Enneagram Personality 5w4 (A complete guide)

In this brief guide, we are going to discuss the Enneagram personality type, or subtype, more accurately, 5w4, or Type 5 wing 4. We will also look at the details of an enneagram and the various enneagram types that exist, as well as the MBTI relation to the enneagram type 5w4.

What is 5w4?

5w4 is a personality type in the Enneagram theory of personality, and it stands for Type 5 with a wing on type 4, or simply 5 wing 4.

These individuals are also known as the Philosopher, due to the fact that at the crux of the personality are type 5 traits like investigating and observing, trying to find the answers to both the abstract as well as the real world, and on the other hand, there is the wing 4, which allows the individual to introspect and gives them the capacity to ponder the great mysteries of both self and the world.

The 5w4 is likely to identify most with type 5, but they definitely share traits with type fours, which makes for an individual that is curious, creative, and reserved in their behavior. 

5w4 may have a tendency to be alone so they may reflect and recharge. 

A 5w4 is also likely to be more emotional and self-expressive than other fives who are likely to be more rational and pragmatic in comparison, or type 4s, which may be shy or withdrawn.

Type fives with a four wing may have a basic fear similar to that of enneagram type 5, which might be being helpless and incompetent. 

In order to deal with this basic fear, they may overcompensate by spending their time developing new knowledge and skills to feel useful and worthy, maybe even ignoring more practical, real-world needs in the process.

The basic desire of the five wing four is to feel helpful and able, as well as acquiring knowledge and implementing it.

They may express this by passionately pursuing knowledge and understanding of the world, and trying to seek people and see what they might learn from them.

To guard themselves against any possible accusations of being incompetent or not being good enough, these individuals may withdraw from the world and be by themselves while they introspect on these very fears.

A summary of the core features of enneagram type 5w4 may look like this:

• The tendency to be guarded or withdrawn from others, a preference for isolation in weak moments.
• A thirst for and seeking new skills and knowledge
• Curiosity and the tendency to explore new environments
• Preference of one’s own company
• Fear of being helpless or feeling incapable, or even being accused of being incapable of insignificant.

Some strengths of the 5w4 personality are as follows:

• The ability to think creatively and express this creativity in novel ways.
• The ability to work independently and a sense of self-sufficiency
• Observant and a good understanding of the external world
• Deep focus and attention to details.

However, 5w4 is not without their weaknesses, here are some weaknesses that may be seen in the enneagram personality type 5w4:

• Maybe overly sensitive
• May spend too much time focusing on themselves
• The tendency to distance themselves too much and too often from other people
• A tendency to ignore solving problems practically or realistically

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

5w4 vs 5w6

An Enneagram Type 5 may have a wing with one of the two adjacent types on the Enneagram, which is either type 4 or type 6, creating either 5w4, which is the philosopher, someone that thinks and observes and ponders; or the 5w6, which is the Troubleshooter, someone that is respectable and loyal but also has the powers of observation and investigation and may therefore use these as a means of being there for those they are loyal to.

The Enneagram type 4 is characterized by the tendency to be an individualist and the tendency to introspect and be creative and artistic.

The Enneagram type 6 on the other hand is a loyal, likable, and respectable individual who one can count on totally.

Here are some other common differences between 5w4 vs 5w6:

• The 5w6 is likely to be more extroverted than the 5w4
• The 5w6 is more likely to seek people out to help than the 5w4
• The 5w4 is likely to be more artistic and creative
• The 5w4 may solve problems more efficiently than 5w6
• 5w6 may have the basic fear of being abandoned due to incompetence whereas the fear for 5w4 may be more centered around being incompetent or insignificant
• The basic desire of the 5w4 may be understanding and knowledge whereas for 5w6 it may be more along the lines of observing and helping and deducing things about the eternal world that enhances their understanding of people.

5w4 vs 4w5

A 5w4 is known as the philosopher, whereas the 4w5 is the free spirit or the bohemian, and where the 4w5 is more concerned about the creative and artistic, as well as the understanding of the same, the 5w4 is more concerned with the acquisition of knowledge and arming oneself with all the information they can so that they may avoid their basic fear: the fear of being competent or ridiculed for lack of knowledge.

