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My Results - FIVE (The Investigator)

Fives

Enneagram Type 5: The Investigator | Truity

Summary

Type 5: The Investigator

Type Fives relentlessly partake in the pursuit of knowledge and seek out stability through understanding their surroundings. Fives are concerned with nuance when discussing issues in the world but tend to negatively react to being told they are wrong. They possess a general fear of incompetence and often fall into critical and cynical behaviors. This stems from their childhood experiences of separating themselves from authority figures and forcing themselves to figure out the world independently, believing they must earn their right to survival.

Josh Keefe, a YouTuber who is currently making an extensive video essay series on the enneagram system, says “Fives greatly value autonomy and self-sufficiency. They fear being incompetent and having emotional demands placed on them, causing them to detach from their feelings and overidentify with what they’re thinking.”

Healthy Fives embrace the possibility of failure as they recognize it is necessary to reach truth and knowledge. Examples from popular media and culture include Milo Thatch (Atlantis: The Lost Empire), Matilda Wormwood (Matilda), Daria Morgendorffer (Daria), Raven (Teen Titans), Velma Dinkley (Scooby-Doo), Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6), and Peter Parker “Spider-Man” (The Amazing Spider-Man).

Unhealthy Fives refuse to acknowledge any biases or inconsistencies in their logic and reject social attachments as they descend into madness. Examples from popular media and culture include Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock), Beth Harmon (The Queen’s Gambit), GLaDOS (Portal), Lewis “Cornellius” Robinson (The Robinsons), and Evelyn Deavor “Screenslaver” (The Incredibles 2).

A visual depiction of how Fives fit on the enneagram chart, including wings, stress movements, and growth movements.

There are two wing varieties per type and for Fives, there are 5w4 and 5w6, pronounced “five wing four” and “five wing six.” 5w4s, also referred to as The Philosopher, share the secondary type of Four, which culminates in preferring discovery to occur when alone and in a setting where recharging is readily available. 5w6s, also referred to as The Troubleshooter, share the secondary type of Six, which culminates in preferring discovery to occur as a collaborative effort with like-minded individuals that share the same level of passion and interest.

In times of stress, Fives move towards Seven as they lose their characteristic concentration and become extremely scatter-brained, abandoning their core pursuit of knowledge. In times of growth, Fives move towards Eight as they adopt a decisive and definitive approach to discovering and enforcing the truth of the universe.

Subtypes of Five derive from the need to understand something specific around them to the best of their abilities:

Self-preservation Fives seek to understand every nuance of themselves in a mission to operate in the best circumstances for themselves, like telekinetic wonder kid, Matilda Wormwood or the chess expert, Beth Harmon.

Social Fives seek to understand the world around them and how each part links to the next, like the inquisitive Atlantis-expert, Milo Thatch or the detail-oriented detective, Sherlock Holmes.

One-to-one Fives seek to understand individuals they find enticing and often mysterious, like the monotonous teenager, Daria Morgendorffer or the torturous supercomputer, GLaDOS.

Putting all of these ideas together, observe Hiro Hamada’s character development in Disney’s Big Hero 6. Hiro is a self-preservation 5w4 who is trying to emotionally handle his brother’s death while uncovering the dark secrets behind a masked villain using his technology for evil. Though he does work well in a team, he can only fully collect his thoughts and plan accordingly when he is alone — though his friends are like-minded and intelligent, they act more as emotional support (which he desperately needs as he has grown too emotionally distant from himself to ever fully be successful on his mission of self-preservation) rather than big-decision planners. Hiro grows scatterbrained when distracted by revenge and anger, but, through the aid of his companions, he transitions to Eight and learns how to command a team effectively.

If you are interested in learning more about Fives, listen to Sleeping At Last’s song “Five” and his podcast episode on how he developed it alongside other Fives.

Bill Gates, Einstein, Mark Zuckerberg.

People with a FIVE style value wisdom, knowledge, and learning more than anything else. You want to understand the world. You have the inner wisdom and ability to be objective and to put things in perspective. You can enjoy and make good use of solitude.

Your scores indicate that you identify more with the Less-Resourceful than the Resourceful aspects of Style FIVE. You probably are most comfortable when you are alone. You are probably very protective of your solitude. You may actually avoid being with others for fear that they will criticize you or that you will look foolish to them. When people extend friendship toward you, it may seem that they become so demanding of your time and energy that they will deplete your resources. Thus, although you have a great capacity for insight and understanding, you may be reluctant to share your thoughts and feelings with others.

On the other hand, the Resourceful aspects of Style FIVE are also available to you. You can be involved with others in a detached manner that allows you to express yourself freely and succinctly based on a clear perception of the situation at hand.

Your Preferred Wing Style

The preferred wing style influences the way you express your core style. Your preferred wing style is 4.

You identify most strongly with the Less-Resourceful characteristics of this wing style. Your strong ability to remain detached may sometimes be colored by your FOUR wing style so that you begin to feel alienated and misunderstood. You may feel more intensely the need to seek solitude, only to feel moody or depressed when you do so. You may find that you feel safest if you maintain some distance from others by expressing yourself through artistic symbolism, esoteric pursuits, or in other cryptic ways.

What You Find Easy To Do

Each Enneagram style has adaptive characteristics that make it relatively easy to do certain things. FIVEs find it easy to stand back from a situation and observe. This allows you to think about things objectively. Thus, you can get to the heart of the matter or to the essence of a situation by moving observations, ideas, and images around in your head.

What May be Difficult to Do / May be Avoided

Each Enneagram style struggles with things that are relatively difficult to do. FIVEs often find it difficult to be generous in sharing their time, energy, thoughts, and emotions with others. It can also be difficult for you to take actions based on your feelings or intuition when you feel yourself without an intellectual grasp of what you are supposed to do.

