Pathological Sixes
Pathological Sixes manifest their chronic anxiety by becoming phobic — convinced everyone is against them and either accusing or avoiding perceived troublemakers. Or they manifest their anxiety by becoming counterphobic — proving they are not afraid by being confrontational and aggressive toward the object of their fear. They believe everyone has suspect motives and are convinced that someone is out to get them. The more they isolate themselves, the more paranoid they become.
According to The Wisdom of the Enneagram, a desperate Six on a downward slide suffers from panic or anxiety attacks and may flip from being extremely needy and dependent to being openly rebellious and defiant. She may suddenly hook up with a bad crowd or tolerate abusive situations in which she is clearly being hurt. She becomes increasingly fearful and paranoid and, if pushed to her limit, may strike back aggressively at perceived enemies.
Unfortunately, Sixes project their weaknesses onto other people. While this gives them some respite, it also gives their power away — allowing them to skirt responsibility or to realize that they have the power to make changes. They become too dependent on someone else, surrendering their confidence, their energy, and their motivation to take control of their own lives. This makes them susceptible to abusers, and they often stay in relationships in which they swing from being professional victims to abusers. When they blame others for their problems and direct their anger outward — usually inappropriately and disproportionately to the situation — their outbursts are startling and make people around them uncomfortable.
In a desperate attempt to order their lives and feel safe, pathological Sixes often latch onto a religion or cult and project all of their power onto the chosen leader or theology. They often project godlike omniscient powers onto the person leading the group. This can leave them feeling like they don't have the power within themselves to change their situation or even to make intelligent decisions about their life.
When Sixes become fundamentalists they ascribe to one set of structures. Like all dogmatic fundamentalists, they live within the narrow scope of beliefs that exclude anyone who doesn't feel the same way they do. Fundamentalists no longer question authority, re-examine their beliefs, or show compassion and understanding toward those who don't share the same beliefs. They think suppressing others will make them safe, so when they feel threatened or when they cannot accept their own dark side, they project their fears or weaknesses onto others and label them as evil to justify violence against them.
