Descriptions of the Instincts

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Riso and Hudson’s definitions of the instincts:

Self Preservation: The focus here is easy to understand from the name. People of this Instinctual type are preoccupied with basic survival needs as they translate in our contemporary society. Thus, Self-Preservation types are concerned with money, food, housing, health, physical safety and comfort. Being safe and physically comfortable are priorities. These people are quick to notice any problems in a room such as poor lighting or uncomfortable chairs, or to be dissatisfied with the room temperature. They often have issues connected with food and drink, either overdoing it or having strict dietary requirements. In the healthy to average Levels, of the three Instinctual types, they are the most practical in the sense of taking care of basic life necessities—paying bills, maintaining the home and workplace, acquiring useful skills, and so forth. When these types deteriorate, they tend to distort the instinct to the degree that they are poor at taking care of themselves. Unhealthy Self-Preservation types eat and sleep poorly or become obsessed with health issues. They often have difficulty handling money and may act out in deliberately self-destructive ways. In a nutshell, Self-Preservation types are focused on enhancing their personal security and physical comfort.


Social: This subtype is focused on their interactions with other people and with the sense of value or esteem they derive from their participation in collective activities. These include work, family, hobbies, clubs—basically any arena in which Social types can interact with others for some shared purpose. The instinct underlying this behavior was an important one in human survival. Human beings on their own are rather weak, vulnerable creatures, and easily fall prey to a frequently hostile environment. By learning to live and work together, our ancestors created the safety necessary for human beings not only to survive, but to thrive. Within that social instinct, however, are many other implicit imperatives, and primary among them is the understanding of "place" within a hierarchical social structure. This is as true for dogs and gorillas as it is for human beings. Thus, the desire for attention, recognition, honor, success, fame, leadership, appreciation, and the safety of belonging can all be seen as manifestations of the Social instinct. Social types like to know what is going on around them, and want to make some kind of contribution to the human enterprise. There is often an interest in the events and activities of one's own culture, or sometimes, of another culture. In general, Social types enjoy interacting with people, but they avoid intimacy. In their imbalanced, unhealthy forms, these types can become profoundly antisocial, detesting people and resenting their society, or having poorly developed social skills. In a nutshell, Social types are focused on interacting with people in ways that will build their personal value, their sense of accomplishment, and their security of "place" with others.


Sexual: Many people originally identify themselves as this type, perhaps confusing the idea of a Sexual Instinctual type with being a "sexy" person. Of course, "sexiness" is in the eye of the beholder, and there are plenty of "sexy" people in all three of the Instinctual types. Furthermore, lest one think this type more "glamorous" than the other two, one would do well to remember that the instinct can become distorted in the type, leading to the area of life causing the greatest problems. In healthy to average Sexual types, there is a desire for intensity of experience—not just sexual experience, but having a similar "charge." This intensity could be found in a great conversation or an exciting movie. Much has been said about this type preferring "one-on-one" relationships versus the Social type's preference for "larger groups," but a quick poll of one's acquaintances will reveal that almost all people prefer communicating one on one than in a group. The question is more one of the intensity of contact, and the strength of the desire for intimacy. Sexual types are the "intimacy junkies" of the Instinctual types, often neglecting pressing obligations or even basic "maintenance" if they are swept up in someone or something that has captivated them. This gives a wide-ranging, exploratory approach to life, but also a lack of focus on one's own priorities. In their neurotic forms, this type can manifest with a wandering lack of focus, sexual promiscuity and acting out, or just the opposite, in a fearful, dysfunctional attitude toward sex and intimacy. Sexual types, however, will be intense, even about their avoidances. In a nutshell, Sexual types are focused on having intense, intimate interactions and experiences with others and with the environment to give them a powerful sense of "aliveness."

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I don’t know where the following writeup originated. It’s been circulating around various typology forums for years.

In course of our evolution as human beings, we developed a set of three core instincts referred to in the Enneagram as the basic survival instincts, instinctual energies, "drives" or "subtypes". These instincts are part of our body-based intelligence and key to our biological imperatives. They are built deep into our unconscious nature and aid in our survival as individuals and as a species. Instincts are thus more fundamental than enneagram type; they relate to our 'animal soul'. From the perspective of the enneagram, we want to know how these drives manifest and function both as defined by each instinct alone and in terms of their alignment, known as "stacking".

Self-preservation instinct is the first instinct to have evolved. This is an orientation towards survival, health, and comfort. SP drive checks in with the body: "Is this not enough or too much?" and orients by what the body reports on its needs. Of the three instincts, this is the oldest one; it dictates: “I must survive.” Animals are highly attuned to their self-preservation needs. Modern humans, however, are somewhat more distant from basic survival needs. That is, we have more sophistication in the sphere of physical needs and more complex regulation—once survival is taken care of, we aim for comfort and pleasure.

The SP energy manifests as "conserved", "grounded", "tightly coiled", "planted", "immovable". The energy is usually heavy in its nature, as if the person is carrying some great weight on his or her shoulders and conserving energy for later personal use. This subtype will "sacrifice for self" to insure survival, rather than look to their group or mate to resolve their problems and challenges. Self-preservation types may forgo social standing or intensity of experience for physical comfort, security, and other factors that ensure their own survival. For example, a sp-first person may have "princess and the pea" syndrome, refusing to sleep on most mattresses because they simply don’t feel right. These people "look inward" based upon an inherent recognition that "I'm on my own" and "I have to take care of myself."