Because your Less-Resourceful characteristics score for Style FIVE is higher than your Resourceful characteristics score, you may find it especially difficult to share because you fear that doing so could expose you to criticism or deplete your resources. It can be especially hard for you to express your feelings to others because you are often not aware yourself of what they are or because you are afraid of looking foolish. The world of nonintellectual relationships is likely to appear confusing and mysterious to you, and you may even actively avoid personal involvements outside of those that support your rich, intellectual inner life.

Defensive Maneuvers

FIVEs ward off uncomfortable feelings and situations through isolation and compartmentalization. To avoid feeling depleted by others, FIVEs isolate themselves in the sanctuary of their thoughts, away from the intrusions of their feelings and other people. They separate or compartmentalize their thoughts from their feelings. That's why when you ask FIVEs what they're feeling, they tell you what they're thinking. They also separate one time or period of their life from another. With FIVEs, out of sight tends to be out of mind as opposed to absence making their hearts grow fonder.

How You May Have Learned This Style

During your early development, you were very aware of the give-and-take involved in forming understanding relationships with others. This awareness became blocked because important people in your life did not pay attention to your actual needs when they interacted with you. They may have interrupted you unusually often when you were playing contentedly, and then not been available when you needed them. Thus you learned that it was safer to do everything alone. You may have felt that your own intellectual world was more controllable and secure than the unpredictably intrusive or neglectful interpersonal world.

Stressful Conditions

Sometimes stress brings out the best in people, and sometimes the worst. As a FIVE, your identification with the Less-Resourceful side of Style SEVEN indicates that when you are stressed you may use your wit and humor to disengage so that you do not have to deal with the problems at hand. You may find yourself employing your powerful intellectual ability to construct elaborate plans and schemes that permit you to avoid acknowledging uncomfortable feelings, taking action to express them, and confronting the issues. Try allowing yourself to reach out and connect with others in a sincere manner. In communicating your honest appraisal of a difficult situation and its possible solutions, acknowledge your feelings about it and express them.

Relaxed Conditions

When people feel safe, secure, and relaxed, they can often express their positive side more readily than usual. Sometimes, though, in times of security they are more willing to show their flaws. As a FIVE, your identification with the Less-Resourceful side of Style EIGHT indicates that when you are feeling secure you may become more aggressive in protecting your privacy and resources. You are likely to be less detached and more impatient when negotiating for things that are important to you and in asserting your independence. You may find yourself feeling vengeful and vindictive toward those who intrude upon your time and resources. Try to be aware of the powerful influence you can have on others, and to respond positively and generously to their approaches.

How to be More in Balance

You can be more in balance by cultivating your sense of personal power and energy, and by reaching out generously to others. Ask for what you want, and let go of what you don’t need. When you feel compelled to withdraw, use this as a cue to get in touch with your feelings and discover creative ways to assertively express your ideas and feelings, especially so that you can remain involved without feeling depleted. Resist the temptation to lose yourself in elaborate planning, which serves mostly to distract and isolate you, and keeps you from taking assertive action. Try not to let your effort to maintain comfortable boundaries take on an aggressive or vindictive tone.

Heart Head Gut (Percentile)

If your highest total score stands out above all the rest, it is likely to be the style you most identify with.

Are many of your scores high (Above 80%)? In the middle (40-60%)? Low (below 20%)?

Do you identify mostly with the resourceful or less-resourceful thoughts, feelings, behaviors of each type?

Which wing or neighboring style do you identify with? Resourceful? Or not-so-resourceful?

Do you go to the resourceful or less-resourceful side of the style you access and use when you are balanced, relaxed, and optimally functioning (style preceding yours going against the direction of the arrow)? And do you utilize the high (resourceful) or low (less-resourceful) side of the style you default to when you are stressed, upset, and defensively reacting (style proceeding from yours in the direction of the arrow)?

If you identify with many resourceful scores:

Resourceful scores attempt to measure the high side or positive features of each style.

If you identify with many less-resourceful scores:

Less-resourceful scores attempt to measure the low side or negative features of each style.

Shift from Resourceful to Less-Resourceful

Think of the metaphor: we begin in paradise or our essence (1st 50 resourceful items); we lose our way, forgetting who we are, and our ego tries to make up for and substitute for what we mistakenly believe we lost --namely our real self (middle 100 less-resourceful items); we experience transformation, redemption, or recovery and return to paradise, our essence. We realize we possessed what we were looking for all along (last 50 resourceful items).

Here’s another metaphor: we have nine players on our outer team (those people around us) and we have nine players on our inner team (those talents and strengths we have within us).

High scores might well represent those maneuvers you are most familiar and skilled with, most trust, and are most likely to use. They might also represent what you value the most, what is important to you. When you look back over your day, what made it a good day? For example: Did you do something well? Help someone? Get a lot done? Have a deep conversation? Learn something? Kept your word? Have an adventure? Stand up for what you believe in? Bring about a reconciliation? Also, what do you contribute to a group? What do you have a facility for? What comes easy to you? What is your intuitive edge? What do you see clearly or before anyone else considers it? What would be missing if your style weren’t there?

Low scores might represent underutilized parts of yourself. Maybe you are afraid of these parts, uncomfortable with them, awkward in expressing them, found they were disapproved of when you were younger, etc. You have nine players on your inner team but may only put the highest scoring players into the game. Those other parts, perhaps in your shadow, may have something to contribute that you’re not aware of or not adept at. They might be very useful in certain circumstances. It’s good to recognize, value, and cultivate all nine styles with their attributes that are in you. Practice, practice, practice. Act as if you were that style.

Insights from The Wisdom of Enneagram

Fives are extremely private people who do not let many people into their world. They are extremely curious and enjoy investigating why things are the way they are.

Fives are the investigators. They want to understand how the world works, and they are always searching, asking questions, and delving into things in depth. They do not accept received opinions and doctrines, feeling a strong need to test the truth of most assumptions for themselves.

