Posted by Hal on December 22, 1998 at 14:14:49:
In Reply to: Re: misnomer posted by Derf on December 22, 1998 at 00:41:18:
> When I think of the Five, in general iconographic terms, I get a picture of a magnifying glass peering intently over a small block of data. That would seem to fit your description of your experience. Fives concentrate intently; their attention is like a laser beam. (Notice that they share this particular characteristic with Eights).
I agree that the average 5 tends to focus so intently on one thing and get so absorbed in it that everything else is ignored. In this case, they could still be called observers, just not very omniscient or aware ones. But as I see it, at the healthiest levels, 5's do take it all in, and have the ability to observe and understand everything at once, in a more omniscient way. It is the "sin" of the 5 to divide and compartmentalize everything in an effort to understand it. There is a tendency to focus on the minute details while becoming oblivious to the big-picture reason for studying the details (or focusing on the screen while the house burns down.) But it doesn't have to be this way. Take some time to look within yourself to understand WHY you get so absorbed in details. What do you hope to accomplish? What do you hope to avoid? What are you afraid of?
- Hal -