More than any other type, Fives want to find out why things are the way they are. Always seeking and asking questions, they don’t accept received opinions and doctrines, feeling a strong need to test the truth of most assumptions for themselves.

This relentless pursuit for knowledge masks deep insecurity about their ability to function successfully in the world. Fives feel that they do not have the ability to do things as well as others. But rather than engaging in things directly to bolster their confidence they take a step back into their minds where they feel more comfortable. They believe that, from the safety of their minds, they can work out how things are and one day rejoin the world. This inner world slowly becomes their inner tinker toy.

Fives spend a lot of time observing and contemplating, internalising their knowledge and gaining a sense of self-confidence. They may even stumble across new information or make exciting new connections in their minds. The verification of their observations or seeing others understand their work is a confirmation of their competency. Knowledge, insight and understanding are thus highly valued by Fives. These are the things their identity is built around. For this reason they are drawn to things outside of the familiar – the interesting, the unusual, the bizarre. Knowing something others don’t enables them to build a niche, something Fives believe is the best way to attain independence and confidence.

Thus for their own security and self-esteem, Fives must have one area they have a degree of expertise in to allow them to feel capable and connected to the world. As they build that expertise they will strive to avoid distractions or things getting in their way. The result can be intense focus that can lead to remarkable discoveries. Whatever area they choose to pursue, it will not be one that requires social validation. In fact, if others agree too quickly, they may fear their ideas are too conventional.

The problem with intense focus is that it can create self defeating problems. Whatever issues face Fives in life, such as relationships, getting a job, lack of physical strength, etc, they can be ignored in preference for something that makes them feel more competent. The irony is that no matter the level of competence a Five achieves, it will not resolve their worldly challenges and basic insecurities. The challenge for the Five is, of course, to work on the mental, social and the physical, realising they can pursue whatever sparks their imaginations and all of the things that are the hallmarks of healthy life.

When a Five learns to reclaim and occupy their physical presence and their instinctual energy, in the manner of Eights, they begin to self actualise. The challenge is to come down out of their heads and into their bodies, experiencing a deeper felt contact with their vitality and physicality. As they do, they are able comprehend many points of view at the same time and bring tremendous insight and understanding, determining the best way to look at any problem. Their curiosity and open-mindedness results in them being highly innovative and inventive, all without self interest (an attribute that builds loyalty). They can then feel empowered, take on major challenges and assume leadership roles. A healthy Five will begin to look like a healthy Eight, becoming self confident and decisive.

How to Recognise a Five

Fives are an easy personality type to spot because they live in their minds and through their perceptions. Fives like to see. At home, the chair is close to the window; at work, the desk oversees everyone else. If Fives can see without being seen so much the better. Fives’ preoccupation with their minds means that they can neglect the habits that are second nature to everyone else: they can forget to change their clothes, they can put on non-matching socks or ear-rings; they can forget to eat, they can talk well into the night and forget to go to bed.

Fives need to put distance between themselves and the objects of their thoughts. They usually have a place where others can’t intrude. These places are like ivory towers or monastic cells. Although they are bare and frugal, Fives like to fill them with things they don’t have. Like their minds, they need to keep them empty so that they can fill them up.

Others may experience Fives as demeaning, skeptical or cynical, but at their best they can be cool, rational decision makers detached from emotion or fear.

The Five at Work

Fives like to work at a distance in which they are neither pressurised by time or space. They have a fascination for work and its processes particularly the nature of power and its effects on human behaviour. A Five in the workplace is always aware of the comings and goings of important others and what this means for the rest of the team. An ability to observe, analyse and draw conclusions is a huge advantage in workplaces where information is important such as research centres, politics and academia. But it brings with it two dangers. Fives can become absorbed with thinking at the expense of doing. They know what needs to be done, they simply aren’t interested in doing it.  The second danger lies in over-intellectualising. When Fives produce a view of things, they also intellectualise emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and pain.

To discover the Fives on your team, ask yourself: “Who always knows what’s going on?”; “Who likes to be alone with their thoughts?” and “Who tends to do a lot with very little?”.

Working with a Five

They might say “I need to think about that” as they withdraw into a complex and cerebral inner think tank.

They get stressed by …

Failing to maintain sufficient privacy, boundaries and limits, becoming fatigued, trying to learn everything there is to know before taking action.

They get angry because of …

Being considered factually incorrect, excessive demands and intrusions, an overload of emotional input, not having enough private time to restore energy, invasion of privacy or personal space, injustice.

Get along with them by…

Generally they won’t flaunt their expertise so ask them what you need know, give them time to analyse the data and make a decision, avoid spontaneous mini meetings, have them write a report, deal with them by email rather than verbally.