Fives need to have at least one area in which they have a degree of expertise that will allow them to feel capable and connected with the world. They develop an intense focus on whatever they can master, and they feel secure about it.

The intense focus of Fives can lead to remarkable discoveries and innovations, but they can also create self-defeating problems. They spend too much time collecting and developing ideas and skills, rather than interacting with others or improving practical and social skills.

Fives are often extremely intelligent, but they also tend to be extremely isolated. They are quiet children who shy away from playing with others, instead occupying their minds and imaginations with books, practicing a musical instrument, or playing with a computer.

Fives are typically unable to connect with others because they are too busy protecting themselves from being hurt again. They learn to cut off from their feelings of need and longing by staying in their minds.

The Six-wing type is more emotional, introspective, and creative than the Five-wing type. They seek a unique vision that has not been explored by others. They are not scientifically oriented, and they are often creative loners.

People of this subtype are primarily identified with their minds. They struggle with intense feelings that can create difficulties in sustaining efforts and working with others. They are more independent than the other subtype and resist having structures imposed on them.

People of this subtype are able to draw meaningful conclusions from miscellaneous facts and make predictions based on those conclusions. They are drawn to technical subjects and inventing, and they can be cooperative, disciplined, and persistent.

The most intellectual of the sub-types, Fives with a Six-wing are interested in theories, technology, and acquiring facts and details. They are extremely restrained and private about their feelings, and they prefer to observe and understand the world around them.

In the average range, Self-Preservation Fives attempt to gain independence and separation by reducing their needs. They are highly conscious of their energy expenditures, and they consider what activities they will take on and whether they will have sufficient internal resources to meet them.

In the average range, Social Fives engage with others and find a social niche for themselves through their knowledge and skill. They like to see themselves as Masters of Wisdom and want to become indispensable through their particular field of expertise.

The sexual instinct mixes with intellect to produce intense imagination. Sexual Fives create alternative realities that they present to potential intimates. They are looking for the ideal mate, the mate for life, who will not be turned off by their strangeness.

Fives constantly try to find a safe vantage point from which they can objectively assess their situation. When they move into their heads in this way, they cease connecting directly with their experience and instead become more engaged with their mental commentary on the experience.

Fives become more insecure as they age, and they find it more and more difficult to relate to other people except through the role of being an Expert. They want to feel more self-confident and carve out a niche for themselves, so they know information that no one else in their circle knows.

Fives are among the least materialistic of the types. They are avaricious about their time, energy, and resources. They feel as though there is not much of them to go around, and that the needs of others can easily deplete or exhaust them.

Fives are often not aware of their underlying anxiety. They simply feel that they need more space and time to fine-tune their project, which is often a reflection of their self-esteem.

Fives are the most independent and idiosyncratic of the personality types. They are also the most reserved and detached. They feel that others want a response from them that they are unable to give.

Fives may have a deep reservoir of feelings, but they are buried underground and are purposely left untapped. They avoid many relationships so that these feelings will not overwhelm them.

The types of the Thinking Triad attempt to make up for the loss of inner guidance by developing strategies. The Five's strategy is to get through life by not asking much of it, while hoping that in return others will not ask much of them.

Fives at this stage are highly secretive about their activities. They may seem friendly and conversational with friends and loved ones while harboring entire areas of their lives of which their intimates are completely ignorant.

Fives are often afraid of the things that they find the most frightening. They try to control fear by focusing their thoughts on the frightening thing itself, not on their feelings about it. But they cannot avoid the emotional impact of these ideas.

Fives are typically argumentative, and they may even become nihilistic. They may enjoy shocking others with their extreme views, and they want to be left alone so they can pursue their interests. If they are unable to find a niche for themselves, they can become cynical and apathetic.

Fives who go to Seven try to cope with stress by becoming increasingly narrow in their focus and by retreating into their thoughts. When this method of coping fails to allay their anxiety, they may go to Seven, reacting against their isolation by impulsively throwing themselves into activities.

If Fives are overstressed for an extended period of time, if they have suffered a serious crisis without adequate support or coping skills, or if they have suffered from chronic abuse in childhood, they may cross the shock point into the unhealthy aspects of their type.

As you become more balanced and grounded in your body, let your impressions of others and of the world around you affect you. Let the world in, and do not get lost in pondering the insights.

Fives are extremely observant and perceptive. They are sensitive to their environment and perceive subtle changes or discrepancies that others would likely overlook. They are able to determine which way of looking at a problem will be the most useful in any given that others want a response from them that they are unable to give.

Fives may have a deep reservoir of feelings, but they are buried underground and are purposely left untapped. They avoid many relationships so that these feelings will not overwhelm them.

The types of the Thinking Triad attempt to make up for the loss of inner guidance by developing strategies. The Five's strategy is to get through life by not asking much of it, while hoping that in return others will not ask much of them.

Fives at this stage are highly secretive about their activities. They may seem friendly and conversational with friends and loved ones while harboring entire areas of their lives of which their intimates are completely ignorant.

Fives are often afraid of the things that they find the most frightening. They try to control fear by focusing their thoughts on the frightening thing itself, not on their feelings about it. But they cannot avoid the emotional impact of these ideas.

Fives are typically argumentative, and they may even become nihilistic. They may enjoy shocking others with their extreme views, and they want to be left alone so they can pursue their interests. If they are unable to find a niche for themselves, they can become cynical and apathetic.

Fives who go to Seven try to cope with stress by becoming increasingly narrow in their focus and by retreating into their thoughts. When this method of coping fails to allay their anxiety, they may go to Seven, reacting against their isolation by impulsively throwing themselves into activities.

If Fives are overstressed for an extended period of time, if they have suffered a serious crisis without adequate support or coping skills, or if they have suffered from chronic abuse in childhood, they may cross the shock point into the unhealthy aspects of their type.

