Questions for Ennegram 5s

[TenebrousReflection]

Most of the following questions are based on things others have written about 5s (specificialy books by Riso and Hudson). I want to get an idea of how much of this is agreed on by those who would type themselves as some sort of 5 (6w5s and 4w5s please feel free to comment as well).

Before answering the more specific questions, please answer these with the first thing that comes to mind (I'm being intentioanly vague on these to allow for a wide variety of responses and interpertations)...

What sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important?

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about?

What things do you do instinctivly that you feel help define who/what you are?

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Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you...

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)?

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else?

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?

Or some combination of the above or some other reaction entirely.

Example - you encounter a spider near your home (but not inside it), and you think it might be poisonous, are you more likely to avoid the area you found it, or to research spiders til you find one that looks like it then go back and confirm/deny your findings.

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal?

(I may or may not be a 5, but for example, when I feel excessive frustration, a common solution that usually produces positive results is to step back from the world and immerse myself in a fantasy world of some sort (games, books, or tv/movie marathons etc)) - I'm not sure if that example is 5 behaviour, 4 behavior or just common for any introverted intuitive.

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

I may add more questions later, but those are the things I'm most curious about. - Thanks for your time and responses.

 

[entropie]

hat sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important?
- first thing that comes to mind: question is too complex.

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about?
- If I am ever able to find a home.

What things do you do instinctivly that you feel help define who/what you are?
- I dont have the singlest clue.

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Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?

- yup

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?

- no, not than most things but yes

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?

- define "other things"

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you...

- run away

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)?

- I dont get the question (language barrier)

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else?

- No, not at all. I just dont would call complicated things to be dangerous.

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?

- Whats "it" ?

Example - you encounter a spider near your home (but not inside it), and you think it might be poisonous, are you more likely to avoid the area you found it, or to research spiders til you find one that looks like it then go back and confirm/deny your findings.

- I am pretty sure a question like this is stating the obvious

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal?

- yes

(I may or may not be a 5, but for example, when I feel excessive frustration, a common solution that usually produces positive results is to step back from the world and immerse myself in a fantasy world of some sort (games, books, or tv/movie marathons etc)) - I'm not sure if that example is 5 behaviour, 4 behavior or just common for any introverted intuitive.

- I am too not sure.

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

- I think the 6 is the key, to 5, 7, 8

 

[NewEra]

What sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important?

Success and happiness.

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about?

If anything, social anxiety.

What things do you do instinctivly that you feel help define who/what you are?

Don't really understand this question. I guess I have certain rituals that I perform.

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Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?

I guess.

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?

Yes.

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?

It is, but I try to succeed to live well.

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you...

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)?

Yeah, sort of.

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else?

Yeah, for the most part.

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?

Kind of. But sometimes too much knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Or some combination of the above or some other reaction entirely.

Example - you encounter a spider near your home (but not inside it), and you think it might be poisonous, are you more likely to avoid the area you found it, or to research spiders til you find one that looks like it then go back and confirm/deny your findings.

I would avoid it, then I might look it up if I remember.

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal?

Yeap.

(I may or may not be a 5, but for example, when I feel excessive frustration, a common solution that usually produces positive results is to step back from the world and immerse myself in a fantasy world of some sort (games, books, or tv/movie marathons etc)) - I'm not sure if that example is 5 behaviour, 4 behavior or just common for any introverted intuitive.

I do the same thing, I'm a 5. Not sure if it's only a 5 behavior though.

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

Yeah I sort of see that. Being like a 7 usually relaxes me in times of stress. Then again I realize I must usually attack and confront what's causing the stress, so that also limits my stress (I guess this is more type 3 behavior).

 

[garbage]

Before answering the more specific questions, please answer these with the first thing that comes to mind (I'm being intentioanly vague on these to allow for a wide variety of responses and interpertations)...

With that in mind..

What sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important?
Staying true to self. Personal integrity. Letting go of one's ego as a means to grow. Helping others.

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about?
I don't really worry much anymore. But when I do, it's usually about feeling like I don't deserve something.. that my own perception of my "slacking off" is going to come back to bite me severely later on.

