Type Six: The Loyalist

 The primary motivation for a type Six is the desire for safety and trust. They are the most loyal of all the enneagram types, but this can be their downfall when they place their trust into the wrong thing. Type Sixes are the advocates and the activists, but if they have been burned they can become frightened and reclusive. When a type Six is fearful they can react in one of two ways- they can become phobic and be suddenly paralyzed by fear- or they can become counter-phobic and puff themselves up and strut out into the world bellowing like a noisy wind storm- although on the inside they are terrified, a counter-phobic Six will force themselves to appear bullet proof.In the levels of development that are part of the Enneatype system, an integrated (healthy) type Six feels safe and confident and moves toward the qualities of the Type Nine. They become calm accepting and capable of making good balanced decisions. A healthy Six is a wonderful companion to others. They have a deep  understanding of struggle and are therefore excellent advocates.At the average levels, type Sixes live tentatively at best. They have an underlying anxiety that permeates everything and because of this they seek the company of like minded groups and tend to blend in and be relatively happy in this safe feeling setting. (Alcoholics Anonymous,  Weight Watchers, Church, Political Groups, A large Family of Social System- any large umbrella that the type Six can huddle under with like minded others brings a sense of peace.)Under stress, when an average Six  starts to disintegrate, they move in the direction of average Threes and they hide their fear with swagger and cheap talk. When they are disintegrating they can lash out and be abrasive in an attempt to hide their terror.Famous 6s: Al Gore, Mel Gibson, Harry Truman, Woody Allen, Andy Rooney, George H.W. Bush (Senior) Richard Nixon, Adolph Hitler, Bill Gates,  David Letterman, Monica Lewinsky