Typing individuals who are either very religious or spiritual, I discovered that almost all of them were 6 fix.
(Whereas the type least likely to be religious in modern society is Type 5.)
The Type 6 personality structure is inherently on the look-out for security; and religious people find security in their faith.
People of enneatype Six are essentially insecure...as though life has never quite provided them with a proper footing, as though there existed nothing, either internally or externally, which could serve as a solid foundation. The type Six fixation is therefore deeply and fundamentally existential, and there exists at the core of enneatype Six a tight knot of anxiety, an essential disquietude, and a deep seated desire to find something or someone stable enough in which to place some trust. Given this essential dynamic, it is not surprising therefore to find that Sixes have core issues centering around the contrast between faith and scepticism, trust and distrust, and the legitimate exercise of authority versus the abuse and misuse of power.
Today I came across this article that confirms my theory as to why certain people are very religious or spiritual; a big reason why is to mitigate potential dangers and fear, to reach a greater feeling of internal security:
You see a bush on fire. It could have been caused by an impersonal, inanimate, and unintentional force (lightning striking the bush and setting it on fire), or it could have been caused by a personal, animate, and intentional force (God trying to communicate with you). The “animistic bias” or “agency-detector mechanism” predisposes you to opt for the latter explanation rather than the former. It predisposes you to see the hands of God at work behind natural, physical phenomena whose exact causes are unknown.
In this view, religiosity (the human capacity for belief in supernatural beings) is not an evolved tendency per se; after all, religion in itself is not adaptive. It is instead a byproduct of animistic bias or the agency-detector mechanism, the tendency to be paranoid, which is adaptive because it can save your life. Humans did not evolve to be religious; they evolved to be paranoid. And humans are religious because they are paranoid.
Or in other words, paranoid Sixes are religious.
(It also explains why the Six fix is the most common Head fix.)
You may say "But not all Sixes are paranoid!"
No, not all of them are – at healthy levels. Once they become unhealthy, they become paranoid and anxious.
Unhealthy Levels
Level 7: Fearing that they have ruined their security, they become panicky, volatile, and self-disparaging with acute inferiority feelings. Seeing themselves as defenseless, they seek out a stronger authority or belief to resolve all problems. Highly divisive, disparaging and berating others.
Level 8: Feeling persecuted, that others are "out to get them," they lash-out and act irrationally, bringing about what they fear. Fanaticism, violence.
You may say "But not all paranoid people are Sixes!"
Type their tritype. They'll have a Six fix, or a Six wing (or are perhaps a 9 disintegrating to 6). Paranoia is (unhealthy) Six, just like Narcissism is (unhealthy) 3.
You may say "I know Sixes that aren't religious at all, they are atheists or agnostics!"
First of, I bet they (or you) have a strong 5 wing and/or are more intelligent than the average person.
As I said earlier, 5s tend to be the least religious. 5s do not seek out external belief systems to find security; they mostly seek out knowledge to develop their expertise for security. 7s may to an extent seek out religion when they have a strong 6 wing, but they are more likely going to draw inspiration from many different beliefs and not settle on one belief. 7s feel more secure by not relying or settling on anything.
Also:
For any given scientific generalization, it is always easy to recall an anecdote or example that is contrary to the general pattern, such as “I know a man who...” or “I know a woman who....” As I explain in an earlier post, science is empirical, not logical, which is why there is no such thing as a scientific proof. The existence of exceptions and counterexamples, which invalidate mathematical proofs, do not invalidate scientific conclusions and empirical generalizations. You may know a man who finds elderly, obese women sexually attractive, but that does not invalidate the conclusion that men in general find young women with low waist-to-hip ratios sexually attractive.
Of course my findings are not truly "scientific". But my point is, just because you know a couple of counterexamples doesn't mean this conclusion in invalid: that most religious or spiritual people in the world are 6 fix. Most people believe in God or similar, (because) most people are 6 fix. There's a connection between the two, for reasons I've outlined above. Needless to say, most atheists are 5 fix or have a strong 5 wing, like Richard Dawkins.
You may say "I know someone who is/was religious or spiritual without being 6 fix!"
First, make sure you have typed them correctly. Besides that, there have been findings showing that attachment style has an effect on someone's attitude towards God. There needs to be more research, but essentially it looks like God is an attachment figure, and that Securely attached or Preoccupied individuals are more likely going to be religious (or spiritual for that matter), whereas Dismissive individuals are less likely religious and more likely going to "dismiss" God. I've found that many SX first individuals (especially Sx/Sp) are either religious or spiritual (and often Preoccupied as well), especially when they are single. Their faith in a God or some equivalent enables them to feel attached to someone or something, it can help them with feeling less lonely.
In a follow-up study, Kirkpatrick, Shillito, and Kellas (1999) found that secure attachment to God was inversely associated with loneliness among women.
At last, it may look like I have equated religiosity with spirituality and see no difference between the two. Surely the two aren't the exact same thing; but they are both connected to the 6 fix. Based on my observations, spiritual people usually are either 9 core + 6 fix and SO blindspot, or 4 core + 6 fix and SO blindspot, or SX 7w6. Yes, the stackings to be spiritual the most often are Sx/Sp and Sp/Sx in my experience. I am theorizing it is their SX desire for some kind of attachment, as well as their SO blindspot disregarding the social customs of believing in an Abrahamic faith or constitutionalized religion.
