Discovering your Enneagram personality type can help you understand yourself, but what about your Enneagram wing type? Some wing types can make you seem different from others with the same personality type due to your distinct traits. An Enneagram Type 5 can have a four or six wing. In this article, we will be focusing on the Enneagram type 5 wing 4.

As a type five with a four wing, your personality has added emotion from a type four’s characteristics. An Enneagram 5w4 is more artistic and emotional in thought and behavior. The four wing can influence a five to recognize and communicate their feelings.

Keep reading to learn more about the traits, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses of an Enneagram 5w4. You can also determine how you can benefit from your wing type’s influence and see a list of professions that would fit an Enneagram type five with a four wing.

5w4 F.A.Q.’s

What Does 5w4 Mean?

When addressing your dominant Enneagram personality and wing types, you can use a short term rather than saying the whole expression. This title indicates your Enneagram personality type’s number, a ‘w,’ which stands for ‘with a,’ or ‘wing,’ and your Enneagram wing type’s number. In this case, ‘5w4’ would read as, ‘Five with a Four wing,’ or ‘Five wing Four.’

Source: Enneagram Texas

Enneagram 5w4 Description

Fives are usually independent and sensitive, and with the four’s influence, they are more inclined to isolate themselves from others and easier to feel emotions and recognize them. However, they are less romantic and more abstract. Influenced by the fourth wing type, an Enneagram type five can have attributes common to their core type and others that enhance their personality. 

Sometimes, your wing type can powerfully influence your dominant Enneagram personality type. You might suspect that it isn’t truly your personality type because of the disparity between typical traits. Understanding the motivations of your personality type paired with your wing type can help you determine whether you’re a type five with a four wing.

enneagram 5w4

5w4 Traits

Type fives with the fourth wing are a part of the Head Triad, so they are motivated by their thoughts when making decisions, and if lacking awareness can allow fear to overwhelm them. A five with a four wing desires to be helpful using their knowledge and fears of being inadequate. Also known as ‘the Philosopher,’ they spend a lot of time thinking about the meaning of the universe and studying the purpose of life.

5w4 Behaviors

Those who identify with 5w4 are curious and thoughtful on the five’s side and are creative and eccentric on the four’s side. Enneagram fives are generally so focused and devoted to gaining knowledge that they often will ignore their feelings. Still, they can recognize and process them with help from the four wing. They often focus their studies on unconventional topics.

5w4 Strengths

As an Enneagram 5w4, you can combine your artistic abilities with your passion for knowledge, which can help you create original pieces that no one else might have thought of. You are good at your work because you pay attention to the fine details. Your wing’s influence helps you maintain focus so you can see a task through to the end without needing help.

5w4 Weaknesses

Despite their abundance of knowledge, an Enneagram 5w4 often struggles to think realistically because they spend too much time in their heads living in a fantasy. Fives with a four wing tend to be oversensitive and might misinterpret others’ words or actions due to their lack of social ability. They can become quite self-absorbed and boastful of their wisdom and accomplishments.

Sources: Medium, Optimist Minds, Psychologia, Crystal

YouTube video

How to Benefit from A 4 Wing as An Enneagram 5

An Enneagram type five can benefit from a four wing by learning to acknowledge their emotions and healthily process them rather than ignoring them and putting on a stoic front. You should remember that everyone needs help sometimes, and you are not exempt just because you feel comfortable being alone. As an Enneagram 5w4, you can find beauty in the odd or complex aspects of life.

Source: Intuitive Enneagram

5w4 vs. 5w6

As a five wing four, you are driven to understand yourself and the purpose of the world. However, a type five with a six wing is less inclined to question the reason for something’s existence and follow the set method shown to them. Fives with a four wing are withdrawn and dislike groups, while fives with a six wing are more social and participative.

Enneagram fives desire to be knowledgeable and helpful, but a 5w4 seeks an understanding of the world, and a 5w6 seeks beneficial skillsets for efficient work. Fives with a four wing might prefer to only be in the company of those they know and love, while fives with a six wing like to create a community for others who share the same interests.

Those who share the same Enneagram personality type can exhibit varying traits because of the degree of influence from their wings. Wing types can either intensify your personality type or contradict it if their attributes go against the typical ones of your dominant personality type. A four wing’s influence on the fifth type is quite distinguished from a six’s in Enneagram.

