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[Traditional Enneagram] Type 6 difficult to test?

noname3788

Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2019
Messages
155
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
9w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
Just came across some test results of this enneagram test here:

Free Enneagram Tritype(R) Test | Originator of Tritype

While browsing through the results, it mentions this:
* Special Note: You have been sent this notice because your Enneacard Test responses indicate a specific pattern that suggests you may be the Type 6 or Type 9 even if your test results did not specify either of these types. Type 6 is an extremely difficult type to confirm in any testing instrument. In particular, the social subtype of Type 6 has the greatest difficulty confirming their dominant Enneagram Type and Instinctual Stacking. This is due to a very important aspect of the innate nature and defense strategies of the 6. However, the good news is that the Type 6 does have very specific patterns when making their Enneacard selections. If you tested as the Social Instinctual Type with this pattern there is a high probability that you are the hard to type Social Type 6.

I'm by no means an enneagram expert, and I'm fairly sceptical about the whole concept, but I'm still somewhat curious why type 6 is supposed to be difficult to test and confirm, and whether it's even more difficult for 6 so.
 

RadicalDoubt

Alongside Questionable Clarity
Joined
Jun 27, 2017
Messages
1,848
MBTI Type
TiSi
Enneagram
9w1
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I'm by no means an enneagram expert, and I'm fairly sceptical about the whole concept, but I'm still somewhat curious why type 6 is supposed to be difficult to test and confirm, and whether it's even more difficult for 6 so.
From both experience and watching others, 6 almost never tests out as 6 unless you're a stereotype. Even as a 6 core myself, 6 is often one of my lower scores, especially since my personality does deviate pretty decently from traditional descriptions. I test almost exclusively as 5 (occasionally 1) core wise. It's a common issue with the attachment triad itself considering that being an attachment type quite literally means being inclined to utilize the defense strategies of types adjacent to your own and that you are pretty adaptable and effected by what you connect with in the external world (whether you are aware of that or not). Phobic 6s tend to test out as 9, 5, and occasionally 2 and 1. Counterphobic 6s tend to test out as 3s, 7s, 8s, and sometimes 1. Rigid tests 1 pretty consistently. 6 is really a mess of a type, and it shows when trying to test for it.

6 in particular struggles (being that it is one of the most common types to be in the enneagram and is quite literally common in every personality style correlation wise in the mbti) with having one of the most versatile presentations in the enneagram and are also known for being incredibly inconsistent froom the get go. There have been attempts to mitigate this with subtypes (ie. prussian 6, counterphobic 6, phobic 6), making it easier to "test out" 6s or have them even recognize themselves in the descriptions and motivations they are deemed to have, but it's still pretty hard to nail down with those. To add to the list of problems with 6's testing as 6s, 6 also disintegrates to 3, which means really plays into an inaccurate interpretation of the self or sometimes even a conflation between the self and more positive/personally valuable traits. There's also an issue that, being as broad of a type as it is, descriptions aren't really versatile enough to hit the boxes all the time more than you could hit the boxes for other types, especially when 6 stereotypes can be very skewed if you don't really get 6 and it's variability.

The social instinct aggravates this by bringing an awareness of social instincts in, meaning this 6 tends even more maleable (personality wise; Soc 6 tends to correlate to rigid 6 behavior, which is technically more rigid and terribly difficult to differentiate from 1 core). Sp tends to bring out the "fearful" and "resource driven" side of 6, which typically makes that a little easier to characterize, sx tends to bring out the "spicier" and more rebellious flair of the 6 archetype, which in practice an be pegged. Soc dominance in general is pretty hard to test out (ie. stereotypes and again, a very variable presentation), add it to 6 and you have someone who, unless the test was specifically made to test out soc 6, will probably not test out as a 6.

Also, when your fear is literally related to feeling fear, there's a lot of drastically different ways to go about dealing with that bleeds superficially into the appearances and even motivations of other types.
 

Boogie man

Da Voodoo
Joined
Mar 19, 2014
Messages
145
MBTI Type
TiSe
Enneagram
9
It's because the authors of that test can't spot 6's.
 

