Air Odd’s Reviews > The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery > Status Update

“These thoughtful kids have significant fears, so they often appear to be more serious than they are. They have to be invited to be playful, and even then it feels a bit frivolous and awkward. Deep down, they are tender and compassionate and would like to be more open with their love and affection, but the vulnerability they feel is too much to navigate.”

- Page 178

“They are comfortable spending time alone so they would be content with just one or two friends, but they aren’t adept at sharing feelings, and their need for personal space is difficult for other kids to understand.”

- Page 177

“These kids have mixed feelings about school. They are smart and enjoy learning, and they usually make good grades. However, the social demands of school are hard to read and a challenge to accommodate. It feels to them like people either want too much time with them or not enough.”

- Page 177

“For them [Fives] life is like a knowledge salad bar. They get in line, pick what they want, then bag it up, take it home, eat it and over the next week digest it. They need extended periods of time alone where they can process their thoughts and feelings.”

- Page 176

“To maintain their privacy, Fives tell each group of friends or colleagues one part of their story, but they never tell any group their whole story. They won’t tell you about every activity they’re involved in or introduce you to the friends they’ve made in their different spheres.”

- Page 175

“As a Five, he can sort through the facts, study the situation from every angle and then present me with a well-reasoned, unbiased case for why he thinks I should choose a particular course of action, even if it’s not what I want to hear or might somehow negatively affect his life.”

- Page 173

“In the end avarice catches up to Fives. They hoard too much, emotionally speaking. Their greed for privacy and their fear of self-disclosure lead to isolation.”

- Page 172

“Every handshake, phone call, business meeting, social gathering or unexpected encounter seems to cost them more than it does other people.”

- Page 170

“Fascinated to know about other people’s lives and a great listener, Bill always found a way to shift the focus of conversation back to me whenever I asked him about his own life.
At the time I wasn’t familiar with the Enneagram and didn’t know that withholding personal information is a classic trait of Fives.”

- Page 170

“When the past calls, let it go to voicemail. It has nothing new to say to you.”

[Fours]

- Page 166