Enneagram 5
The Investigator | The Thinker | The Innovator | The Observer | The Specialist | The Expert |
The Investigator | The Thinker | The Innovator | The Observer | The Specialist | The Expert |
Type 5 Overview
Type 5’s want to absorb knowledge in the areas they perceive as important and intriguing, becoming highly cerebral, emotionally detached, and self-contained. They are extraordinarily private as a way to guard against intrusion and the experience of feeling energetically depleted.
Basic Desire: To be capable and competent
Basic Fear: Of being helpless, useless, incapable, or overwhelmed
Holy Ideal: Holy Omniscience and Holy Transparency - Understanding that only through direct personal experience, complete engagement, and openness can omniscience be achieved and that non-attachment is not the same as detachment
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Participating | Visionary | Perceptive | Focused | Innovative
Healthy 5’s let go of the belief that they are separate from their environment as outside observers, confidently engaging in life. This release allows them to achieve their basic desire of feeling capable and competent. They become clear-minded, knowing profound, and compassionate.
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Conceptualizing | Preparing | Detached | Preoccupied | Extreme | Provocative
Fives begin to fear that their skills are not enough, so they feel the need to prepare themselves (studying, practicing, collecting knowledge and resources, etc.) before taking their place in the world. They can be unsure of themselves and act as outside observers of life rather than active participants.
They are protective of their personal space and resources and shut out others out of fear of intrusion. They may feel threatened or skeptical of others’ confidence and calmness.
This fear and “preparation” can lead to isolation and their ideas can start to take on bizarre and disturbing shapes and they become scornful of those who cannot understand them.
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Nihilistic | Eccentric | Delirious | Self-Annihilating
Unhealthy 5’s begin to feel they aren’t capable or competent enough to find a place in the world, and at this point, this might be true. To regain a sense of security, they cut off relationships and connections with the world and reject all but the most basic needs. They are plagued by fear and begin to feel helpless.
They can get lost in thought spirals, dark fantasies, and strange perceptions, and their minds can “overheat.”
Afraid that they are unsafe and can’t defend themselves, they try to escape their reality. In extreme cases, they can go through psychotic breaks, schizoid withdrawal, self-neglect, and/or self-harm.
Wings
5w4
“The Iconoclast”
HEALTHY: Curiosity and perceptiveness combine in 5w4’s with the desire to express a unique, personal vision. They are more emotional, introspective, and create than 5w6’s. They seek a niche that has not been explored by others - something that can truly be their own. Not scientifically oriented, they are often creative loners, mixing passion and detachment. They are whimsical and inventive, often exploring and discovering new innovations as they tinker with things. They’re often drawn to the arts and use their imagination more than the analytic, systematic parts of their minds.
AVERAGE: 5w4’s in average health primarily identify with their minds and struggle with intense feelings that can create difficulties in sustaining efforts and in working with others. They are more independent than 5w6’s and resist having structures imposed on them. Their interests tend toward the surreal and fantastic rather than the rational or the romantic. They can easily get lost in their own cerebral landscapes. They often have difficulty staying grounded and can become impractical in the pursuit of their interests. They can be attracted to dark, forbidden subject matter or to the disturbing or grotesque.
5w6
“The Problem-Solver”
HEALTHY: Observation combined with organization and detail gives 5w6’s the ability to draw meaningful conclusions from miscellaneous facts and to make predictions based on those conclusions. They seek a niche that will provide security and that fits into a larger context. They are often drawn to technical subjects: engineering, science, and philosophy, as well as inventing and repair work. They can be cooperative, disciplined, and persistent and are more interested in practical matters than 5w4’s. They can combine a talent for innovation with business savvy, sometimes with highly lucrative results.
AVERAGE: Perhaps the most purely intellectual of all of the subtypes, 5w6’s are interested in theories, technology, and acquiring facts and details. Analysts and catalogers of the environment, they enjoy dissecting the components of a problem to discover how it works. Extremely restrained and private about their feelings, their attention is more directed at things than at people, although 5w6’s identify strongly with key people in their lives. Not particularly introspective, they prefer to observe and understand the world around them. They can be more argumentative than 5w4’s and more defensive in their views. They tend to be aggressive and to actively antagonize people who disagree with them.
Subtypes
There are 3 instincts: Self-Preservation, Social, and One-to-One (AKA Sexual). We each use these instincts throughout our lives to survive and thrive; usually we use one of them quite often, one not much or not enough, and the other is somewhere in the middle. The strongest instinct is known as your “Dominant” instinct, which determines your subtype. So for each Enneagram type, there are three subtypes.
Many people know more about the wings than the subtypes, but each subtype can look very different from another subtype, even if they share the same core type. For example, Self-Preservation 3’s look VERY different from Social 3’s.
Self-Preservation 5
“Castle”
SP 5’s are concerned about being intruded upon and overextended physically and energetically. They can guard their resources, energy, and physical space with a scarcity mindset.
Social 5
“Totem”
SO 5’s find, develop, and protect strong bonds they share with individuals and groups who share their interests. However, they become disengaged with these very individuals and groups if they feel forced to live in a way that is not aligned with their high-order beliefs.
One-to-One 5
“Confidence”
SX 5’s search for a strong, deep connection with one other person with whom they trust and have confidence in. They focus on preserving and protecting themselves, that person, and these special relationships.
Arrows
Each Enneagram type has 2 arrows connecting it to 2 other types. These arrows express your direction of Growth and Stress, determining how you will likely act int hose situations. Understanding your type’s arrows is one of the best ways to use the Enneagram as a tool for growth (learning about your growth number) and how to cope with stress (learning about your stress number).
Growth Arrow: 8
When moving in a direction of integration, detached 5’s can become self-confident and decisive like healthy 8’s.
Attributes of the 8 for 5’s to adopt:
Strong loyalty and sense of protectiveness
Confidence in themselves and their decisions
Passionate, level-headed, inspiring leadership
Strong problem-solving abilities
Ability to stand up for themselves and others, especially in the face of injustice
Direct, honest, yet gentle communication style
Strong yet balanced sense of right and wrong
Stress Arrow: 7
When moving in a direction of disintegration (stress), detached 5’s can suddenly become hyperactive and scattered like unhealthy 7’s.
Unhealthy attributes of the 7 that 5’s might adopt under intense or prolonged stress:
Escapism and avoidance of difficult situations and emotions
Difficulty with commitment to relationships, groups, activities, etc.
Struggles with presence in the current moment
Recklessness
Addiction or dependence on substances, activities, and other people
Want to dive deeper?
Get support on your inner work through 1-on-1 coaching, relationship coaching, group workshops, or figure out your type in a typing interview!
Resources:
The Wisdom of the Enneagram:
Book by Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson
Do It for The Gram Podcast:
Podcast by Coach Milton Stewart
The Art of the Enneagram:
Book by Dr. Ginger Lapin-Bogda
The Enneagram Institute:
Organization & Website
The Art of Typing:
Book by Dr. Ginger Lapin-Bogda
Random Acts of Caroline:
An Enneagram Podcast (Yes, I added my own podcast to the list of references)