🌿 Type Three vs Type Six
TL;DR: What’s the Core Difference?
Type Three is driven by a need to succeed and be admired, shaping their image to appear confident, competent, and accomplished.
Type Six is driven by a need to feel safe and supported, scanning for threats and seeking reassurance through loyalty and preparedness.
✍️ In-Depth Comparison
Threes and Sixes are both known for being hardworking, responsible, and deeply committed to doing things well — which makes them easy to confuse, especially in structured environments like school, work, or leadership roles. But beneath that shared drive lies two very different motivations.
Type Threes are fueled by ambition and adaptability. They care about goals, results, and how others perceive them. Threes shape-shift into whatever version of themselves will earn success and approval — they’re image-conscious and future-oriented, often appearing more confident than they actually feel. They tend to downplay doubts in order to maintain momentum.
Type Sixes, by contrast, are fueled by loyalty and caution. They care deeply about safety — physical, emotional, and relational — and often seek security by aligning with trusted systems, beliefs, or people. Sixes are planners and troubleshooters, imagining worst-case scenarios and preparing for them. Where Threes tend to charge forward, Sixes often hesitate.
From your notes and the Enneagram Institute:
“Threes are confident, even when they’re not — it’s part of the package.”
“Sixes second-guess themselves, even when they’re competent.”
Threes are driven by achievement anxiety; Sixes are driven by safety anxiety.
Both types work hard — but for different reasons:
A Three works hard to be seen as successful.
A Six works hard to feel secure and supported — or to prevent something from going wrong.
If you’re trying to sort this out, ask yourself:
Do I hustle because I want to win or impress (Three)? Or because I want to be prepared, protected, or backed up (Six)?
Is my anxiety more about failing… or about being unprepared or abandoned?
✅ Quick Spot-the-Difference Table
Question to Ask Yourself📌 Type Three📌 Type SixWhat drives me?A need to succeed, impress, and appear competentA need to feel safe, supported, and preparedHow do I relate to fear?I push through it or suppress it to stay polishedI analyze it, prepare for it, or seek guidanceWhat do I fear most?Failure, irrelevance, or being unrecognizedBetrayal, uncertainty, or being without supportHow do I approach decision-making?I move quickly, pivot, and go with what worksI seek reassurance, analyze risks, and hesitate
🌱 Reflect & Explore
Do I overwork because I want to stand out or because I want to feel safe?
Is my energy confident (even if performative), or cautious and questioning?
Do I adapt to succeed… or overthink to prepare?