As you become more balanced and grounded in your body, let your impressions of others and of the world around you affect you. Let the world in, and do not get lost in pondering the insights.

Fives are extremely observant and perceptive. They are sensitive to their environment and perceive subtle changes or discrepancies that others would likely overlook. They are able to determine which way of looking at a problem will be the most useful in any given set of circumstances.

Fives are highly innovative and inventive. They are constantly exploring and playing with ideas, which can produce valuable, practical, and original works and discoveries. They are constantly amused and horrified by the unfolding strangeness of life, and they communicate this to others by changing the picture ever so slightly.

Fives actualize themselves and remain healthy by learning to reclaim and occupy their physical presence and their instinctual energy in the manner of healthy Eights. They will not benefit much, however, by attempting to imitate the qualities of average Eights.

When Fives are present and engaged with their bodies, they begin to experience an inner knowing or guidance. But when they lose the ground of Presence out of which this Essential guidance emerges, the personality takes over and tries to figure out what to do.

Fives are driven by knowledge and mastery. They seek clarity and non-attachment, and they understand that any position or idea is useful only in a limited set of circumstances. They are able to flow from one view to another without getting stuck on any of them.

Insights from Truity.com

Enneagram Fives are defined by their desire to conserve their energy and to avoid being drained by engagement with the outside world. They focus on being knowledgeable and competent so that they can be as self-sufficient as possible.

Fives enjoy deepening their understanding of the world, expanding their intellect, while minimizing their physical and relationship needs.

Deepest Fear: Fives fear being overwhelmed by their own needs and the needs of others. To cope with this fear, they withdraw from relationships and maintain a minimalist lifestyle, focusing on the intellectual as an escape from the demands of the world.

Core Motivations: Fives are motivated by a desire to be competent and possess a strong understanding of their environment. This motivation drives them to a nearly constant state of learning and knowledge accumulation.

Key Personality Traits of the 5

How Rare are Enneagram 5s?

In a Truity study of more than 54,000 respondents, Type Fives were found to make up approximately 10% of the population. Type Five is more common among men, making up only 7% of women compared to 14% of men.

Enneagram Type 5 In Depth

Investigators are the pioneers of independent and critical thinking. They’re inquisitive and curious about the connections between underlying themes and the mysteries of the universe.

Usually introverted and analytical, Investigators gather and process information to build with and synthesize patterns and ideas.

Their workspaces are typically minimalist with the exception of a collection of items pertaining to their core interests. They’re also fiercely non-conformist and care little about trends or accepted ways of progressing through the stages of life.

Type Fives are the most introverted of the Enneagram types, in the sense that they direct the most focus and energy inward. Rather than focusing on relationships, the Five's primary focus is on gaining knowledge.

Because they have little energy for external demands, Fives are careful to conserve their energy for the things that matter most. This can make the individual appear withdrawn and disinterested in outer world events.

Investigators are part of the “head-based” triad of the Enneagram, along with the Type Six Skeptic and the Type Seven Enthusiast. The types in this triad are motivated by their varying responses to fear. Fives attempt to avoid fear and anxiety by withdrawing and carefully protecting their inner resources.

Fives are self-sufficient and crave freedom and autonomy from outer world influences. However, true growth for an Investigator happens when they learn how to let people in and open themselves up to receiving love and support.

Enneagram 5 Wings

5w4: The 5w4 type is a Five who shares many similarities with the Type Four Individualist. Like Fours, 5w4s tend to be more in touch with their emotions and more self-expressive than other Fives. This type tends to be creative, reflective and sensitive. Common career paths for this type include author, composer, inventor, professor and engineer.

5w6: Enneagram Five wing Six types are Fives who relate to several characteristics of the Type Six. 5w6s are practical, helpful, and organized. While still fiercely independent, 5w6s tend to be more cooperative and loyal than other Fives. They excel in troubleshooting and solving complex problems. Popular careers for this type include accounting, computer science, law enforcement, mathematics and engineering.

Core Values of Enneagram 5s

How to Recognize an Enneagram 5

Investigators are often stoic and detached. They’re fascinated by the ever-expanding realm of unexplored ideas.

Fives are energized by spending hours of time alone, tinkering with their personal projects and research. The path to mastery in a particular area is a journey each Investigator readily embarks on.

They may appear calm and collected on the surface, but when topics of interest come up in conversation, Fives transform into a giddy and energetic version of themselves. This sudden gear-shift may surprise those who are unaware of the Investigator’s hidden passions.

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Enneagram 5s

When they are healthy, Fives become thought pioneers in their fields of interest, and are generally regarded as integral to the intellectual advancement of society. They see large, complex issues with clarity and precision. Through dedication and genuine curiosity, they’re able to catalyze change and advance societal movements. The impossible becomes possible for Investigators, who can bring forth new inventions, systems and ways of thinking with quiet confidence. They become subject matter experts who freely share their wisdom and discoveries with the public. With a talent for simplifying the complicated, Investigators have the potential to communicate previously mind-boggling topics with radical clarity.

When they are average, Fives are offbeat, withdrawn and emotionally closed off. They may have a select few esoteric interests which they keep hidden from the public eye—and opt to present an aloof and distant aura. They’re well-versed in topics of their interest and may be seen as a ‘bookworm’ by peers. During their free time, Investigators tap into the different worlds they’ve created in their minds to escape from the mundane aspects of everyday life such as chores or errands. They may delve into their large collection of books, for example, or enjoy playing strategic board or card games for leisure.

When they are unhealthy, Fives cut off their entire social world, and may develop tunnel vision. They begin to have far-off and radical views, losing grip with reality. With a lack of emotional awareness and foresight, Investigators can find themselves in heated disputes with no clear answers. As a result, some friendships may be severed in the process, which would certainly baffle Investigators. They may rationalize that they’re better off without the presence of people altogether and choose to escape the real world. In addition, they can become addicted to far-off theories few can wrap their heads around and stubbornly cling to a sense of intellectual superiority. This ultimately drives people even further away. At their worst, Investigators can become misanthropic and bitter.

