzing a situation, as they habitually detach from emotions.
On the other hand, Sixes can have difficulty distinguishing their intuitions from their projections—they may confuse the reality of what they perceive with what they fear is valid.
Interpersonally, Fives withdraw from others to avoid feeling pressed to meet their emotional needs.
In contrast, Sixes do not fear meeting others’ needs and can be very generous with their time and energy with people they trust.

Type 6 and Type 7

Sixes and Sevens have some traits in common.
Both are mental types and primarily thinking-oriented, though they think differently about different topics.
Sevens focus on planning future activities, new and exciting ideas, and interrelating and synthesizing information.
Sixes think about what might go wrong to prepare for it proactively, and they also believe in contrarian terms, questioning ideas and opinions they hear from others to find what’s true or solve problems.
Sixes and Sevens are both quick thinkers but with good imaginations, though Sixes tend to imagine worst-case scenarios, while Sevens imagine highly positive ones.
Both types are “fear types,” though they may or may not know their Fear.
Both move toward threats in the environment to face dangers—the Seven with charm and an engaging presentation and the Counterphobic Six with strength and the willingness to intimidate.
People of both types can get caught up in thinking too much and not move into action, with Sixes becoming caught up in doubt and Sevens being distracted by new ideas and multiple options or not wanting to commit to (or be limited by) a specific course of action.
Sixes and Sevens also differ in specific ways.
Sevens tend to be very optimistic.
At the same time, Sixes, who usually describe themselves as realistic, may look more pessimistic to outside observers when they draw attention to problems or threatening or damaging possibilities.
Sevens have a sunny outlook and reframe situations in favorable terms, while Sixes tend to focus on what might go wrong so they can prepare for potential problems occurring.
Sevens and Sixes have different styles of managing fears or concerns.
Sevens move toward the source of Fear with charm and pleasantries to disarm the ominous threat with soft power, while Sixes tend to be vigilant and watchful to see the danger coming ahead of time so they can prepare to meet it.
Counterphobic Sixes tend to move toward threatening situations with strength.
In contrast, phobic Sixes withdraw from them, and Social Sixes obey one kind of authority or another to cope with anxiety.
Sevens focus on positive possibilities and exciting and fun things to do—they want to maintain good feelings and avoid pain and discomfort.
Sixes can hardly avoid pain and discomfort as they focus on self-doubting, questioning ideas and seeming realities, and detecting potential dangers.
Sixes look for certainty.
Sevens are adventurous, while Sixes are careful and strategic.
Sevens plan for fun, while Sixes prepare to deal with problems.
Sevens see endless possibilities for exciting activities in an unconscious effort to keep a safe distance from anxiety and discomfort, while Sixes seeks problems to solve to feel safe.
Sixes tend to have problems with authorities—they can be questioning and suspicious of charges and also rebellious and challenging tasks—while Sevens equalize authority and deny hierarchical power relationships, seeing themselves as being on the same level and friendly with superiors and subordinates.
Sevens expect success and have a confident presentation, while Sixes expect things to go wrong and may have a worried, even paranoid expression.
Sevens have difficulty with commitments, as they fear limits, while Sixes are very loyal, dedicated, and committed once they trust someone or something.

Type 6 and Type 8

While Sixes and Eights are alike in some general ways, phobic Sixes can look quite different from Eights, and counterphobic Sixes can look a lot like Eights.
Both Eights and counterphobic Sixes can appear solid and intimidating to others.
Both styles tend toward threatening or challenging situations “fearlessly” to deal with the problem head-on.
However, Eights genuinely have little or no Fear.
At the same time, counterphobic Sixes act against threats to quell a more profound and ongoing sense of dread that is not always experienced consciously at the moment (but represents the “fight” part of “fight or flight”).
Eights and all Sixes tend to rebel against authority.
And Sixes and Eights can both be protective of others they care about.
Eights tend to protect the weak and vulnerable, and Sixes are frequently drawn to supporting underdogs or underdog causes.
In addition, Sixes and Eights can both be very hardworking and practical.
However, Eights are more prone to over-working, wanting to move big things forward quickly, and Sixes can be more cautious and get slowed down by overanalysis and endless questioning of what they are doing.
Eights also differ from Sixes in some precise ways, with Eights’ style contrasting even more obviously with the kind of phobic Sixes.
Eights feel relatively little Fear and vulnerability, as the Eights’ approach to life is based on a denial of vulnerability and overcompensatory confidence in their power and strength.
On the other hand, Phobic Sixes often feel fearful and thus vulnerable, so they anxiously await threats and other dangers.
Eights do not often engage in self-doubt, while Sixes continually doubt themselves.
Sixes tend to overthink and can become paralyzed by overanalysis, thus failing to act.
Eights tend to act quickly without thinking.
Because Eights like to move things forward quickly, they get impatient if others slow their forward progress, while Sixes tend to procrastinate and slow themselves down based on fears that there will be some lousy outcome or another.
Sixes are slow to trust others and scrutinize people for hidden agendas and ulterior motives.
At the same time, Eights generally rely on people who appear competent until their trust is broken.
Eights can directly confront a conflictual situation, as can counterphobic Sixes, while the phobic Six would rather avoid conflict but can engage in it if necessary or provoked.