I used to worry about pretty much everything, but most of my fears stemmed from my feelings of incompetence and my need to prepare for the outside world.

"Worst case scenarios" still very often play themselves out in my mind. I imagine losing friendships or jobs over very trivial matters. However, I don't treat them as inevitabilities anymore.

What things do you do instinctivly that you feel help define who/what you are?
Connecting and communicating with others. Finding common ground with them helps me to find myself.

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Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?
Yes, especially the incapable part.

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?
Probably, yeah. I get a lot of satisfaction out of learning new skills related to my hobbies, but it's become more and more important that I share the learning process, my skills, or partaking in these hobbies with other people.

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?
It's still a primary force, but I very much value the relationships in my life. This wasn't always the case.

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you...

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)?
hahahaha yes

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else?
No. In most instances, I confront these things head-on. If there's a problem, it will be in my thoughts, so I must deal with it to stay sane.

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?
Definitely! As a prime example, I was afraid of marriage until I read more about it, found some good friends who had great marriages and relationships, and so on. Now, I completely embrace the idea.

Overall, I'm starting to trust the process of learning through experience, but I still do some preparatory work.

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal?
Spend some time alone and analyze the situation, then seek the counsel of others.

This also ties into the next question..

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

I see it somewhat differently. The 8's "take charge and just deal with it" attitude can come in handy when stressed or frustrated.

Often, when I get frustrated, I get into a very planned mode. I'll write out my to-do lists, allocate time to get things done, and, when others are involved, I get very direct with them.

7 is what I get after when I'm well. Diving right in and having fun through experiences only comes in a contented mental state for me.

Might this answer point me to a different Enneatype?

 

[TenebrousReflection]

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?

- define "other things"

Some examples of "other things" that a person might place greater value on than skill and competency would be things like finding love, having fun, freedom to do what you want, being wealthy, or becoming famous.

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)?

- I dont get the question (language barrier)

Hmmm, it looses some of the specificity, but I think this gets at the root of the question...

Do you overanalyze things thinking of all the things that could go wrong.
Do you instinctivly do this?

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?

- Whats "it" ?

"it" is anything that causes you to be concerned or feel in danger etc.

Example - you encounter a spider near your home (but not inside it), and you think it might be poisonous, are you more likely to avoid the area you found it, or to research spiders til you find one that looks like it then go back and confirm/deny your findings.

- I am pretty sure a question like this is stating the obvious

Is it? My reaction would be to worry about if its dangerous until I can confirm that it is or is not dangerous and then if it is dangerous, seek to exterminate (or have a profesional do it in case its not solitary) it, and if its harmless, live and let live. Would my reaction be the obvious one, and if so, would it be the same as another type or person?

I usually find comfort in learning as much as possible about a potentialy harmful situation, but as TheCHosenOne alluded to, sometimes too much knoweldge makes it worse. I think thats consistant with 5s, but I'm not sure.

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

I see it somewhat differently. The 8's "take charge and just deal with it" attitude can come in handy when stressed or frustrated.

Often, when I get frustrated, I get into a very planned mode. I'll write out my to-do lists, allocate time to get things done, and, when others are involved, I get very direct with them.

7 is what I get after when I'm well. Diving right in and having fun through experiences only comes in a contented mental state for me.

Might this answer point me to a different Enneatype?

This is similar to how I looked at that and why I wanted to get an idea if those comfortable calling themsleves 5s related to it or not. I don't know if it should point in another direction or not, but with myself, when I'm feeling good, I sometimes can be more adventureous (7) and my reactions to stress are far from conistant. The point for me is that to take on (7) behaviour, I need to be at a high comfort/confidence level to begin with, and being under stress is not likely to make me go and do somethign adventerous. If a lot of 5s do agree with that tho, then it decreases the probability I'm a 5, but if a lot of 5s disagree with that, then it makes me put less weight on it as a criteria.

 

[527468]

What sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important? Personal things to which I can understand myself in retrospect with the world. Or getaways from the world.

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about? Trying to hold onto certainty.

