Expanded Description of Type Six

“Trust starts with truth and ends with truth.” – Santosh Kalwar
"There is no illusion greater than fear"             Lao Tzu

Aware Sixes are grounded, courageous, independent, loyal, prepared and discreet.  While Sixes who are more "caught" in the dominant emotional theme of Type Six which is "fear" can be more suspicious, fearful, guilt-ridden, anxious and ambivalent or argumentative, contrarian and truculent.

It is possible to say that Sixes come in many different guises but they share a level of innate skepticism towards people that means on meeting the Type Six- in their own way- they may well be unconsciously assessing whether or not they can trust you; and you may well sense that.

Some Type Sixes are hesitant, suspicious, vigilant and anxious with a palpable sense of unease when relating. While others stay “on the front foot” and counter any perceived threat. More self-aware type Sixes, who have found a trust in themselves, are self-confident and self-affirming displaying a strong sense of self-reliance.

Some Type Sixes address skepticism and an underlying level of anxiety with an overt warmth and friendliness. While others have a more confronting style that is firm, questioning and argumentative, such that they can feel like a ram butting up against you and testing you.

You may feel “sized-up” and kept at arms-length through a “yes-but” approach with lots of pertinent questions and a scanning of ones’ attitudes, ethics, and politics.  
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The theme that underpins both approaches is one of doubt and cynicism, an inner lack of faith in the nature of people and their intentions and the underlying feeling of fear and suspicsiousness that comes with that. Type Sixes look beneath the surface of things to affirm if their suspicions are true, while looking for the sort of dependability on which they can rely. 
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Most Type Sixes do not feel fear consciously, but recognise the vigilance and anticipation of threat that comes with from an underlying level of anxiety. They recognise the doubting mind, the questioning of others intentions, and the cynicism that underpins that. Most recognise the search for reliable truth and certitude on which they can rely. They know of themselves that they need to test people and things before they can rely on them.They know it takes time for them to come to fully trust others.

Type Sixes scan their environment and stay alert to potential threat. They have a need to double check things and think through all possible outcomes. They have a tendency to catastrophise in that they assume that something really bad might just happen from the smallest threat.

This means they can “die a thousand deaths” by playing out that worst case scenario in their minds. Paradoxically, this playing out of the worst case, makes them feel more secure; "in many ways it has already happened, and now I feel prepared."

 Type Sixes have a talent for seeing potential problems and dealing with them before problems get out of hand. They can be calm and most effective in real threat situations because they are so mentally and emotionally prepared.

Sixes tend to be alert for hidden agendas and can be convinced that "I know what you are really thinking.  I can see what you are hiding and how you perceive the world".  While they often do have genuine insight into the subtleties and probable outcomes of situations, this belief can lead them into false assumptions and projections about other people


Type Sixes have a desire to create stable relationships, and safe environments, to cooperate and create with others.They address their underlying lack of trust in life through through the security and protection offered in bonds of trust with individuals or groups where they find a sense of “belonging”.

There is almost no limit to their loyalty or to the sacrifices that Sixes will make for the sake of the trusted person or group, but finding this sense of belonging does not solve the Sixes’ insecurity in the longer term; the more they rely on others for their confidence, the more self-doubting and insecure they become.

Type Sixes take a long time to trust, but once they have done so they embody loyalty; they personify the sentiment of being there for someone. Moving on from the security of such a feeling of “belonging” is particularly challenging for Type Sixes who may well set up a pattern of bouncing back and forth, trying to prove that they are tough and independent by themselves.

Sixes avoid being in authority, and can find success hard to handle in the heightened fears that are associated with that success. They have the disabling tendency to deliberately shoot themselves in the foot when successful completion is imminent. They have a tendency to remember what went wrong in the past and this compounds their predicament of self-doubt.

Emotionally guarded, Sixes find it uncomfortable to be affected by others, and hard to receive compliments without wondering what the motive is beneath it.  They can seem hard to approach, or pull back just when another person feels they are becoming close.

Sixes question everything, including their own abilities, and so action is often replaced by thinking and procrastination. It is often said that Type Sixes need to consult an "inner committee" of contrary voices, and even then they do feel they have found the fullest truth.

Sixes frequently seek out strong authority figures or belief systems that they can devote themselves to as a way of assuaging their uncertainty; they actively seek the security of an authority they need not question. This is not an easy path for them given their natural distrust of authority and avoidance of being subject to authority figures.

“Sixes look to what they perceive as an outer pillar of strength to allay their anxiety. Whether that rock is someone in authority, or a philosophy, a religion, or other belief system.

"Even counter phobic sixes, who appear irreverent and antagonistic towards authority, are nonetheless constellated around it. They remain in relationship with some sort of authority, arriving and supporting their sense of self from their opposition to it.”

The Scripts that Motivate Type Sixes

to find the dependable truth beyond the surface of things

to find a faith in life that is bigger than my fears

to be with what is secure, true and dependable

to share my life with those who deserve my loyalty

to feel that support that comes with knowing that I “belong”

to find the security that allows complete trust and confidence

to be part of something that I and others can rely on

to be with those who share my commitments equally

to create mutual support through dependable alliances
 
to find consistency and reliability in an uncertain world

to have the courage to overcome my fears

to prove to myself and others that I am solid and trustworthy

to defend myself and those I care for

to know that I can place my trust in people

to feel the safety of absolute trust in myself