Enneagram 5 and 8 Relationship
Are you interested in the Enneagram 5 and 8 relationship? This guide is for you!
Enneagram Type 5 – The Cognitive Investigator
Intelligent investigator, Observant, Professional, Scientific Mind, Analyser, Solitary
Enneagram Type 8 – The Caring Protector
Fierce Protector, Leader, Loner, Nonconformist, Boss, Diplomatic
Core Patterns of Types 5 & 8
The Head Triad dictates the course a Type Five’s destiny, and Type Eights are ruled by the Gut Triad.
Fives are intellectuals who tend to analyze situations.
They are observant and they are solitary individuals.
Conversely, Type Eights are action takers. They are earthy and passionate.
These are people who operate with no worries about running short of resources.
They dive into their lives enthusiastically, unlike their Type Five partners, who require uninterrupted time alone to process things.
Values Shared by Types 5 & 8
Regardless of being very different in many ways, Types 5 & 8 share some important personality traits.
Both of these pairs insist on being independent. Both have high levels of self-confidence and reliance.
5s and 8s need delineated boundaries in every area of their lives, and are usually respectful of other people’s boundary limits.
Both of these partners do not like intrusion.
They are serious about their resources and how they schedule their time.
They also admire those who have the courage to stand up for themselves, who are independent thinkers, and who have made something of their lives.
How Types 5 & 8 Complement One Another
Types 5 & 8 can have an exceptionally close and complementary relationship by their divergence alone.
The embodiment of a Type Eight personality is from where its power is derived.
This also accounts for their emotional state of mind, their basic instincts, their bravado, and their ability to command and control.
Type Fives, on the other hand, have a keen skill in anything having to do with intellectualism, such as reflection, analysis, making plans, making decisions, strategizing or being observant.
The mix of a Type Eight’s physical talents with Five’s deep intellectual abilities creates a strong dynamic.
They can go through the spectrum from the spark of an idea to the completion and follow through without a hitch.
Type Fives often have trouble implementing their ideas, but Eights has the mental acumen and stamina to see things through.
This complementary relationship can give each what he or she lacks.
Eights tend to brazenly jump right in and take action before engaging in a studied analysis.
Fives, understand the value of foresight and reflection, consider the end consequences and try to develop the best strategies with which to cope.
Fives can be thought of as those who chart the course, while Eights provide the fuel for the journey.
The way each pair relates to his or her body is another example of how they complement one another.
Type Fives tend to be disembodied and prefer to concentrate on their intellects more than their physical bodies.
Eights do not feel the same way and tend toward the opposite. They are tangible and completely grounded in their physical health.
Every experience a Type Eight has is filtered through his or her own body.
Eights can very quickly lose their awareness of how their words and deeds affect others, and they are unaware of the potential consequences.
Fives offer an objective read on how reality unfolds.
Types Eight and Fives are both thinkers. In combination, both can have exciting and powerful effects, because they have both brain and brawn.
The mix of both intellectual and physical power indicates that this pairing can not only accomplish virtually anything they set out to accomplish.
They are also very effective at it. This enables them to relax in their relationship with each other.
They know that their strengths and gifts are being put to good use.
How a Type 5 & 8 Couple Can Get Into Trouble
Because Type 5 and Type 8 are so different from one another, many personality traits could rub the other the wrong way.
Type Eights have the general attitude that their lives consist of action, while Type Fives are more reserved and think more.
They soon figure out that a conflict usually arises when it comes to how fast or slow a project is completed, and also when it comes time to make a decision.
Type Fives naturally desire solitude and attempt to retreat when stress arises. They will take more time than a Type Eight is comfortable with.
Type Eights will stick with their instinctual response and will jump right in quickly and arduously, without giving matters the thought that their partners feel they should give them.
Fives accomplish the most when they have a lot of space around them.
They will usually ask for alone time in times of stress.
This can create gaps in communication that their Type Eight partners may have difficulty accepting, and it can cause hard feelings.
This is a couple in which a Type Eight can immediately fill in as the director when any kind of gap occurs.
This can lead to their overstepping their position, also, and causing resentment from their Five partners.
While Fives are away experiencing solitary contemplation, Eights can become very needy.
They can also become greedy to the point of sometimes being labeled megalomaniacs.
When there is no particular job to occupy their time, they need to do it themselves.
This will evoke feelings of frustration, and they will take Type Five’s absence and disengagement personally.
Fives and Eights can fall into a downward spiral regarding being judgmental of one another.
This is because their darker behaviors reciprocally trigger the other partner in an uncanny back-and-forth reaction cycle.
Type Eights will judge Type Fives for being cowardly in their eyes, as well as accuse them of being pretentious because of their intellectualism.
They also lash out at their partners for being too quiet or unreliable, as it is translated in their eyes.
Type Fives can mistake Type Eight’s popularity and gregariousness as them being unstable attention seekers.
This is not a good thing for the relationship.
When these judgments are dispensed from one partner to the other, both can become “holier than thou” in their demeanor.
This causes emotional walls to become erected and misses in communication.
Fives evolve into very critical people who withdraw from their Type Eight partners during these times, and Eights become boastful and try to control their Type Five partners.
The only way to prevent any of this from happening is to draw clear boundaries regarding expectations and space, and to keep their lines of communication honest and open at all times.
What Types 5 & 8 Need To Be Aware Of
It is crucial that 5s and 8s be cognizant of the ways in which each is opposite from the other.
While Fives tend to be retiring, analytical and thoughtful, Eights are energetic, boisterous, and noisy.
Fives approach life intellectually, while Eights approach life physically.
Fives will withdraw from the material world by becoming deeply ensconced in their intellectualization and conceptualization, while type Eights will grasp all that is material, seeming to gain self-esteem through their connection with it.
It is very important to understand that when each engages with the other, he or she should remain cognizant of the fact that he or she is very different from his or her partner.
If they do not do this, each difference will begin to feel intimidating or threatening, leading to projection and serious misunderstandings.
Type Fives should be aware that Type Eights are not shy when speaking their minds. They also possess shorter tempers.
Therefore, it is necessary to learn to engage with the sides of them that are cogent and honest.
Type Eights respect those who can be open and honest with them.
They need to understand equally, that Type Fives need for frequent solitude is not to be taken to heart.
It does not have anything to do with their not wanting to be around their partners and is not a judgment call.
Conclusion
While Types 5 & 8 have many opposite characteristics, these can be used to each partner’s advantage and strengthen their bond so long as they keep communication at the forefront.
When this transpires, this pairing can evolve into a terrifically dynamic couple that is powerful, charismatic, and intellectually superior.
These two types can potentially be emotional support partners for one another in addition to their many compatible characteristics.
At one time or another, both of these personality types can feel like misfits, both in the relationship and out in the world.
Each of them also tends to have very strong emotions and large, charitable hearts, even though each can hide it quite well.
Fives show Eights that they are loved by demonstrating how they can help solve their partner’s problems.
On the other hand, Eights will always be there to fight for that which they believe in, such as their Type Five partners, their families, justice and the underdog.
Both ways of dealing with life and with one another are derived from a deep sense of love for the other.
Fives and Eights can have an unconventional way of approaching life.
Still, it is a way that can develop an intensely strong bond between them that can lead to a lifetime relationship that will outlast that of many of the other Enneagram personality type pairings.
