More applied Enneagram
I remember a story that happened at a discussion board I used to hang out on. Something which started before my time there. There were two cp 6w5s who became friends - outside of the board, that is. Emailed each other, that kind of thing. Then one of them said something to piss off the other. The other responded by revealing what the first considered private information, ostensibly to counteract/disprove the first’s words. This immediately triggered the first 6w5’s anger. By the time I got there, the whole thing was still going on.
I became friends with the first 6w5. Good friends. After my being on the boards for about a year the quarrel suddenly started to escalate, with the strikes primarily initiated by the other 6w5, but with my friend responding unfailingly and with great gusto. Slowly, the two of them were succeeding in turning the board upside down, involving more and more other members. The way only cp 6s can.
This is when I experienced it - first hand. A cp 6w5 in battle mode acquires tunnel vision and an “us/them” mentality. There is no middle ground, and they are not going to let you occupy it. You are either with them, and must demonstrate support overtly, or you are with ‘The Enemy’. It doesn’t matter if you have nothing to do with the original argument and are not sure who is actually in the right (if anyone) - 6s expect you to actively support them just because you are their friend. You feel like you have no room for manoeuvre without treading on the 6’s paranoia, and you are never sure what is going to trigger it next.
We had a fight. Managed to get over it. Lessons learned: first, do not betray a cp 6’s trust (this one is kind of obvious). You seriously do not want a cp 6 after you. This people are the ultimate rabble-rousers and they are never going to leave well enough alone. The concept of “vendetta” must have been invented by a cp 6. Second, 6’s are prone to suspicion and paranoia - expect odd reactions to something which to you might seem totally innocuous. Third, 6s expect unconditional support of those they consider to be in their camp, however much you might try to disengage. How is that third one best dealt with, I am still not sure.