This is the Fifth article of a nine-part series in getting to know the types.
We go into type Five—the Theorist who’s motivated by understanding the world around them. They have a keen knack for information gathering and understanding how people and things work. You often see Fives in career roles in law, information technology, finance, and research.
The Five are also known for being loners, shy or not getting emotional when it comes to data gathering. They tend to stick to the facts and how to solve problems.
The Five is also part of the fear triad of the Enneagram (Five, Six, Seven).
Basic Anxiety:
The main thought of the Five is to not lack information and to be deficient in knowledge and understanding.
Basic Want:
The main goal for Fives is to seek the truth, have knowledge and become well versed in things they are passionate.
The role of the Theorist is to be the best is understanding people, data, and points-of-views—which they spend their whole lives uncovering the why’s! Theorists are passionate about things that might not be in the mainstream and can get addicted to hobbies like music, movies, and even sex. Fives tend not to be lonely and love time to reflect on the better part of the day or person. They can understand more after the event has been removed from the moment to see how to proceed.
How to Help the Five
When Fives go into their unhealthy stance at Seven—they tend to feel that others are not as intelligent as they are—in fact, they think most people are not clear thinkers in matters of apparent thought and reason.
Remind Fives that everyone has a different point-of-view and just because they tend to be brilliant in reason, doesn’t mean that others are unintelligent. Also, when Fives are unhealthy they can become detached and closed off from others they love. It is often common for unhealthy Fives to take the stance and become argumentative, obsessed—takes on fetishes and isolated themselves from feelings and people, when it gets too much for them.
Famous Threes: Bill Gates, Bella of Twilight, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Darwin
