“ I want to watch the universe expand I want to break it into pieces, small enough to understand And put it all back together again In the quiet of my private collection.” – Atlas: Five by Sleeping At Last
Welcome to week six of Enneagram and You with Taylor! It’s about a week out from midterm week at Murray State, and seems about everywhere else – so if you’re like me, you’re probably drained and wanting to lay in the bed for a month straight. Though I have a few pick-me-ups for my type fives out there.
Like I stated previously, this week we will be deep diving into Enneagram Type Five, also known as The Investigator. During this article, I’ll cover the basics of a healthy Type Five and unhealthy Type Five without information overload. You’ll find tips to bring out the best of your type, book and song suggestions, along with a few encouraging quotes for everyday life. With that being said, let’s jump right into it.
Type Fives, aka The Investigators, are known for their curiosity and insightfulness. When a Five is face to face developing something new, they’re able to zero in and give their everything to the new topic at hand. Fives are extremely inventive and tend to be fairly independent. This helps them out when it comes to sitting down and actually producing their newly founded ideas. Though this can lead to some trouble with isolation. Since Fives tend to keep their gears turning, it’s easy for them to get lost in their thoughts and future plans. The basic fear of being a Five is to simply feel incapable of completing something, as well as being useless. The main desire for a five is to simply be capable. Fives want to figure out why and how for everything in the world.
With being a Type Five, you can have a Five with a wing Four or a Five with a wing Six. A wing Four is called ‘The Iconoclast’ and shares some traits with type Fours. A Five with a wing Six is called ‘The Problem Solver’, in which they share some traits with a type Six as well.
A few examples of well-known Type Fives are Emily Dickinson, Stephen King, Kurt Cobain, Alfred Hitchcock, Tim Burton, and Jodie Foster.
One thing that I do every week is comparing the heathy, unhealthy and in between levels of each type. This can feel like a personal attack, but in all honesty it’s just to help you realize where you’re at. If you see yourself as a healthy Type Five, keep doing you! If you’re in the average range, you’re also doing good. If you see yourself as an unhealthy Type Five, don’t fret! There are plenty of ways to help you get back on track. That being said, let’s discuss.
Healthy Type Fives
When a Type Five is thriving, they are constantly taking everything in. They’re finding new things and stay alert. Fives can keep their concentration, and stay fully committed to what has grabbed their attention. Mastering new skills in what they’re interested in, Fives become excited by new discoveries in the field that has caught their eye. At this stage, they’re extremely independent. Go you!
Average Type Fives
When a Type Five is in this stage, they’re to the point where they’re heading in a healthy direction or the unhealthy direction. Fives that are heading in the good direction tend to stay fine-tuning their actions before acting upon them. They’re more focused upon practicing for something, rather than acting upon their new discoveries. Along with this, Fives are easy to get lost in their own imagination slowly becoming detached from the actual reality around them. This creates a high-strung environment around them. Leading into the lower levels of an average Five, they become very argumentative in situations that don’t particularly take in their visions.
Unhealthy Type Fives
When a Type Five reaches unhealthy levels, they become very isolated and become recluses. They start to reject relationships and interactions of any kind and are disgusted at the thought of social interactions or events. At this point, Fives completely break themselves from reality and almost live in their own ideas.
So…kind of a self-attack? Rather if you see yourself at the best or the worst, don’t worry. I’m here to offer a few things that help me get back on track when I’m not doing so hot. Maybe they’ll help you succeed too!
Grab Your Readers.
The first thing I turn to when I feel myself not being the best version I can be? Books! Honestly, they help me a ton. I usually start my mornings out with a cup of coffee and a self-help book. Here are a few suggestions for my Type Fives out there.
- This Is Your Brain On Joy by Dr. Earl Henslin
- The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
- Year Of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
Jam Session.
Music is also a HUGE part of how I better myself. I try waking up each morning with my Alexa playing a playlist of feel-good songs for me. Though you can jam to these tunes at any time of the day. Try listening to some of them while you read! Here are just a few that remind me of the Type fives in my life.
- Atlas Five by Sleeping at Last
- Turning Page by Sleeping at Last
- Colour Me In Gold by JP Cooper
- She Burns by Foy Vance
- Hallucinate by Oliver Riot
- Us Against The World by Coldplay
- Best Part by H.E.R.
- White Ferrari by Frank Ocean
- From The Dining Table by Harry Styles
- Light The Sky by Grace VanderWaal
- Come Out and Play by Billie Eilish
- Patience by The Lumineers
Keep The Positivity Going!
I like small reminders, like lock screens and fun posts. If you like a quote, save it to your phone or write it down on a post-it note. I like to decorate the side of my mirrors with quotes that help me get through the day. Another great way to keep the positivity up is to follow enneagram accounts on social media! A few of my favorites are @theenneagramshop, @enneagramandcoffee, and @enneagramansmemes on Instagram!
Fun Stuff!
Rock your type with some fun gear.
Prints:
Mugs:
- Enneagram Five Coffee Mug. (I LOVE this one.)
- Enneagram Type Five Mug.
- Enneagram Modern Mug.
- The Investigator Mug.
The More The Merrier:
As usual, I’ll be recommending The Sleeping At Last Podcast over Enneagram Type Fives. During this podcast, Ryan O’Neal, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of Sleeping At Last, will breakdown the song he personally wrote for Type Fives. Not only this, but enneagram master Chris Heuertz will also give you a deep understanding of your type. Will it feel like a personal attack at times? Probably. Though it’s only to show you where you get your mannerisms from. It’s such a fun and interesting listen. Cool bonus fact; all of the instrumentalists are Type Fives!
With that, I’ll leave you this week. Please continue to dive more and more into your type, as well as spread the word with your friends and family! Learning more about the people in your everyday life really helps build stronger relationships and gives you insight on how to handle situations with others.
Remember, your ideas are amazing! Share them with the world and stay true to you!
Until the next week, go forth and conquer!