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[Traditional Enneagram] 5w6 vs 5w4: Differences?

counting foxes

New member
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
4
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
I know two fives quite well, one being wing four and the other wing six. From my own experience and what I understand of the two types:

5w4 - tend to be more attracted to humanities (as others have mentioned), are often more imaginative and creative, more emotionally mature (if healthy). Can become burdened by emotions and not know what to do with them or how to handle them if less healthy as they get in the way of the five's natural thinking process. More openly caring about others, making sacrifices for their needs but still in a fiveish way. Interested in people and their stories. Less of an interest in things that don't have a human component to them than 5w6. Feel of being different, but doesn't flaunt it in the way a four would, more like a quiet knowledge. Enjoys deep conversations, though guarded around people wants to make a connection with those they find interesting or attractive. More introspective than 5w6, aware of their own feelings (often painfully so) and the feelings of others. Attracted to dark/disturbing subject matter.

5w6 - a bit of a colder feel, less warm and openly empathetic towards others. Doesn't really place as much importance on understanding their own feelings or dealing with them, less introspective. More scientific, less of a humanitarian focus, a little more detached. More of an interest in practical matters. More of an inclination to pull apart things and see how they work (the 5w6 I know loves to fix gadgets, computers etc, huge interest and hobby). Excellent at theorising and analysing relating to big concepts or ideas but not so good at seeing the human element.

These are of course pretty general descriptions based on two people I know, so no one will perfectly fit with or relate to my descriptions, but there's my two cents anyway.
 

senza tema

nunc rosa cras fex
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
2,432
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
471
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I found these descriptions quite good.

five with a four wing

general description

Average 5/4 is the prototype personality for research scientists. Analytical and detached from their emotions, but passionate about beauty and truth, they want to find the ultimate, simple explanation for everything. Their intellectual fiveness makes them likely to engage in long, professorial monologues, while their four-wing gives them a shy self-consciousness. Unlike the more depressive 4/5, they are likely to have a generally optimistic view, although they can get depressed if they become overwhelmed by the world's demands. 5/4s are usually less interested in social interactions than the more other-dependent 5/6.

balanced and transcendent states

Balanced 5/4 is more able to participate in life. When the fiveish desire to withdraw and sort things out is no longer compulsive, then the consciously chosen time alone becomes a tool for understanding the world, rather than an entrapping habit. The fourish passion for beauty emerges as the conscious result of harnessing the emotions rather than being their slave. Healthy 5/4s begin to deeply understand the simple, elegant way that the awesome complexity of the world emerges from fundamental principles. They find great joy in watching and learning.

When the perception of five and the passion of four are augmented by eight's power and leadership, plus one's intuitive wisdom, clear comprehensions can be transmitted to others. Very balanced 5/4s can be tremendously creative teachers of How The World Works, who explain things with clean, elegant sentences. Yet for all its simple clarity, their teaching carries with it a profound appreciation for the subtle beauty of Creation. Come with me on a journey of discovery. Let's look together at the awesome profundity of Nature and Consciousness.

unbalanced and unhealthy states

Unbalanced 5/4 gets lost in the details. The compulsive analysis of five can lead to elaborate pseudo-logical constructions designed to explain everything. The four-wing's emotionality adds a flavor of dramatic hopelessness. Others Simply Do Not Understand. No one could understand. So 5/4 retreats to a place of safety, hoping to escape from view, continuing to uncover the truth. There is little to no social involvement.

In the extreme, the panic and scattered mania of seven combine with twoish self-congratulatory hysteria. In a seeming reversal, 5/4 can come back into the world, awkward and excitable, ready to bolt but equally ready to passionately defend a bizarre, baroque fantasy world. As inner tension builds, schizoid withdrawal becomes more and more likely. The end result is a kind of terrified fugue, completely cut off from reality. The only escape from the constant overwhelming chaos is inward.

