While surfing on Pinterest today at my personality type memes I came across a ladies board name that was titled with 'enneagram type 6' and it made me curious. Learning about my personality has become a thing I've really liked. It almost feels like a personality manual.
So, like usual, I turned to Google to figure out what this funny looking word-thing meant.
en·ne·a·gram
ˈenēəˌɡram/
noun
noun: enneagram; plural noun: enneagrams
- a nine-sided figure used in a particular system of analysis to represent the spectrum of possible personality types.
Type 6
The Loyalist
Conflicted between trust and distrust
People
of this personality type essentially feel insecure, as though there is
nothing quite steady enough to hold onto. At the core of the type Six
personality is a kind of fear or anxiety. This anxiety has a very deep
source and can manifest in a variety of different styles, making Sixes
somewhat difficult to describe and to type. What all Sixes have in
common however, is the fear rooted at the center of their personality,
which manifests in worrying, and restless imaginings of everything that
might go wrong. This tendency makes Sixes gifted at trouble shooting,
but also robs the Six of much needed peace of mind and tends to deprive
the personality of spontaneity. The essential anxiety at the core of the
type Six fixation tends to permeate the personality with a sort of
"defensive suspiciousness." Sixes don't trust easily; they are often
ambivalent about others, until the person has absolutely proven herself,
at which point they are likely to respond with steadfast loyalty. The
loyalty of the Six is something of a two edged sword however, as Sixes
are sometimes prone to stand by a friend, partner, job or cause even
long after it is time to move on.Sixes are generally looking for something or someone to believe in. This, combined with their general suspiciousness, gives rise to a complicated relationship to authority. The side of the Six which is looking for something to believe in, is often very susceptible to the temptation to turn authority over to an external source, whether it be in the form of an individual or a creed. But the Six's tendency towards distrust and suspicion works against any sort of faith in authority. Thus, two opposite pulls exist side by side in the personality of enneatype Six, and assume different proportions in different individuals, sometimes alternating within the same individual.
The truly confounding element when it comes to typing Sixes is that there are two fundamentally different strategies that Sixes adopt for dealing with fear. Some Sixes are basically phobic. Phobic Sixes are generally compliant, affiliative and cooperative. Other Sixes adopt the opposite strategy of dealing with fear, and become counterphobic, essentially taking a defiant stand against whatever they find threatening. This is the Six who takes on authority or who adopts a dare devil attitude towards physical danger. Counterphobic Sixes can be agressive and, rather than looking for authorities, can adopt a rebellious or anti-authoritarian demeanor. Counterphobic Sixes are often unaware of the fear that motivates their actions. In fact, Sixes in general, tend to be blind to the extent of their own anxiety. Because it is the constant back drop to all of their emotions, Sixes are frequently unaware of its existence, as they have nothing with which to contrast it.
Because Sixes so frequently fail to appreciate the extent of their own fear, they often mistype themselves. It is common for instance, for female Sixes to mistype as Twos, especially if they are identified with a helper role, but Sixes have a much more ambivalent attitude towards relationships than do Twos, who generally know exactly what they want. Sixes, failing to recognize their anxiety, can mistype as Nines, but Nines have the ability to relax and to trust in others, neither of which come easily to Sixes. Sixes can mistype as Fours, especially if they have artistic inclinations, but they lack the Four's self-absorption. They can mistype as Fives, especially if they are intellectual, as many Sixes are, but unlike Fives, Sixes tend to be practical. Finally, conterphobic Sixes can easily mistype as Eights, but they lack the Eight's self-certainty.
Wing 5
The Investigator
Thinkers who tend to withdraw and observe
Fives essentially fear that they don't have enough inner strength to face life, so they tend to withdraw, to retreat into the safety and security of the mind where they can mentally prepare for their emergence into the world. Fives feel comfortable and at home in the realm of thought. They are generally intelligent, well read and thoughtful and they frequently become experts in the areas that capture their interest.
Then I took the second test, a series of 52 questions asking things like if you're more modest compared to ambitious, timid or assertive, obtrusive or shy-so on and so forth.
The result to this was Type 4 with balanced wings.
The Individualist
Identity seekers, who feel unique and differentPeople of this personality type tend to build their identities around their perception of themselves as being somehow different or unique; they are thus self-consciously individualistic. Fours tend to see their difference from others as being both a gift and a curse - a gift, because it sets them apart from those they perceive as being somehow "common," and a curse, as it so often seems to separate them from the simpler forms of happiness that others so readily seem to enjoy. Thus, Fours can manage to feel superior to others while also secretly harboring some degree of longing and envy. A feeling of being a member of the "true aristocracy" alternates with deep feelings of shame, and fears of somehow being deeply flawed or defective.
Fours are emotionally complex and highly sensitive. They long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic selves, but easily feel misunderstood and unappreciated. They have a tendency to withdraw in the face of a world that seems harsh or crude, and are often somewhat moody or temperamental. They are emotionally centered and spend much of their lives immersed in their internal mental landscapes, where they feel free to cultivate and analyse their feelings. A desire to manifest this internal world often leads Fours to an interest in the arts, and some do become actual artists. Whether artistic or not, however, most Fours are aesthetically sensitive and concerned with self-expression and self-revelation, whether it be in the clothes they wear or in the overall nature of their often idiosyncratic lifestyles.
Fours are somewhat melancholic by disposition, and under stress tend to lapse into depression. They also tend to be self-absorbed, even under the best of circumstances, but when unbalanced, easily give way to a self-indulgence which they perceive as being fully justified as a way to compensate for the general lack of pleasure they experience in their lives. Rather than look for practical solutions to their difficulties, Fours are prone to fantasizing about a savior who will rescue them from their unhappiness.
Intellectual Fours tend to mistakenly type themselves as Fives, and a heavy wing can certainly exacerbate this tendency. Fours however, unlike Fives, tend to be self-revealing and comfortable with emotional expression.
My thoughts on it; I feel like I'm a perfect combination of the two. According to Meyer Brigg's I have 2 personality types because I don't have a strong preference between N/S so it would make sense, in a way, because I don't feel like I'm specifically one because there are parts that aren't included, but is included in the other.
Does that make sense?
If you take this test, please let me know what you got. It would be interesting to see what others get!
