[543222187]

...so I'm wondering if people who have been abused in their childhood actually type as 6s...or if they are actually other types but highly appear like a 6...because generally after abuse people are more likely to be suspicous and alert for danger in people and surrondings...and are more likely to be fearful in genral...or are is that why lots of people are 6s?...

 

[aconite]

Could you please avoid ending every sentence with an ellipsis? It makes your posts hard to read.

I think that traumatic experiences can make people appear as 6s, but many other types as well. Anyway, I know Sixes who weren't abused, and people who were abused, but aren't Sixes. However, I think it's nature over nurture.

Some links, if you're interested:
Personality Types: Chilhood Scenarios for Enneatypes: Law of Three - Enneagram and Myers Briggs
http://personalitycafe.com/type-6-forum-loyalist/8286-type-6-parental-orientation.html

 

[Swordsman of Mana]

I think there is probably a minor correlation with abuse and the reactive/intensity triad (4s, 6s and 8s) and also an above average number of 2s

 

[sleepyhead]

I was saying in the Type 1 sub-forum that I do work with people who have experienced childhood abuse of various kinds, and in my experience, it doesn't mean you're more likely to be a type 6 - I can't say if that's because people are born with their type or they just react to the abuse differently. I see a lot of 2's, 1's, 6's and 9's who have experienced childhood abuse and are still very much dealing with the effects - I've also seen other types dealing with these issues, but those are the most common so far. But I've also seen folks of various types, including 1,2,6, and 9's who were more easily able to move on from abuse for a variety of reasons. I've only been in this field for 2 years (about 40-50 clients probably) but so far I've only worked with one 3, no 4's, and no 8's - at least that I could type.

I wouldn't say childhood abuse makes people who are other types appear as 6's - their issues just manifest in a different way. Having said that, I've also probably worked with more 6's than any other type (not specifically related to abuse necessarily).

 

[543222187]

....but what about the root cause of fear?...wouldn't someone naturally fear more after being abused?...

 

[MuChApArAdOx]

...so I'm wondering if people who have been abused in their childhood actually type as 6s...or if they are actually other types but highly appear like a 6...because generally after abuse people are more likely to be suspicous and alert for danger in people and surrondings...and are more likely to be fearful in genral...or are is that why lots of people are 6s?...

Realistically anyone of any type who was abused in some way or another will have fears and alerts of danger in uncomfortable situations, or things that may show a red flag of past experiences. People are people regardless of our EnnG type, many of our reactions to drama and scenarios when faced with danger would likely be the same. I don't think we can put ENNG into boxes in terms of all behaviours.

 

[543222187]

Realistically anyone of any type who was abused in some way or another will have fears and alerts of danger in uncomfortable situations, or things that may show a red flag of past experiences. People are people regardless of our EnnG type, many of our reactions to drama and scenarios when faced with danger would likely be the same. I don't think we can put ENNG into boxes in terms of all behaviours.

...i mean in general...like heightened awareness of danger...

 

[Chipps]

Im sure there is a correlation as SOM mentioned. I remember being a lot more phobic when I was in very small (under 6). I used to not be able to go anywhere without my mom, I had a pillow that I couldnt sleep with out, and I was all around afraid of the world. Then from about 5 years old-18 shit went down hill and stayed that way and over the years the anxiety dissipated due to the constant stress, and instability and I adapted to the situation. So now I have a very "what else could possibly happen that hasnt already happened many times over" attitude. I'm not afraid of anything really.

I wasn't "abused". Not in the traditional sense, I guess. But I think that all the right things happened at the right time over the right period of time to get me to turn out like I did. But isnt that true for everyone? I really don't think id be CP if Id had a better upbringing. Cant say Im complaining though.

 

[sleeper]

I can exhibit very panicky and/or destructive behavior when traumas are triggered... I don't know if it's 'Six-like', but I am definitely more suspicious of some people's motives in my life when things feel off between us.

 

[TitaniaRose]

I could understand the correlation, but I was wondering if it's not possible(well I'm sure it's possible) for a person's not so happy childhood to lead them to being a 9? Because I know someone who I wonder if they are 9 and if it's because of what happened to them growing up. I don't know but this person is quite passive(they say they aren't but they are). But they basically have little regard for themselves/needs and are very unreactive to the point that I find it frightening. They put others people's emotional needs way ahead of theirs, but it doesn't two ish to me because they don't do it to everyone - only to certain people and they don't seem to expect it returned very much(which bothers me because if I was in that position I'd expect it be returned or we'd be ending the relationship). I don't want to degrade the 9 type by putting into some negative category but couldn't it entirely possible that a very emotionally repressed person would turn out be a 9, hence the lack of emotional reactions they have? I don't know, I could be wrong here. But 9's are meant to be a passive type?

I just don't think this person I know is a 6, I'm way more likely to be 6 than they are. I'm reactive - this person isn't hardly reactive at all.

 

[zallla]

Could you please avoid ending every sentence with an ellipsis? It makes your posts hard to read.

Amen... ;D

I think that traumatic experiences can make people appear as 6s, but many other types as well. Anyway, I know Sixes who weren't abused, and people who were abused, but aren't Sixes. However, I think it's nature over nurture.