Self-preservation instinct responds to practical concerns of everyday life. SP types express concern centering around issues of security, food and health, employment, sustainability. At times this may make them look like enneagram head types, because they be in habit of planning to predict unforeseen mishaps or possible breaches in their security. In addition, the comfort seeking element to SP types can cause them to appear like gut types because of their desire to avoid too much complication or “fuss”.

In relationships, sp-first people focus on nesting, building a cozy home with someone, or may fantasize about such scenarios. Key words: self-maintenance, domesticity, practical know-how, finances, work, establishing practical foundation in life, back-up plans, fear of scarcity.

In neurotic SP types, there is fear of not having enough resources, food, shelter. This fear can distort the natural use of the instinct and turn into eating disorders, compulsive buying, or hoarding. There is a tendency to shore up resources and possibly a strong sense of being frugal or sometimes even downright cheap. This is because resources must be properly maintained to ensure survival for themselves and those within their sphere.

Topics SP types might bring up in conversation: food, dining out, dieting, nutrition, health, fitness, appearance and looks, money, savings and sales, shopping, employment, benefits, insurance, comfort, clothing, decor, interior design, strength, vitality, sickness, death, noise, discomfort, safety, security, environment, quality or durability of objects such as car, clothing, furniture, physical sciences, engineering, architecture

Summary of SP instinct:

[*] primary concerns - physical safety, comfort, and well-being; securing an orderly and aesthetically pleasing way of life (food, clothing, money, housing, and physical health)
[*] primary focus - security, comfort, and well-being of the environment (lighting, temperature, comfortable furniture, aesthetics, food quality)
[*] primary ambition - using practicality and financial sense to create a secure environment in the home and workplace (paying bills, acquiring skills to ensure the orderly flow of life)
[*] primary stresses - money, sustenance (how they will get food, when it will come, if they will like it, if it fits their diet)
[*] coping methods (unhealthy) - over-stocking, overbuying, overeating, overpurging, oversleeping, undersleeping, overindulging in aesthetics or comfort foods, mistreatment of comfort and security as is skewed by the secondary instinct

N.B. The instinct for self-preservation is attuned to the protection of the self, to its needs, health, comforts, security, and stability. This instinct is the strongest and most fundamental in virtually all life forms, and can easily override the other instincts should the life or safety of the individual be in immediate danger. In such threatening conditions, all of us are dominated by the instinct for self-preservation. But, in more general circumstances, when our health, life or security is not obviously or immediately endangered, this instinct will take a back seat, if the individual is dominated by the sexual or social instincts.



Sexual instinct can be called the instinct of attraction. It’s aggressive, competitive, single-minded, "all-or-nothing". Use of this energy is intensely fiery and affirmative, go-get-it approach, a life-and-death matter e.g. salmon swimming upstream to mate and die. With this instincts you are either turned on or you're not - it is what it is; you cannot fight mother nature. With this instinct one's attention is wholly captivated energetically by someone or something.

The SX energy is described as "high energy" and is often experienced as "intense", "assertive", "laser-like", "intently focused", "playful yet penetrating" in nature. The feeling of SX-first is sometimes compared to being on a roller-coaster ride even though you aren't on one. This subtype will "sacrifice for the relationship" to insure intensity connection. This intensity does not have to be met by another person—it can be satisfied by a project, hobby, or special interest. Rather than looking inward or to the group to resolve their problems and challenges, these types tend to look to close relations and activities that can guarantee them an experience of liveliness and intensity.

SX-first people enjoy feeling invigorated. They may fantasize about scenarios that make them feel alive and that are emotionally stimulating. Key words: activation, immersion, charisma, broadcasting displays, fusion, inspiration, volatility.

Sexual subtypes are not to be confused with having a healthy sex drive or being sexy, which is a common reason for many people misidentifying themselves as SX-primaries. The name of this instinct is misleading as, in the end, all instincts play into sexuality. SP is the body-to-body part - cuddling, sensuality, autonomic regulation. SX is riding the waves of energy, the invisible forces of attraction between the people, but it doesn't need to be actively physical. In a union, all three instincts combine - warmth (self-pres), energy (sexual), affection (social). One can have the sexual instinct operating in a group of friends—being in the heat, stimulated, energized, engaged. In relationships, there is a desire for endless engagement and fascination.

Topics SX types might bring up in conversation: experiences, personal likes and dislikes, emotional and mental states, excitement, elation, ecstasy, intensity, energy, attraction/repulsion, passion, connection, desire, wants and wishes, possessiveness, jealousy, beauty, attractiveness, relationships, intimacy, sex, closeness, mating, risky activities, action sports, rebelliousness (sx-first people often report having strong personal preferences)

Summary of SX instinct

[*] primary concern - intense experiences, connections, and contacts, wide-ranging and exploratory, in order to find something to "complete" them inside (sky diving, deep conversations, exciting movies)
[*] primary focus - people and attractions promising intense energy and charge
[*] primary ambition - looking outside themselves for the person or situation that will complete them, and then obsessing over that completing element
[*] primary stresses - lack of intense mental or emotional stimulation, lack of an intense connection or experience
[*] coping methods (unhealthy) - scattered attention, lack of focus, sexual promiscuity, intensely avoiding intense experiences and connections with a fearful and dysfunctional attitude toward sex, intimacy, and other intense "completing" experiences, as is skewed by the secondary instinct

Social instinct is not the same as socializing. This instinct is aimed towards species survival as a whole. It acts in species where families and groups exist to protect the vulnerability of mother and child. The social instinct provides a holding environment. It needs group viability for a sense of well-being.

