They tend to be ambitious, proactive, and achievement-driven, but this also leads them to attach particular importance to status symbols. They find anything that has to do with possessions and positions stimulating. This can be accompanied by an aura of competitiveness that highlights those medals. The need for comparison gives special weight to things that are seen or demonstrated.
Since appreciation is measured by what they consider an achievement, and this is nothing more than a social construct, they end up giving priority to things that others find important. This valuation comes, of course, from the outside, from what they believe others think of them.
One of the great issues with this duality of execution (internal) and valuation (external) is that it can produce inner turmoil, because it can lead individuals to feel contempt for what they are if they don’t have what they’ve worked so hard to get. The story of the naked emperor in the classic tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is their worst nightmare.
This is a group that tends to be inward-focused, which is why they may be considered individualistic. They compensate for this introspection with a certain amount of overreaction. So, they can appear dramatic or romantic, and their hypersensitivity isn’t just emotional, it can also manifest itself in their physical and mental health.
These are people who perceive themselves as different from those around them. This difference, or self-exclusion, makes them view themselves as outsiders in their environment, and they enjoy this and reinforce it with their behavior—as a rule, they even reflect it in their physical appearance and general tastes.
They exhibit a penchant for creativity. This doesn’t mean that all members of this group are artistic and that the other Enneagram types are lacking artists. It simply means that they tend to be sensitive and creative.
The introspective, exaggerated, and creative combo is a double-edged sword when it comes to interpersonal relationships. They tend to construct stories and hyperbolize certain feelings, which makes them more susceptible to disillusionment, increasing their abandonment wounds and their need to seek refuge in individualism. When analyzing them, we must consider that people who feel misunderstood may also have difficulties understanding others.
By insisting that no one understands them, they may be the most reluctant to accept their type. E4s reading this paragraph may question how a personality model can summarize what they have failed to resolve throughout their lives. Capisce?
WE DO NOT NEED SPRING FOR US TO BLOOM.
If you were one of those children who, instead of playing with friends in the neighborhood, preferred to be at home, looking things up in books or experimenting with insects in your garden, you will understand the most remarkable attribute of this group.
They are known for having an innovative vision and enjoying complex activities. They prefer knowledge over action; in other words, they like learning details about the sea more than taking a dip in it.
This knowledge, this passion for the abstract, keeps them a little distant from the concrete, but they don’t go unnoticed. They have the impulse to demonstrate how much they know, much like how E3s brag about their accomplishments or possessions. This is a form of validation that comes from outside approval, which largely conditions how they interact socially. For E5s, knowing isn’t as important as having others validate how much they know.
Their knowledge—which, as we’ve seen, is different from intelligence—doesn’t necessarily translate into emotional skills. It can actually serve as a shield that stops them from making a deep connection with their most sensitive side. This affects their ability to understand feelings, pain, and fears, because no matter how prepared they are, theories won’t be help them comprehend these emotions.
They tend to be reserved and to limit their relationships to close-knit circles, where they shine. On the outside, they express an aversion to affection, even though they depend on human contact as much as everyone else. Let’s never forget that knowing a lot doesn’t mean knowing what is best for us.
This is a complex description. Those who fit in this group are defensive and cautious, but worthy of the trust given to them.
They tend to seek external support for decision-making. This is a sign of a potential need to find self-confidence. They depend on external approval when they must take steps that are indispensable for their growth. In other words, although they insist that they know themselves, they often doubt how they’ll get out of what they can’t control. This means that they’re particularly susceptible to catastrophic thinking, which makes them organized planners, but not necessarily executors. Living in a state of perpetual caution invites them to constantly procrastinate. They often try to be prepared at all times, but this doesn’t necessarily lead them to complete the tasks they commit to. Their wounds are mainly associated with injustice issues, and they tend to assume heroic positions in those available spaces.
What mobilizes a person who is always anticipating a potential shipwreck? Well, dry land, because even a calm sea is a risk to be avoided. Losing their comfort is something they don’t even want to talk about. They seek confirmation of their ideas among those around them, so they willingly accept authority and guidelines. Having the support and guidance of others is like having an anchor on solid ground, so there’s a marked fear of finding themselves in situations without the support of their guides.
I BELIEVE IN LOYALTY WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING YOU.
This group consists of energetic people who aren’t afraid to experiment and take risks. This explosive tendency has an inconsistent and scattered side.
They can be described as “the life of the party.” They have an enthusiastic attitude that leads them to enjoy adventures, but not necessarily get hooked on them. Their festive disposition and raucous happiness may help to avoid certain wounds. On the other hand, their focus on the immediate takes them away from an inner connection that requires peace and calm.
They insist that other people join their “crusade” of pleasures, even if that means having to give up formalities and labels. They regularly clash with pessimistic and even realistic positions.
Constantly seeking pleasure doesn’t translate to inner satisfaction, although it could come off that way. This playful aspect doesn’t mean that they live on the road or at parties—it represents how they channel the way they perform their tasks and commitments. E7s may lose interest and become disengaged when relationships, work, or study no longer provide the same initial satisfaction and entertainment. This is a problem because everything, even the things we like the most, go through less exciting phases.
This group avoids activities that limit their freedom, such as situations they find routine, monotonous, or arduous, even if they’re necessary conditions to achieve their goals. Therefore, it’s likely that the members of this group are busy people, yet not always constant.
They are described as people with a high tendency to exercise self-reliance and control. In fact, they often have the natural ability to establish the independence they desire because they enjoy inherent resources.
That “strength” doesn’t make them invincible—although they try to project a dominant image, they’re actually as docile as everyone else—but this insistence closes the floodgates of their emotional dam. It’s not easy for them to show openness because doing so may reveal part of that fragility they prefer to keep hidden behind a protective armor, which makes them feel unflappable even though they aren’t.
They invest most of their energy in winning and imposing their vision, which pushes them to engage in discussions and debates on even the most basic issues. They don’t easily give in, especially regarding intellectual matters.