Type 6 and Type 9

Sixes and Nines can look similar.
Both Sixes and Nines can be loyal, caring, and supportive of others.
Sixes and Nines both procrastinate.
Sixes procrastinate because they fear things will go wrong and they fear success, while Nines put off work and other tasks when they have a hard time accessing and staying with their agendas.
Also, at times, Nines can passively resist forward movement to resist going along with what others want them to do (without saying so and risking potential conflict).
Sixes can resist their forward progress because they become caught up in questioning, overanalyzing, and doubting.
In addition, phobic Sixes and Nines want to avoid conflict, though Nines are more extreme.
And people of both types tend to be self-effacing and humble.
They both dislike being in the spotlight for different reasons.
Sixes fear even positive attention can make them open to attack, and Nines are very uncomfortable being the center of attention, as they do not even place themselves at the center of their attention.
Sixes and Nines also have distinct characteristics that reveal the differences between their styles.
Nines tend to merge with others and trust others easily.
In contrast, Sixes tend to stand apart and be suspicious, especially at first, until they gather enough information to ascertain whether or not someone is trustworthy.
Nines tend to go along to get along and to over-adjust to others’ preferences—they tend to comply with the wishes of others as a way of avoiding discomfort and potential separation.
In contrast, Sixes mistrusts others and may question or test people before going along.
In light of this tendency to follow other people’s preferences, Nines are easily distracted from their agenda. At the same time, Sixes tend to remain alert in their focus of attention on potential threats.
Nines can see many different points of view and usually take on a mediating role when parties in a group differ in opinion.
In contrast, Sixes think in contrarian terms: they can see one side, and then they can see the opposing side, and they tend to see things not in terms of many equally plausible points of view but in terms of questioning and countering whatever idea is put forward.
Nines dislike conflict and do not usually have contact with their anger (which might lead them into a battle).
They differ significantly from the counterphobic Six, who may get angry and move toward conflict in certain situations to deal with a potential threat.
Sixes tend to be somewhat (or very) antiauthoritarian.
At the same time, Nines, wanting to avoid conflicts and create harmony, will usually go along with and cooperate with authority, at least on the outside.

Enneagram Type 6 Careers

Though sixes can be found in almost any career
They can be excellent Firemen, Military Servicemen, Police Officers, and Emergency Response Workers.
Safety Inspectors, Auditors, Prosecutors, Doctors, Financial Analysts, and Retirement Counselors.
They excel in occupations that demand a cautious & skeptical mind.
They are often attracted to the justice system.

Enneagram Type 6 Personality Type Cross-reference

Enneagram Type 6 is interesting because it is present in significant numbers across all MBTI types.

13% – 17% of Sensing types and 6% – 10% of Intuitive types were Enneagram Type 6, making it more strongly correlated with Sensing than Intuition.

Reflecting the higher frequency of 6 among sensors and the higher percentage of seniors in the population, it can be observed that 87% – 89% of Enneagram 6s are Sensors.

There was a solid correlation between Enneagram Type 6 and the SJ Temperament.

ISTJs and ISFJs are the two types most likely to be Enneagram Type 6, and these two types alone constitute 46% – 57% of the Enneagram Type 6 in the overall population.

Introverted Sensing and Judging MBTI Personality Types (ISxJ)

Keirsey Guardian Sensing/Judging (SJ)

Temperaments