Emphasis on cooperation, reciprocity, roles aimed at mutual survival. There is a need to be involved and contribute, a desire to be wanted and accepted by the group. It can sense when a behavior is damaging to group survival. It forms a sort of unconscious clusters where mutual support is an issue. This instinct is also attuned to hierarchy and possesses political awareness. It has a good sense and understanding of group boundaries and what groups can accomplish.

The SO energy is often described as "split energy" experienced as "scattered" and projected outward, appearing personable and cursory in nature. This subtype can "sacrifice for the group" to insure status. These types tend to "look outward," based upon a belief that "my value is dependent upon how I am perceived by the group." The survival strategy is an emphasis on sociability or unsociability. There is a noticeable inclination to categorize oneself in terms of others. The question "who am I?" is defined by "how comfortably and successfully I experience my group". Focus is on the issues dealing with how the person is being perceived by the group.

Topics SO types might bring up in conversation: cultural and political movements and developments, popularity, popular songs books movies memes, manners, social values, societal standards, rules, guidelines, social power structures (or subversion of the same; keep in mind that there can very well be a counter-culture or counter-group streak in Social firsts, and when the instinct is operating in health, this can be used to counter injustice or other forms of oppression etc. in ways that benefits society at large. A lot of social leaders that strongly and actively countered prevalent institutional discrimination and other oppressive norms were social firsts, Dr. King being a good example. It's about time that the social first=sheep stereotype be discarded), appropriateness/inappropriateness, friendship, family, inclusion/exclusion, fashion, glamor, fame, notoriety, organizations, clubs, group divisions pertaining to nationality religion race, etc., patriotism, civic engagement, influence.

Summary of SO instinct

[*] primary concern - building their sense of personal value, accomplishment, and a security of place with others via interaction with people in a broader sense (through family, group, subculture, mainstream culture, community, nation, world)
[*] primary focus - the status, approval, and admirability of themselves and of others in the minds of any number of different groups; "subtle" power structures and politics; knowing what is going on in the world; a contextual intelligence that allows them to see both their efforts and their broader context in the world
[*] primary ambition - interacting with people in ways that will build their personal value, their sense of accomplishment, and their security of place with others; to touch base with others to feel safe, alive, and energized; may include pursuit of attention, success, fame, recognition, honor, leadership, appreciation, and the security of being a part of something bigger than themselves
[*] primary stresses - being able to adjust to others and be acceptable; others' reactions to them, whether they are being accepted or not; may include intimacy, which is tended to be avoided
[*] coping methods (unhealthy) - antisocial behavior, detesting or resenting society at large, displaying poorly developed social skills, fear and distrust of society, resentfulness at having had to change to gain approval causes a stubbornness against doing what is necessary to get along with people, social resentment and avoidance as is skewed by the secondary instinct

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Intro to instincts from Ocean Moonshine:

According to the Enneagram of personality, each of us experiences the world in a distorted fashion. So powerful is this distortion that it affects every aspect of consciousness. Because of its power over us, we unconsciously assume that our type specific perceptions of reality are absolutely grounded in Truth. Under the guidance of this cognitive distortion, we repeatedly and automatically select out evidence which reinforces our prejudices, and are selectively blind to evidence which would refute our unacknowledged biases.
This cognitive distortion does not remain isolated. It infects our passions so that our emotional responses become conditioned and un-free. There is, for instance, an entirely natural and predictable response to the belief that the world is a dangerous place populated by individuals who are not what they seem to be, and that response is one of fear or pervasive anxiety. Clearly, our way of seeing the world has direct and obvious consequences for how we feel about it.

While the above example is an illustration of the cognitive fixation and corresponding passion of enneatype Six, each of the nine personality types operates in a similar fashion. Each of us suffers from a distortion which corrupts our intellects and controls our emotions. The Enneagram of personality illustrates for us the fact that none of us are free. Perhaps some awareness of our own type specific fixations can enable us to glimpse the bars of our own prison cells or to see through the spaces that exist between those bars. To that end, accurate descriptions which illustate our distortions and which resonate with our personal experiences can potentially serve a useful function.

Some description of those type specific patterns is contained in the type descriptions in other portions of this site, but we have, so far, left out of our brief discussion of fixation, one key element – the instincts. Claudio Naranjo, one of the first theorists who worked to develop the Enneagram, defines what he refers to as the “essential core” of personality as an interference with instinct by passion under the sustaining influence of a distorting cognition. Instinct, along with the intellect and emotions, constitutes the third center of human consciousness, and it too is constrained and bound by the influence of the dominant fixation.

According to Naranjo, Oscar Ichazo, the father of the modern Enneagram of personality, subdivided the instinctual center into three distinct individual centers, namely the instinct for self-preservation, the sexual instinct and the social instinct. Enneagram theorists have been working with these divisions ever since. These instincts are the most primitive portions of our being; they are that in us which is most akin to the other animals and they are affected by our fixations in ways that follow predictable patterns, in ways that are susceptible to analysis and description.

In the portions of this site which follow, some attempt has been made to describe the manner in which these instincts manifest. The general pattern which seems to occur is that one of the three instincts becomes preferred and over-utilized; it mixes with the second most preferred instinct, while the third remains generally undeveloped. Thus, to offer an example, in the nomenclature which has developed around the Enneagram of personality, an individual is considered to have a dominant fixation, type One for instance, and, (in addition to the favored wing, Nine or Two as the case may be), a dominant instinctual preference. A One, for instance, is either dominated by concerns related to the instinct for self-preservation, in which case she will be referred to as a self-pres One, by concerns related to the sexual instinct, in which case she will be classified as a sexual One, or by those of the social instinct, in which case she is referred to as a social One. In addition, it is useful to note which of the instincts comes second, in what has come to be known as “the instinctual stacking.” If a self-pres One’s second most utilized instinct is the sexual instinct, she will be called a self-pres/sexual One; it remains implied that her stacking is self-pres/sexual/social. Overall, there are six possible combinations of instinctual preferences; each one of these preferences manifests in ways that admit of some description. These combinations can be described independently of the dominant types, as each stacking preference will exhibit some commonalities across types. Each of these combinations can also be described as channeled through type, as there are some definite type specific differences. In the pages that follow, the “stackings” are discussed both independently of type and in accordance with it.

