# Am I 5w6 or 8w9 sp?



## Lakefront992 (Jul 22, 2020)

Hi there! I am a bit new to this. I seem to test 1w9, but once I began looking into it and thinking about it, I knew it was not me at all. 

I've studied MBTI for several years and I identify very well with the INTJ description. I have not found the same relation with this system, but I'd like to learn more about it. I was recently typed a 5w6 by someone, but I am a bit suspect of it. The person thought I was a 5 because I discussed with them how I need immense periods of time to re-charge and how I run situations through my head all the time, but the whole "intellectual" label of type 5 does not fit me at all. I could care less about being the smartest person in the room. The person who typed me also said they could not see my 2 side at all. I also would like to know how an 8w9 sp would differ from a 5w6. 

1. What drives you in life? What do you look for?
I am driven by large challenges and finding ways to tackle them. I love being on the move and pushing my own boundaries to see what I can accomplish. 
2. What do you hope to accomplish in your life?
To give myself a sense of freedom to pursue whatever I'd like. 
3. What do you hope to avoid doing or being? What values are important to you?
I don't want to be the person who gets into a predictable routine. I like things to be kind of hectic and unpredictable because it keeps me sharp. 
4. What are your biggest fears (not including phobias)? Why?
Not having control of my fate. When I was younger, I let people tell me what to do all the time and the first time I stood up for myself I remember feeling so empowered. I never wanted to let that happen again. I've tried to do the same for others.
5. How do you want others to see you? How do you see yourself?
I don't know how to answer this. I know in my own family I am probably seen as the rebel because I go against what they want all the time. But this is not something I typically concern myself with. People are going to see me how they want to see me. 
6. What makes you feel your best? What makes you feel your worst?
Best: Moving around, keeping busy, doing a lot of things that I want to be doing... Worst: being told that it is my duty or expectation to do *__ or go to _*. Being heavily structured and supervised. 
7. Describe how you experience each of: a) anger; b) shame; c) anxiety.
Anger: Can hold it in for very short periods of time, but I tend to just blow up and let it go all over the place. If you were to imagine a volcano, that would be me. I rage full on and hardcore for a day or two then just burn myself out. When I am rage mode, everything about me is burning hot and on fire. 
Shame: I can feel it strongly, but I typically only experience it when there is a lesson to be learned. It is best to just carry on. and make sure I don't make the same mistake again.
Anxiety: I've gotten a lot better at dealing with it over the years. It can fuel me up, but I turn it into a challenge for me to come up with a solution that gets me to where I need to be. 
8. Describe how you respond to each of: a) stress; b) unexpected change; c) conflict.
stress: It is what charges me in a strange sense. I need some stress to get myself moving, but I completely fall apart if I am under immense stress. I find myself under a lot of stress when people try to micromanage me and tell me how I should be feeling. 
unexpected change: Okay, recalculate myself and then just get on with my day. Not worth stressing over. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with another path.
conflict: What is the other person thinking and why are they coming from that perspective? Where is the missing link in my understanding and theirs?
9. Describe your orientation to: a) authority; b) power. How do you respond to these?
Authority: I question the hell out of it and sort of just see it as an arbitrary thing to get around. 
Power: Arbitrary. I do not concern myself with who has the most power. 
10. What is your overall outlook on life and humanity?
I get very annoyed at these modern day cultural movements. There is a gigantic lack of understanding going on everywhere and nobody seems to want to listen. All they want to do is hear the other person say what they think so I tend to just block people out unless they are in my close circle. Things always balance themselves out one way or another so why should I waste my energy on it is how I see it.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

I'm not entirely convinced you're either 8w9 or 5w6.


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## Lakefront992 (Jul 22, 2020)

tanstaafl28 said:


> I'm not entirely convinced you're either 8w9 or 5w6.


Is there anything else you want to know?
Edit: The person typing me suggested that I look at 5w6 and 8w9. I was a bit more convinced on 8w9, but I do not feel this desire to control other people around me. If they mess with my own sense of freedom/future outcome, I will bulldoze them however.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Lakefront992 said:


> Is there anything else you want to know?
> Edit: The person typing me suggested that I look at 5w6 and 8w9. I was a bit more convinced on 8w9, but I do not feel this desire to control other people around me. If they mess with my own sense of freedom/future outcome, I will bulldoze them however.


