Quote:
Originally Posted by ar81  I bet you are not shy. You are not being shy right now. I doubt that shyness is a real part of you. I think it was learned. |
It was learned in early childhood.
In the Enneagram system, there are nine major types. All the personality types are shaped by negative sorts of early childhood experiences. Different sorts of negative early childhood experiences give rise to different sorts of personalities.
Sounds dreadful, but that's the Enneagram for you.
In the case of Type 5, the negative experience was neglectful parenting. The father / mother wasn't there when the child needed help; or the father / mother didn't give much attention to the child even when the child wanted it.
The result is that early on, the Type 5 child gets it into his head that:
(1) Relationships are unreliable; people won't be there for you when you need them. Therefore it's best to be very cautious about who you have a relationship with. This in turn ultimately leads to the common Type 5 problem of being shy; socially awkward; withdrawn etc;
(2) You have to learn to take care of yourself and survive on your own, because your parents won't necessarily be there to do all that for you. Eventually this manifests in the Type 5's psychological tendency to acquire skills, knowledge, capability and expertise in everything they do. It is driven by the need for self-survival.
Redemption for the Type 5 ultimately lies in omniscience. Their ultimate satisfaction in life comes from understanding their reality so deeply that they can move without fear in it, and confidently shape it with their thoughts, vision and insights. (Oh, no wonder I'm so into the LOA
).