Point Six: The Trooper

What helps Troopers

• Get a reality check. Are doubts based in reality or are they imagined? Name fears out loud. Check conclusions with a trustworthy friend.
• Avoid nebulous agreements. Get clear guidelines for action.
• A support system is important for all types. For Sixes it's imperative.
• Contain procrastination by setting timelines and action checkpoints.
• Give equal time to positive options. Remember that negative possibilities seem more believable.
• Recognize times when thinking replaces action.
• Find safety in step-by-step guidelines for moving through frightening events rather than avoiding or magnifying their importance.
• Identify both fight and flight as fear reactions. Check yourself for hidden projections when others appear to be hostile.
• If attention fixates in worst-case thinking, (a) imagine best-case possibilities or (b) imaginatively exaggerate worst-case outcomes until they "overflow" by becoming ridiculous.

Helen Palmer

The Pocket Enneagram:
Understanding the 9 Types of People
Harper & Row, 1988, 90 pages