Read my previous post first for an overview of the Enneagram, even if you are already familiar with the Enneagram.
Enneagram 5s are known as the Observer, the Thinker, the Philosopher, and the Investigator. Their greatest desire is to be competent, capable, self-sufficient, and well-informed. They are independent thinkers in the head center of the Enneagram, driven by the need to feel safe in the world. They are very much all about seeking, abstaining, and using knowledge. They are readers and collectors who are analytical, logical, objective, and reflective. They will often master the material that particularly interests them. They stay detached from emotion and connection with others. They also have a fixed amount of energy they can use daily, which is particularly exhaustive from social interactions and activities.
They usually have feelings attached to thoughts and ideas and less about personal emotions. They tend to reduce their feelings and needs, presenting themselves as easy to please, sometimes aloof, with low expectations. They are commonly minimalistic and rarely complain. However, they can be hypersensitive at times. They may feel more when you debate them about a fact than when you criticize their character. They can be disturbed by others showing extreme emotions, not knowing how to react. They also compartmentalize their life, relationships, and thinking, allowing them to be calm in crisis. They might also have many ideas about pursuing different hobbies, perhaps even inventing or starting a business. With their work, they are task-focused and only make decisions after analyzing the data, whatever that means for a situation. They will do significant research for days or months and likely not follow through. They are true procrastinators but for the reason of needing to look at things from different angles, less so for any other reason like lack of motivation or anxiety. It is more paralysis by analysis. They are persistent and do not like when others push them to make a decision.
Takeaway: 5s are driven by acquiring knowledge, which makes them feel safe and have value.
Enneagram 5s with an Enneagram 6 wing (5w6) are more cautious, while an Enneagram 5 with an Enneagram 4 wing (5w4) have a little more emotional intelligence and are particularly creative.
The vice for the Enneagram 5 is avarice. They fear the possibility of depletion, so they hold tightly to what they have, including their material resources and energy. This fear leads them to hoard energy, resources, and knowledge. The virtue that Enneagram 5s have the potential to reach is non-attachment. At their healthiest, Enneagram 5s become generous with their energy and resources. They will not need to hoard their time or fear impoverishment.
They move to the space of Enneagram 7 in stress and Enneagram 8 in security.
The moves that 5s make are wild when you first learn them. 5s in stress will become even more detached from their feelings and work. They need this space in 7 because they reach greater acceptance of whatever bothers them, enabling them to move forward. They obtain a positivity that no other number can offer.
When 5s are secure, they become more assertive in what they know is correct. They become leaders in the space of 8. When they have confidence in their work and relationships, 5s find they have more energy to drive action.
Enneagram 5s are the owls of the Enneagram for their intelligence and protective nature. They are also like foxes for their sometimes sly and crafty characteristics.
Try to be more spontaneous. Allow other people in. Resist withdrawing.
Share this post with the 5s in your life! If you think you are a 5, share this with everyone you know so they can understand your unique view of the world!
Learn more about Enneagram 5s in the related episode of First Line.
For further resources about the Enneagram, I recommend the Enneagram: A Christian Perspective (Richard Rohr) and The Road Back to You (Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile).