Interpersonal Strategy and Associated Irrational Ideas

This section explores a set of patterns that implicitly carry a series of irrational ideas ("neurotic ideas," "blind spots," "core beliefs"). This constellation stems from a nucleus of cognitive distortion (fixation), which Naranjo defines for E6 as "self-accusation."

This fixation implies a Manichean view of life—punitive and moralistic, divided between "good" and "bad," judges and guilty parties, accusers and defendants, dutiful and rebellious. Shaped by this split, the Social 6's representation of reality compels them to cling to ideals, reason, and ethical codes in order to feel secure in the world, particularly among those who "possess the truth."

It is a controlling strategy. They feel the need to control the flow of events, the glances and attitudes of others, group dynamics, and even the small details of the environment to determine what is appropriate and what is not.

There is a deep-seated mistrust. Common thoughts include: “I need to control you to know your intentions,” or “I have a constant urge to control things, to ensure everything is fine and to know what I need to do.”

Their thoughts are often populated with negativity. The Social 6 feels emotions and impulses are threatening. Feeling is dangerous, anger is distressing, and erotic, sexual, or pleasurable impulses are risky.

One collaborator recounts a significant event from adolescence:

"Sexuality did not exist; it was hidden. Any manifestation, even mere curiosity, was repressed. When my older brother caught me and a school friend, both 14 years old, looking up the word 'penis' in the dictionary, I was subjected to such harsh family judgment and condemnation for my 'bad influence' that the next day I denied the incident to my friend. He didn’t understand, and I ended up losing the friendship."

The urgent need to know what is "correct" to adapt to and comply with societal norms implies tremendous effort to avoid transgressing and being criticized or excluded.

Their internal code dictates that being wrong is catastrophic. Many biographical episodes of humiliation and punishment tied to mistakes create deep anxiety about error.

One story starkly illustrates this:

"The highest value in my family was religion—daily Mass, family rosaries, novenas, processions—not just formally but as a profound internal experience. Next were intelligence and education, alongside impeccable behavior. At age seven, my first school report card was punished with a whipping from my father for a single grade of 5.

At age 13, when I failed two subjects for the first and only time, my father forced me to whip myself on the back in front of my siblings, who barely contained their laughter. I had to use a knotted rope called 'the cat with seven tails.' Then my father kissed me, assuring me it was for my own good. A 9 in 'behavior' was equivalent to failure: 'What have you done?'"

"I Give You My Eyes, I Give You My Voice"

The Social 6 gives their gaze and voice to others. Internally, they replay endless disqualifications for not measuring up or simply not getting things right. Externally, they project these inner voices onto the world, filling it with critical glances, disapproving gestures, and accusing fingers.

Their gaze relentlessly casts harsh judgments—though never inward for self-reflection. Instead, they lose their voice (their inner criteria, feelings, and perceptions) by offering it to others.

This displacement of psychic tension onto others provides partial relief. However, over time, the identification with aggressors fills interactions with threatening experiences. The tyranny of critical gazes—real or imagined—creates a persecutory world where the only option is compliance.

Self-accusation and persecutory ideas foster visions of isolation. Embarrassing episodes (e.g., school humiliations, punishments, or family disapproval) and rigid behavioral demands suppress spontaneity. Losing control is terrifying due to fears of exclusion or madness.

The effort to blend in, to align perfectly with the group (school, friends, work, or neighborhood), is immense. They strive to excel at what they do without standing out or attracting attention.

In this externalized, alienated existence, the Social 6 loses their vision, freedom, and the resonance of their voice.

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Submission to Authority and the Established Ideal

In short, this type asks others to tell them what to do. By externalizing the axis that directs them—placing it in an assumed external authority or ideal—they partially escape the consequences of their actions. “You tell me what I must do,” or, “I understand what aligns with the dictates,” and they relinquish their own criteria in exchange for avoiding agonizing doubts and ruminations related to guilt.

For example, consider the following story:

At the age of seventeen, my father died, without me ever having had a personal connection with him. I remain bound to the reference of the severe, inhibiting father—the judge—not the human being he truly was. Disconnected from feeling, I do not register the loss; it would seem as though I feel nothing. My mother, on the other hand, is devastated. I make futile efforts to make her laugh, to console her. She enjoys when I read aloud Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa, or some philosophical or mystical book, as she herself cannot. My mother says of me: “A son so to my liking...”

Kind Strategy

Be good. Inhibition and projection of “negative” feelings. Knight-errant attitude.

Submission—“I will be what you expect” and “I will do what you say”—is an exchange: “This way, you will offer me security, certainty…” This requires dissociation, repression, and exclusion of the “negative” feeling of anger from consciousness.