physical appearance

5/4 is generally not much into appearance. Reasonable, ordinary clothing, not too bold. Comfort is quite important. Glasses are common Ñ maybe a result of a great deal of careful examination of tiny objects during childhood? There is often a rumpled, dissheveled quality. The exceptions are those well-dressed 5/4's whose four-wings impel them towards an aesthetically appealing appearance. Also, note that sometimes unhealthy 5/4s can dress and act in sevenishly colorful ways.

callings

Some 5/4s find work that combines intellect and aesthetics. Cosmologists, futurists, science fiction authors. Others dive deeply into some highly specialized discipline, becoming computer programmers, nuclear physicists, theoretical scientists, molecular biologists, surface scientists, or any of a thousand other highly technical jobs. There are 5/4 science reporters, poets, painters, and photographers. Of course, 5/4s can also be found doing many other kinds of work.


five with a six wing

general description

Suspicion combines with analytical detachment in average 5/6. The fiveish desire to know the reasons for everything combines with sixish skepticism to create a dry, sometimes intolerant personality. Because the six-wing wants to be liked, they want to be sociable and have friends. But the interaction of the sixish mistrust and the fiveish analysis makes it difficult for them to get close to very many people. They may have more trouble approaching others than the more sociable 6/5. Unlike 5/4, 5/6 may be more interested in politics than nature, more interested in conspiracy theories than physics theories.

balanced and transcendent states

Balanced 5/6 gains social ease. Deep perception and serene faith combine for a kind of knowing that focuses on the truth of human interactions. Healthy 5/6 overcomes the fear of intimacy and finds satisfaction in genuine relationships. A balance is struck between the urge to withdraw to sort things out and the desire to feel safe among trusted friends. The need diminishes to protect against deceit by constantly analyzing people, leading to greater comfort and depth in friendships.

The best of 5/6 brings together the powerful insight of five, the stamina and leadership of eight, the deep faith and genuineness of six, and the inner peace of nine. Extremely advanced 5/6 is a leader, using a magical level of perception to help others see themselves more clearly. Inspiring trust and respect, they explain human interactions in a way that teaches people to see the wholeness in the parts, demonstrating through their actions that society is one body.

unbalanced and unhealthy states

Unbalanced 5/6 becomes afraid of people. Mistrust interacts with reductionistic analysis, and the world begins to seem more and more threatening. Threeish competitive urges might emerge, combining with sevenish mania to create a kind of intense, argumentative combativeness that hides a deep sense of inadequacy. This unbalanced state turns people away, leading to a greater sense of isolation. Unhealthy 5/6 tends to rationalize that most people are not honest anyway, and since other people fail to recognize the value of their brilliant ideas, they are not worth knowing at all.

In the worst cases, paranoia and anxiety lead 5/6 into a terrifying spiral in which increasingly bizarre fabrications may be used to explain hallucinated meanings into even the most mundane events. Numbers, names, and shapes can take on enormous significance. Vast, intricate, imaginary conspiracies are clearly seen as Truth. The whole world is warped into a shape that supports an increasingly baroque inner model. There is a time during which violent acts are possible, just before the inner system collapses. In the end, the house of cards can fall suddenly, leaving 5/6 in a trembling fugue of total withdrawal.

physical appearance

5/6 is interested in fitting in, but not standing out, unless there is extreme identification with ideas, in which case there can be a tortured kind of threeish social aggression. Clothing is usually conservative and often quite understated. Sometimes there is a coarse, gritty sort of appearance. Hair might be a bit messy, glasses askew. The six wing (and its threeish stress) sometimes brings in a desire to look sharp and professional, but it is not usually accomplished as smoothly as a real three would do it. Healthy 5/6 often likes to dress well, although there usually must be a conscious effort.

callings

Some 5/6es find work that combines non-threatening social interaction with rigorous intellectual exercise. Technical test engineers, chess players, historians, museum curators. Others use their social perceptions more directly, becoming psychologists, social commentators, novelists, social theoreticians, science popularizers. Many become scientists of different kinds, from embryologists to materials specialists. There are 5/6 magicians, psychic debunkers, computer engineers, interpreters, and math teachers. Of course, 5/6es can also be found doing many other kinds of work.

 
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