Growth Tips for Enneatype 5s

Famous Enneagram Type 5s

Type 5s in Relationships

Enneagram Relationship content was co-developed with marital therapist turned relationship coach Christa Hardin (MA).

Enneagram Type Fives are focused, mysterious and are typically quite romantic at the beginning of a relationship. Their flavor shows up when they find a partner that intrigues them and, though they tend to be anxious about the outside world and may isolate themselves, they often settle quite happily in marriage with someone they love and trust. When they do lose interest, it’s usually because they met a friend with a shared niche, or they lost the fun and intrigue of the relationship as they figured their spouse out, or they felt overloaded.

Even if they get tired or bored however, it’s important for Fives to remember that no relationship will ever satisfy them perfectly, but it still means we show up and try. Also, Fives need to realize that by going farther down the research hole, they miss out on the energy that can be gained from the virtue of openness. They should try to understand that no amount of research will build back the consistent lack of confidence in their abilities that a Five feels deep down. Instead of trying to hoard information or goods as a defense against this perceived lack, a Five must learn to be content with “enough” versus “all.” Often, relinquishing control and trusting God or a higher power can be a helpful tool for Fives, and can allow them to remember their strengths, or at least try to gain faith in the process of resting and actively sharing.

Emotionally, Fives have trouble moving from their withdrawing, past-focused feelings and inhibited posture to a place of emotional processing, even when their spouse or others have tried to share this with them. This is because they fear their lack of competency. This may be the consequence of facing humiliation, illness, bullying of some form, a gross lack, or a deep sense of overwhelm that was hard to recover from.

If you love a Five, remember it takes them a few days to logically understand their own and your feelings, and they don’t want and likely can’t execute the same level of socializing you can. Remember also, however, that their love delves deep and you can find them thinking about you in small, thoughtful acts that take much of their time and energy. Partners of Fives usually pick the Five initially for their focus on them, their laid back attitude, and their wit and stability. So, it’s helpful when they don’t demand things the Five doesn’t have as their gifts, such as being the life of the party, or being spontaneous, for example. It’s also so important to build up a Five as they need your encouragement to make it through the often grueling days of processing analytically. Encouraging them to take care of themselves, especially with physical activity, is also advised.

Even if they have trauma or illness from the past, remind your Five to take it one day at a time, but honor their story and journey when they do finally open up. If they can’t share feelings, help them to work on this little by little with the help of a counselor or coach, but understand that their feelings are often hard to access. Knowing this, build them up with healthy thoughts about themselves and your relationship frequently, letting them know how strong you think they are, how much you appreciate them and how much you admire them.

About the WEPSS

The Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales (WEPSS) measures both the positive and negative dimensions of these nine styles. Test takers can see which styles they most identify with and which ones they least identify with. This gives a picture of what resources are available to the person and which strategies might be less accessible. Low scores can be as informative as high scores. The WEPSS acts like a scale with nine plates, weighing how much the individual identifies with each style. The results show which players on our inner team might be used the most and which ones might be left off the roster.

The arrangement of the styles around the circle is not arbitrary. We are likely to share some of the characteristics of the styles on either side of our preferred style - our wings or neighboring styles. The WEPSS shows which auxiliary style we identify with the most and whether we employ the resourceful/adaptive or less-resourceful/maladaptive features of that style.

The Enneagram and the WEPSS provide individuals with insights into what shifts might occur in them when they are feeling relaxed and comfortable and are in a flow state; and what shifts occur when they are under internal or external pressure and stress. In both conditions we can rise to our higher selves and states or descend into our less-resourceful selves and states. The WEPSS maps what these shifts look like.

This information is found on the first page of the computer summary result sheet.

Core Style

This is your home base. The number of your type appears larger on the figure. If it is green, you identify with the resourceful, positive features of this style. If it is red, you identify more with the less-resourceful, negative features of the style.

For example if someone identifies with the high side of the Three Style (green), the Effective Person, they enjoy accomplishing tasks. They are good at closing on and delivering projects. They are also proficient at marketing themselves and their product. And they realize that their worth resides in themselves not their performance.

When Threes exaggerate their gifts, they may end up in the down side of their style (red). This is the old Greek notion of hamartia, missing the mark. They put too much emphasis on image and role and come to believe their worth depends on what they do. They can become workaholics.

Neighboring or Auxiliary Style

Each style shares some characteristics with the types on either side of it on the Enneagram circle. The summary indicates which of your two neighboring styles you identify with more highly. The link between your core style and favored neighboring style will be green if you identify more with the high side or resourceful features of this style or red if you identify more with the low side or less-resourceful features of this wing style.

For example if a Four, the Original Person, identifies with the resourceful side (green) of their Five wing, the Wise Person, they have a well-developed inner observer and can step back from their intense feelings and notice them without having to believe or act on them.

When the Four identifies with the less-resourceful side (red) of the Five, they become over-analytical, overly-introspective, and can become trapped in their inner preoccupations instead of taking reasonable action in the world.

The Style that Appears under Stressful Conditions

The Enneagram style you may shift to under stressful conditions is pre-established by the conventions of this system and is represented by the connecting lines in the circular figure. This line is highlighted green if you identify with the resourceful characteristics of this style and red if you identify with the less-resourceful characteristics of this style. Sometimes stress brings out the best in people (green) and sometimes the worst (red).

For example under stress Style Nine, the Peaceful Person, may shift to the high side (green) of Style Six, the Loyal Person. Accessing the resources of this style, Nines can move from an inactive procrastinating stance into effective action when they are called upon to do their duty and honor their commitments to others.