I don't know. It just didn't seem conclusive to me. 8w9 are not as aggressive as 8w7. They're more like the "Don't poke the bear" style 8s. 5w6 tend to be surprisingly social (when they choose to be) interested in knowledge and more afraid of being overwhelmed than you seem.


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## Lakefront992 (Jul 22, 2020)

tanstaafl28 said:


> I don't know. It just didn't seem conclusive to me. 8w9 are not as aggressive as 8w7. They're more like the "Don't poke the bear" style 8s. 5w6 tend to be surprisingly social (when they choose to be) interested in knowledge and more afraid of being overwhelmed than you seem.


I just do not relate with the 8w7 entrepreneurial way.I am not one to lead others at all. I'm a lot more awkward and introverted. I tend to do that Te user thing of letting people do what they decide to do then get super annoyed at them for behaving irrationally, but normally in my friendships I tend to be along for the ride. When I get overwhelmed, I tend to just withdraw a lot. I do worse when people try to force me out of that feeling. I don't get overwhelmed that easily though.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Yeah, I think maybe you need to do some self-education on this one. You'll know which enneagram type resonates with you.


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## Lakefront992 (Jul 22, 2020)

tanstaafl28 said:


> Yeah, I think maybe you need to do some self-education on this one. You'll know which enneagram type resonates with you.


Okay, I accept that. When I got into MBTI years and years ago, the INTJ description was so scarily accurate. I've gotten a lot out of it. But one question for you, the person who typed me had a bit of difficulty in identifying one as well. Is there anything I said that makes this particularly difficult? I am curious.


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## Shrodingers drink (Nov 30, 2018)

I get 3/7 vibes. Your focus is also quite extroverted. Entx enneagram 3 would fit for me. Ni doms hate distracting environments which you seem to like.


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## Lakefront992 (Jul 22, 2020)

Shrodingers drink said:


> I get 3/7 vibes. Your focus is also quite extroverted. Entx enneagram 3 would fit for me. Ni doms hate distracting environments which you seem to like.


I connect in ways to the Ne-Ti of the ENTP's, but my Fe is so dangerously low. Fe trickster (7th slot) seems to fit my life very well with all the blunders I've made. I couldn't comfort someone or tell you how they're feeling to save my life. I'm very aware of how I feel, almost to the point where it is a childlike sense of immaturity in me if I don't keep it in check. I also completely ignore my own physical limitations a lot to the point where I've gotten myself sick more than once. Socializing and initiating takes so much out of me. There was this one time a speaker came to my university and when I arrived at the event, I made it a point to engage with everyone at the event about their own life experiences. We went to dinner and I kept this up while trying to buy everyone food that they just had to have in my transitioned state. I was presenting just like an ESFP since I was initiating with everyone, very involved in the physical environment, and having a lot of values/moral based discussions. All in all, this event turned into about a 5 hour ordeal and the moment I walked back into my place, I nearly collapsed in my bed. I woke up 9 hours later feeling like I had just exited a bar fight after that. It took me about 3 days to feel up to socialize again, even though I had known most of the people at the event for a year and a half. I was satisfied with how I did that night, but it was almost as if I had this expectation to preform on myself. 

I don't know if this helps determine 3 or 7.. but I exist almost in two states at once. I love doing things in the physical world like driving my boat or doing my lab experiments while cranking some music and having little to no people around lol. That would be my ideal world.


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## Shrodingers drink (Nov 30, 2018)

Lakefront992 said:


> I connect in ways to the Ne-Ti of the ENTP's, but my Fe is so dangerously low. Fe trickster (7th slot) seems to fit my life very well with all the blunders I've made. I couldn't comfort someone or tell you how they're feeling to save my life. I'm very aware of how I feel, almost to the point where it is a childlike sense of immaturity in me if I don't keep it in check. I also completely ignore my own physical limitations a lot to the point where I've gotten myself sick more than once. Socializing and initiating takes so much out of me. There was this one time a speaker came to my university and when I arrived at the event, I made it a point to engage with everyone at the event about their own life experiences. We went to dinner and I kept this up while trying to buy everyone food that they just had to have in my transitioned state. I was presenting just like an ESFP since I was initiating with everyone, very involved in the physical environment, and having a lot of values/moral based discussions. All in all, this event turned into about a 5 hour ordeal and the moment I walked back into my place, I nearly collapsed in my bed. I woke up 9 hours later feeling like I had just exited a bar fight after that. It took me about 3 days to feel up to socialize again, even though I had known most of the people at the event for a year and a half. I was satisfied with how I did that night, but it was almost as if I had this expectation to preform on myself.
> 
> I don't know if this helps determine 3 or 7.. but I exist almost in two states at once. I love doing things in the physical world like driving my boat or doing my lab experiments while cranking some music and having little to no people around lol. That would be my ideal world.


Interesting. That actually sounds quite ISTP like. IsXps are highly intuitive with their Tertiary Ni, and the Aux Se fits with your lifestyle. High social introversion plus extroverted enneagram would also explain your bimodal nature (I'm similar as a bimodal E5 ENTP). For enneagram your looking for the basis of irrational behavior. Would you say your driven out of fear or image?


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## Lakefront992 (Jul 22, 2020)

Shrodingers drink said:


> Interesting. That actually sounds quite ISTP like. IsXps are highly intuitive with their Tertiary Ni, and the Aux Se fits with your lifestyle. High social introversion plus extroverted enneagram would also explain your bimodal nature (I'm similar as a bimodal E5 ENTP). For enneagram your looking for the basis of irrational behavior. Would you say your driven out of fear or image?


I actually do not relate at all to Ti hero. I find that things are not as simple as being a black and white true and false. I once knew a Ti hero man who was constantly focused on finding the "Objective truth" but I operate under the mindset that everyone has their own truth. You have not convinced me that I am mistyped. As an INTJ, I have Ti high enough in slot #6 to use it, but I am far more focused on my own morals and the thinking patterns of other people. Ti for me comes out when it is time to test a belief I have... As for Te, when I watch a documentary, a YouTuber, or listen to a friend of mine talk, I can just track the patterns of how they think and figure out other opinions/views that they have intuitively. I'm not laser focused on credibility like many Te users, but it does come up in my mind. (I.e I watched a documentary and blurted out "What makes Bill Clinton think he is credible enough to speak about nutrition?") I do not relate with Ni child because I have a laser sharp focus on what where I want to be. It is something I just automatically think about almost every waking moment of my day to some capacity. As for Fi, I have a very strange relationship of it. I know how I feel far better than the IxTP's I've seen with 8th slot demonic Fi. However, there are a lot of times I just cannot put it into words because it feels underdeveloped and immature. If I don't keep myself in check, I could even come across as a bit moody at times because I feel emotions randomly. I'm pretty good at keeping myself in check, but there are times I just have to take a step back and get away from people because of a weird mood I'm in. (Also I don't know how much this influences it, but two close family members of mine are ENTJ's and watching them has definitely shaped my own development.)

Definitely not image. Could care less what people think of me and I've walked away from prestige because of my own internal values. I would say I try to do so much in my life because I see a lot of people that are incapable. It isn't really something I fear because I know I have it in me to get around those people, but I want to give myself a future with autonomy and I'm not about to let someone who is incapable stand in my way.


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## Shrodingers drink (Nov 30, 2018)

Lakefront992 said:


