Enneagram 6
PRECAUTION
Welcome to Your Comprehensive Enneagram Guide
Get ready to dive into clear, practical insights for each Enneagram type. Whether you want to understand yourself, strengthen your team, or boost your leadership, you’ll find valuable information beyond the basics. Discover key traits, motivations, challenges, and actionable tips to make impactful decisions and foster growth.
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PRECAUTION can be used to avoid potential risks and dangerous situations; to engage as a reliable and dependable team player. It encourages problem solving and paying attention to details.
PRECAUTION can be used to constantly anticipate and worry about the “what-ifs,” and becoming distrusting or skeptical of others. It keeps things rooted in the planning stage, avoiding moving to action.
An Enneagram 6 might think:
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Loyalty: I feel a strong sense of responsibility towards others, especially people in my close circle.
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Concern for Security: I often find myself engaging in worst-case scenario thinking, envisioning potential problems and planning for contingencies. I have a plan, or two, for anything that may happen.
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Questioning Nature: People have commented that I ask a lot of questions but I’m really just trying to make sure all the avenues have been thought of and to find inner reassurance to the doubts I often feel before I make a decision.
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Authority and Support: I have difficulty trusting people in authority when I first meet them. I feel most secure when I am able to be part of a group or community where I can share the responsibility and support.
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Overthinking and Analyzing: I am ALWAYS overthinking situations, analyzing details and possibilities in an attempt to make an informed decision. I often wrestle with conflicting thoughts and emotions.
Centre of Intelligence: Mind Type
Mind Types lead with mental reasoning. They use their mental energy to gather facts, knowledge and information. They are driven by strategy and impacted by the dominant emotion of fear.
Enneagram 6s use their mental intelligence to anticipate potential challenges and ensure safety and security. They are vigilant and responsible, often scanning their environment for risks and relying on trusted structures and relationships for support.
Dominant Emotion: Fear
Enneagram 6s experience fear as anxiety and concern about potential threats. This emotion drives them to plan extensively, seek reassurance, and maintain a strong sense of preparedness.
Fear can drive preparation and thorough planning but can also stifle creativity, innovation, and necessary risk-taking.
Distorted Lens: Overprotection
Central Focus:
I focus on following guidelines and providing support for others.
Important Values:
I value certainty, clarity and teamwork.
Danger Zone:
Overprotective Behaviours - the need for excessive security and certainty.
Antidote:
Courage - taking steps forward despite uncertainty.
Each Enneagram type has an emotional filter effecting thoughts, feelings and actions. It is automatic and unconscious, created from core fears and desires. In traditional Enneagram language this is referred to as a “passion.” The Passion is our attempt to recreate a version of our true nature when life becomes overwhelming.
The distorted lens for Sixes is overprotection. Overprotection is a desire to secure certainty and safety around experiences, relationships or social groups.
True Nature: Courage
The true nature of each Enneagram type is referred to as their “virtue.” The virtue is the exact opposite and antidote to our distorted view on the world.
The true nature of Sixes is courage. Courage is the movement forward into the unknown. Courage is saying, “I am choosing.” Courage is the feeling of “there is more to me than meets the eye” and even if we can’t make direct contact with surety, we know we are part of something bigger and can move forward.
At My Best:
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Loyal: Sixes are deeply loyal to their friends, family, and organizations, providing steadfast support.
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Responsible: They are highly reliable and take their commitments seriously, ensuring tasks are completed diligently.
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Prepared: Sixes excel at anticipating potential problems and preparing for various scenarios.
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Supportive: They build strong, collaborative relationships and foster a sense of community.
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Courageous: At their best, Sixes act with bravery and take decisive action despite their inner doubts.
Under Stress:
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Anxious: Under stress, Sixes may become excessively worried and preoccupied with worst-case scenarios.
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Skeptical: They might start to doubt the intentions of others, leading to mistrust and questioning.
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Indecisive: Stress can cause Sixes to second-guess themselves and struggle with making decisions.
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Defensive: When feeling pressured, they may become defensive or suspicious of others' motives.
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Over-Dependent: Sixes under stress might overly rely on others for reassurance and guidance.
Working with Sixes:
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Provide Reassurance: Sixes can be prone to self-doubt. Offer encouragement and steady support to help them trust their instincts.
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Foster Trust: Build trust by being dependable and consistent. This allows Sixes to feel secure and more confident in their contributions.
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Encourage Decision-Making: Sixes may seek constant input from others. Gently challenge them to make independent choices and trust their judgment.
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Address Concerns Directly: If a Six raises concerns, listen attentively and address them. This validates their perspectives and builds their confidence.