What things do you do instinctivly that you feel help define who/what you are? Place myself into a new situation in which I become inspired by new ideas in correlation with older ideas of past creators.

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Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable? I have too many of them. These can be some of them though.

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things? Yeah, it takes me away from the unimportant things, and I'm good at it so I feel good

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important? I imagine it as part of a whole. It's all inspiring to me. Things only keep getting better.

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you... Hold on tight and show no fear.

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)? Sometimes.

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else? Hypathetically.

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )? Sounds like me.

Or some combination of the above or some other reaction entirely.

Example - you encounter a spider near your home (but not inside it), and you think it might be poisonous, are you more likely to avoid the area you found it, or to research spiders til you find one that looks like it then go back and confirm/deny your findings. I saw a huge fly in my house and got freaked out and killed it.

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal? No, I have to wait for it to go away, but sleeping and eating healthily helps.

(I may or may not be a 5, but for example, when I feel excessive frustration, a common solution that usually produces positive results is to step back from the world and immerse myself in a fantasy world of some sort (games, books, or tv/movie marathons etc)) - I'm not sure if that example is 5 behaviour, 4 behavior or just common for any introverted intuitive.

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!? Probably not?

I may add more questions later, but those are the things I'm most curious about. - Thanks for your time and responses.[/QUOTE]

 

[Orangey]

Okay, I'm 5w4...

What sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important?
My future and my intellectual trajectory.

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about?
I often worry in retrospect that something I've said or done was based on incorrect or incomplete information. The worst and most humiliating feeling in the world is realizing that you've been making statements or doing things without having properly considered a certain fact or interpretation (that turns out to have been very important).

What things do you do instinctivly that you feel help define who/what you are?
On a really basic level, I instinctively break things down into parts and put parts back into a whole mentally. It's very dialectical. I don't know if I feel that this defines who/what I am, however, because it's one of those mental processes that you assume everyone else also possesses (and is therefore not something particular to your own identity).

I suppose it's the way that I apply the process that plays a more definitive role in how I define myself. In particular, I like to apply this process to political theories and philosophies...so I define myself as that particular type of academic thinker.

Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?
Mostly incapable/incompetent. I also fear the other two (like anyone else), but they're not what springs to mind when I think of my basic/core fears.

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?
Yes. I can't think of anything else that might bring me satisfaction.

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?
I think it's primary. Meaning that if I were to suddenly not care about being competent about some subject/skill or other, I would probably have no motivation to do anything.

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you...

Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)?
Yes, I think of all the possible disastrous outcomes.

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else?
Not really.

Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?
Yes. Although it's not really about reducing the danger through knowledge, but more about reducing the fear. The danger may well remain, but I won't fear it because I know how it works, and I know what to expect.

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal?
I definitely need alone time. Other than that, I'm not sure.

Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?
When I'm feeling healthy and confident, I guess I can identify somewhat with the independence and protectiveness of 8s. But when I'm feeling not-so-healthy or stressed, I don't really act impulsively or become demanding like a 7. Instead I just become paralyzed and unmotivated (a depression of sorts). I do nothing.

 

[Totenkindly]

Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?

Not being able to take care of myself and/or explore my world is one of my strongest fears. (I can't imagine being a paraplegic or invalid, for example).
The second strongest fear is simply being ignored, or going unnoticed, or losing my sense of identity in some way. This is the same loss of empowerment, just on a more communal level.

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobbies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?
It's important to be competent/professionally dependable (I don't do anything half-assed) but it's far worse to be ignorant and/or be incompetent because of ignorance.

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?
At this point in my life, the need to achieve has diminished and I just really am looking to contribute, to build relationships, and to nurture/expand others. I already know I'm competent, now it's a matter of being effective and contributing as I can.

***

When you encounter something that seems threatenting or dangerous to you, do you...Find youself focusing your thoughts on it and imagining all the permutations and possible negatives that it encompases (either self induced worying or a morbid curiosity)? Feel a natural desire to learn as much as possible about it and eventualy defeat or reduce the danger through knowledge )?

