What’s obvious; what’s not | Type 5
Sometimes stating the obvious can be a good reminder about each Enneagram type; sometimes we forget what is most apparent. There are also aspects of each type that are not-as-obvious, yet quite intriguing. This 9-part blog series, one for each Enneagram type, reviews three central and obvious aspects of each Enneagram type. You can also use the YouTube link below to hear and see three non-obvious features of this type.
What’s obvious
Thirst for knowledge
Fives seek knowledge in their areas of interest, gathering deep and broad information about these topics. Objective and logic-based information is what interests them, having a distrust for that which they deem subjective. It is quite common for Fives to have an extensive personal library, filled with books, DVDs, CDs, or other information sources, and these are often contained, if at all possible, in a space Fives deem their very own private space for reflection, study, recharging their energy, and more. This private space is what is referred to as something Fives like: “a womb with a view.”
Emotional detachment
Real-time emotional detachment – on an automatic basis – is a key definer for whether someone is a Five or is not. Without doing this consciously or just sometimes, Fives automatically detach from their emotional responses, then experience their emotional reactions later when they feel ready to reflect and comfortable doing so, most often when they are alone. This can be five minutes later, five hours, five days, five months, or longer.
Compartmentalization
Separation or compartmentalization is chronic in the way Fives think, feel and behave. They separate their thoughts from their feelings, their somatic reactions from the rest of them, their personal lives from their professional lives, their friends from one another, and so forth. Their mind itself typically works in this compartmentalized way. It’s as if their minds are a desktop with folders and then folders within folders, then folders within folders within folders.
What’s non-obvious
Pure emotions | Want to learn how and why Fives have the purest of feelings?
Secret lives | A big secret is that many Fives have secret lives. Intrigued?
Spontaneity | Not known for being spontaneous, Fives can be highly spontaneous under certain circumstances. Do you know when?
Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of seven Enneagram-business books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs and training tools for business professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com
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