Finding your Enneagram personality type can help you appreciate 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 distinguished attributes. An Enneagram Type 5 can have a six wing or a four wing. In this article, we will be focusing on the Enneagram type 5 wing 6.

As a type five with a six wing, your personality is seasoned by six characteristics. On average, an Enneagram 5w6 is more social, loyal, and wary in thought and behavior. The six wing can influence a five to come out of their shell and create friendships with others in their community.

Keep reading to learn more about the traits, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses of an Enneagram 5w6. You can also learn 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 six wing.

5w6 F.A.Q.’s

What Does 5w6 Mean?

When discussing your dominant Enneagram personality and wing types, you can use an acronym rather than saying the whole phrase. This title shows 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, ‘5w6’ would read as, ‘Five with a Six wing,’ or ‘Five wing Six.’

Source: Enneagram Texas

Enneagram 5w6 Description

Fives usually do not rely on others and tend to withdraw from people and social interaction. However, with the six’s influence, a five is more likely to create friendships with similar people who share the same interests.  Influenced by the sixth wing type, an Enneagram Five can have highly relatable traits, and others than challenge their core type.

Sometimes your wing type can influence your dominant Enneagram personality that you might wonder if it is actually your type because of the dissimilarity between the common qualities. Reading a description of your personality type paired with your wing type can help you determine whether you’re genuinely a type five with a six wing.

enneagram 5w6

5w6 Traits

Type fives with the sixth wing are a part of the Head Triad, which means they are motivated by their thoughts when making decisions, and if lacking awareness can allow fear to overwhelm them.  A five with a six wing desires to be useful to their community using their everlasting knowledge and fears of being incompetent and incapable. Also known as ‘the Problem Solvers,’ they solve problems like intellectual puzzles.

5w6 Behaviors

Those who identify with 5w6 are socially awkward and introverted on the five’s side but are interactive and relational from the six’s side. Enneagram fives are generally dismissive of their emotions, and with a six’s guidance, they still tend to focus more on their work rather than their feelings. They can regulate their emotions easily but don’t have the time for others who can’t.

5w6 Strengths

As an Enneagram 5w6, you can keep calm in stressful or difficult situations, which can help you excel in a work environment that involves quick and complex thinking. You are good at maintaining focus and have a passion for learning more about a specific subject to be more efficient. Your wing’s influence helps you keep structured and organized in your profession.

5w6 Weaknesses

Despite their willingness to interact with others, an Enneagram 5w6 often struggles to relate with others if they don’t have common hobbies or interests, so they might come off as aloof. Fives with a six wing tend to procrastinate in completing a project if it is too easy and doesn’t mentally stimulate them enough. They can seem guarded when getting to know people.

Sources: Medium, Optimist Minds, Psychologia, Crystal

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How to Benefit from A 6 Wing as An Enneagram 5

An Enneagram type five can benefit from a six wing by gaining an opportunity to make friends with others and find people who partake in the same activities as you rather than holing yourself up at home and not talking to anyone. Remembering that you can help people and receive help from others will be beneficial. As an Enneagram 5w6, you can bounce back from hardships fast.

Source: Intuitive Enneagram

5w6 vs. 5w4

As a five wing six, you feel comforted when getting to know others but still know your limits and when you need time to yourself. However, a type five with a four wing is more inclined to isolate themselves. Fives with a six wing mainly focus their studies on subjects they already know to better their knowledge, while those with a four wing want to learn about the world’s purpose.

Enneagram fives both desire to learn more and be of help, but a 5w6 studies because they want to help improve the world with better working methods, and a 5w4 uses their knowledge and understanding of the world to invent and be helpful to others. Fives with a six wing are more loyal, while fives with a four wing are more driven to be authentic.

People with the same Enneagram personality types can have striking differences depending on the measure of influence from their wings. Wing types can enhance your personality and challenge it when the characteristics go against the typical ones of your dominant personality type. A six wing’s influence on the fifth type is very different from a four’s in Enneagram.

What Enneagram Wing Is Your Dominant Type?

Typically, your personality type’s Enneagram wings have distinct traits that can quickly help you find your dominant wing type. However, some people can connect with both wings or one wing somewhat. You can find your dominant Enneagram wing type by studying the motivations of each wing type and concluding which one suits you the most.

Sources: Ian Morgan Cron, Personality Junkie

The Best Enneagram Wings Test

We have hand-picked four of the best Enneagram tests based on depth, efficiency, and popularity so you can find your dominant wing type and continue with your Enneagram journey. Each test has its comparisons and contrasts that make them excellent options. This list includes the Truity, Cloverleaf, Crystal, and Integrative 9 Enneagram tests.

Truity

enneagram wings test

The Truity Enneagram personality test has 19 pages with 105 questions that can identify your Enneagram profile, including your dominant personality type, dominant wing type, and how much you can relate to the other Enneagram types. The test takes around ten minutes to complete, requires no purchase, and has been used by over one million people.

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

best free enneagram test

The Cloverleaf Enneagram personality assessment has 22 pages long with simple questions that can identify your Enneagram profile, including your dominant personality type, wing type, Enneagram triad, and an overview of your qualities. The test takes around ten to 15 minutes to complete, requires no purchase, and provides valuable Enneagram advice via email sign-up.

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

Crystal

free enneagram tests

The Crystal Enneagram personality test is a short, free quiz where you rate the on-screen questions from one to five on how much you can relate. This test can identify which dominant Enneagram personality type matches you best and provides you with the resources to find a summarization of your Enneagram paired with your wing type on their page.

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

Integrative 9

enneagram career test

The Integrative 9 Enneagram assessment has an option for laypeople and working people looking to learn about the Enneagram. The standard package costs $60, has 22 pages, and can help you understand your Enneagram profile. The professional package costs $120 and has 44 pages. It reveals how you can use your Enneagram profile to improve business.

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

Enneagram 5w6 Careers & Job Possibilities

  • Physicist: Because 5w6s want to make the world a better place with their knowledge, discovering more about how the physical world works as a physicist would fit them.
  • Biologist: 5w6’s are focused and enjoy complex work, and living things are complex in nature. Studying cells as a biologist would be perfect for them.
  • Computer Programmer: Because 5w6s are analytical and can pay attention to details, being a computer programmer and fine-tuning code would be great.
  • Cybersecurity: 5w6s can stay calm during a crisis, so they would be excellent at tracking down a hacker and ensuring your network is safe and secure.

Source: Crystal

Here, you can find more career options for 5w6’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 six has all the qualities of a five with varying levels of influence from a type six. As a 5w6, you are independent but also feel drawn toward the community. Fives usually enjoy learning more about their areas of interest, but the six wing’s guidance can help them use the knowledge in service to others.

The core desire of an Enneagram 5w6 is to be intelligent and helpful. The message they want to hear from others is something like, “Your studies have made the world a better place.” A healthy 5w6 will overcome their fear of being close with and relying on others. This development can help them feel less lonely because they will have a shoulder to lean on during hard times.

Learning your dominant Enneagram wing type can be beneficial to you because you can discover how and why your mind works the way it does. Uncovering why you make specific choices and how your thoughts might contradict or enhance your personality will help you comprehend your abilities and teach you how to use them fully.