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[Other/Multiple Enneatypes] enneagram 6 Vs 8

GavinElster

Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Messages
233
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
3w4
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
The key to understanding this is understanding that 8 is a gut type, and a neighbor to 9 on the enneagram. 891 repress the questions of the other two triads and are much more instinctual types.

Enneagram 6 is a hardcore fear-oriented type. Even when counterphobic, e.g. John Watson from BBC Sherlock (who seems unconsciously attracted to dangerous situations), it's 6.

8s are like 9s -- where 9s can have a certain apathy and self-forgetting, 8s have the self-forgetting but not the apathy. Their self-forgetting manifests in terms of repressing vulnerability.


Picture a 6s aggression kind of like a threatened animal's. There's kind of a vibe to it. Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter 5 is classic counterphobic 6. I'd say if you've watched Mathilda -- again, Trunchbull is likely a cp 6.
 

neko 4

New member
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Apr 13, 2017
Messages
437
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp
It seems some of you are ignorant about what it means to have a mental illness. You can live with one but still be fairly high-functioning, certainly enough to know yourself.
 

Peter Deadpan

phallus impudicus
Joined
Dec 14, 2016
Messages
8,883
6s have something to prove. 8s do not.


However, at about health levels 5-6, all types are out to prove to others the validity of their ego fixation in relation to their identity (although I'd say 9s look different compared to the others).
 

Tomb1

Active member
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Jun 15, 2011
Messages
994
Review (concision thinkers/learners scroll down):

Let's stick with the fundamentals first. The "paranoid reactivity" traces back to the six's fundamental distortion that the world is a dangerous place....hence the core desire for the six is to avoid being harmed (ex. duped, conned, controlled, attacked, pushed around, picked on). Thus, the main interest of the six is self-protection and the main avoidance a sense of inferiority/victimization. With eight, the core avoidance is whatever you would call the state of not exercising power (ex. weakness, passivity, dependence, tender-mindedness).

Two underlying behavioral dynamics to take note of with type six include the exculpation of guilt onto others and the projection of hostility. The phobic solution is as exaggerated in its submission towards the object of perceived hostility as the counterphobic solution is exaggerated in its againstness towards the object of perceived hostility. Most sixes swing between a phobic - counterphobic style, but some are predominately one or the other. In the predominately counterphobic six, the key characteristics are bluffing and pugnaciousness - which, essentially, is a prolonged fight response to the perceived fear object. This exaggerated againstness on the perceived object of fear captures the essence of the counterphobic six. See Sheriff John Wydell in the Devil's Rejects for a great example of a counterphobic six. Captain Ahab is another example of the counterphobic six.

In contrast to eights, sixes typically have a life pattern of falling behind the eight-ball due to interpersonal conflicts. They have a fundamentally adversarial nature that can manifest, as previously pointed out, through an exaggerated againstness and they can devote their entire lives to taking people down, for better or worse (the vigilante; the adversary, 'diablo')….a good portion of their aggressiveness goes towards ensuring that they are not made to feel inferior. But what happens when there is no fire to put out, when there are no external triggers to react to....the non-provoked state is where its easiest to see differences emerge. more productive sixes are prone to try and get what they want by hinting at what they want and approach business with an aim towards establishing strong alliances. sixes will call upon the authorities when they sense it can give them an advantage in a conflict whereas eights see 'running to the authorities' as weak. If you're talking about say an 8 and a 6 working at a job, the 8 won't have any problem asserting themselves for a raise or promotion; the 6 otoh will have to work themselves up for the event or wait until an external trigger fires them up and contraphobically lay it down, usually going overboard in the process and making a grave mis-calculation. They are sometimes assertive whereas the 8 is assertive 24/7.

In contrast to sixes, eights have an entirely aggressive personality -- somebody with the requisite temperament for outwitting, outmanuevering, and outmuscling others in order to acquire their own spot at the top of the mountain. They typically have a life pattern of empire building from scratch, resource acquisition, and using aggression instrumentally in order to preserve their own dominance/control/order. They are instinctually drawn to environments where boldness and hard-headed realism pays off, they are comfortable giving orders, and don't see a problem with using savage, diabolical methods. [As a point of note, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin and Al Capone had their own personal torture chambers. Capone was known for spending all night in there.] The thing to look for is that whatever position you find the eight in they will use that position in the most aggressive manner possible but not at the expense of being incompetent at that position or presenting one's self masochistically (if that makes sense)….more often than not eights get their way. Aggression itself is a competency for getting ahead. They overexpress gut energy so express anger easily in the present moment but once it passes there's no trace left behind. In the less healthy levels, the eight is susceptible to engaging in criminal behavior through the use of violence and using intimidation/threats/manipulation of resources to make people do what they want and hold onto/expand their power base.

