Type Six
The Loyal Skeptic

Center of Intelligence: Head Center
Motivation: To seek certainty through skepticism and preparation and avoid anxiety
Core Fears: Fear itself, uncertainty, cowardly, submission, and being unprepared

Sixes are loyal, relatable, skeptical, anxious, and provocative. They are motivated to avoid feeling fearful, anxious, uncertain, or unsafe. Sixes are the alarm systems of the Enneagram and are frequently misunderstood by others because they are a mass of contradictory mental positions and emotions. By far, Sixes find it the most difficult to find their Enneagram type and frequently mistype as the other eight other types. The propensity to mistype is because Sixes evaluate their personalities situationally rather than their motivations. Sixes often utilize the phrase "it depends" because they know that their emotions constantly change and their behavior is contingent upon the situation.

Emotional and Mental Complexity
If Sixes are angry, they may feel more 8ish and identify themselves as Eights. If they're feeling sad, they may feel 4ish, or if they're feeling withdrawn and analytical, they may feel more 5ish. Sixes can have difficulty seeing the role that the avoidance of being afraid and anxiety play in their everyday lives. Six is the most emotionally complex, and subsequently, misunderstood type on the Enneagram because of their rapidly shifting emotional states, vacillating opinions, the tendency to play devil's advocate, alternating loyalty and mistrust of other's motives.

Certainty, Doubt, and Authority
Sixes want to be sure of themselves and others but do not trust their inner authority or intuition. They look to others (friends, family, parents, philosophies, religions, political ideologies, etc.) to help them eliminate the uncertainty. Because they are naturally skeptical and apprehensive about others' authority, they never fully trust those they look to for support. Sixes will alternately seek advice and certainty and then challenge and oppose authority figures or confidants they've turned to for guidance. Sixes want to avoid being paralyzed and cowardly and deal with fear in two distinct ways.

When the Sixes are in a phobic response, they avoid what scares them and look for protection, reassurance, or shelter from a more confident person, group, or institution with whom they've aligned themselves. When Sixes are in a counterphobic response, they move toward what scares them; they adopt a mind-over-matter approach to anxiety management and appear like Eights or Threes. If they are afraid of public speaking, they enroll in a public speaking seminar. If they're fearful of dying in a car accident, they may be inclined to drive fast cars at high speeds. In both instances, Sixes react to the overwhelming dread of being paralyzed by fear and finds strategies to deal with their paralysis.

Anxiety, Reactivity, and Planning
Because Sixes fear the consequences of their anxiety, they spend a lot of mental energy planning, projecting, postulating, theorizing, and rehearsing potential danger, chaos, or situations that could bring about anxiety. Sixes are excellent problem solvers, and as mental types, they have usually thought of all potential contingencies and potentialities in each situation. They possess the gift of seeing potential problems on the horizon and planning accordingly. Many people misunderstand this tendency in Sixes as "negative" or "naysaying," but it is an act of service and care. Sixes tend to question the motives of others and see underneath what's not said to the unspoken intentions of others. Their suspicion makes them adept at ferreting out danger or recognizing when something is not quite right.

Some Sixes inadvertently seek advice or guidance from others through complaining, fretting, or "spinning" about a particular issue or decision and unconsciously invite others to guide them. The Six then becomes defensive, reactive, angry, or defiant when others direct, guide, or instruct them. Other Sixes blatantly ask others what they think they should do and relinquish their authority to have someone else to blame if something goes wrong.

Bravery and Fairness
Sixes can be incredibly funny, ironic, lighthearted, quick-witted, and immensely supportive and helpful. They feel a duty to help and defend the underdog or those in need. When Sixes overcome their anxiety and find the courage they crave, they can perform heroic acts to rescue others from danger or stand up to unfair authorities or injustice.

Sixes are reactive types, and as such, if they sense inauthenticity, unfairness, or mistreatment, they often sound the proverbial alarm. However, unlike the more self-directed types, it's difficult for Sixes to confront injustice or inequity directly, so they rally others to help take down an enemy or foe. Sixes hold immense power in their ability to sow doubt and uncertainty in others.

Persecution and Volatility
When stressed, Sixes undermine others through provocative questioning, becoming rebellious or defiant, and demonstrating a relentless desire to persecute those they believe have targeted them. However, their paranoia has often clouded their judgment at this stage, making them reckless and erratic. Unhealthy Sixes become extremely ambivalent, reactive, and persecutory. They are so emotionally unpredictable that others find it challenging to interact without the Six exploding or becoming evasive or obsequious. When stressed, Sixes can expect others to take complete responsibility for them and their actions out of fear of acting.

When Healthy and Balanced
On the high side, Sixes truly exemplify courage if they recognize that fear can never truly be conquered but can be managed and endured through bravery. Healthy Sixes learn to laugh at their anxieties and fears and genuinely empathize with others who are afraid, uncertain, or indecisive. Healthy Sixes can help guide and encourage others patiently to find their inner voice, establish boundaries, or find the courage to conquer what scares them. Self-aware Sixes have mastered overcoming anxiety and performing brave and bold acts. Healthy Sixes defend and support others and know who (and what) deserves their considerable commitment. Many have strong values of fairness and equity. At their best, Sixes have finely tuned intuition that acts as a guiding light in murky waters when they allow themselves to trust their inner voice.

 Exemplars: Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Melissa McCarthy, Steve McQueen, Diane Keaton, Ellen DeGeneres, Charles Manson, Mark Wahlberg, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, George Bush Sr., Adele, Chris Rock, Jessica Chastain, Megan Thee Stallion, Michael Moore, Bruce Springsteen, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Kit Harrington, Rachel Maddow, Amy Winehouse, Daniel Craig, Louis C.K., Ed Harris, Masie Williams, Amy Schumer, Richard Pryor, Robert Redford, Michael Cohen, Colin Farrell, Tom Hardy, Marilyn Monroe, Colin Kaepernick, Jon Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Ben Stiller, Seth Rogan, Byron Katie, Richard Nixon, Tom Condon, Khloe Kardashian, Iyanla Vanzant, DMX, Chris Christie, Dave Chapelle, Kendall Jenner, Shania Twain, Eliot Page, Post Malone, Nick Jonas, Anderson Cooper