I sound exactly like a true Six looking for external authorities but Naranjo seems to think that Fours are especially common type to have experienced abuse. No idea whether he or anyone else has actually investigated this business but Naranjo seems like a professional...

I do not think Sixes are Sixes because they have had traumatic experiences or that abused people tend to be Sixes. I think being Six is MUCH more fundamental. Sixes have an alert and curious mind. You don't have to experience horrible things to have those qualities (thank God, literally and figuratively ).

 

[soya]

I could understand the correlation, but I was wondering if it's not possible(well I'm sure it's possible) for a person's not so happy childhood to lead them to being a 9? Because I know someone who I wonder if they are 9 and if it's because of what happened to them growing up. I don't know but this person is quite passive(they say they aren't but they are). But they basically have little regard for themselves/needs and are very unreactive to the point that I find it frightening. They put others people's emotional needs way ahead of theirs, but it doesn't two ish to me because they don't do it to everyone - only to certain people and they don't seem to expect it returned very much(which bothers me because if I was in that position I'd expect it be returned or we'd be ending the relationship). I don't want to degrade the 9 type by putting into some negative category but couldn't it entirely possible that a very emotionally repressed person would turn out be a 9, hence the lack of emotional reactions they have? I don't know, I could be wrong here. But 9's are meant to be a passive type?

I just don't think this person I know is a 6, I'm way more likely to be 6 than they are. I'm reactive - this person isn't hardly reactive at all.

This sounds more like a 9 than a 6, yes.

I suffered some ...less than pleasant situations growing up and I seemed to turn out as a 9. Did those experiences contribute? Probably, as I think I became more withdrawn and less likely to exercise my anger for fear of causing or encouraging more chaos around me, and those became ingrained habits. However, I also have some anxiety issues resulting from bad experiences that I don't think would have been so pronounced otherwise - which could definitely make for a 6-like appearance. It's hard to draw lines between what came first. We are all a complicated mix of nature, nurture and a je ne sais quoi wild card element, from what I can tell. While making a formula or hypothesis is helpful, it's a loose sketch at best, a framework to work from, something nobody will fit to a T.

Invariably trauma will have some negative repercussions, but what kind and of what severity will differ from person to person. I am unconvinced that any one type is "the abuse victim type". Consider that 8s could be trauma victims who became hypervigilant, determined to take control of their path and never be dominated again, or 7s as those who chose to avoid pain by always seeking novelty and enjoyment, or 5s as those who retreated into the impersonal world of ideas to escape turbulent emotions... really, a case could be made for all 9 types.

 

[Arrow]

I was a 4 who was abused, but I probably look or seem like a 2.

 

[Promethea]

I read somewhere that in the childhood development of the 6, something happens to make them not trust the person they rely on. I suppose this could be many things.

 

[sleepyhead]

Invariably trauma will have some negative repercussions, but what kind and of what severity will differ from person to person. I am unconvinced that any one type is "the abuse victim type". Consider that 8s could be trauma victims who became hypervigilant, determined to take control of their path and never be dominated again, or 7s as those who chose to avoid pain by always seeking novelty and enjoyment, or 5s as those who retreated into the impersonal world of ideas to escape turbulent emotions... really, a case could be made for all 9 types.

I think this is what's important to keep in mind. I know there's a lot of debate of how exactly we develop into our types, but I don't think abuse itself will cause someone to be more likely to become a 6, but rather how we respond to that abuse is a bigger clue. There are also plenty of 6's who have never experienced abuse but for whatever reason, still turned out to be 6's.

 

[Stephen]

I read somewhere that in the childhood development of the 6, something happens to make them not trust the person they rely on. I suppose this could be many things.

I've heard this too. That sixes feel disconnected from their father or father figure.

Parental Orientation

As the result of their formative experiences, Sixes became connected with their protective figures. The protective figure was the adult in the child’s early environment who provided guidelines, structure, and sometimes discipline. This was the person who occupied the traditional patriarchal position in the family. Most often this was their fathers, or a father figure, such as a grandfather or teacher, but in many cases the mother or an older sibling may actually be the protective-figure. As children, Sixes wanted the security of approval by their protective figures, and felt anxious if they did not receive it. As they grew up, their connection with their protective figure shifted to an identification with substitutes for this person, such as civil authorities or belief systems from which they could obtain security.

6—Enneagram Type Six: The Loyalist—Overview

 

[LotusBlossom]

I agree with the posters who make a case for 9-like traits appearing in abuse victims as well. Dissociation, denial, repression, isolation of feelings from ideas or events are coping mechanisms that are also traits commonly attributed to lower-average-unhealthy Nines.

 

[quadrivium]

Is there a type that couldn't be caused by abuse?

 

[Impact Calculus]

Depends whether that would be more likely to trigger modules of anger vs modules of anxiety.

I could also see a 1 coming out of a scenario like this. Family abuse often leads you to develop a perfectionist attitude towards yourself, and that the punishment was well deserved on your part for not meeting your values.

Abuse might also force you to harden and become aggressive like a type 8. There are classic scenarios where bullies tend to be the people who had suffered from family abuse as a kid.

Bullies meaning an example of what an unhealthy 8 might develop into.

 

[sleepyhead]

Is there a type that couldn't be caused by abuse?

I don't think so.