A few words can be said in general about the various instincts. The instinct for self-preservation is attuned to the protection of the self, to its needs, health, comforts, security, and stability. This instinct is the strongest and most fundamental in virtually all life forms, and can easily override the other instincts should the life or safety of the individual be in immediate danger. In such threatening conditions, all of us are dominated by the instinct for self-preservation. But, in more general circumstances, when our health, life or security is not obviously or immediately endangered, this instinct will take a back seat, if the individual is dominated by the sexual or social instincts.

Claudio Naranjo describes the dominant instinct as a “weakness which looks like a strength.” By this, he seems to have meant that, as the dominant instinct is overdeveloped, it certainly will attend to the needs associated with that instinct; in this sense it appears to be a strength. But, as the instinct is unbalanced and guided by a fixated personality, it is not being properly utilized, and, in this disturbed state often does not actually best serve the overall interests of the individual who is in its grip.

Those individuals who are dominated by the instinct for self-preservation often have a grounded or practical quality; they frequently develop a high degree of self-sufficiency, discipline and maturity. Many self-pres subtypes devote themselves to programs for self-improvement and, of all the subtypes are probably the most “focused.” All of these qualities can clearly be beneficial, but when the personality is unbalanced, a dominant self-preservational instinct can manifest in an obsessive concern with questions of health, such as a focus on diet or exercise which might be punitive or otherwise excessive. Some self-pres types, when unbalanced, worry too much about health, mortality, finances or security. In fact, as life is ephemeral and safety an illusion, worry in general, of whatever sort, is a frequent manifestation of a dominant instinct for self-preservation.

When the instinct for self-preservation is last in the instinctual stacking, the individual will often be somewhat ungrounded or seemingly “immature.” Such individuals often have a hard time focusing on issues such as financial security or the commitment to the development of practical skills. Sometimes, issues of health are ignored. In the more extroverted types, individuals who are self-pres last, often find it difficult to develop “inwardness.”

The sexual instinct focuses on attraction and excitement, or, what, apart from the self, seems to promise to expand and intensify life. The life of the self is found in the life of the other. As its name would indicate, individuals who are dominated by the sexual instinct are concerned with sexual fulfillment in the obvious sense of that term, but sexual subtypes are seldom interested in sex merely as a physical act. In fact, a belief that sex is just another physical drive for physical pleasure is a pretty good sign that an individual is not a sexual subtype. Sexual subtypes generally have romantic longings for the ideal partner and hence have high expectations and ideals. By extension, the sexual instinct can manifest in a desire for intensity of many different sorts, but the primary manifestation will generally be a concern with finding the ideal partner, as the sexual subtypes tend to feel somehow incomplete or unfinished without a relationship to ground them.

On the high side, sexual subtypes often bring a certain passion and experimentalism to their lives; they are generally willing to take risks in order to attain their ideals. Sexual subtypes are also usually willing to sacrifice for those who matter most to them; they have an expanded sense of what constitutes the self and tend to merge with those they love. On the down side however, sexual subtypes tend to struggle with issues of neediness and dependency, as they tend to feel that they need relationships in order to reclaim lost or inaccessible portions of the self. In addition, the merging tendency, when taken to extremes, can lead to an inability to protect important boundaries. And the desire for intensity of experience can lead sexual subtypes to take unnecessary risks, to be somewhat impatient and to grow bored or frustrated with mundane reality. When the overall personality is unbalanced, thrill seeking or self-medication sometimes enter the picture, and can lead to various forms of addiction.

When the sexual instinct is least developed, the personality can lack a certain charisma and momentum. Such personalities often do not form truly intimate relationships, as they don’t feel driven to do so; consequently, their personal relationships can suffer from a lack of attention. As there are aspects of ourselves which we can only see when in close relationship to others, those whose sexual instinct remains undeveloped might find it difficult to cultivate some forms of self-awareness.

The social instinct focuses on the group, hierarchy, status, the big picture; it essentially focuses on connecting to that which is larger than the self. Individuals whose social instinct is dominant need to feel a sense of “belonging.” They need to feel as though they have found a place in the group; they need to feel as though they are making their own contributions. Individuals whose social instinct is first tend to be the warmest of the subtypes. They generally have lots of “connections” whether to friends, acquaintances, family members or professional colleagues. Social subtypes are the most likely to feel a sense of social responsibility to the needs of the group and to work to serve those needs.

On the high side, social subtypes are the most likely to sacrifice their narrow interests in service of that which is larger than themselves. They extend themselves toward others and often have a sort of generosity with their time and energy. They are aware of group dynamics and underlying emotional currents. On the down side however, social subtypes are the most prone to feelings of social shame; as they are the most acutely aware of the opinions of others, they suffer the most when they feel a sense of social rejection. Social subtypes can therefore suffer from self-consciousness. In less balanced personalities, this can lead to a need to conform to the standards of the group in order to achieve acceptance. Social subtypes can sometimes fail to focus on the needs of the self as they are searching for their identity in terms of the larger whole.

