Overcoming Extremism and Misinformation: Enneagram Type Six and Politics
The twin trends of extremism and misinformation both represent the crisis of type Six at the societal level: they come down to the question of loyalty. What authority or group is worthy of trust and must be supported? What group or authority is dangerous and must be opposed? As it turns out, the answer is complicated. But extremism and misinformation (including the trends of both right-wing conspiracy theories and left-wing authoritarianism) flourish when a nation in a Six trance seeks security in simplistic answers. As always, the solution is to be found within the problem, and it is imperative that we find it there before the left degenerates into serious human rights abuses by government (or by mega-corporations acting as de facto governments) and the right into large-scale organized terrorism, each reacting to the other’s increasing radicalization.
Leaders in a Type Six Trance
When leaders are in a Six trance, they demonstrate tribalistic, “Us vs. Them” thinking. Every person is seen as either enemy or friend, with no middle ground in between. Enemies are intolerable, not to be trusted, worthy of condemnation and perhaps destruction. In a Six trance, leaders can be excessively certain in their loyalty and in their hostility, OR they can react against such certainty, with excessive skepticism and a wariness of joining or committing to a cause, group, or institution. A person can even oscillate between these tendencies over the course of their life or career — joining a cause, becoming disillusioned and going through a skeptical phase, committing later to a new cause, etc.
Type Six Trance at the Systemic Level
At the level of government, the Six trance manifests in attempting to enforce conformity and loyalty at the expense of individual rights. In the most extreme cases, it becomes totalitarianism. Here in the U.S., our constitutional bulwarks against this have basically stood strong so far. But today’s mega-corporations (a threat unimagined by the Constitutional Framers) are now taking on a quasi-governmental role in society and are beginning to demonstrate their propensity toward authoritarianism (censoring speech, banning books, punishing political dissidents, monitoring private communications). The public education system, including K-12 schools and colleges/universities, demonstrates a Six trance when organized movements push for political agendas in curricula. And with increasing (mostly corporate) pressure on the populace to conform to a (mostly leftist) ideology, there is an equal and opposite reaction of (mostly right-wing) anti-institutionalism.
At the level of culture, the Six trance is evident in exaggerated fears. The media make a lot of money turning tragic or concerning events into terrifying omens of imminent doom. The country is about to be taken over by a white supremacist insurrection or Mexican drug cartels, depending your news channel. And of course, anything that can make us “safer” must be done, no matter what freedoms it will cost. The war of misinformation is also part of the Six trance: it is fed by both mainstream and fringe reporting that plays to people’s loyalty to one group and mistrust of another. Instead of considering the evidence dispassionately, people react emotionally, wanting to defend their own tribe and attack their enemies. The same tribalism is evident in the social media echo chambers people create for themselves.
Spiritual leaders in a Six trance are dogmatic. They may be fundamentalists within a religious tradition, or they may be dogmatically “woke” progressives. In either case, they measure ideas according to how well those ideas support and conform to their existing belief system; and they evaluate behavior by its conformity to the rigid moral standards that stem from their beliefs. Those who question the leader’s authority (which may be the authority invested in the leader OR what the leader considers to be the authority he/she is devoted to) may be offered rationalizations first, and if a skeptical member of the community pushes too far, they will be shamed and possibly expelled from the group.
The Wake Up Call of Type Six
Subjectively, the Six trance is felt as fear and anxiety, especially about a group of people who are expected to ruin everything by their contemptible behavior (Trump supporters … or trans-activists? Anti-vaxxers … or the mainstream media? Take your pick.); feeling triggered by extremism and authoritarianism in others; wanting to punish and exert control over people who do not conform to your standards (“That should be illegal!” “How can we stop people from believing things like that?”).
Objectively, it is a wake up call when people complain that their rights are being violated. When measures are decried as taking us “one step closer” to totalitarianism or fascism, it is not time to double down and reassure ourselves that the enemy is evil and full of deceit. Rather, it’s time to take a step back and question one’s beliefs and committments. It is also a wake up call when the anti-authoritarian elements of society are becoming increasingly radicalized. This does not happen in a vacuum. People become more susceptible to such radicalization when authoritarian pressure increases.
How Leaders Can Turn the Tide
Leaders in a Six trance may doggedly avoid questioning their own beliefs and commitments, but they will never be completely comfortable with doing so. There will always be at least a niggling doubt. Stopping to entertain that doubt can be like pulling a string that unravels an entire sweater. Leaders waking from a SIx trance many need to pass through a skeptical phase, releasing their commitments, questioning their beliefs. The next step, then, is to balance one’s loyalty to a cause, group, or institution, with a healthy skepticism toward it; to say “I am a part of this; it is far from perfect; I am committed to making it better.” Moving toward Nine, leaders expressing the essence of Six become peacemakers, bridging political divides.
Emerging Essence of Type Six at the Systemic Level
At the level of government, the essence of Six is expressed very well in the U.S. Constitution, which provides for a kind of majority rule (enforcing conformity — which is actually necessary to an extent) while assuring the rights of the minority, including the rights of dissent and appeal (honoring doubts/skepticism, at the socio-political level). In the face of the growing threat of corporate-ocracy, new interpretations of existing law or a reimagining of some governmental principles may be in order. In public education, the essence of Six is expressed in the promotion of critical thinking and in honoring the expression of disagreement with the majority or with authorities, including teachers and experts. As authoritarian pressures lessen, extremism becomes less appealing.
At the level of culture, the essence of Six is expressed in political discourse that cuts the crap and gets straight to the heart of what is really known and what really needs to be done. (It is part of the antidote to the posturing and dishonesty of Three discussed in the previous essay.) Instead of focusing on fear and tribalistic defense mechanisms, the conversation turns to shared commitments and shared values. Instead of dismissing conspiracy theorists as dangerous lunatics, or mainstream authorities as totally untrustworthy, a balanced view of both is achieved and common ground sought.
Among spiritual leaders, the essence of Six manifests in devotion to an authority higher than any specific cause, group, or institution. This may be understood as God (as opposed to religion, a fallible institution), or the scientific method (as opposed to fallible institutions of scientific inquiry), or simply truth or reality. Leaders manifesting the essence of Six are able to entertain doubts and uncertainty, to think critically about their belief system and values/morals, and at the same time, maintain a commitment to the higher power which inspires that system of values and beliefs.
Suggestions for Waking Up from the Six Trance
As a leader, you can learn to observe the Six trance in yourself, noticing fearful “Us vs. Them” thinking and the desire to punish or control others. And you can choose to question your own beliefs and moral expectations, especially when confronted with someone who disagrees with you. Ask yourself what you have in common with your political or ideological opponents. What values do you share? What goals do you agree on? How can you work together? Consider what higher authority you feel is worthy of your devotion. Learn to view causes, groups, and institutions that you support as fallible and in need of criticism, but also as the means by which a higher power is manifested in the world.
As a follower, be very wary of going along with the group for safety. But also be careful not to remain isolated and aloof. Remember that the world is not as much in need of people who reject corrupt institutions because of their flaws, as people who join broken institutions and help to fix them. As a follower, do not to put your heroes on a pedestal. Acknowledging your cherished leaders’ faults, you’ll be closer to recognizing what you actually share in common with people who seem at first to be opponents.
