Human behaviour and personality have long been topics of interest for scholars. Over the years, many have dedicated their careers to investigating how personality shapes who we are as people. As such, there have been numerous tests that allow people to discover their personality and behavioural tendencies. One of the most popular personality tests in the Enneagram. If you have been following along, you would know that the Enneagram is divided into nine groups. Today, we will be talking about enneagram 5, also known as the investigator. However, if you want to learn more about the first four groups, you can find more information here.
Nonetheless, to learn more about enneagram 5, keep reading.
Overview of the Enneagram 5
Known as the investigator, the enneagram type 5 personality is someone curious, knowledgeable, and rational. These individuals strive to seek a deeper meaning of the world around them. As such, at their basic sense, a type 5 personality:
- Enjoys spending time alone
- Puts up emotional walls to protect themselves
- Is curious about the world
- Very observant towards the people and things around them
- Very intelligent and understanding
- Has a fear of being inadequate to others
- Enjoys complex ideas
- Strives to be innovative in any way possible
In many ways, enneagram 5 is someone inventive and intellectually complex. They seek to find solutions and remain distant enough not to be problematic towards others.
Strengths
When a type 5 personality is living in the sense of balance, they exhibit many strengths. This often leads to great success and importance in this world. Some of the strengths type 5’s have are:
- The ability to problem-solve logically and critically
- Very detail oriented regardless of the environment they are in
- Always seek to learn more and develop new skills
- The ability to stay relaxed during times of crisis and stress
- Very insightful and able to give great advice to others
- Can define and keep healthy boundaries with other people
- Independent and able to take charge in their personal life and work
- Dedicated to thinking before they speak
When an enneagram 5 is living a healthy life, they are wise in their mannerisms and behaviour. They appear older than they are and highly mature compared to those around them.
Weaknesses
Furthermore, while the type 5 personality has many strengths, they also exhibit many weaknesses. These weaknesses often manifest when they are not living true to who they are. Some of these weaknesses include:
- Disassociating from their thoughts and feelings
- Experiencing detachment from other people
- The tendency to isolate themselves away from others
- Finding it challenging to relate to other people and their emotions
- Can be argumentative with other people
- May have a cynical perspective towards their current circumstances
When an enneagram 5 cannot control the aspects of their life to their liking, their greatest weakness is the inability to form meaningful connections with others. They begin to isolate themselves from their surroundings and turn inward.
Healthy Type 5 vs. Unhealthy Type 5
Moreover, while many enneagram 5 personalities live healthy lifestyles, others do not. This can lead to unhealthy tendencies and experiences. Let’s look at the difference between a healthy type 5 personality and an unhealthy type 5 personality below.
Healthy Enneagram 5
- They are visionaries in this world and dedicate themselves to knowledge and innovation
- Leaders who pave the way for others to make positive changes and impacts in the community
- Ability to master new skills with ease
- Can concentrate on the task at hand and remain diligent in their responsibilities
- Independent when it comes to their personal and work-life
- Able to make logical decisions in their life
- They hold a great deal of wisdom, and that can bring forth change and movement
Unhealthy Enneagram 5
- Begin to lose the sense of their grip with the world around them
- Have a lack of emotional awareness as they suppress their true feelings
- Can involve themselves in arguments that get out of hand
- Lack of interest in forming meaningful connections with other people
- They can be highly abrasive in their perspectives and way of life
- May be prone to developing a mental health problem
- Lack self-confidence
- They can become obsessed with their thoughts which then frighten them
As you can see, when an enneagram 5 is living a healthy lifestyle, they are profound individuals who can promote change and invention in society. However, when they are unhealthy in their behaviour and tendencies, their grip on reality can diminish greatly to cause them harm.
The Enneagram 5 in Relationships
Furthermore, when type 5 is in a relationship, they are mysterious, focused, and dedicated to romanticizing their partners. They find the person they are with fascinating and similar in their likes and dislikes. Additionally, enneagram 5’s are logical with their emotions and able to communicate effectively. However, when they begin losing interest in their partner, they can become emotionally distant. The same occurs when their partner begins to show disinterest as well. Further, they can also experience anxiety and discomfort. Thus, causing them to disassociate due to a lack of confidence.
Best Careers for Type 5’s
As the enneagram 5 personality is brilliant and insightful, they thrive in jobs that allow them to think and find solutions to issues at hand critically. Therefore, some jobs that a type 5 would thrive in are:
- Author
- Engineer
- Scholar
- Programmer
- Scientist
- Technician
- Data Analyst
- Mathematician
- Researcher
- Architect
Famous Type 5’s
Lastly, there have been many famous type 5’s throughout history due to their natural ability to discover and invent. Here are some notable individuals that you may recognize:
- Bill Gates
- Stephen Hawking
- Emily Dickinson
- Diane Sawyer
- Albert Einstein
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Jane Goodall
- Stephen King
- Time Burton
- Agatha Christie
- Marie Curie
- Georgia O’Keeffe
As you can see, many of the people on this list are responsible for some of the greatest literary works, inventions, and scientific and technological discoveries throughout history, which is right in alignment with the personalities of an enneagram 5.
Another great personality test that you can take to learn more about yourself and how you communicate with others is our free DISC personality assessment!
