Type 6: The Need for Security

People who are Enneagram Type 6 are known at the Loyalists. They are cooperative, reliable, team players who give their all to the people they trust and love. As a head type, they are always thinking. However, much of their thinking is filled with self-doubt, fear, and dealing with any and every potential threat around them.

6s have a 6th sense for danger! They are always seeking security and safety which they often find in a trusted protector or an institution or organization that they feel is a tried and true authority.

6s are preoccupied with fear (thier vice). 6s are the only Enneagram type that can be divided into two subtypes based on the two classic human reactions to fear, that is, flight or fight. These two types are:

• Phobic – the flight reponse – 6s who give in to their fear and get lost in what can go wrong; gentle, carefu, hesitant, more comfortable in a group they can trust and downplay most things that would make them stand out
• Contra Phobic – the fight response – 6s who try aggressively to overcome their fear expecting things to go wrong and planning a response in advance; risk-takers, take the bull by the horn to conquer thier fear; tend to be out front starting a new group of people who become their trusted community (rather than joining an existing group)

Other words which describe 6s include…

Basic Fear

Of being without support of guidance, that is, that they will be lost without the safety and support they need to find their way. Every other Enneagram type has a basic fear OF something, but the struggle of Type 6 is a preoccupation with fear itself.

Basic Desire

To have the support system they need to feel safe and be secure. This support system can take many forms: family, an authority figure, an institution, or an organization.

A Few Key Motivations

• Establish security and stability in the midst of threats – especially through order, plans, and rules because these offer the feeling of stability; 6s find safety in routines
• Find someone or something to support and protect them
• Certitude and Reassurance – 6s want clarity in the midst of ambiguity,
• To fight against anxiety and insecurity
• 6s see the threat in everything and so are creating a plan and nurturing a community of support to maintain safety and security from the threat

Vice

Fear – a primal anxiety, angst; often involves irrational thinking

Virtue

Courages and Resilience – when healthy and able to face and transcend their fear, 6s find passionate courage and rooted resilience. 6s other gifts include loyalty, self-sacrifice, a readiness to assume responsibility, and a well-developed sense for what is in the air

Defense Mechanism

Projection – 6s mistrust (themselves and others) so much that they will project negative thoughts onto others; that is, they will play out worst case scenarios in their heads and (whether true or not) project that scenario onto others assuming the other persons motives and feelings – this often leaves others wondering, “where in the world did that come from?”

Chaining – 6s chain their many fears together into a whole as a coping technique to manage all their fears, kinda like the old school Christmas decorations using paper rings chained together to place around the Christmas tree; they bring their many fears into a single whole, better to deal with one big massive fear than thousands of little fears

Pitfalls

Phobic 6 – cowardice, panic, despair

Contra Phobic 6 – taking foolish risks

Example

As the Loyalist, 6s are some of the most dependable, bona fide certified friends anyone could want. So, Alladin’s Friend Like Me is a great song to represent 6s. They are always in the mood to help you dude, always on the job you big nabob, always heavy ammunition in your camp – and you ain’t never had a friend like a 6!

Biblical Character

Phobic 6 – Timothy – He’s the perfect follower that Paul must constantly reassure. Paul assigned him to lead the church of Ephesus. 1 & 2 Timothy speak of a very hierarchical church structure (description of the office of Bishop and the leader as the keeper of doctrine). The letter attributes this structure to Paul, meaning it was not created by Timothy, but something Timothy can trust in because Timothy can trust Paul (or at least whoever wrote this letter in Paul’s name!).

Coincidentally, 2 Timothy 1:7 is a great verse for 6s to keep in mind and read again and again:

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Tim 1:7

Contra Phobic 6 – Apostle Peter – He’s devoted to Jesus and ready to go to his death for him. Peter takes a stand in the garden and cuts off the ear of a soldier. And soon after Peter is so taken with his loyalty to stay near Jesus at the trial that he doesn’t even realize how he betrays Jesus by denying him just to be able to stay near Jesus.

What 6s Need

• Need to break free of external direction from authorities and take responsibility for their life and feelings
• Need to look fear in the eye, call it by name, unmask it, and break it
• They prefer a very structured, controlled spirituality, need to emancipate themselves from this rigidity
• Need to develop a warm, intimate relationship of the heart with God
• Ask their friends to help them examine their fears to understand them and discover what lies beneath
• Practice making decisions without asking permission
• Need to remember their successes and strive to obtain more success
• Engage in something (like martial arts) where they have to react spontaneously from, the gut and don’t have time to think about response; also good for creating wins!
• Need to find out by themselves what is best for them
• Need to TRUST themselves
• Need to stop, breathe, and think clearly before falling into the trap of anxiety
• Need to laugh at their fears!!
• Need places of security where they are free from fear and can feel accepted for who they are
• Need Love – perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)

Summary

Enneagram Type 6 – The Loyalist from Crystal

Are You a 6?

If you think you may be a 6, check out the video below for some helpful connection points to God. Also, be sure to text, call or email Pastor Jason to sign up to take the 40 minute Enneagram Test online. (Paper test are available as well.) Use the contact form on our website or text/call the church office.

Stay tuned to our blog for tips on relationships with Type 6s!