Enneagram Type 5 - Observer/Investigator

I am especially passionate about this type - I am a type 5, and it has been so empowering to discover my core longings and fears and understand why I do what I do!

So a Type 5 is known as the observer or the investigator.

They are passionate about knowledge and understanding all of the why's and how's about everything. They are known as observers because habitually, they will sit back and watch/listen until they fully understand before answering or acting.

An enneagram Type 5 is curious, looking for the answers and for full understanding of a topic or situation. They are innovative, discovering new ways to do things and their spatial awareness is extremely high. They can manipulate things, ideas, and situations in order to create new options. They are highly committed to truth and knowing the facts and this makes them exceptionally wise. But with all of this observing and learning, a type 5 can also come across detached, shy, or insecure around others as they seek to understand the world around them.

At the core, a type 5 believes that they will never be able to acquire enough knowledge, energy, or resources to fully meet the needs around them and still feel like they have anything left over for themselves. They fear being depleted, completely used up and ultimately forgotten. Their fears are rooted in a sense that they need enough know-how to make sure they are doing all things right (this can make a type 5, sometimes mistype with a type 1).

They long to be competent and capable and show the world around them that they have what it takes to succeed. They long for their people to come to them for the answers (and thus, they need the right answers to give).

The childhood message of a type 5 was: It is not okay to be too comfortable in the world. So a type 5 may find themselves hoarding their resources, time, and energy in order to make sure they don't have to go without.

• A type 5 receives information about the world through their mind. They consider facts, details, and logical implications before they might ever consider how they feel about the information. A type 5 will then process this information through their gut, responding with action (or inaction in the moment if they don't yet KNOW what to do with that information.)

• A Type 5 is in the withdrawn stance along with the type 4 and type 9. When they feel threatened, they have a tendency to pull away in order to self-protect. (This may be outwardly, or inwardly)

• A type 5 has a Competency Conflict style which means that they tend to take all of the emotion out of the conflict and try to work toward a logical solution fast! A type 5 knows that accessing their emotions takes energy, and their goal is to preserve as much energy as possible and resolve the conflict efficiently.

• A type five tends to believe that others will not be able to meet their needs. They tend to pre-reject themselves seeing their value only in the knowledge that they can add to the group rather than the possibility that they might be valued outside of their knowledge base.

In stress, a type 5 moves to the bottom side of the 7, becoming unfocused, fragmented and frantic. Not KNOWING what to do in that moment makes them feel insecure, and they may do more acting than thinking - even if it's not logical. In growth a they move to the top side of the 8, becoming more self-confident and decisive. They are organized and willing to move forward even if they don't yet have all the answers.

The core question of the type 5 is: What makes sense? When they face a problem, they want to understand what went wrong so that they can avoid the mistake the next time.

An Enneagram Type 5 when pregnant is probably going to consume whatever information they can on all things Pregnancy and Birth - from nutrition, to fitness, to knowing EVERY. SINGLE. THING. about fetal development, a type 5 wants to feel competent and confident in their pregnancy and make sure they have all the right answers. Unfortunately, this means they might get so trapped in their mind that they don't even take time to enjoy the pregnancy, finding it difficult to connect to their bodies viscerally. They may know the right things to eat or workout or rest, but they may fail to do them either because they are not connected to their own physical needs or they are fearful of not yet having enough information to make them confident in their actions.

At the core, a type 5 feels like their own personal needs are constantly at risk. They feel like they might not be worthy of being nurtured or that they have to hoard their own time and space for fear of catastrophic depletion. A truth to hold to is: "Your Needs are NOT a problem!"

In birth, the needs of a type five cycle around integration of their mind with their bodies. A type 5 may find mindfulness extremely helpful - deep breathing and body scans helping them to find the information they need to be confident in birth. A type 5 needs to realize that they need to KNOW their own body and needs as much as they need to know the facts.

It's also helpful to encourage type 5's to trust their gut instincts. They've already done all of the research. Encourage them to relax into the birth process and let go, following the lead of their bodies.

Finally, a type 5 needs to realize that they WILL have needs during labor and birth, and this fact does not make them incompetent! All women in labor have needs!

Are you a type 5? How did it affect your pregnancy and birth?