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Promote Courage: Encourage Sixes to take calculated risks and step outside their comfort zone to foster growth.
Subtypes: Different Ways of Seeking Security
Each of the three subtypes below are slightly different ways Enneagram 6's seek security. These subtypes are created when we combine the distorted lens of the type, overprotection, and an “overdoing” of one of the natural human survival instincts for self-preservation, social safety and one-to-one bonding and relationship.
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Self-Preservation 6's seek security with friendliness. They protect themselves by finding protectors in different areas of their life.
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Social 6's seek security on behalf of the group. They protect themselves by finding a system of authority - people, rules, books, organizations, religion.
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One-to-One 6's seek security and protect themselves by pushing back using contrarian thinking and attacking fear with strength.
Read through the descriptions below and consider which subtype description fits best - you may see characteristics of yourself in more than one.
Seeking Personal Security
You'll notice SP6's by their friendly, approachable way of navigating life. They're good at creating comfortable, secure environments and building a reliable network of support. While they might think they're just being sociable, there's usually an underlying pattern of scanning for what could go wrong and preparing for it. They tend to think things through from every angle - sometimes getting caught in cycles of questioning their own decisions.
Self-Preservation
Seeking Collective Security
SO6's find their footing through group commitments and responsibilities. They're often the reliable ones who keep things running smoothly and make sure everyone's following the established guidelines. While they might think they're just being responsible, they're often unconsciously looking to trusted systems or authorities to help manage their uncertainty. You'll spot them checking the rules and confirming procedures, especially when things feel uncertain.
Social
Seeking Security Through Intensity
In close relationships, OT6's lead with a bold, counter-phobic energy. They're quick to challenge perceived threats and push back against authority - though they might not connect this to their underlying fears. While they think they're just being direct, there's often an unconscious pattern of testing situations by taking contrary positions. Can come across as confrontational, but it's actually their way of dealing with uncertainty in key relationships.
*This is the counter-type: a subtype driven by the same motivation but expressing it in seemingly opposing ways.
One-to-One
Wing 5:
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CALM: Sixes can use this wing to become less anxious and more calm. This wing helps them react and process on the inside and slow down their external reaction to a potential stressor.
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OBSERVER: With this wing, Sixes engage in observation and curiosity. They detach from their search for certainty and explore possibility.
Using Your Wings
The numbers on either side of your Enneagram number are referred to as your wings. These two adjacent numbers flavour your main number and add to your growth and development.
Wing 7:
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OPTIMISM: Sixes can use this wing to get in touch with their optimistic side. They see more of the positives and imagine the best case scenario.
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POSITIVE CONTRARIAN: With this wing, Sixes tune into the glass being half full, challenging their usual doubts and questions around what could happen and purposely looking at the positive side as a possible outcome.
Point 9:
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RELAXATION: Sixes can use this arrow point to relax; to get into the body, breath and appreciate things in the present moment.
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LESS RESPONSIBLE: With this arrow point, Sixes become less responsible for anticipating every potential issue. They can observe the flow of life and join in, allowing themselves to enjoy and trust that life will continue forward.
Using Your Arrows
The inner lines connecting your Enneagram number to other numbers around the circle are referred to as your arrow points. These two numbers can be incorporated into your self-development work for significant and lasting change.
Point 3:
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GO AND DO: Sixes can use this arrow point to get into action. They can get moving even without all the questions answered or certainty on the outcome.
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TAKE A BOW: With this arrow point, Sixes get more comfortable receiving praise and acknowledgement. They grow more comfortable with the spotlight and own their skills and talents.
To The Sixes:
You got this. We trust you. In fact, we REALLY trust you. You have very clearly thought about this a lot longer than the rest of us. You have crossed every “t,” dotted every “i” and debated internally between several possible options. We trust you. But do you trust you? It won’t help to hear that we trust you with that internal voice of yours telling you there might be one more avenue to explore. But what if trusting yourself is the exact avenue that will lead this whole exploration full circle. Just try it. We can’t wait to hear what you find.
Embrace Your Path to Growth
The Enneagram is more than just a tool—it’s a roadmap to exceptional personal and professional awareness. Explore the intricacies of your type to elevate your leadership, strengthen team cohesion, and foster authentic growth.
Why the Enneagram:
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Pinpoints the motivations that fuel your decisions
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Uncovers hidden obstacles limiting progress
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Equips you with targeted strategies to amplify strengths
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Enhances communication for greater influence and connection
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Don’t stop at surface-level understanding. Harness the Enneagram’s depth to uncover the best version of yourself and inspire those around you.