The enneagram 4w5 may be more concerned with their image, but not in how they look capacity, more in the sense of how they are perceived, or if they are noticed for who they are.

The 5w4 on the other hand is concerned with the mysteries of the world, a knowledge of what goes on around, and inside them, is what matters to them.

Their concern is their competence not being noticed or being ignored despite it.

Enneagram 5w4 Characters

Here are some of the fictional enneagram 5w4 characters:

• Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)
• L from Death Note 
• Alex from Modern Family
• Howard Roarke from the Fountainhead
• Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds
• Shallon from Way of the Kings book series
• Agent Mulder from X files
• Elphaba from Wicked
• Daniel Jackson from Stargate
• Peter Parker (Spiderman) in the comics
• Ford from Gravity Falls

Enneagram 5w4 relationships

The 5w4 may have great relationships, but it wouldn’t be right to think of them in terms of being very emotional or too attached, as they are, at their heart, individuals who care most about knowledge and wisdom.

Interpersonal relationships are not a priority for 5w4s, and while they like the people they are around and show great care as well, they are not the type to wait on someone or show too much love in a conventional manner

5w4 would be more likely to do things for someone or use the wisdom they have gained to help them, or even include them in the journey to discovery, which needs to be seen as a great honor because this is the most amazing honor these people can offer.

5w4 may also not feel too deeply like the type 2 might, but when they love someone or are in a relationship with them, they may tend to think about them a lot and prioritize them over others. But undoubtedly his childhood will determine the severity of this factor.

5w4 is also likely to have strong boundaries with most, but with the one person they love, they might be much more flexible and adaptable, and they may also be more willing to change their schedules or even the quest for the wisdom they are constantly on, to make time for them

5w4 INTP

The somewhat free INTP with enneagram 5w4 is more likely to function as a critic of science or devil’s advocate, going into details and arguing logically for all sides of something, thinning rationally and bringing up the knowledge they have so painstakingly acquired.

They may go into detailed arguments to cast doubt on the foundations or assumptions of a theory, and the scientific method is like a religion to these individuals.

The feeling function of INTPs is not as dominant, so 5w4 INTPs are all about the logic and thinking rather than the expressing and feeling, but due to the fear of being thought of as incompetent or insignificant, they may worry that they will become too imbalanced, isolated, or depressed without their knowledge.

INTP is a common MBTI type among Enneagram Fives due to the fact that type five traits are attributable to introversion (I), thinking (T), and to some extent, intuition (N).

INTJ 5w4

INTJ 5w4 are also likely to be very private people, and like most 5w4s in general, they are both likely to be lovers of knowledge.

One may also see the INTJ 5w4 being awkward with people – private, set apart, and distant, and one may think of them somewhat like cats, they want to mingle, they just really don’t know how because they love their alone time so much too!

Typically, INTJ 5w4s may be somewhat picky, as well, paying more mind to the science and details rather than the vague and abstract, but at the same time, they may be capable of emotion when they do come out of their shell.

The INTJ 5w4 may have somewhat weird self-expressions that may actually be just about as weird as whatever they are studying, as they like to explore the obscure and unknown. 

The seeking of new information is another thing one might find a lot in INTJ 5w4s, and they are likely very curious and interested in finding out how things work.

5w4 INFJ

The 5w4 INFJ is likely to be a good Observer and they might be more in touch with their feelings than other introverted MBTI types given the dominant feelings function.

INFJs 5w4 can also be very perceptive and concerned with understanding the world, due to the 5w4 traits of observing and acquiring knowledge, especially about people and human nature, and this is all always done in an objective fashion. 

These individuals are also less likely to function minimally, whether that is emotionally or materially. 

INFJ 5w4 is more likely than other introverted subtypes like INTJ or ISTJ to outwardly express and talk through their emotional concerns with others, making them a strong interpersonal type.

Lastly, INFJ 5w4s can have good taste in things owing to the creativity and imagination that comes from the MBTI personality type.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we discussed the Enneagram personality type, or subtype, more accurately, 5w4, or Type 5 wing 4. We also looked at the details of an enneagram and the various enneagram types that exist, as well as the MBTI relation to the enneagram type 5w4.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you may have.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 5w4

Citations:

https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram/type-5-wing-6

The Enneagram Types of 99 Fictional Characters