On the other hand stress might lead Nines into the less-resourceful characteristics (red) of Style Six and they might become more fearful and doubting which compounds their own inertia and avoidant behavior.

The Style that Appears under Relaxed Conditions

The Enneagram style you may shift to under relaxed conditions is also indicated in the summary. The connecting line to this style is highlighted green if you identify with the resourceful characteristics of this style and red if you identify with the less-resourceful characteristics of this style. A shift to the high side of this style yields balance and additional capacities. A shift to the down side yields an awkward rigid response. When we are in a flow state, we find positive abilities in us we didn't think we had. On the other hand, when we feel safe or comfortable, we might express unsavory attitudes and behaviors in private that we would never allow ourselves to exhibit in public.

For example Style Five, the Wise Person, might move from their automatic up and away position to the down and out stance (green) of Style Eight, the Powerful Person. They now connect with their somatic and emotional energy as well as their mental energy and channel all this energy into action. This is what is meant by knowledge is power or contemplative-in-action.

On the other hand, Fives might shift to the downside (red) of the Eight style and become bossy or aggressive instead of assertive. Their anger, which they are unaccustomed to expressing directly, comes out awkwardly and hurtfully. For an extreme example, think of the Unabomber.

This summary information is spelled out in paragraph form in the rest of the computerized printout. For expanded descriptions and exercises for integrating this information, test takers can consult Dr. Jerome Wagner's Enneagram Spectrum of Personality Styles: an Introductory Guide (1996) and his Nine Lenses on the World: the Enneagram Perspective (2010), both available through amazon.com. Or they can go to his website: www.enneagramspectrum.com for descriptions of the nine styles and to order the books.

https://www.audible.com/pd/Enneagram-Spectrum-of-Personality-Styles-an-Introductory-Guide-25th-Anniversary-Edition-Audiobook/B09XFLN7BB

https://catalog.slolibrary.org/Union/Search?view=list&showCovers=on&lookfor=The+Road+Back+to+You&searchIndex=Keyword&searchSource=local

Having this information available is useful for personal growth, interpersonal relations, and team building. For example if some styles are not very highly identified with, we might want to skill out those parts of ourselves. If our partner's style is one we identify with very little, we might need to work harder at empathizing with and trying to understand that style. If some style is missing from the team or some styles are over-represented, someone needs to fill in for those missing points of view and skills.

While there are many Enneagram inventories, the WEPSS is the only assessment published by a major test company. And it is the only Enneagram inventory with sufficient reliability, validity, and standardization to be reviewed in Buros's Mental Measurements Yearbook.

The reviewer in the 15th Mental Measurements Yearbook states that: "The WEPSS represents a praiseworthy effort to cross the divide between quantitative-based mainstream psychometric approaches and less mainstream interpretive approaches to personality. The appeal that the WEPSS offers is a rich, thick description of test results very similar in texture to that provided by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The instrument offers a wide range of hypotheses waiting to be tested; further empirical confirmation of the WEPSS's validity and reliability will very probably draw more careful attention to it as a viable alternative to mainstream personality tests, especially among psychologists and therapists exploring such issues within a spiritual or humanistic framework."

Books / Audiobooks

Additional Resources

Enneagram 5

Type Fives are often called The Investigator, The Observer, The Analyst, The Thinker, The Philosopher, The Sage, The Expert, The Radical, or The Recluse. Come along as we talk about all things Type 5: the core type structure, wings, line movements, focus of attention, core motivation, gifts/challenges for this type, rituals for Enneagram Type Fives, and more!

Reflections

As an Enneagram 5, I realize my view of the world is influenced by specific tendencies. For instance, I often think about "winging it" and admire the confidence others have despite knowing less. This is very typical E5 perspective, as we feel the need to know everything and fear not being the smartest person in the room. But too often, knowing too much can be a disadvantage. It's easy to lose your enthusiasm before you start or become jaded from past experiences. Why not jump in when the enthusiasm is at it's peak (the beginning)? Others will be inspired to follow you on your journey of discovery.

Perplexity

The Enneagram Type Five, often called "The Investigator" or "The Observer," is characterized by a deep thirst for knowledge and understanding. They are highly analytical, cerebral, and driven to comprehend the world around them.Fives fear being incompetent or incapable, so they seek to gain expertise and competence through accumulating knowledge and developing skills.

Some key traits of Type Fives include:

Fives are motivated by a desire to understand the complexities of life and feel capable of handling its demands. They often immerse themselves in their chosen areas of interest, becoming experts through intense study and analysis. However, their fear of incompetence can lead them to overthink situations and have difficulty making decisions or engaging with others.

Sources

1 2 3 4 5

Events

Almost Ennea-Thing: A Drop-In Virtual Enneagram Discussion

Sources of Truth

Daily Reminders

Primarily Sourced from Personality Types - widely considered 'the bible' of Enneagram, The Wisdom of the Enneagram and Understanding the Enneagram

Use your body! You probably feel you could almost do without a body, and it is easy for you to spend many hours at the computer, reading, or listening to music. Your real welfare requires more physical activity. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 228)

Whatever is occurring in the present moment is what we need to deal with right now. Staying with our real experience of ourselves and our situation will teach us exactly what we need to know for growth. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 346)

The way to escape from the grip of personality is to create a “gap” between our inner-observer and our personality.

How can you fully experience your Presence here and now? Be utterly sincere and without artifice or self-consciousness. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 47)

It is an extremely common tendency to flee from what we are actually facing into our imagination, romanticizing, or dramatizing our situation, justifying ourselves, or even escaping into “spirituality.” Staying with our real experience of ourselves and our situation will teach us exactly what we need to know for growth. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 346)

Remember that at your best, you become an intrepid discoverer and explorer, broadly comprehending the world while penetrating it profoundly. Understanding the Enneagram - p92.

