The Many Contradictions of Type 6
Type 6 is notoriously difficult for people to catch as an energy in themselves. The main reason is because the structure of the type is built around contradictions, or opposite poles. If one is only ego-conscious of one side of this pole, they might conceptualize their type based on that one extreme. 6’s tend to split things into two and oscillate between them. I recently discovered that I actually have a 6w7 fix. The reason I bring this up is because I’d like to use myself in some real-life examples to help illustrate the points in this article.
Let’s examine some of the many contradictions that characterize Type 6. The range/level at which each 6 sits on either side of these poles can be completely dependent on the person:
Obedience vs. Defiance: 6’s tend to rage against specific authorities in their lives whether it be their parents, their bosses, police, or anyone who’s creating some sense of rules or structure for them. They can question and complain about those structures. However, they also might secretly really want to be seen as obedient or “good” by those very people. For example, I find it very easy to complain about things my bosses and coworkers do; I call them incompetent and of course have solutions that I think are better in various ways. I fantasize about how I will tell them they’re wrong and put them in their places. But if I’m called into their office, I’m suddenly terrified, doubting everything I’ve ever done, scanning the recesses of my mind to find the one thing I did wrong that’s gotten me in trouble and simultaneously being ready to stand up for myself. I’ll generally stay helpful and obedient until one of them says something I find to be wrong, and then almost nothing can stop me from reacting immediately.
Rigidity vs. Wildness: 6’s tend to get stuck in finding/following a reliable structure fully. They might follow structures as best they can, break them ever so slightly, and then suddenly binge. For example, I attempted to follow diets when I was dealing with a digestive health issue. The immense mental energy it took for me to do any specific diet (SP-blind here…) was so extreme that I would end up breaking it and then eating 100 pieces of cake because I couldn’t take it anymore. Or I’ve tried to set a budget for myself, being as careful as I can, and then suddenly I’m anxiously spending far too much money and just riding that wave. I’ve had difficulty with any sense of moderation in this area. This is my stacking at play as well, but I’m generally anxiously flying between those two extremes. When I was only seeing the “spending” side of this pole, it seemed 7ish to me.
Preparedness vs. Improvisation: 6’s might be the type to overly prepare for things, structure things, and then oscillate to total improvisation. They might feel the need to do things a specific way but then sing the praises of just “going with it” in other scenarios, or be burned by their own lack of foresight. For example, I generally have difficulty structuring lesson plans (or blog posts), but then judge myself harshly for not being concise and clear enough, or become anxious when something goes wrong that I could have just prepared for.
Comedy vs. Seriousness: 6’s see the natural absurdity in how essentially unclear most of life is, and they might choose to play with those ideas or rage about them. For example, I have always been the “comedian” of my family (besides my 7w6 dad), but I can also start yelling about some social issue that seems really important. I might push the agenda by making a joke that’s somewhat offensive, and then be offended internally if someone else makes a similar joke.
Good vs. Evil: 6’s generally create art/stories that have these polarities in them. If you take a look at some literature, for example Harry Potter (Rowling 9w1 with secondary 6w7) (I use this example because it’s widely known), one of the main ideas in the books is that there’s a polarity of good (Dumbledore) and evil (Voldemort). There’s of course a fascination and excitement on both ends of this spectrum (Slytherin is enticing). Most importantly, the extreme battles and clash between these two poles is the central idea. Rowling uses (also a product of her SO/SP stacking) (I’ve used too many parentheses already) grand pseudo-religious archetypes of Dumbledore looking like the Father (God) and Harry the Son (Jesus) and Voldemort the devil (Satan). In real life, this can manifest as just a general internal battle about wanting to do whatever you want (the line to 3), and self-judgement on that sense of narcissism.
