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Enneagram Type 5 Board Archive 5w4Posted by Fergus on March 30, 2002 at 10:59:24: I've recently been wondering whether I am a 5w4 or a 5w6, and I woke up in the middle of the night with this question on my mind. So I carefully reread the descriptions of these two wing types in both editions of Personality Types, thinking carefully about how well each sentence described me. My overall conclusion is that I seem to be a 5w4, not a 5w6. Perhaps something is missing in Oldham's book, which is what got me thinking I could have a six wing. Here's one clue to my wing. When I saw Revenge of the Nerds, I envied the nerds. They had a sense of comradery and solidarity that I don't have with others, and I wanted to be a nerd like them. Here are some relevant quotations from the description of the 5w4 in Wisdom of the Enneagram, along with my comments about how they fit me. "THE FIVE WITH A FOUR WING: THE ICONOCLAST" Several years ago, before there was a web, and before I knew about the Enneagram, I used "Iconoclast" as a handle on GEnie. "These people are more emotional, introspective, and creative than Fives with a Six-wing." I am very creative. I also tend to be fairly emotional and introspective. This post is probably testament to how introspective I can be. "They seek a niche that has not been explored by others--something that can truly be their own." I did my Ph.D. dissertation on what an evil person is, which was a fairly unexplored niche. I have created Chess variants unlike any that have come before. I seem to be the only person who has been developing a triadic Enneagram test. Other Enneagram tests all fall into the same mold of asking questions for each type instead of for triads. "They are often whimsical and inventive: their tinkering with familiar forms can lead to startling innovations." This has been especially evident in my Chess variants. By tinkering with the familiar form of Chess, I have created games that are very different from standard Chess. "Often drawn to the arts, they use the imagination more than the analytic, systematic parts of their minds." I originally wanted to be a composer, and I gave that up mainly because being handicapped has made it difficult for me to be a musician. Although I can be very analytical, I favor being creative. I like computer programming, because it is a creative way to make use of my analytical powers. I have also done a fair amount of weird computer art. "Although primarily identified with their minds, people of this subtype struggle with intense feelings that can create difficulties in sustaining efforts and in working with others." Intense feelings have sometimes made it difficult for me to focus on intellectual pursuits. "Their interests tend toward the surreal and fantastic rather than the rational or romantic." My computer wallpaper includes paintings by Tanguy, Dali, Appia, and Roger Dean. My own computer art tends to be very surreal. The Twilight Zone has long been one of my favorite shows. "They can be attracted to dark, forbidden subject matter or to the disturbing or grotesque." My dissertation was on evil. Is there a darker subject than that? Also, Buffy and Angel are two of my very favorite shows.
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