Type 5 Enneagram: Exploring the Investigator/Thinker Personality

The official definition for Type 5 - The Investigator/The Thinker is “The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive and Isolated.” Fives have the uncanny ability to concentrate. And to understand complex ideas and concepts easily. They are insightful and curious people with an alert and clear mind. They are able to work independent of others with a keen and innovative thought process undergirding them. Their preoccupation is with their thoughts and vivid imagination.

They don’t like eccentric people and hate being alone. They go along well with like-minded people who don’t have a flair for the dramatic. But love people who find beauty in the mundane. When these types of people are at their best, they function as trailblazers and visionary pioneers, thinking ahead of their time, having a view of the world that is completely alien to other people.

They are very afraid of being useless, helpless and as incapable people. They want to be good in everything that they put their hands on. However they have the desire to acquire knowledge, in the understanding of their surrounding. And they want to plan out everything in such a way that they are inoculated from the threats to their environment.

Why Is Type 5 Known as The Investigator/The Thinker?

It is because they have an innate desire to know everything that is going on in the world. They want to get into the inner workings of the world - be it at a universal, cosmic level, or at a microscopic level. And all of the domains prevalent in the world, even the depths of their own imagination. But they never stop looking, asking questions and going deep into things. They do not lap up people’s opinions directly. But take the time to methodically test out people’s assumptions. And come to a conclusion on their own without interference from others.

For a five, learning never stops.

They love to constantly roam the world, learning new things. If they don’t get a chance to learn, they suffer. They want to be in control of everything that comes their way - by knowing the inner workings of every process that happens in the world. Fives fail to comprehend that life is not present to be understood, but to actually be lived out.

The constant chase after knowledge leaves fives with insecurities about their ability to be successful in the world. Even though they are much more learned than others. They still feel that they would not be able to successfully do things like their peers. And instead of doing things that would boost their confidence, they regress into the depths of their mind in which they feel that they are invincible. This results in fives spending most of their time in silent observation and contemplation. If their observations confirm their deep instincts, they feel vindicated in their ability and competency. The challenge with fives is that they need to know that they have the freedom to go after answers and still live their lives healthily.

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