Certainty vs. Doubt: 6’s can sound entirely sure of themselves sometimes because they want to be. 6’s feel the need to spread the news of things when they’re reacting to something. But they may doubt that very headline when people are suddenly relying on them as a source of truth. For example, I get extremely counterphobic about people NEEDING TO KNOW about what a 4 is or isn’t, and I’m posting and spreading this information almost on reactive autopilot. But when someone says something simple and genuine like, “I’ve been studying your material and I have a couple of questions,” one part of me knows that’s totally reasonable, and another part suddenly wonders if everything I wrote is complete bull shit. 6’s generally don’t trust their own thinking.
Strength vs. Vulnerability: This is the one oscillation that perhaps gets discussed the most in literature about 6 in terms of phobic vs. counter-phobic. While it’s extremely important, it’s just one of the many contradictions of type 6. What 6’s tend to do with their stacking is push it to the extreme and then pull back in uncertainty, or be extreme about one aspect of it and ignore the other. For example, a SP 6 might be incredibly frugal to the point where their actual mental/physical health is compromised. People often ask about why Marilyn Monroe is a 6. The way she was the “sexually feminine” ideal of her time to the point of almost ridiculousness is the way “counter-phobic” can apply to the more feminine pole of the Sexual instinct. Other 6’s can do the most intensely “tough” things like cut themselves as display (Marilyn Manson secondary 6w7), or how SX 6’s can go so hard on being subversive and wild in their sexual display (ex. Serpentwithfeet and Azealia Banks). I’ve found that I can be very aggressive socially and sexually (flirting etc.), but also have extreme doubt and need people to validate that what I’m doing is working in real time. For example, SO/SX tends to be 7ish in its general energy in the sense that it’s socially subversive, gilded, playful, and lacks the grind of SP. One of my personal ways of doing this is through extremely bright clothes that I know will either be loved or piss people off. I’ll wear something extreme one day and then wear something totally conservative the next day because I doubted myself or felt like I was “too much”….and then “too little”….etc. In general, it’s type 6 that is the accidentally vulnerable type, not type 4. 4 is a type of crafted image. 6 is the type that can’t help but subtly or clearly need support from others. A 4ish image of vulnerability is not true vulnerability.
External vs. Internal Input: 6’s tend to doubt their own thinking, so they might not realize how many times in their daily lives they’re looking for feedback/validation from others. They might get down on themselves for “caring too much what others think", or might insist that they don’t even care at all as a mental countermeasure for their own doubt. 6’s might do all kinds of things to subtly ask for support but then refuse all advice or help.
Facts vs. Fantasy: 6’s might love the idea of fantasy literature or esoteric topics but then simultaneously reject them as being hogwash. 6’s might even want to be excited about something to the point where they decide that it’s true. For example, I might know from past experience that you can’t order Uber Eats in a snow storm and expect to get the food. But I want it, and expect that things will go according to the plan set out on my little phone screen, so I order again and I’m disappointed. 6’s also might vet incoming sources as being true or not, but secretly wish they could yield to them. For example, when I first started chatting with Emeka about my type and we didn’t know each other, he can attest to the fact that I completely put him through the wringer. I questioned absolutely everything he said, defied him, but also was extremely excited about the idea of meeting someone that I actually did respect as having knowledge that I wanted.
Dependence vs. Rebellion: 6’s can sometimes oscillate between wanting others to be connected to them in some way for support, but also wanting to completely rebel against them and defy all norms. They might call themselves a “misfit” but secretly hope there are other misfits to connect with.
Masculine vs. Feminine: This is a polarity within all people regardless of type, but 6’s tend to push these energies in different directions. Some 6’s will heavily emphasize the gender role expected of them (Marilyn Monroe as mentioned above), and some will push the opposite gender energy to challenge norms.
I am not a core 6, but our secondary fixes are quite strong. So hopefully my examples were helpful enough. Part of all the discussion about Type 6 in this group isn’t just to talk about 4, but rather to actually talk about the types that are NOT 4, mainly 9 and 6. This is just a starter pack on the many contradictions of 6, and I look forward to 6’s bringing their own input to this discussion.