Type 1 Improver Type 2 Helper Type 3 Achiever Type 4 Artist Type 5 Observer
Type 6 Questioner Type 7 Enthusiast Type 8 Asserter Type 9 Harmonizer
“I know everything” is your motto.
If you are Type Five, your nickname is the Observer. As an Observer your greatest strength is acquiring knowledge. You are on a constant quest to learn as much as you can on a topic. Type Fives are quintessential subject matter experts the world looks to for expertise and education. You enjoy conducting extensive research and studying systems—the more complex the better—in order to make sense of how all the pieces fit together. You make yourself invaluable to an organization by tackling vast amounts of data and interpreting it in a way that others can understand. Because of this unique skill, many Type Fives are found among communities of scientists, professors, research analysts, and librarians.
While you might, on rare occasion, meet an extraverted Type Five, most are introverted, needing time alone for reading and thinking. You may jealously guard your time and space. You usually prefer to meet briefly with others to discuss a problem and then retreat to your own space to work on it. After you have worked out solutions to the problem, you reconnect with people to share your findings. Alternatively, you may prefer to do most of your communication through writing, such as through research reports, medical journals, peer-reviewed publications, and intricate novels. It is possible for Type Fives to be “on” in public settings, or even be stellar public speakers, but they still need their alone time for preparation for these events.
As a Type Five, you will excel especially in roles where you are valued as a keeper and synthesizer of information, as well as in roles that allow plenty of alone time for research and preparation. Observers do well where their motivation to become experts is appreciated.