Another way to think of the Levels is how identified we are with our personality structures and defenses. The further down the Levels we go—the more attached we are in the structures and the more invested we are in our ego agenda, the more vigorously we defend our strategies. The higher we are—the more conscious, free, and flexible we are

Remember your Basic Desire to be competent can deteriorate into useless specialization. Watch for this tendency in yourself today. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 33)

There is nothing wrong with our Basic Desire, but the problem is that we try to fulfill it in misguided ways that lead us down paths in which our personality structures become self-defeating mechanisms. Moreover, our Basic Desire also unwittingly blocks the Essential Self because the personality will not relinquish its control until it believes that the Desire has been obtained. “I’ll start being real, present, and relaxed with I have ‘X’ (acceptance, a stable identity, happiness)!”

Remember that as children, Fives felt they didn’t quite fit into their families and so started looking for something that they could do well enough to feel safe and confident. They may have spent long periods on their own. Notice this tendency in yourself today. (The Power of the Enneagram)

Every ego contains within it an idea of the Self and an idea of the Other. For a separate Me to exist, there must be a You. We can’t conceive of ourselves as an ego identity without the other. Object Relations is key to understanding a type in relation to other people

"I now release being secretive and hiding from people." (Enneagram Transformations, p 71)

Take time today to be aware of what is taking place around you. To really taste the quality of yourself, your presence in this moment. What is it like? Stay with the sensations and impressions around you, connect with your feet on the floor.

“The important thing is to set aside some time each day to re-establish a deeper connection with our True Nature. Regular practice serves to remind us over and over again that we are hypnotized by our personality.” (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 347)

Expanded awareness opens us to a real relationship with others and with the world around us. We are nourished and enriched by the pleasure and wonder of each moment. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 40)

We each have a Center of Gravity somewhere. All things being equal, it’s where we settle in. It’s where we feel most like ourselves. Whatever our knot of personality is—that’s our Center of Gravity. We might slip down a Level—or way down on a bad day or under stress. But we will return to our Center of Gravity.

Remember that being reclusive, nihilistic, and cutting off connections with others are some of the unhealthy traits of your type that can become self-defeating patterns for you. See if they are showing up in you today. (Personality Types, 174)

We each have a Center of Gravity somewhere. All things being equal, it’s where we settle in. It’s where we feel most like ourselves. Whatever our knot of personality is—that’s our Center of Gravity. We might slip down a Level—or way down on a bad day or under stress. But we will return to our Center of Gravity.

How can you fully experience your Presence here and now? Allow yourself to experience the richness and subtlety of your life.

What the ego actually wants can only be accomplished through Presence and Being—going through the hole of lovelessness. The closer we get to Level 1, the more we are in Presence, the freer we are to be ourselves. The lower down the Levels, the more we lose ourselves, the more we’re caught in the trance of our personalities, more cut off from the moment—loss of contact with reality. The reactions and compulsions don’t feel optional. We’re reacting blindly and we don’t see the options.

Today, build on your strength as a Five. Healthy Fives can entertain many different perspectives without being attached to any of them. They are able to determine which way of looking at a problem will be the most useful in any given set of circumstances. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 229)

Remember that your mind is clearest and most powerful when it is quiet. Take time to cultivate this quiet in yourself, and do not confuse it with an insistence that your external world be silent. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram 227)

When healthy Fives go to Eight, they incorporate their perceptions of the world into themselves by identifying with them instead of merely observing them. They no longer identify just with their thoughts, but also with the objects of their thoughts. Thus, integrating Fives have overcome their fear of the environment and are learning to trust it. Today, notice how comfortable you are in the world. (Personality Types, 208)

The Levels of Development track the inner logic of each type, helping us see how we lose our way and become alienated from ourselves and others. They demonstrate how the personality is constructed as a defense against primal fears, leading to the arising of a sense of self which we identify with and then defend ever more stringently. If we spiral down the Levels, we become fixated in misguided behaviors, attitudes, fears, and desires in a gradually worsening process which ends in neurosis and destruction.

Remember that the strategy of Fives is to get through life by not asking much of it, hoping that others will not ask much of them in return. Watch for this tendency in yourself today. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 223)

The Five’s drive for knowledge and mastery is the personality’s attempt to re-create an Essential quality that we might call clarity or inner knowing. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 231)

The loss of a Holy Idea leads to a particular ego delusion about the self or reality, called the type’s ego fixation. Through the ego fixation, the person is trying to restore the balance and freedom of the Holy Idea, but, from the dualistic perspective of ego, he or she cannot do so. Understanding the perspective of our type’s Holy Idea functions as an antidote to the ego fixation. (Understanding the Enneagram, 37)

As a Five, having original ideas is important to you. But why? What’s so important about original ideas? Think about this today.

Today, see if you can do the opposite of your ordinary personality pattern. Don’t withdraw into your work or your private mental worlds. Become aware of what feelings arise in you when you do this. This energy is fodder for your transformation.

Because the Passion is a distortion of an inherent, essential Virtue, recognizing the Passion can help us to restore the Virtue. (Understanding the Enneagram, 37)

The Enneagram guides us toward nothing less than learning how consciously to surrender the ego self of personality to the greater Self so that we can become conscious participants in the sacred mystery of life. In reality, it entails the surrender of nothing—our personality—in order to receive the gift of everything—the life of the Spirit. (Understanding the Enneagram, 380)

I'm finding that after a lifetime of FOMO, it is finally dissolving, as I recognize it's not me, but my ego who has FOMO. I am not my ego!

It is important to distinguish Essence, or Spirit, from “soul.” The fundamental ground of our Being is Essence or Spirit, but it takes a dynamic form we call “the soul.” Our personality is a particular aspect of our soul. Our soul is “made of” Essence or Spirit. If Spirit were water, soul would be a particular lake or river, and personality would be waves on its surface—or frozen chunks of ice in the river. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 27)

Remember that healthy Fives become actualized and remain healthy by learning to reclaim and occupy their physical presence and their instinctual energy, as we find in healthy Eights, the Five’s Direction of Integration. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 230)

Level 1 doesn’t make sense until we see what the ego is about. It represents the dawning recognition that I am not these ego structures. I’m not what has led me around by the nose all my life.