> I actually do not relate at all to Ti hero. I find that things are not as simple as being a black and white true and false. I once knew a Ti hero man who was constantly focused on finding the "Objective truth" but I operate under the mindset that everyone has their own truth. You have not convinced me that I am mistyped. As an INTJ, I have Ti high enough in slot #6 to use it, but I am far more focused on my own morals and the thinking patterns of other people. Ti for me comes out when it is time to test a belief I have... As for Te, when I watch a documentary, a YouTuber, or listen to a friend of mine talk, I can just track the patterns of how they think and figure out other opinions/views that they have intuitively. I'm not laser focused on credibility like many Te users, but it does come up in my mind. (I.e I watched a documentary and blurted out "What makes Bill Clinton think he is credible enough to speak about nutrition?") I do not relate with Ni child because I have a laser sharp focus on what where I want to be. It is something I just automatically think about almost every waking moment of my day to some capacity. As for Fi, I have a very strange relationship of it. I know how I feel far better than the IxTP's I've seen with 8th slot demonic Fi. However, there are a lot of times I just cannot put it into words because it feels underdeveloped and immature. If I don't keep myself in check, I could even come across as a bit moody at times because I feel emotions randomly. I'm pretty good at keeping myself in check, but there are times I just have to take a step back and get away from people because of a weird mood I'm in. (Also I don't know how much this influences it, but two close family members of mine are ENTJ's and watching them has definitely shaped my own development.)
> 
> Definitely not image. Could care less what people think of me and I've walked away from prestige because of my own internal values. I would say I try to do so much in my life because I see a lot of people that are incapable. It isn't really something I fear because I know I have it in me to get around those people, but I want to give myself a future with autonomy and I'm not about to let someone who is incapable stand in my way.


Yep I can definitely see the Fi coming through there so INTJ fits the bill. Being and ENTP i like to test things! Enneagram seems to be in the 3/4 or 7/8 area. 3s and 8s are hard for me to tell apart when combined with Ni. So something like a 8w7 or 7w8 with 3 fix could easily be the case


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## UpaLoopa (Aug 10, 2020)

Not sure if you've settled on a type yet, but here's my two cents:

You seem like an 8w7. 

I was also thinking 3 or 7, but then you started talking about your stress behavior. 8's, in my experience, are the most likely to look at a stressor as a challenge and tackle it. Also, you withdraw when the pressure gets too high. 7's don't withdraw, they just get critical. 3's withdraw, but in a sulky, apathetic way. But what you described is a 5-ish withdrawal, which is something 8's do (check out the lines of integration/disintegration). But more importantly, you don't seem like you run from unpleasant things like core 7's do, and you don't seem like you put on masks like a 3 would.

The idea that 8's want to control others is a bit of a misnomer, I think. Maybe they seek dominance when they're unhealthy, but most 8's I know simply don't want to be controlled. So they freely assert _their_ will and that often gets them into positions of leadership, whether that was their goal or not. Avoiding control often leads to conflict with authority, which is why 8's and counter-phobic 6's are often mistyped for each other. But 6's have more of an obsession with authority and social structures, which you don't seem to have. 

I give you a 7 wing because of your focus on freedom (which for you sounds like something bigger than just not being controlled) and your extroverted stance. Now, I'm talking about _cognitive_ extroversion, not the social kind. Even core 7's aren't always about social interaction, they just want to _go and do._ 8w9's tend to be more laid back. "Don't poke the bear" really is the best analogy for them. You say that about bears that are at rest, not ones that are on the hunt.

Hope that makes sense and helps.


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## Rumni (Aug 22, 2020)

I was very interested in your post as I myself have this 5w6/8w9 problem. I am also INTJ/INFJ (I have a balanced thinking/feeling, or so the lady said). 

One area where I totally differ from you is that I cannot handle stress and unexpected changes. Period. Anything that disturbs the tranquillity of my mind or causes disharmony in my environment is a major stressor for me. 

At the same time, I cannot stand liars, bullies and betrayers. I am compelled to give them large pieces of my mind, but the experience leaves a very bitter aftertaste in my mouth. 

I could totally relate to your story where you acted friendly for an evening and that exhausted you. That sounds like a typical 5 behaviour. 5s can pretend to be friendly and gregarious, but it drains their energy. Perhaps you are not a core 5, but have 5 in your tritype?

I think it will be really helpful if you can give an example of a situation where stress has motivated you and how you responded to it.


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## speckle (Jul 18, 2017)

EDIT: After reading some of your follow up posts, I also think Type 6 is a good possibility for you- take a look and see if any of this resonates: Type Six — The Enneagram Institute

You sound quite a bit like an 8 to me. I would look into more descriptions of that type and see if you think it fits! This website is very helpful, and it also has a "misidentifications" section so you can compare and contrast different options: Type Eight — The Enneagram Institute

I also got more of a 7 wing than a 9 wing from your response- the desire for constant activity and change feels a lot like 7 to me.


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