XenMargolis

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
Messages
22
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
Sixes are hard to test, I think because Six's an Attachment type. Attachment types (6 and 9 moreso than 3) do not always express themselves clearly, the type itself tends to hide more behind other influences even when it's a core type. I'm a core Six, but I've tested as Seven, Five, Four, and One at various times.
 

c-jade

daisies and thunderstorms
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
89
MBTI Type
ENFP
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I am unsure if I am a 6 or not, but it's a definite possibility, and I also took this test and received the response: "Special Note: Indicates your Enneagram Type and Tritype do not match, which suggests you lead with Type 6 or 9."

If I am a 6, I think the reason I hardly EVER test as a 6 is because I am very disconnected from my fear. I don't relate to the over-the-top explanations of a 6 as someone who plans everything to the last detail, is terrified of every possible scenario, and only sees things pessimistically. I think any 6 who doesn't fit the basic "fearful" description will rarely test correctly, because fear comes in such varying forms that theirs might not be being represented in said test. Even the concept of being "fearful of fear" would make it very hard for someone to recognize their own fear enough to choose such an overt option on a test.
 

RadicalDoubt

Alongside Questionable Clarity
Joined
Jun 27, 2017
Messages
1,848
MBTI Type
TiSi
Enneagram
9w1
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I am unsure if I am a 6 or not, but it's a definite possibility, and I also took this test and received the response: "Special Note: Indicates your Enneagram Type and Tritype do not match, which suggests you lead with Type 6 or 9."

If I am a 6, I think the reason I hardly EVER test as a 6 is because I am very disconnected from my fear. I don't relate to the over-the-top explanations of a 6 as someone who plans everything to the last detail, is terrified of every possible scenario, and only sees things pessimistically. I think any 6 who doesn't fit the basic "fearful" description will rarely test correctly, because fear comes in such varying forms that theirs might not be being represented in said test. Even the concept of being "fearful of fear" would make it very hard for someone to recognize their own fear enough to choose such an overt option on a test.
I actually had this same exact issue (although I had more issue with the whole finding comfort in alliances and needing guidance, but I relate that to inferior Fe for me). As a Ne dom, you aren't going to relate very well to 6 core fears in the way they are written because Ne is an exploratory type by nature. 6 core Ne is probably a bit more "cautious" and thoughtful than the average Ne dom (as Ne dom often comes with a heavy 7 influence), but being as fearful and "worst case scenario focused" as the descriptions suggest is very unlikely. Probably because of commonality of it, 6 descriptions are tailored towards high (if not dominant) Si. And of course, as you mentioned, there is the versatility of the core fear/fixation itself for sure.
 

Mind Maverick

ENTP 8w7 845 Sp/Sx
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Messages
4,785
Enneagram 6 has some overlap with NPD victims. The NPD individual wants you to depend upon them, and they gaslight you (make you doubt yourself). They make you feel like you're going crazy and can't find your own way out of a wet paper bag (used this wording because it's something a narcissist actually told me I'm incapable of doing, btw). There may be a lot of anxiety pertaining to it. I'll elaborate more some other time...now isn't the time. This is just an overview of one of the points I was wanting to address when I made this thread.

images
 

Mind Maverick

ENTP 8w7 845 Sp/Sx
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Messages
4,785
Enneagram 9 can resemble things like having an emotionally unavailable mother. An emotionally unavailable mother can make you uncomfortable with feelings and as if you have to repress/suppress them. It can make you constantly uncomfortable with your own feelings as they come up throughout everyday life, so when they do come up you try to get rid of them and seek equilibrium. It can cause you to put on a smile and say it's all fine, as expression is seen as inappropriate or not okay. People with emotionally unavailable mothers often feel as though they have no voice and will not be heard. These things overlap with Enneagram 9 according to descriptions by Riso and Hudson in the book, "The Wisdom of the Enneagram."

I will also elaborate more on this one later.
 

Mind Maverick

ENTP 8w7 845 Sp/Sx
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Messages
4,785
In addition, I would like to point out the fact that the above two examples of overlap alone suggest that anyone can have behaviors that are similar to a type, even if their core personalities do not actually match that type (since any type can go through these kinds of traumatic experiences and end up with these manifestations of said trauma). I would also like to point out the importance of digging enough to find underlying root causes behind our manifesting behaviors. Trauma needs to be addressed as abuse to heal from, and personality does not. If we attribute to our personalities what is, unbeknownst to us, actually trauma symptoms, we will view our trauma as "part of who we are." That's not good. It's accepting damage into your life. It's having something wrong and needing help but seeing it as normal and never seeking out that help.
 
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