As a Five, you identify powerfully with a sense of being a detached, outside observer of the world—not part of it; and resist recognizing your physical presence and state, feelings and needs. Notice this tendency in yourself today. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 44)

Level 1 doesn’t make sense until we see what the ego is about. It represents the dawning recognition that I am not these ego structures. I’m not what has led me around by the nose all my life.

The more support we have for our Inner Work, the easier our process will be. We can seek out others who give encouragement and act as witnesses for our growth. We can find groups, attend workshops, and put ourselves in situations that foster our real development. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 346)

Teaching:

Level 1 doesn’t make sense until we see what the ego is about. It represents the dawning recognition that I am not these ego structures. I’m not what has led me around by the nose all my life.

A major feature of your personality is the tendency to focus intently upon certain details, which can mean you overlook relevant information entirely. Watch for this tendency in yourself today. (Personality Types, 189)

Remember that being perceptive and insightful, mentally alert and curious, and focused and inventive are some of your outstanding qualities. What shift in you would make it possible for these qualities to manifest in you today? (Personality Types, 173)

LevelUP

Knowing our type helps us become more conscious self-observers, and self-observation is necessary if we are to become free of our unthinking, mechanical reactions. If we do not observe ourselves, we cannot ever hope to be our own master. We will be like marionettes yanked by every impulse tugging on our strings. (Enneagram Transformations)

Level 1 doesn’t make sense until we see what the ego is about. It represents the dawning recognition that I am not these ego structures. I’m not what has led me around by the nose all my life.

Possession of knowledge alone cannot bestow virtue, happiness, or fulfillment. For these things we must look within and beyond ourselves. Where do you usually look for them? (Understanding the Enneagram, 331)

At Level 4 we insist that people relate to us as our chosen Social Role. We start manipulating other people to get them to reinforce our identity and self-image. People get into conflicts by using others for their own ego needs. Conflict is inevitable. We’re determined to get others to fulfill our Basic Desire.

As we continue with our Inner Work, we need to be aware that it is the nature of the personality to cling to the past, to the familiar, and to whatever is known. But whenever we do so, the qualities that are present in the moment pass us by. (Understanding the Enneagram, 323)

Expanded awareness opens us to a real relationship with others and with the world around us. We are nourished and enriched by the pleasure and wonder of each moment. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 40)

Your Key Defense mechanisms are displacement, projection, and isolation. Notice if these impulses arise today. (Understanding the Enneagram, 96)

Try this Affirmation today: "I now affirm that I am secure and grounded in the reality of my own life." (Enneagram Transformations, 73)

Today, see if you can do the opposite of your ordinary personality pattern. As a Five, can you accept help from someone who might know more than you? (Personality Types, 187)

At Level 4 we start having a Social Role. Without the real inner support of self-knowledge, our well-being is entirely dependent on external circumstances—on our life going well. But conflicts or problems easily lead us into becoming more entrenched.

Today, notice if you are playing the role of the "Expert" or the "Specialist"—knowing more information than anyone else in your circle? Do you really need to carve out your niche of expertise and surpass everyone else to feel more self-confident? (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 218)

At Level 4 we start having a Social Role. Without the real inner support of self-knowledge, our well-being is entirely dependent on external circumstances—on our life going well. But conflicts or problems easily lead us into becoming more entrenched.

In your Inner Work Journal, explore what this question means to you. What is your personal "minimum daily requirement" for being authentic about your spiritual work? What do you sincerely require of yourself? To what are you actually committing yourself when you are "walking the walk": of transformation and liberation? (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 348)

If we are honest about being on a spiritual path, every day we must embody the truths that we understand—indeed, every moment of every day. We must learn to “walk our walk” in every area of our lives. And yet, how are we to do this? Like everyone else (particularly at the beginning of our Work), we are riddled with bad habits, old wounds, and unresolved conflicts. Our intention alone to be on a spiritual path will not be enough to make much of a difference. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 348)

You see many possibilities but often do not know how to choose among them. At such a time, it can be helpful to get the advice of someone whose judgment you trust. (Understanding the Enneagram, 339)

Conflict with others typically happens from Level 5 on down since we begin to manipulate, to get more defensive, and to project all sort of things onto other people. If we are in a real conflict with someone with an emotional charge to it, chances are good that both of us are at Level 5 or lower. Here we become more dense, more unavailable to Presence. Fear gets stronger at each Level so the ego gets more reactive.

Remember that your Direction of Disintegration is to Seven, where you become scattered, impulsive, and desire to constantly flee from yourself. Do you sense these qualities in yourself today—and know what triggered them? (Understanding the Enneagram, 94)

Each type tends to "train" others to see them in certain ways. How have you boxed yourself in by training others to see you as an intelligent, perceptive person? What can you do today to reveal a new dimension of yourself to others?

Growth does not come from gaining more and more knowledge. Growth comes from allowing your ego’s story to drop away.

Remember that average Fives over prepare before taking action, are impractical, and are wedded to their own ideas. Be aware of these limitations in yourself today. (Source: Personality Types, 173)

One of your sure-fire "hot buttons" is having your competency questioned. How can you be less reactive to such challenges? Try keeping your cool and listening to the other person’s viewpoint. (The Power of the Enneagram audio tapes)

I now Release all fearfulness of the world around me. (Enneagram Transformations, 68)

Jeff dives into the duality of wanting what you are not experiencing in the moment. When you want what you don't have, you create friction. Our efforts to avoid a state or achieve a state is the act that creates some sense of my avarice.

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