What Enneagram Wing Is Your Dominant Type?

Usually, your personality type’s Enneagram wings have discrete traits that can help you find your dominant wing type efficiently. However, some people can relate to both wings or one wing somewhat. You can identify your dominant Enneagram wing type by studying the motivations of each wing type and determining which one fits you the most.

Sources: Ian Morgan Cron, Personality Junkie

The Best Enneagram Wings Test

We have chosen four of the best Enneagram tests based on profundity, accuracy, and popularity so you can discover your dominant wing type and proceed with your Enneagram journey. Each test has its similarities and differences that make them outstanding options. This list includes the Truity, Cloverleaf, Crystal, and Integrative 9 online Enneagram tests.

Truity

enneagram wings test

Truity’s online Enneagram personality test is 19 pages long. It has 105 questions that identify your Enneagram profile, including your dominant personality type, your dominant wing type, and how much you connect with the other Enneagram types. The test takes around ten minutes to complete, is completely free, and was used by over one million people this month.

To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Truity, click HERE!

Your Enneagram Coach

free enneagram test

Beth McCord is the founder of this site.  She has been an Enneagram speaker, coach, and teacher for over 20 years, along with several credentials.  This test and other resources on her site provide helpful, in-depth explanations of each type.

To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Your Enneagram Coach, click HERE!

Cloverleaf

cloverleaf enneagram coaching review

Cloverleaf’s online Enneagram personality assessment is 22 pages long. It has simple questions that can identify your Enneagram profile, including your dominant personality type, wing type, your Enneagram triad, and an overview of your traits. The test takes around ten to 15 minutes to complete at no cost and provides valuable Enneagram advice via email sign-up.

To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Cloverleaf, click HERE!

Crystal

free enneagram tests

Crystal’s online Enneagram personality test is a brief, free-to-take questionnaire where you rate the on-screen statements from one to five on how much you can relate. This test can determine which dominant Enneagram personality type matches you best and provides you with the resources to find a summarization of your Enneagram profile on their page.

To take the Free Enneagram Test offered by Crystal Knows, click HERE!

Integrative 9

enneagram business coaching

Integrative 9’s online Enneagram assessment has two options: the standard or professional packages. The standard package costs $60, is 22 pages long, and can help you understand your Enneagram profile. The professional package costs $120 and is 44 pages long. It reveals how you can use your Enneagram types to your advantage in business.

For more information about the iEQ9 assessment or to purchase, CLICK HERE.

Enneagram 5w4 Careers & Job Possibilities

Possible career paths for people who identify with Enneagram 5w4:

  • Scholar: Because 5w4s seek knowledge but at the same time already know a lot, being a scholar who can teach others while learning more about specific topics would be perfect for them.
  • Inventor: 5w4’s are creative, artistically inclined, and clever. These traits, paired with their deep thoughts, can help them develop never-before-seen inventions.
  • Author: A 5w4 who has studied a lot on a particular subject might want to teach others about it, and what better way to do that than to write a book? This type is more likely to be a non-fiction writer.
  • Engineer: Since 5w4s know how to pay attention to the fine details, being an engineer who analyzes complex systems to better their technology would be their cup of tea.

Source: Crystal

Here, you can find more career options for 5w4’s: The Best Enneagram Type 5 Careers + Job Advice & Guidance.

An excellent guide for all job-hunting Enneagram types is the Enneagram Career Guide.

Summary

An Enneagram type five wing four has all the characteristics of a five with varying expression levels from a type four. As a 5w4, you have a passion for learning more about specific subjects and are artistically talented at the same time. Fives usually don’t know what to do with their feelings and ignore them, but with the four wing’s influence, they can learn to associate with and express them more clearly.

The core desire of an Enneagram 5w4 is to know enough to be helpful. The message they want to hear from others is something along the lines of, “You are competent and benevolent.” A healthy 5w4 understands the complexity of the universe and the simplicity of life. This knowledge can help you live peacefully and still feel purposeful.

Seeking an understanding of your dominant Enneagram wing type can be a self-rewarding journey because you can discover how and why your mind works the way it does. Uncovering why you make certain choices and how your thoughts contradict or enhance your personality will help you learn to appreciate yourself and recognize your abilities.