The type five is called The Investigator. You have a wing 4 or a wing 6. In this blog, we are comparing the Enneagram type 5w4 with the 5w6. Because whether you’re a wing four or a wing six is going to extremely affect how you move through your day.
Today, we are comparing the Enneagram 5, a.k.a The Investigator, 5w4 with the 5w6 so you can find out which one you truly are.
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Because knowing your wing is the secret to fulfilling your core desire. Let’s dive in.
Why Does My Wing Matter?
Before we continue, remember that your enneagram wing does not change your core desires. Your enneagram type determines your core desires and core fears. Your enneagram wing determines your behaviors. See the difference? Recognizing your wing can also help you avoid mistyping! If neither of the wings seems to resonate with you, then you might have mistyped.
We are comparing the 5w4, known as “The Iconoclast,” verses the 5w6, known as “The Problem Solver”. By knowing your wing, you can live in better alignment and fulfill your core desire with ease.
Enneagram Type 5 Overview
The enneagram type five is called The Investigator. Your core desire is to have knowledge, resources, and alone time. As a 5, you are logical, cerebral, analytical, and introverted.
Your core desire comes from the fear that if you don’t have all the knowledge then you will be incapable. Being emotionally expressive and spontaneous doesn’t come naturally to you.
But depending on your wing, how you go about fulfilling this core desire of having resources and time alone will be different.
If you are a 5w4, you want to have alone time to creatively express yourself and know what makes you important in the world whereas, if you are a 5w6, you have more of a focus on gaining stability and security.
Enneagram 5w4 vs 5w6 Comparison
In the enneagram, one wing is considered more “extraverted” and the other more “introverted” this doesn’t mean you have to be an introvert or extravert to be a certain wing, it just means you are going to have louder or quieter behavior tendencies depending on which wing is dominant.
The 5w6 is considered the extraverted wing however, type 5s are very quiet people in general so the wing 6 doesn’t suddenly make them social butterflies.
People in the enneagram community say that the goal is to have balance in your wings but we disagree (to some extent).
You should have space in your life where you embrace each of your wings but it doesn’t matter if they are balanced. We believe that it’s extremely important that we know our dominant wing.
Watch our enneagram 5w4 vs 5w6 comparison video on our youtube channel!
The reason for this is that your wing plays a big role in lifestyle and habits. By knowing your wing, you can know what kind of habits and what way of life will bring you peak happiness.
Especially for you, wonderful type 5! You know that your core desire is to be capable and have alone time and that your growth is to step into the bold and action-oriented nature of an 8, but do you know where in your life you want to achieve that core desire?
Read below and compare whether you think you are an enneagram 5w4 or 5w6…
Enneagram 5w4
The biggest difference between the 5w4 and 5w6 is the 5w4’s core desire is to be capable and know that they are serving a purpose. If you’re a 5w6, you care more about being capable and having guaranteed safety.
The 5w4 is called “the iconoclast.” This is the more introverted wing and they take on the appearance of the individualist in some aspects. They seem quirky, creative, philosophical, and unconventional.
So you walk to the beat of your own drum. You will do all the research for something and get all the opinions from your trusted friends and family but will always end up choosing the option you want even if it seems the least logical.
If you are a 5w4, it is vital that you are making time to be with people who love your quirkiness and get on your level of philosophy.
Enneagram 5w6
Like I said earlier, the 5w6’s core desire is to be capable and have guaranteed safety. It is extremely important to the 5w6 that they have future and present stability.
The 5w6 is called “the problem solver.” This is the more extroverted wing. They take on the appearance of the loyalist in some aspects, meaning that they seem cautious, dedicated, loyal, stable, and orderly.
As a 5 wing 6, you care more about gaining knowledge and resources that will keep you stable.
Type 5w6s prefer to have more time alone but it is vital that you are making time to be with friends you can trust. The wing 6 means you value loyalty so allow room for that loyalty to show.
Noticing Your Wing Throughout Your Day
Throughout your day, practice noticing when you’re embracing your 4 wing and when you’re embracing your 6 wing.
Do you feel happier when you are being creative and using your knowledge to help others in creative ways? Or do you feel better when you are guaranteeing your future safety and stability?
Not sure if you tested right? Take our free enneagram test to compare 👇
Do you have a better idea of what your wing is? Hopefully, you do! Thanks for reading.
Still don’t know if you’re a 5w4 or 5w6? The Enneagram Cheatsheets are FREE and will walk you through the whole process of typing for your Enneagram and MBTI!
Related Blogs:
- 12 Gift Ideas For The Enneagram 5
- Enneagram 5 In Stress & Growth
- Enneagram 4w5 VS 5w4: Which Are You?
- Enneagram 5w6 VS 6w5: Which Are You?
Read The Rest Of This Wing Series:
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5w6 are the extroverted ones.
Thanks for reading the blog! Interesting you say that. I think when it comes to the type 5, it is really hard to tell which wing is more extraverted and I believe it ends up coming down to other factors. From my experience, the 5w4s I met are more extraverted than the 5w6s but I will keep your statement in mind going forward.
Loved this! I identify as a 5w4 and have a dear friend who identifies as 5w6. She is more introverted than I, but I would maybe say the 5w4 is less introverted than 5w6, as opposed to extroverted. Make sense? Under no circumstances would anyone think I was an extrovert. 😀
So, I am a type five and I can see all the errors in this article along with many others.. the 5w4’s are far more introverted than the 5w6s.. I use both wings but think I still lean more to the 4 wing.. then again I use them both pretty much just as much.. Which the book I have mentions some people do use both wings just as often.. 5w4s are far more introverted in comparison to the 5w6s but it also depends on the variant of the five as well. If someone is an SP five they’re gonna be far more introverted whether they have a 5 or a 6 wing.. the book i have also mentions that fives can be artsy and creative in healthy ranges whether they have a four or a 6 wing.. I personally believe that all the types can be artsy and creative though it does list the fours as being the most artistic.. it mentions how everyone can access both wings of their enneagram type and that all people do use smidges of all the enneagram types, yet their dominant enneagram types stay their most used types for roughly 90% of their total day.. all people need their wings to be completely functional.. anyways sorry for misspelling things.. i dont really care enough to go back and fix my grammar errors.. theirs a lot i could say.. as people we all gather information that isn’t 100% correct but sometimes i get a bit annoyed and irritated when i see information on a page that isnt 100% correct bc if someone were to read this and gather this information as being a truth.. they pretty much wouldnt even be gathering the right information all the time.. and that kind of irritates me and sometimes even angers me. its okay to misspell things.. but information that isnt 100% correct.. a person shouldnt even be writing an article on the topic if they dont know what theyre even talking about.
hmm you sound like a 4w5