The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive,
and Isolated
“Fives are alert, insightful, and
curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and
skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become
preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached,
yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity,
nihilism, and isolation.”
At their Best: visionary pioneers,
often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way
v Basic Fear: Being useless, helpless, or incapable
v Basic Desire: To be capable and competent
v Stress: Hyperactive, scattered 7
v Growth: Self-confident, decisive 8
Key Motivations: Want to
possess knowledge, to understand the environment, to have everything figured
out as a way of defending the self from threats from the environment.
-Sounds like mentally-focused Zodiac like Libra,
Scorpio/Pisces, Virgo especially, and Sagittarius. Maybe even Aquarius.
Zodiacs listed:
·
Libra/Aquarius
(6)
·
Sagittarius/Aries
(6)
·
Scorpio/Pisces
(6)
·
Virgo
(5)
We have named personality type Five “The
Investigator” because, more than any other type, Fives want to find out why
things are the way they are. They want
to understand how the world works, whether it is the cosmos, the
microscopic world, the animal, vegetable, or mineral kingdoms—or the inner
world of their imaginations. They are always searching, asking questions, and
delving into things in depth. They do not accept received opinions and
doctrines, feeling a strong need to test
the truth of most assumptions for themselves.
-Again the search for Truth and Understanding. Lump
this in with Personality Types 4 and 9. The only difference is these
Truth-seekers are more detail oriented.
Behind Fives’ relentless pursuit of
knowledge are deep insecurities about their ability to function successfully in
the world. Fives feel that they do not have an ability to do things as well as
others. But rather than engage directly with activities that might bolster
their confidence, Fives “take a step back” into their minds where they feel
more capable. Their belief is that from
the safety of their minds they will eventually figure out how to do things—and
one day rejoin the world.
-Absorb stuff like a sponge, digest, and then
simplify and explain life in a wiser, more understandable way. Truth lies
within upon deep reflection.
Fives spend a lot of time observing and contemplating—listening to the sounds of wind or of a
synthesizer, or taking notes on the
activities in an anthill in their back yard. As they immerse themselves in
their observations, they begin to internalize
their knowledge and gain a feeling of self-confidence. They can then go out
and play a piece on the synthesizer or tell people what they know about ants.
They may also stumble across exciting new information or make new creative
combinations (playing a piece of music based on recordings of wind and water).
When they get verification of their observations and hypotheses, or see that
others understand their work, it is a confirmation of their competency, and
this fulfills their Basic Desire.
-I’m definitely an observer. I have also realized that
life is a lot messier than theory and sometimes it is better to live life than
over-analyze. Life can’t remain just a theory.
Knowledge, understanding, and insight are thus highly valued by Fives, because their identity is built around “having ideas”
and being someone who has something unusual and insightful to say. For this
reason, Fives are not interested in exploring what is already familiar and
well-established; rather, their attention is drawn to the unusual, the overlooked, the secret, the occult, the bizarre,
the fantastic, the “unthinkable.” Investigating "unknown
territory"—knowing something that others do not know, or creating
something that no one has ever experienced—allows Fives to have a niche for
themselves that no one else occupies. They believe that developing this niche
is the best way that they can attain independence and confidence.
-Spiritual mysteries have always been something I’ve
been drawn to. The paranormal and supernatural. It’s a Scorpio thing especially
–uncovering life’s mysteries.
Thus, for their own security and
self-esteem, Fives need to have at least
one area in which they have a degree of expertise that will allow them to
feel capable and connected with the world. Fives think, “I am going to find
something that I can do really well, and then I will be able to meet the
challenges of life. But I can’t have other things distracting me or getting in
the way.” They therefore develop an intense focus on whatever they can master
and feel secure about. It may be the world of mathematics, or the world of rock and roll, or classical music, or car mechanics, or horror and science fiction, or a world
entirely created in their imagination.
Not all Fives are scholars or Ph.Ds. But, depending on their intelligence and
the resources available to them, they focus intensely on mastering something that
has captured their interest.
-When I was younger it was movies. Ask me about any
movie, I’ll write you a personal review. Then it was the paranormal/religion/Zodiac
signs. Now I pay less attention to details and don’t care as much.
The intense focus of Fives can thus
lead to remarkable discoveries and innovations, but when the personality is
more fixated, it can also create self-defeating problems. This is because their
focus of attention unwittingly serves to distract
them from their most pressing practical problems. Whatever the sources of their anxieties may be—relationships, lack of physical strength,
inability to gain employment, and so forth—average Fives tend not to deal
with these issues. Rather, they find something else to do that will make them
feel more competent. The irony is that no matter what degree of mastery they
develop in their area of expertise, this cannot solve their more basic
insecurities about functioning in the world. For example, as a marine
biologist, a Five could learn everything there is to know about a type of
shellfish, but if her fear is that she is never going to be able to run her own
household adequately, she will not have solved her underlying anxiety.
-Again, can’t just live in theory, at some point you
have to stop analyzing the pool and just dive in.
Thus, much of their time gets spent "collecting" and developing ideas
and skills they believe will make them feel confident and prepared. They
want to retain everything that they have learned and “carry it around in their
heads.” The problem is that while they are engrossed in this process, they are not interacting with others or
even increasing many other practical and social skills. They devote more and
more time to collecting and attending to their collections, less to anything
related to their real needs.
-Introverts. Take things in. Absorb like sponges.
Thus, the challenge to Fives is to
understand that they can pursue whatever questions or problems spark their
imaginations and maintain relationships, take proper care of themselves, and do
all of the things that are the hallmarks of a healthy life.
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