Here we are again talking about the Enneagram (here the introduction to this interesting tool), in particular we will focus on Enneatype 4, 5 and 6.
You don’t recognize yourselves in these three types and the first 3? Maybe you are a 7, an 8 or a 9. But what if you think you are all of them? That’s completely normal!
As already explained in the previous article about the Enneagram, all the enneatypes live inside us, or maybe they have identified themselves in different enneatypes according to a specific situation or life period: the Enneagram is a journey, a path that connects all types to make us transit among the best of all of them helping in our personal growth and development.
Not only, it is also a tool to understand who surrounds us, how to relate to others and how it is better to behave with a type instead of another.
Let’s start with Type 4: idealist, sentimental and romantic, but also sad and melancholic as the tradition wants.
Type 4 describes well the soul of XIX° Century’s Romantic poets, full of love and emotions, but also torn by a feeling of nostalgia and melancholia due to the same love.
As the Intelligence Center is the Heart, this archetype is led by emotions and this is why many of them are artists that through music, art, dance and literature try to give their life a meaning.
Their drive is introspection: they are always looking for something that can complete them due to the feeling of missing something. On the other hand, they seem to be always waiting for something in the meantime.
The feeling that something is missing together with the continuous research of stability have their roots in the soul of this type, as they are probably caused by a lack of an important and leading figure in their life, like a parent or a loved one. This makes them compare to other and develop a feeling of envy.
Type 4 is empathetic: they carefully observe and listen to other so that they can understand what is going on inside a person and easily read other people’s emotions.
However, their being sentimental and idealist makes them taking charge of people’s problems, even if they are not related to them, until they behave like victims in some cases.
The victimhood of type 4 is born because of a need of attention. They want, in fact, to feel special while also enjoying their loneliness.
The obstacle this enneatype has to work on to live more thoughtlessly is to balance their feelings (moving from joy to sadness within a second) by satisfying their needs as well as understand that they can be happy even accepting their imperfections.
To conquer type 4’s heart you have to appreciate their art and creativity, because it is through it that they give voice to what they can’t express with words, but also to help them being more direct and make peace with their emotionality.
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If type 4 is guided by emotions, types 5 and 6 are led by rationality instead, as their Intelligence Center is the Mind.
Like archetype 4, 5 as well has the tendency to isolation and feel a whole inside them, but what changes are the dynamics.
Type 5 is an academic, someone who likes to study and to enrich their culture. They use this hunger for knowledge to fill the distance between them and the others, a distance that they created themselves as a self-protection mechanism to resist the confusing feelings human relationships provoke.
Their loneliness allows them to reflect, to create their own autonomy and personal freedom, but can easily become seclusion.
Exactly like type 4, type 5 finds it difficult to express their own feelings, but not only with words.
All these dynamics can bring this archetype to become stingy, unwilling to share and to let themselves go because they want to keep all they have.
Personal space is very important to type 5 as they like to grow their interests, having difficulties in having physical and even mental relationships with other people.
This type loves being quiet, staying home and dedicate time to their hobbies, and due to the fact that they direct all their focus on the mind, they are used to fantasize on situations or to relive the same facts over and over.
Thoughtful but also paranoic, types 5 have learned to stay by themselves, being as trapped, sometimes, in their mind they very often talk to themselves out loud.
Approaching to this enneatype is not easy and it takes time, time for the type to think and reflect.
Their challenge is, in fact, to live more down to earth, catching feelings both with their head and gut. Moreover, they should open up in order to express their feelings and to knock down the wall they built around themselves to build relationships with others instead.
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When it comes to Type 6, they urge to isolate themselves because they are skeptical and wary, and most of the time they are pessimistic in front of situations.
This archetype thinks people hide the truth; thus, they are suspicious. This is probably due to the fact that when a kid, type 6 missed a father figure in their life, so they did not feel safe or protected, and once an adult, they are always on edge.
It is exactly in authorities and institutions that this type finds relief, who becomes a solder willing to protect the greater good.
They are loyal, brave and good strategist: they put a lot of mental effort in trying to put people into boxes or to uncover their real faces, creating strict rules to avoid future surprises.
Their being in a constant state of suspect has some effect on their nervous system, making them be kind of aggressive, but also on their sight as they are often short-sighted.
Worried about changes, they appreciated everything that is transparent, and so that is “safer” in a way.
Not as sociable as type 5, once they found someone to trust they turn into cheerful and disposable people.
As trust is their bigger limit, it is important that who wants to connect with type 6 will play putting their cards on the table, showing their real intentions since the beginning.
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Do you think you are one of these personality types? Find out what’s your archetype here!
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