When the social instinct is least developed, the individual is going to find it difficult to see why it is important to form social connections or to cultivate multiple relationships. This, in turn, can lead to a certain amount of social isolation. And, as we all must find a niche in the larger whole, those whose social instinct is least developed, can find it difficult to negotiate the needs of the social realm which make this possible. Those whose social instinct is last in the instinctual stacking, find interdependence difficult and dependence on others barely tolerable. But all human beings are interdependent, and sometimes, dependent – when they are, for instance, young, weak, sick, old or dying. Those whose social instinct remains undeveloped are trying to attain a type of independence and self-sufficiency which is not possible for human beings. This “false independence” almost certainly leads to unnecessary suffering and impoverishment of experience.

Gurdjieff, whose work in many ways prefigured the modern Enneagram of personality, believed that none of us use our energies properly; in particular, he emphasized the fact that all of us engage in what he called the “wrong use of centers.” We use our intellects perhaps, when feeling is called for, or perhaps we focus on feeling when we ought to move into action. Each of the types of the Enneagram of personality engage in this wrong use of centers in type specific ways, but the wrong use of centers extends to the various distortions of the instincts as well. So, for instance, an individual whose social instinct is dominant might try to use the energy of the social instinct to further the needs of the instinct for self-preservation. This utilization is inefficient however. Too much energy goes where it is not needed and not enough energy goes where it should. The “wrong use of centers” does not further the overall true needs of the individual.

In the ancient world, health, like beauty, was considered to be a matter of balance and harmony, the proper relationship of the parts to the whole. Aristotle suggested that it was only when true internal harmony was achieved, when each aspect of the psyche was performing what it was primitively meant to perform, that an individual had developed the internal conditions which enabled him or her to be excellent and to achieve true happiness.

We do not have the knowledge of how to achieve this balance. We do not know how to achieve excellence or to be happy. In particular, we who have made contributions to this site are flawed and fixated and do not have the knowledge of how to achieve liberation. We also do not know anyone who has this knowledge. Perhaps it once existed and has been lost to us. Perhaps it has always been the case that, as Socrates maintained, virtue cannot be taught, even by those who charge high fees, although some degree of health, balance and virtue can nevertheless sometimes be attained. Surely, in order to achieve any kind of effective inner transformation, self-knowledge is a necessary first step. Perhaps, the Enneagram of personality can be of some small help to some few people and it is in that spirit that this site was developed.

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Some sets of notes from Russ Hudson workshops on instincts (these are not my notes)

Introductory notes:

~ instincts are “the intelligence of life” — intelligence of billions of years of evolution
~ personality is an activity; instincts are where the personality gets energy for that activity
~ ego issues feel like life and death because the activity of the ego is “plugged into” the instincts
~ instinctual matters feel non-negotiable / these are where the ego puts its foot down
~ the non-dominant instincts (even the blind spot/last instinct) are not missing. they just aren’t as much of a preoccupation
~ fixation is imbalance
~ when other people are acting out the neurotic version of our personal blind spot instinct, it drives us nuts

~ presence is the only source of choice. without presence we have no choice but to keep running the same ego programs. presence brings the gift and capacity to do something different
~ when we’re not present, the heart feels abandoned/rejected. the pain of that is the source of the passion. the story on compulsive replay is the fixation
~ personality is “the reaction to loss of presence that we call type x”

~ inner work cannot be done by negating things. grace is the bringing in of that which is in line with what the person more deeply needs. (in terms of the instincts, this means that squashing the dominant instinct doesn’t work; instead, it’s helpful to become more attentive to the genuine functioning of the non-dominant instincts - they already exist and operate in us, we just have to learn to let them into our awareness and give them enough space)
~ awareness to recognize where the seeds within us already are for bringing our own authentic expression of the blind spot into being. (iow, working with the blind spot instinct by discovering where it already exists authentically within us, and nurturing our own authentic expression of what is there)
~ we can only be truly aware of the undistorted instincts when we are present, and to the degree we’re present
~ when we’re present, we’re listening to what the body needs moment to moment instead of making decisions based on our history and reactions


All three instincts manifest in one-on-one and intimate settings.

All three instinct manifest as different flavors of love:

SP: building a nest, having a life together. it’s easier to create a foundation together. wanting continuity, stuff you can rely on

SX: activation, immersion in the other. spark / fire / spice

SO: buddy, a person you can take on life with. helping each other do things, being “for” each other


~ each instinct can be distorted through slackness or through rigidity/overdoing
~ for each instinct, Russ described three arenas or “zones” (his word) that the instinct deals with. He said most people have stronger and weaker areas within each instinct, that very few people are strong in all three zones for a particular instinct, even their dominant one. I’ll mostly use the word “areas” because I associate “zones” with hierarchical divisions and these are not hierarchical or progressive, just different.
~ obsessing about an instinct is not superior to overlooking it


It was mentioned that many people who thought they were soc-last, later find out they are soc-middle or soc-first once they actually understand the instinct. Social instinct is not about “liking to be in groups” or liking to socialize.

It’s worth repeating that we do experience even our blind spot instinct. So when you read through the notes about each individual instinct, don’t assume something’s wrong just because you KNOW that’s your blind spot and yet your experiences don’t quite match. Stack is a weighting of how much attention and ego activity gets directed around the matters pertaining to each instinct. No one is completely devoid of any of the instincts.