These two are what I do instinctively. The line between obsession and learning is a fine one sometimes... but I am very much a risk-manager and figure out the possibilities for harm up front, so that I'm prepared for what could go wrong... and then learn enough to take positive steps.

Try to avoid things that seem dangerous or threatening and re-focus your thoughts on something else?
I rarely avoid anything unless I have already assessed it, deemed it as something I can't do anything about or that really isn't dangerous, and decided to invest my energy elsewhere . I don't avoid things just because they scare me, even if I procrastinate with taking action sometimes.

Example - you encounter a spider near your home (but not inside it), and you think it might be poisonous, are you more likely to avoid the area you found it, or to research spiders til you find one that looks like it then go back and confirm/deny your findings.

Since I only have limited energy, I would probably just avoid the area; meanwhile, I would keep my eyes open and might even Google it, etc., when I can, in order to understand it better so that I could reduce that area of ambiguity. But since the threat has been negated via avoidance, I can invest most of my time elsewhere.


>When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to nromal?

This was my first basic instinct: I used to withdraw a lot and immerse myself in other things (to help me relax) and this is still viable sometimes. However, it's not always the best course. it's a "moving away" or "detachment" strategy -- since one feels unable to control anything external to oneself, one uses that power to remove oneself.

.
>Supposedly, in times of welness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

Yes, under stress I can sometimes act in more manic fashion. Since I can't make intellectual or practical headway, or might feel depressed/numb, I get caught up in experiences or hel-bent stimulation of some sort to distract myself and feel alive. (This can be booze, TV, games, escapism, sex, learning new things, food, socializing, whatever.. and it is rather compulsive... it runs me down.) Feeling good momentarily chases away the stress.... but usually it just comes back worse later since I am not dealing with the problem and it festers.

I personally fit the expected 5-8 integration and 5-8 disintegration.
When I'm doing well, I'm more assertive, lead others / set the example, challenge status quo in healthy ways, etc, am self-confident/assured.
When I'm not, I tend to act like the 7 addict type, OR I just pull away from everything and become isolated, OR I start to get dramatic if I am not allowed to withdraw.

 

[brilliantwomble]

5w4

What sorts of things or ideas do you consider very important?

spirituality, intelligence

What types of things or ideas do you worry the most about?

my future, happiness in relationships

What things do you do instinctively that you feel help define who/what you are?


overanalyze everything

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Would you agree that a basic/core fear is being helpless, useless or incapable?

somewhat yeah, incompetent perhaps

Would you say that attaining competency or mastery in your hobbies and work is important to you and/or brings you more satisfaction than most things?

probably, although interest is divided among many things

If so, is it a primary driving force for you, or are there plenty of other things in life you consider more important?

one of the driving forces... depends on life situation, but once things calm down to normal, usually the driving force

When you encounter something that seems threatening or dangerous to you, do you...

run away, as far as possible is the first instinct
if that option is not possible, find out how to deal with the situation (increase knowledge, block it out of my mind)
if the threat is unavoidable and I have to confront while trying to tone down the fear I may create worst-case-scenarios

as for the spider, when I was younger (a lot younger) and I found a wasp in my house I was scared enough to barricade myself in one part of my house to avoid it (wasp fly around and can be lurking in any corner, total avoidance seemed to be the best plan at the time.)

When you feel drained or frustrated, do you have specific things you know work well in certain situations to recover and get back to normal?

go out for a walk, get away from people, exercise, watch tv, listen to music--all of the above depending on how strong the stressor is and how long it has been going on for. Something that is rather immediate (like just a really long, hard day) probably a walk to clear my mind, go on a run, watch one tv show deal. Something that is a long-term frustration watch lots of one particular tv series, get away from people, listen and find new music to distract self,

Supposedly, in times of wellness, 5s will move toward the positive traits of an 8, and under stress may become more like a 7 to cope with it. Do you see any of that in you, or does that make you say WTF? that's not me!?

Not sensing this one. I tend to drift towards 7 most of the time. Although 5w4, after 5, 7 is the highest. When I am feeling my best I tend to have 7 tendencies. 8 tendencies come when I am forced to confront and take charge of something (am under stress and can't escape from it.)