The sixth pattern concerns intense loyalty to a tribe, clan or family. A person may work hard to protect and strengthen relatives, yet when this loyalty collides with an ethical or religious obligation, may place the group's interest above what is right.
Affection for one's relatives is not in itself blameworthy. The problem arises when loyalty is used to excuse wrongdoing, deny another person's rights or obstruct duties acknowledged as binding.
For example, if a relative's injustice is clearly established but the family suppresses the injured person's claim to avoid embarrassment, solidarity has become a vehicle for wrongdoing. The proper order is to preserve affection while refusing to make fairness, honesty and duty subordinate to group advantage.