The Enneagram Letters: a Poetic Exploration of Who You Thought You Had to Be by Sarajane Case

Author:Sarajane Case
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Published: 2022-10-04T23:24:53+00:00

introduction to type five

The Enneagram type five is commonly referred to as “the observer” or “the investigator.” They are logical, emotionally private, and seek to be informed. This chapter is dedicated to the part in all of us that withdraws when the world is too intense. The part that fears depletion and seeks to understand the world around them. In this chapter, we will address complex elements related to the Enneagram type five structure, such as:

1. Disconnection from their body

When you seek to understand the world intellectually, it can be easy to believe that the world can be experienced through your mind. It’s common for the type five structure to live as though the body is what is present from the neck up. Forgetting to check in with how they feel, what sensations are happening in their body, and even what it feels like to be alive. They can get so consumed with their mental processing they may forget the power and information that is held in the body. When talking with type fives about the first thing they can do on their growth journey, I typically say to start an embodiment practice. That could be a yoga nidra meditation or even just a daily walk—anything to remind them that they have a body that’s storing tons of information for them.

2. Compartmentalization

It can be helpful and orderly to keep things separate, whether that’s emotions separate from decision-making or work friends separate from family friends. It keeps things organized and tempered. I think of the type five mind like a child’s dinner plate—nothing can touch. This, of course, can be unsustainable as they create more and more necessary intimacy. People tend to want to feel integrated into your life, and this can be a bit of a struggle for some type fives. It may feel like their spaces are being invaded. Another reason this can happen is because masking is a way to hide in plain sight. Performing a personality that matches that of the group can let you blend in with the crowd and go more unnoticed. With several friend groups or people they’re committed to, it can feel disorienting to blend them because the type five may show up differently with each of them.

3. Privacy

Type fives can often be mistaken as unemotional. However, they have emotions just like the rest of us. They just tend to limit their expression of them. They may keep their true feelings private as well as their information. In general, they are guarded about how much they share with others. I’ve had it described to me before as feeling as though someone is trying to take from you when they are seeking personal information. This is another way that our type fives may limit their opportunity for genuine connection with others. Hiding themselves behind the masks mentioned above or literally hiding themselves by keeping details about who they are and how they’re feeling a secret.

4. Fear of depletion

Depletion of resources is a major area of concern for type fives.

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