Summary:

Type 6: The Self-protective Gestalt
Core strategy: Deterrence/defense; being on-guard and ready to fend off an attack
Core distortion: “The world is a dangerous place. I will be mistreated, duped or harmed in some way.”
Area of Fixation: Rivalry; vendetta
Core action set: Exculpation of guilt onto others and the projection of hostility.
DSM Correlate: Paranoid Personality Disorder
Core Trap (s): Falling behind the 8-ball due to a life pattern of interpersonal conflicts.
Core Vulnerability: Being outnumbered or outmatched
Core Weakness: Distrustfulness
Core Passion: Cowardice. The passion of cowardice manifests either through phobic or counterphobic behavior. Remember that counterphobia is not the opposite of cowardice but an aggressive version of it: i.e. stealing victories, piggybacking on others, blindsiding, back-biting, strength in numbers. If the phobic Six shows cowardice-in-retreat, the counterphobic six demonstrates cowardice-in-attack.
5 wingers are over-partisan, habitually shift blame, scan for deeper/hidden meanings to confirm their suspicion of ill-will, and are quick to call out to the authorities for intervention. 7 wingers are pugnacious complainers, make mountains out of molehills, engage in assertive bluffing (the "all bark and no bite" approach), and are more prone to panic attacks.

Type 8: The Aggressive Gestalt
Core Strategy: Dominance.
Core Distortion: “Might makes right.”
Area of Fixation: Exercising Power
Core Action Set: Enforcing submission from underlings through violent and threatening language or behavior….pushing one’s self to the front of the line through ruthless expedience and being able to inflict pain instrumentally without remorse or guilt. Picking off the competition. Never backing down from a fight.
DSM Correlate: Sadistic Personality Disorder
Core Trap (s): acting with total impunity after having established power through fear.
Core Vulnerability: Eights are out of touch with vulnerability due to the defense mechanism of denial.
Core Weakness: Weakness is like a pit of despair that eights are wired to avoid falling into.
Core Passion: Lust. Because the eight employs the defense mechanism of denial, they are out of touch with being human. Lust fills that space with an appetite/enjoyment/pleasure for prevailing over others in the rough and tumble.
8w7s are always on the move in the conquest of more territory. They exercise power through more subversive means. 8w9s are heavily involved in the consolidation of their own territory. They exercise power through more traditional means.

A Primer On The Core Gestalts For Each E-Type And More
 

neko 4

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sp
Only some Sixes are that aggressive. Lots of those "Sixes" are probably really Eights.
 

Peter Deadpan

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Only some Sixes are that aggressive. Lots of those "Sixes" are probably really Eights.

I don't see 8s often confusing themselves for a 6 because they are essentially fearless. Even sexual 6s seem like they are overcompensating against the "bad guy" or whatever the fear is, as if they have something to prove. 8s are far more grounded than 6s too, in their physical energy (it's expansive, but self-controlled as in under their power and their power alone). 6s push, 8s limit/block. That's not to say an 8 won't aggress, because they will, but it's more to contain injustice and teach it a lesson than to prove something wrong (6s are out to prove something as being right or wrong).

Also, just to make it clear because I know my reputation ... I'm not trying to actively argue with you, just trying to have a somewhat intellectual and interesting conversation... something this forum is painfully lacking.
 

Boogie man

Da Voodoo
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Mar 19, 2014
Messages
145
MBTI Type
TiSe
Enneagram
9
Don't be dense. The Enneagram is founded on fear which should go unstated.

Be gone, peasant.

No. But do keep the insults coming: the attention is flattering.

The Enneagram's baseline is SLOTH, self-forgetting. Not fear.
 

Boogie man

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Also, just to make it clear because I know my reputation ... I'm not trying to actively argue with you, just trying to have a somewhat intellectual and interesting conversation... something this forum is painfully lacking.

Don't be dense. The Enneagram is founded on fear which should go unstated.

Be gone, peasant.

Notice this. This isn't the forum that is 'lacking,' it is you. You are welcome.
 