Keep in mind that a person who has a particular instinct dominant in their personality does not necessarily express all the characteristics of the unfixated instinct. For instance, depending on the person, an ego distortion of the soc instinct might cause a soc-first individual to be preoccupied with excluding people or gatekeeping, whereas the undistorted instinct is very accepting and cooperative. Another example, also on soc instinct, is that an ego distortion depending on type) might cause a soc-first individual to try and squelch individuality in an attempt to achieve a “smooth” group dynamic; whereas the undistorted instinct is interested in who you really are and supportive of individuality. So if a characteristic in the list strikes you as “wtf??”, maybe consider whether it might have to do with the difference between the natural instinct vs. the ego distortion.

In our blindspot instinct, we tend to feel perpetually like little kids, feeling unable to handle things in that area, putting ourselves down “I’ll never get it together” in that instinct. Try to notice the ways in which you already do handle some aspects of the blind spot successfully. Find where you’re already doing your blind spot instinct and doing it well, and start from there.

Also, in our blind spot instinct there is a tendency to procrastinate. Maybe we even feel the impulse of that instinct, but we put off acting on it. Again, bringing attention is a good place to start.


SP Instinct

~ “life tries to have life in abundance”
~ conserves energy a lot (contrast with sx spending) - noted that most wild animals spend a large amount of time resting / even so, the sp instinct knows how much is enough, and when rested enough will get up and do other things
~ “the journey toward a sense of wellbeing”
~ kind attentiveness to ourselves
~ concern about resources, having enough/fear of scarcity
~ safety/security, comfort, back-up plans
~ awareness of “chronos” time (clock time, quantitative time); “crisper about deadlines”
~ time as a resource: how you use it, accounting for it
~ when rigid or anxious about this instinct, there can be a sense of chronos time being scarce, time always running out
~ when sp is dominant, one-on-one relationships emphasize someone to nest with, build a castle with; long term relationships common due to focus on stability. sp is realistic about commitment, not going with every whim of feeling. the ability to look back and say “look at what we’ve built/created together” — things are taken care of and now we can enjoy it; cozy. endurance in relationship builds love and trust
~ one distortion is go-go too much, another distortion is lethargy. if you attend to the body’s messages, either of these will correct itself.
~ sp-dominant tend to feel self-contained and place higher value on privacy
~ a danger for sp-first is to remain fearful/limited/stuck in a rut


sp areas:
~ health and wellbeing: physical needs such as hunger, fatigue; noticing what the body feels like after one thing or another
~ practical know-how / finances, work / establishing your practical foundation in life / attention to what needs to be dealt with
~ domesticity and nesting, making home a nice place to be


Important!: It has been noted that the descriptions of enneagram’s SP instinct closely resemble those of socionics Si information element - link to discussion. A clear distinction between the two has never been made. It is likely that in development of Socionics certain SP-characteristics have been borrowed to add to description of Si. For individuals who strongly express SP traits this often serves as a point of confusion in their socionics typings (e.g. a ILI sp/sx or sp/so may be typed as an SLI due to being sp-first).


SX Instinct:

~ spends energy a lot (contrast with sp conserving)
~ “intelligence of the evolutionary process” / the drive to evolve / the sx instinct is what “attracts us to go beyond what’s comfortable for us”
~ doesn’t care about comfort; makes us leave the comfort zone to explore new things
~ throwing caution to the wind and going for it
~ attraction: what we’re attracted to and what we attract / magnetism (and its opposite, repulsion)
~ display/showing off to get the other interested
~ on the most refined level, sx is the fuel for choosing to grow/evolve (e.g. inner work)
~ Russ differentiated between “liking” or “being inspired” vs. being “turned on”/aroused. the sx instinct is about turning-on/arousal. (my comment, think about the irresistible pull implied by “magnetism”)
~ when we are tuned into the sx energy, we’re more aware of the energy itself (e.g. the sense of arousal) than “the relationship” / a sense that the energy is pushing us into certain behaviors / sense of being compelled toward something (again, the flip side of this is revulsion, being compelled away from something)
~ sx makes you feel more alive, vigorous
~ awareness of “kairos” time - sense of it being the right time for something in a qualitative sense
~ fear is of not “getting to something” (climax, literally and figuratively), restlessness, sense that your life is, or needs to be, moving toward some kind of climax
~ a danger of sx-first is going out of control, “flaming out”/volatility


sx areas:
~ “edge” - exploration, pushing the envelope, risk. can involve aggression (the energy of hunting)
~ broadcasting, charisma, display (pouring out the energy) / think of animals doing the dance/spread/strut to attract the other gender
~ fusion - total involvement, enjoyment of completely losing yourself in whatever it is — a person, a pursuit, etc.


Important!: The descriptions of enneagram’s SX instinct in some ways overlap with socionics Fi information element. SX instinct is associated with feelings of personal attraction and repulsion, which can be interpreted as introverted feeling Fi - following one’s internal feelong reference points. For individuals who strongly express SX traits this often serves as a point of confusion in their socionics typings (e.g. a SEI sx/sp may consider Fi-leading types due to being sx-first).


