# 5 mistyping as 8?



## habanita (Apr 13, 2011)

5 always seemed somehow not quite right and I had a little epiphany yesterday. I say little - it was like being punched in the face. In a good way. The way I've lived my life suddenly made complete sense (especially in terms of relating to people... or not)

I think I understand the reasons for getting my knickers in a twist. But I also hear that 5/8 confusion is rare. Is that true? Is it possibly less true for females?

(will continue exploring 8-ness...)


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## lirulin (Apr 16, 2010)

Were you under stress when you mistyped as 5? Could be why. Because 8 is supposed to disintegrate to 5 under stress. 8 - Enneagram Type Eight: The Challenger


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## habanita (Apr 13, 2011)

Hmm. Lots probably. But in more of a long-term way than short-term. I felt it necessary to manifest energy in a different way - change behavioral tactics to avoid danger. Types don't actually change in a more permanent way, do they?


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## lirulin (Apr 16, 2010)

habanita said:


> Hmm. Lots probably. But in more of a long-term way than short-term. I felt it necessary to manifest energy in a different way - change behavioral tactics to avoid danger. Types don't actually change in a more permanent way, do they?


I don't think they are supposed to change like that, according to the theory. Same with mbti - not without serious trauma etc. But some people do think they change regardless of what the theory says. I tend to think those incidents are more often mistypes or not understanding the theory so well initially, but that's me.


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

Fwiw, I have seen quite a few undecided between five and eight. Theres the detachment. 

Are you aggressive a lot?


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## timeless (Mar 20, 2010)

All the Enneagram types protect themselves from the world in different ways. Type 5s protect themselves by collecting information about the world around them. Once they are secure (e.g. they're not threatened by the world because they have their defense built up), then they get aggressive like an 8. But aggression isn't a core tendency, that's just where they go when they're prepared.

Core 8 ---Not working, need to "turtle up", disintegrate to 5---> 
Core 5 ---I'm ready, let's fight, integrate to 8 --->


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## Ezra (Mar 19, 2011)

This is the best thing to read:

*Misidentifying Fives and Eights*

These two types are not often mistyped, but share similar attitudes. Eights and Fives both see themselves as outsiders and both feel rejected easily. Both are highly independent, and willing to go to battle with anyone who threatens their independence. Both believe in direct communication, can be aggressive, and tend to protect their vulnerability.


Eights sometimes see themselves as Fives because they go to Five in stress, and therefore recall times when they have withdrawn from others to strategize and think about their future courses of action. Nonetheless, Eights more often deal with problems head on, and can be highly assertive in going after what they want. Fives, by contrast, tend to retreat from others and to cut off from many of their needs in order to avoid risking dependencies. 



Eights are highly instinctual and very related to their bodies: they are people of practical action, pragmatism, and sensuality, as a result. Fives tend to stay in their heads more, and often have an ambivalent relationship with their bodies. Staying grounded and practical can be a problem for Fives&#8211it is almost never one for Eights. Compare James Joyce (a Five) with Ernest Hemingway (an Eight).


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## habanita (Apr 13, 2011)

Aggressive? If threatened, yes. Or bored (but I think that's more as result of not being able to play out something with intensity). But apparently the vibe I give off has either intimidated people in the past (something I've found necessary to be conscious of) or they remark on feeling at ease/protected. 

Without wanting to go into too much detail, my freedom to act physically in even a small way was removed for a significant stretch of time, so yes I suppose that could definitely account for disintegration and possibly lingering problems staying grounded/practical(?), as the text Ezra posted (thank you for this) touched on. 

I don't know how other people feel about Lowen's typology and I haven't made my own mind up, but described traits of the Challenger-Defender structure seem very apt. I could be wrong in trying to forge the comparison, but it seems to pertain to Eights perhaps more so than Fives. Going to stop thinking aloud for the time being. Thank you for the replies.


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## Ezra (Mar 19, 2011)

If you're an INTP, it can be especially difficult for you to decide between Eight and Five. Because INTP is fundamentally a very Fiveish type - probably the most common kind of Five (along with maybe INTJ).

I'd never heard of INTP Eights till I came to this forum, but they do apparently exist, are theoretically possible, and fit this lovely chart I use as a reference: Type Correlations (at the bottom).

On gut instinct: you talk like a Five. I know this is extremely tenuous, but it's just on instinct. Vibe can be very helpful over the internet, but it can also be a major distortion (e.g. some people who thought I was cp6). Even video can distort (if you're not used to talking in front of a camera - or even if you are - you can become very self-conscious). The only way you can ever really know someone is by interacting with them, in life, for a very long period of time (my girlfriend and father both thought I was cp6 until the former spent much more time getting to know me on a deeper level, and I put the latter's ideas into perspective and it suddenly all made sense). In short, only you can really know.


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