Whistling in the Dark: Sixes & Eights
In your
"Heart" article about a work team led by a
Five, Matt (Six) sounds to me like an Eight, or more specifically, me: "Straight from
gut to mouth", "danger out there." But Six has no connection with Eight on
the Enneagram. Any insights here?
Counterphobic
Sixes can
look like
Eights in their
external behavior. They can act tough, but their internal
motivations are quite different. The "danger out there" is danger to be feared
as opposed to "I'm King of the jungle" (from Eight).
Sixes can give their power
away by focusing on (and
accusing/criticizing) those they believe to be in power. Their aggressiveness
is like whistling in the dark. The Six's fear
often shows up as avoidance of fear ("I'm not afraid. I'm NOT afraid!").
Eights
simply aren't afraid (they don't give themselves permission to be weak).
They may
whistle in the dark but it's because they're excited by danger. It's a manifestation of
their passion for excess.
Getting
Over Your Fear of Fear