SO Instinct:

~ ability to adapt behavior
~ beginning place of altruism (as animals became more complex, the young needing longer care, a need arose for an instinct that could override sp to ensure the survival of one’s children even if one’s own life goes)
~ soc is subjectively experienced as caring (“giving a damn”)
~ play (for fun) (or flirting in case of romantic play)
~ acceptance, interested in who others really are
~ soc decides what we say “yes” vs. “no” to socially, it’s how we read situations and people and decide where to invest
~ soc brings a certain humility because of the sense of interdependence. less overestimating the relative importance of one individual self
~ most communication is soc (except for territorial (sp) and mating (sx))
~ awareness of the other (compare with sx awareness of the energy between two people, soc brings awareness of the other as themselves, as a person in their own right) and of how one’s self and the other are affecting each other
~ cited a study in which the biggest factor for longevity was friendship
~ bonds between species (e.g. humans and pets) are examples of soc instinct
~ one way of looking at all the major spiritual teachings are as an expansion of the soc instinct; ultimately, including all life within the soc instinct’s movement toward win-win
~ under ego distortion, the soc instinct is involved in war, group dominance - though those are soc in combination with sp (survival/greed) and/or sx (competition). straight-up/undistorted soc instinct is always win-win.


soc areas:

~ reading people and adapting behavior
➙ sp wants other stuff to adapt to the self; soc is willing to adapt self in light of others’ needs
as an example, suppose you feel the room is too hot and you see a thermostat on the wall. sp just turns down the thermostat, but soc gauges others’ temperature - if everyone else in the room is dressed lightly, soc does not turn down the thermostat.

~~bonding, affiliating, communicating / creating connection~~
➙ attraction is sx, but creating and maintaining bonds/relationship is soc
marriage is primarily soc

~~contribution and participation~~
➙we’re wired to contribute. regardless of stack, self-esteem suffers when we feel we have nothing to contribute or what we contribute isn’t wanted or doesn’t matter.
➙ valuing each others’ contributions falls in the soc area as well.

When soc is the blind spot:
~ opportunities to be with others are seen in terms of “what will it cost me”. Can be a feeling of not caring, of being excessively selfish.
~ talking to self, may be really talking to self even when ostensibly talking to others, interrupting
~ always a feeling of not having made one’s contribution even when one actually is contributing


And from a “Spiritual Instincts” discussion:

Self-Preservation (SP)

Manifests in 3 zones, each with their particular distortions (the distortions are when we are not in that instinct, but when we are reacting to our fears around that instinct). When the SP instinct is distorted, it runs between Rigidity and Flaccidity in these three zones:

1) Health and Well being - Health, rest, exercise, hygiene, attending to the needs of the body. Becomes distorted as excessive exercise and dieting, eating disorders, trying too hard to be healthy. Or comfort over development, a kind of numb nesting, eating junk food, not sleeping, poor sleeping habits, addiction to alcohol, ect.

2) Practical know-how - How to attend to practical affairs of living, liking the basics of life, maintenance, repair, adaptability to circumstance, ability to work, to put one’s affairs in order, to handle the necessities of our world. Distortion is workaholism or people who can’t get to work (don’t necessarily mean job), can’t take care of themselves.

3) Domesticity - maintaining a home, a foundation, a base or nest from which pursuing one’s passions and callings can be supported. Distortion is the Nest/Tomb, never leaving the home, can’t get out, hoarding, purging, or excessively rigid about structures and routines - house has to be spotless, must be in bed at certain time, eat certain foods, control of regularity.

Russ talked about trainings running late and all the self-pres start worrying about how long it’s going - got to get home, have to eat something, have to go to the bathroom, training will be so early the next morning i’ll be so tired. Asks, are you really tired or just responding to fear?

How do I organize my life so as to serve my awakening?

Self-pres is the most powerful and basic force in the universe, it is the sustaining of life. Drive to life. Will to be. It’s not just survival, it’s also thriving. Sensation, not cognitive.

Body system reading the environment, what is the body telling you? It’s not that you obey every call of your body, but that you fully acknowledge it and act from a state of presence about those sensation. Not rejecting the intelligence that comes through self-pres. Conservation and restoration of energy.

Sp is more important doorway for enlightenment because it is about one’s existence in the Now.
No identity/compensating state, sitting in the problem.

One-on-One is SP - Domestic, stable, trust, nesting, co-habiting, coming home together, sharing, long and deep, comfort, trust, being here with your partner, creating something together, marriage vows, sustaining something.

SP sex is about touching, body contact, sensations, closeness.

SP is trusting sensation as intelligence. Knowing when to conserve. Awareness of time and space, “the appointed time” - knowing the appropriate place and time (creating a sacred space) when called into action by presence. Everything can be made a sacred space. “We cannot awaken unless we are in god’s household”.

SP Blindspot - Person feels childish, unable to rest, to land, can’t take care of themselves, always needing outside support, procrastinating SP matters.

3 Levels of Development:
- Unconscious - I will survive, even if I must destroy you, even if I must destroy myself. This is survival of the ego at it’s purest. “I deserve it”.
- Growing - arranging my life so that I begin to feel well and have the capacity to function.
- Illuminated - surrender of oneself, energy and body, to be a vehicle for essence. to make space, all space, for essence.


Sexual (SX)

“Attraction/Repulsion.” NOT bonding.

Manifest in 3 Zones, and distortions:

1) Edge/Aggression/ Pushing the envelope - Moving towards what draws you energetically, drive towards what is exciting and interesting, element of risk, of overcoming boundaries, destructive. Salmon swimming upstream to [blocked due to guideline #4 violation] and die. Most aggressive version of their type. There’s an element of risk and exhaustion. Jealousy and Competition, over-aggression, over-spending energy, can be heartless, this is hunter-prey dynamic. Everything else sidelined. Recklessness.

2) Broadcasting/Charisma - Display, broadcasting one’s energy and reading the energy of others (not attunement - that is social, this is “where’s the juice?”), phallic sending out signals of one’s “feathers”, what one is all about. Trying to intrigue and being intrigued. Peacocking. *this is not being aware of the other, attuned, connected or bonded*. Where the other “is at” is social. Projecting energy, trying to attract, “feelers” out looking for the juice. Trying to draw you in, like energetic “pheromones”.

