The Intimate Six

Anticipatory defense

The phrase usually associated with the intimate subtype of Six is "strength and beauty."

Within this subtype there is a tendency to develop strength, either inner or outer. Sixes are often quite disciplined anyway - it is a type of defense at times. So within this subtype you often find body builders and martial artists. The discipline it takes to become a martial artist is fueled by the belief that if I become strong enough, I won't have to worry about someone or something attacking me. In fact, at the pinnacle of martial arts is the learning how not to have to fight. The motivation is self-defense, not aggression or competition, as it would be within an Eight or Three Enneagram style.

The inner strength can be created by physical discipline, but especially if the Six has a strong Five wing, they may acquire knowledge as a way becoming strong. However, because fear resides in the mind and strength is more often a physical feeling, the usual way is to develop physical strength.

Many Counterphobic Sixes actively seek physical challenges in order to experience conquest. I watched a mountain climber being interviewed. He gave the usual answer to why he did it - because it was there - but his real reason was that he was afraid. When asked how he dealt with the fears involved with dealing with the dangers, he gave a classical Six answer. "You have to constantly be aware of your environment." This is how Sixes deal with fear. They constantly scan the environment for possible danger.

The feminine counterpart of this is beauty. The understanding is that if I am beautiful enough, I will not be attacked. Beauty does not get destroyed nearly as quickly as ugliness and beauty is valued. For many women, too, beauty is extremely valuable in gaining protection from powerful men.

But artistic endeavor is another route to beauty. intimate Sixes will often see arts and crafts as a way of shutting down the committee in their heads. Further, art is way of non-verbally reaching beyond what they can think. There is a sense of having reached the end of what they can figure out, they reach into painting or drawing or music to reach a level of integration they can't quite accomplish just by the compulsive think they are so often plagued with. They will often report long periods of peace - in their case freedom from fear - when they are engrossed in artistic endeavor.