Sixes are on the life-long search for security and support. They are fiercely loyal to friends, but it takes them a while to warm up to new people. They are exceptionally dependable and faithful to those they trust. They have questions about...well, everything, and that is why they are Dutiful Inquisitors.
Dutiful Inquisitors will cling to a relationship, job or idea far longer than the rest of us. They are in the Thinking Triad, which means they filter the world predominately through their active minds. Sometimes called skeptics, they are mental strategists who can see many outcomes in a situation, especially the negative ones. They like to be prepared for the worst and can help others foresee danger in the future. They dislike uncertainty and fear having no support or being unable to survive on their own.
If you need someone to rely on, the Six is a great candidate. They are giving and considerate to those they love. A Six friend can help you make a plan. They are skilled at seeing what could go wrong and making alternate options for when things do. Because they are able to immediately identify danger zones, they can be experienced as pessimistic by others. To them, they are being realistic and cautious. The funniest people I know are Sixes, they can be hilarious. Many comedians are sixes.
Dutiful Inquisitors are looking for something they can believe in. Sometimes it is a relationship, an affiliation, a faith, a job, or a leader. They need assurance. They (sometimes unconsciously) don't trust their judgement and often ask for input from others. This becomes a problem when they delay moving forward with their life dreams and goals because of uncertainties and perceived dangers. It is also a problem when they allow others to make their decisions for them. They can get stuck.
Sixes are afraid of anything that would undermine their security, though they often don’t recognize it as fear but instead call it being cautious and prepared. This overthinking brings them tremendous anxiety and the passion of fear. They can be fixated on cowardice and what could go wrong. They are suspicious and skeptical when things are going well, waiting for the other shoe to drop, often embracing hypochondria and being leery of others. The media targets people like this. Many Enneagram books claim that there are more Sixes in the world than other numbers, but that is not proven.
Since average Sixes don't rely on themselves, they frequently mis-take Enneagram tests and don't know that they are Sixes. Many Sixes resist the Enneagram altogether and defensively don't believe there is anything to it (hence the term skeptic). They can be out of touch with who they are. They can also seem very contradictory. Some days they are this and other days they are that. Some of this back and forth is because of the detailed and literal way they perceive the world. They aren’t wrong in saying they are both this and that, but they can struggle with the generalizing that most of us can easily do as in, “I am a serious person.” To others this doesn’t mean the person is only and always serious, it just means that is their default.
There appears to be two distinct types of Sixes, which is not obviously true of other Enneagram numbers. This difference is explainable and due to dominant instincts, which is too complex for this post. For simplifying, it is important to know that all Sixes have issues with authority. One of the types goes along with strong authority figures and is quite cooperative and friendly, this gives them a measure of safety. The other tends to be anti-authoritarian, argumentative and trusting nobody. Of course, fear is what fuels either route.
Growth for Dutiful Inquisitors is straight forward. Sixes can settle their fears with faith. They can recognize that most of what we worry about never comes to pass and even when tragedy happens, we are resilient enough to make it through. Nobody ever has certainty, we all just step out in trust with the information we currently have. Dutiful Inquisitors become healthy by trusting themselves and believing that all shall be well.
At their best, Sixes have faith in themselves. They are aware of the dangers they have made it through in the past and can rely on themselves to safely arrive at their future, despite uncertainty. They are in touch with their inner-guidance and strength and dutiful to those they love. They can be valiant and grounded, practicing serenity, open-mindedness and courage.
Keeping the Faith,
Jessica Morgan McAtee
Commentaires