So, if you come across someone who is very religious or spiritual, it is safe to say they are most likely either 6 fix or 6 wing and/or SO blindspot and/or SX first. (I should add that the devout usually have a 6 fix and 1 fix.)
If you come across an atheist or agnostic, they are most likely 5 fix or 5 wing and/or have a high(er) IQ and/or are Dismissive.
(Whereas the type least likely to be religious in modern society is Type 5.)
The Type 6 personality structure is inherently on the look-out for security; and religious people find security in their faith.
Quote:
People of enneatype Six are essentially insecure...as though life has never quite provided them with a proper footing, as though there existed nothing, either internally or externally, which could serve as a solid foundation. The type Six fixation is therefore deeply and fundamentally existential, and there exists at the core of enneatype Six a tight knot of anxiety, an essential disquietude, and a deep seated desire to find something or someone stable enough in which to place some trust. Given this essential dynamic, it is not surprising therefore to find that Sixes have core issues centering around the contrast between faith and scepticism, trust and distrust, and the legitimate exercise of authority versus the abuse and misuse of power.
Quote:
You see a bush on fire. It could have been caused by an impersonal, inanimate, and unintentional force (lightning striking the bush and setting it on fire), or it could have been caused by a personal, animate, and intentional force (God trying to communicate with you). The “animistic bias” or “agency-detector mechanism” predisposes you to opt for the latter explanation rather than the former. It predisposes you to see the hands of God at work behind natural, physical phenomena whose exact causes are unknown.
In this view, religiosity (the human capacity for belief in supernatural beings) is not an evolved tendency per se; after all, religion in itself is not adaptive. It is instead a byproduct of animistic bias or the agency-detector mechanism, the tendency to be paranoid, which is adaptive because it can save your life. Humans did not evolve to be religious; they evolved to be paranoid. And humans are religious because they are paranoid.
(It also explains why the Six fix is the most common Head fix.)
You may say "But not all Sixes are paranoid!"
No, not all of them are – at healthy levels. Once they become unhealthy, they become paranoid and anxious.
Quote:
Unhealthy Levels
Level 7: Fearing that they have ruined their security, they become panicky, volatile, and self-disparaging with acute inferiority feelings. Seeing themselves as defenseless, they seek out a stronger authority or belief to resolve all problems. Highly divisive, disparaging and berating others.
Level 8: Feeling persecuted, that others are "out to get them," they lash-out and act irrationally, bringing about what they fear. Fanaticism, violence.
Type their tritype. They'll have a Six fix, or a Six wing (or are perhaps a 9 disintegrating to 6). Paranoia is (unhealthy) Six, just like Narcissism is (unhealthy) 3.
You may say "I know Sixes that aren't religious at all, they are atheists or agnostics!"
First of, I bet they (or you) have a strong 5 wing and/or are more intelligent than the average person.
As I said earlier, 5s tend to be the least religious. 5s do not seek out external belief systems to find security; they mostly seek out knowledge to develop their expertise for security. 7s may to an extent seek out religion when they have a strong 6 wing, but they are more likely going to draw inspiration from many different beliefs and not settle on one belief. 7s feel more secure by not relying or settling on anything.
Also:
Quote:
For any given scientific generalization, it is always easy to recall an anecdote or example that is contrary to the general pattern, such as “I know a man who...” or “I know a woman who....” As I explain in an earlier post, science is empirical, not logical, which is why there is no such thing as a scientific proof. The existence of exceptions and counterexamples, which invalidate mathematical proofs, do not invalidate scientific conclusions and empirical generalizations. You may know a man who finds elderly, obese women sexually attractive, but that does not invalidate the conclusion that men in general find young women with low waist-to-hip ratios sexually attractive.
You may say "I know someone who is/was religious or spiritual without being 6 fix!"
First, make sure you have typed them correctly. Besides that, there have been findings showing that attachment style has an effect on someone's attitude towards God. There needs to be more research, but essentially it looks like God is an attachment figure, and that Securely attached or Preoccupied individuals are more likely going to be religious (or spiritual for that matter), whereas Dismissive individuals are less likely religious and more likely going to "dismiss" God. I've found that many SX first individuals (especially Sx/Sp) are either religious or spiritual (and often Preoccupied as well), especially when they are single. Their faith in a God or some equivalent enables them to feel attached to someone or something, it can help them with feeling less lonely.
Quote:
In a follow-up study, Kirkpatrick, Shillito, and Kellas (1999) found that secure attachment to God was inversely associated with loneliness among women.
So, if you come across someone who is very religious or spiritual, it is safe to say they are most likely either 6 fix or 6 wing and/or SO blindspot and/or SX first. (I should add that the devout usually have a 6 fix and 1 fix.)
If you come across an atheist or agnostic, they are most likely 5 fix or 5 wing and/or have a high(er) IQ and/or are Dismissive.