Through projective identification, these denied feelings are projected onto others as though they originate from them. Unconsciously, this provokes reactions in others that reinforce the projected phantom, which then allows identification with those feelings.

With "kind" attitudes (unaware of underlying anger), irritability and aggressive responses are provoked in others, which legitimizes their position. The "pseudo-goodness" strategy excludes experiences tied to aggressiveness, anger, and sexual urges. Beneath it lies the need for “innocence” before any verdict of the “eye of God.”

The ghost of being a “bad child” and, therefore, rejected is ever-present. The freedom to play, get dirty, shout, get angry, play tricks, or transgress was buried in childhood under the weight of behavioral rules. One had to be good and empty oneself.

Beneath the gag and the forced good behavior, there is a frightened child unable to express themselves naturally, constrained by measuring rods. A desperate cry for acceptance prevails.

Self-Righteous Attitude

The strategies are dominated by moral weight, where distinctions between good and evil are clarified. The sense of "must" generates a mentality of severity, demanding compliance both from oneself and others. Irritation arises when patterns of behavior are not well-established—whether in work or group settings—and there is intolerance of ambiguities regarding the “script.”

A Social 6 recounted their experience in a therapeutic group where others described them as the most normative person in the group. The indignation they felt when others failed to follow instructions increased further when the therapist validated that description.

The existence of a script offers shelter, security, and calm. Without a "code" to respect, one feels that life becomes unpredictable and threatening, as it becomes impossible to exert control. It feels as though their parcel of power—derived from knowing norms, expectations, and appropriate behaviors—is being taken away.

Walking "Sisyphus" or Strategies Based on Effort

How many cases of burnout populate the lives of this character! The self-demanding attitude, ideals of self-sacrifice, and strategies of being a hard worker, diligent scholar, or someone who sticks to schedules religiously, engaging in morally “uplifting” activities, can provide validation and a sense of being worthy of love.

Many Social 6 individuals sacralize work, believing that idleness—akin to laziness—is the worst thing. For example, among the Basques, one often hears internalized messages like, “The Basques are a hard-working people,” or, “Being lazy is unacceptable.”

This subtype often perceives a diffuse fatigue connected with the overall sense of vital overexertion—efforts made by and for others to gain appreciation. Yet, beneath this lies a deeper existential motivation. Sisyphus does not let go of the stone, embracing the effort and the rock, fearing that letting go will reveal emptiness.

"Be Right"

In rational shelters, the Social 6 feels more secure, understanding the world through maps of life and the human psyche provided by philosophy, psychology, and other disciplines. Many have been deeply influenced by readings from philosophers or psychologists that offered clarity on the universe, the self, or God.

However, reason can also create monsters, settling truths and falsehoods through logic, often disqualifying feelings. Many Social 6s admit to a secret contempt for emotions, finding them incomprehensible and uncontrollable, which they view as a lack of self-control.

There is often a subtle pride in their tenacity, sacrifice, and self-control, paired with disdain for displays of emotional excess, which they interpret as weakness. Pain, sadness, fear, and even celebratory joy are threatening feelings. Neutrality and containment become automatic patterns.

Fatherly Attitude

In the “knight-errant” strategy, a position of giving—rather than receiving—dominates. Receiving love, attention, or care implies vulnerability, openness, and receptivity, which the Social 6 resists.

In intimate relationships, groups, and other contexts, they chronically adopt paternalistic roles—offering protection, knowledge, intellectual guidance, and reliability.

The ghost haunting them is the fear of surrender, of opening up and trusting others. “If I give myself, I will be exposed and vulnerable.” Frustration, emptiness, and the difficulty of letting go break through. Trusting that others genuinely want the best for them becomes the ultimate challenge.

Self-Incrimination Strategies

The fragility underlying their being (beneath the mask of self-control) makes the Social 6 hypersensitive to criticism. Faced with external critique, they launch into severe self-accusations that, while painful, save them from the anguish of humiliation.

This self-critical stance stems from the humiliated child within, who hides in the dungeons of their psyche, unable to bear indignity. Criticism floods the body with fear, awakening unhealed wounds and shame.

Moral and Intellectual Superiority and Dominance

To compensate for their submission and devaluation, Social 6s adopt a strategy of moral and intellectual superiority. Compulsively adhering to established norms or overexerting themselves creates an internal position from which they feel justified in demanding others meet certain standards.

By taking refuge in theorizing, they position themselves beyond subjective emotions, believing themselves to possess a clear, objective vision of truth.

Toward those they consider more emotional, less knowledgeable, or irrational, they adopt dominant and controlling stances, asserting intellectual or moral superiority.

From this position, the monster of certainty shouts: “I am right! I possess the truth!”