Lord Lavender

Bluered Trickster
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EVLF
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so/sp
They seem very different types to me imo the only way the two could be confused is if they are together in a tritype.
 

Boogie man

Da Voodoo
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Lol.

Anyway. @ OP:
The difference between 6 and 8 isn't in how much one feels fear, nor is it in how reactive one is or isn't. 8's aren't "essentially fearless." That's a fairy tale. I know this is hard to understand. 8's are humans, humans feel feelings, fear is a feeling. Whether one is conscious of fear or not is no indicator of being or not being a type. That's a matter of health. Trauma is a bitch.

Type 8's denial is around weakness. Fear is not weakness, but it sure is telling when one believes it is, as this betrays a fixation on - or at the very least, an insecurity around - it. I saw some poster here say that "one is terrified of trusting others" and thinking this is 8, somehow. Nope: the wording is explicit, this is the untrusting 6. The issue around weakness is often shared between 6 and 8 - if anything, an emphasis in one's language on weakness vs strength displays an insecurity around it, relating back to type 6's Holy Idea: Holy Strength.

You must understand, type 8 is gut, type 6 is head. This is most vital. Type 6 is found in excessive head movement (=thought) - no matter if this individual seems to be with or without fear. Thought does not stem from the gut. Type 8 is defined by excessive gut movement(=action and expansion).

Type 6's style is setting limits. Type 8's style is expansion. This is very important.

If you start from this premise, you are less likely to mistake them.
 

Virtual ghost

Complex paradigm
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I don't see 8s often confusing themselves for a 6 because they are essentially fearless. Even sexual 6s seem like they are overcompensating against the "bad guy" or whatever the fear is, as if they have something to prove. 8s are far more grounded than 6s too, in their physical energy (it's expansive, but self-controlled as in under their power and their power alone). 6s push, 8s limit/block. That's not to say an 8 won't aggress, because they will, but it's more to contain injustice and teach it a lesson than to prove something wrong (6s are out to prove something as being right or wrong).

Also, just to make it clear because I know my reputation ... I'm not trying to actively argue with you, just trying to have a somewhat intellectual and interesting conversation... something this forum is painfully lacking.


I am sorry but I also just don't agree. 8s will generally look fearless and they even like to look that way, but once you really scratch the surface you will find all kinds of stuff there. This is exactly why most of them have inferior Fi that is messing up their lives or why they disintegrate to e5, which is a fear type. So it all comes down to how deep you go and can you actually "persuade" them that their power will be useless for what is coming.


In the case 8 is truly fearless they are a psychopath rather than an 8.
 

Peter Deadpan

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I am sorry but I also just don't agree. 8s will generally look fearless and they even like to look that way, but once you really scratch the surface you will find all kinds of stuff there. This is exactly why most of them have inferior Fi that is messing up their lives or why they disintegrate to e5, which is a fear type. So it all comes down to how deep you go and can you actually "persuade" them that their power will be useless for what is coming.


In the case 8 is truly fearless they are a psychopath rather than an 8.

I should have referred to 8s as the most fearless type, broadly speaking, especially externally, as in how they appear to others. With that said, I don't have time nor interest in dissecting my words to perfection in order to prevent every possible misinterpretation.

I agree with your last statement, but the two are not mutually exclusive.
 

Virtual ghost

Complex paradigm
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Messages
19,769
I should have referred to 8s as the most fearless type, broadly speaking, especially externally, as in how they appear to others. With that said, I don't have time nor interest in dissecting my words to perfection in order to prevent every possible misinterpretation.

I agree with your last statement, but the two are not mutually exclusive.


Ok, I can agree with that.

In my book they are, since I am going from the position that people with severe mental illness don't really have a type. But that is just me.
 

Peter Deadpan

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Ok, I can agree with that.

In my book they are, since I am going from the position that people with severe mental illness don't really have a type. But that is just me.

I think everyone has a type, but many who have significant mental illness or lived through trauma have irregular coping mechanisms that can, on the surface, be mistaken as the behavior of a type that they are not.

It's not fun to be that way either.
 

Peter Deadpan

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The same thing goes for personality disorders. Take for example an 8 with Narcissistic Personality Disorder who appears like a 3.
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

Up the Wolves
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Jul 24, 2008
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19,445
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w6
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sp/so
The same thing goes for personality disorders. Take for example an 8 with Narcissistic Personality Disorder who appears like a 3.


Well, what is an 8 without narcissistic personality disorder like?
 
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