Descriptions of the type, lifted or adapted from a variety of on-line sources (citations at bottom):
World View: The world is a threatening place. I need to look to authority, but
I question it.
Basic Desire: to be secure
Basic Fear: of being abandoned
There are two types of Sixes - phobic and counterphobic [I posit Ray as the latter]. Their reactions to being fearful are so different that outwardly they can seem like separate Enneagram styles.
Core theme: The original potential for faith in self, others and the universe was compromised by a world experienced as threatening and unpredictable. Sixes see that it's not possible to count on an untrustworthy environment, so it makes sense to hesitate and question. The shift from faith to fear has also been called a fall from grace. Separated from the eternal safety of essence, or pure being, Sixes seek certainty - something to count on that momentarily recaptures the enduring security of higher being. They stay out of harm's way (phobic), or, with apparent contradiction, defy security, face danger with bravado, and create their own certainty (counter-phobic).
In a search for faith and security, the attention of the Six goes to doubt and fear, scanning for and focusing on danger and hidden motives or agendas.
Key Motivations: Want to have security, to feel supported by others, to have certitude and reassurance, to test the attitudes of others toward them, to fight against anxiety and insecurity.
Healthy: Able to elicit strong emotional responses from others: very appealing, endearing, lovable, affectionate. Trust important: bonding with others, forming permanent relationships and alliances. Dedicated to individuals and movements in which they deeply believe.
At Their Best: Become self-affirming, trusting of self and others, independent yet symbiotically interdependent and cooperative as an equal. Belief in self leads to true courage, positive thinking, leadership, and rich self-expression.
When healthy, counterphobic Sixes are often courageous, willing to take a tiger by the tail and yank. They can be physically adventuresome, highly skilled and have a real gusto for living. If they participate in a tradition, it is usually in the role of constructive gadfly. Their underlying mission is to serve the tradition by stirring it up - they consider themselves team players who offer useful alternatives, using the old as a springboard to the new. To this end they may be energetic, honest, assertive, and have many good ideas.
"Entranced" [less healthy] counterphobic Sixes often have an edgy, restless quality. Many channel their energies into physical activity; they can enjoy sports and tend to be more openly competitive than phobic Sixes. Counterphobes tend to hide their insecurities with cool or tough masks. The point of physical challenge is to expel fear by facing danger. Instead of being passively afraid, you take risks, stir up fear and then beat it. If phobic Sixes are addicted to security then counterphobics would be addicted to insecurity.
If they are extroverted, entranced counterphobic Sixes can sound irritable and challenging. They are often defiant or rebellious towards authority and habitually find counterexamples to whatever others assert. Despite their attitude, counterphobics are often loyal, hard-driven workers and highly idealistic. Many counterphobics are wryly funny and good at satire. When insecure, however, their humor can punch and bite.
When they trust someone, whether friend or boss, they are extremely loyal to that individual. This bond can be so strong that if these trusted individuals leave or move away, the six's passion for life leaves with them.
Sixes often seek safety with like-minded, trustworthy people, and among them they can be fun-loving, playful, and very good company. Their guard goes up among people they don't know well, and they can easily become hostile or suspicious of people or situations they don't know. Sixes often magnify such suspicions, interpreting a simple lack of feedback as something more negative than it really is.
Many sixes fight harder for others than for themselves, and can be unusually self-sacrificing for causes they believe in. While sixes can see danger far in advance of others, they also have a paranoid streak that sees danger where none exists. The six's skepticism makes them good at questioning authority and leadership. But sixes are not natural leaders themselves because of their fear of exposure, and of acting alone, and their tendency for ambivalence and self-questioning. Sixes can be effective leaders when a clear enemy arises (even if the "enemy" is just a looming deadline), which brings out the energy, focus, and self-sacrificial qualities of the six. Sixes also work especially well in an underdog position.
Type six has a strong desire to trust others and be trusted. Of course, each type's greatest strengths can also become weaknesses, and the six's need to trust others can get them in severe trouble if they should put their faith into something malicious or unreliable. A six that has been "burned" in this way can become forever wary of the outside world.
Life Task: To achive faith that nothing from the outside can hurt his or her essence; to attain trust and strength of courage.
Sources:
http://www.enneagramcentral.com/
http://www.enneagramspectrum.com/styles/default.htm
http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/home.asp
http://www.9points.com/
http://michaelgoldberg.net/home.htm