The Wisdom of the Enneagram

by Don Richard Riso

Fives are not necessarily conscious of their underlying anxiety. More often they simply feel that they are not finished with their project and require more space and time to fine-tune it. Since so much of their self-esteem rides on their projects, Fives are deeply anxious that their work will be rejected or invalidated by others. But always feeling that they need to prepare more can cause Fives to get stuck for many years. They may awaken one day to realize that they have not lived a life—they have been preparing for one. Basically, Fives get paralyzed by a recurring superego message that says, “You are good or okay if you have mastered something.” But how much knowledge do they need? Who or what lets them know that they have attained mastery and can now move into action? How is mastery sustained?