3) Immersion/Fusion - completely absorbed, immersion, not just in others but in passions. without the heart center it becomes spiraling, self-absorption, tends to mix with narcissistic issues, tries to resolve left over childhood b.s. Male mantis being eaten by females, male spiders being eaten by females. The question is what do I fusing with? You don’t fuse with just anything (there’s a picky-ness here... hunter waits for prey... finding the right game, the perfect mate, the right spark. It’s not connection. There is a specific intelligence to the attraction, see my example below of plagues and arranged marriages), the nature of the attraction-immersion is that there is a specific something that draws attraction and immersion is sought in.

Russ said about 50% of people who think they’re sexual aren’t SX in most cases, but are misunderstanding the two instincts, which is often not their fault but the fault of poor information.

Once resources are gathered by SP, they want to be used, activated (SX). Doing something with them is social (SO).

Being turned on, spending energy, driven to spend energy, not a choice. Chemistry and fusion - not intimacy.

-Attracting and being attracted. Also repelling. Time to hunt, mate and go out - aggression and competition - Display - flowers are an example.
-In presence, we’re drawn to what makes more life and energy, when we’re distorted, we move to what gives the ego more energy.
-To be used up by existence, fused with essence, letting no barriers get in the way. Nothing stops you from union with the beloved.
-Surrender, obliterated by beloved, going all the way.
-In sex, we can’t be intact.

SX is the part of us that doesn’t tolerate veils and barriers. The transforming, creative force. competition is the engine of evolution. Breaks things up, shakes things up, sexual is a destabilizing force, but also reconstitution.

Sexual is the reconstituting of separate elements coming together in new ways - creativity.

Energy that gets us off our ass, gets us to feel fascinated.

Instinctual wisdom and intelligence - Jess and Russ talked about cultures with arranged marriages, more so and sp than sx, and how that made those cultures more susceptible to being wiped out by plagues. attraction has intelligence.

-intensity - intense about what? intensity needed because intimacy can’t be felt.

People high in SX often have erratic lives.

- Social is affection and tenderness. Sexual is an energetic synergy. The sexual is not discriminating, because that implies choice, which is social. the sexual has no choice about what it’s attracted to, but the instinct has strong attracts and strong repulsions (i’m not saying sexual is interested in everything, more like the opposite - sexual is attracted to very specific elements, but as far as the WHY or the pursuit of that attraction, there is little to no control. Likewise, the sexual instinct has an incredibly hard time engaging with something it’s not attracted to.)

sx-last: postponing the sexual. Not that one doesn’t have sx, have passion, have attraction, but it’s constantly postponed, corked. passion is kept in a jar. Sx-last person feels unattractive, ashamed, unconscious “I’m boring and lucky to have friends”. Sexual can always be talked out of - “I would pursue this, but my work/this person needs me.” Seems disruptive or unruly. SX is done self-consciously.

3 Levels of Development:
- Unconscious - seeking peaks states of energy and intensity to point of self-destruction, or neurotic about where the energy fix is coming from, manipulating, forcing, hung-up on how to squeeze most intensity. obsession with object. addiction to object of attraction.
- Growing - activated energy for creation and fulfillment, energy that undoes the log-jams.
- Illuminated - be on wave of creative life force, energy fully engaged in awakening, sx generated in service of essence, the real juice is awakening. complete transmission. Sacred Prostitute - Jess mentioned Virgina Satir - said she wouldn’t work with a client if she couldn’t imagine making love to them, otherwise there would not be a complete transmission.


Social (SOC)

“Adapting/Bonding”

Shows up in 3 Zones:

1) Reading and Adapting - Discerning and reading people’s emotions, states, mirroring, how to ‘plug in’ with people, connecting to where someone is, not what you need from them but where they really are. Learning, adapting new behaviors - when you have a child, you need to be able to learn new behaviors and accommodate them in your life.
Distortion - back and fourth on participation and support, staying connected in crap relationships for fear of sabotaging being plugged in. Fear of banishment. Losing identity. Going overboard to maintain relationships and overboard in reactions to relationships.
(*Discussion on Autism as the very lack of this capacity, with additional compensating mental capacities. One of the women in the group is a researcher at Johns Hopkins who studies Autism in children. Difficulty in sensory integration in autism, not able to take in info of the environment because there is too much, unable to make meaningful connections because too much data. This Zone is that capacity to discern, to plug in, to connect.)

2) Bonding and Affiliating - Create and sustain connection and to know the appropriate nature of the bond. Co-dependency is a way we don’t listen to the social instinct.
Distortion - group merging. groups merging around particular ideas on small and large scales. Individualism fails. Nazi German. Smaller example - our class started side-tracking and joking and bonding over joking, Jessica had to stop the fun because we had to continue on with the real work.

3) Participation/Contribution - Having an influence, a contribution, a betterment in the lives of others. When animals and people can’t contribute (like in experiments or in concentration camps) they commit suicide or die. Something in us lives by connecting to the human journey.
Distortion - Chronic Reaction to group values. Chronic rebel, chronic supporter. Gang mentality. Consumed by roles. Fixation on affiliation - for or against, ideology is human created. Fixated on something constructed by humans. Identity is asleep. Outlaw.

Social is not just networking, hanging out, liking groups.

The birth of emotion, link between instinct and emotion. Developed roughly 350,000,000 years ago when animals started to care for their young. Colonies and herds form as protection systems for young. Link between parents and children. Birth of social instinct is the parent-child bond - your survival is just as, or more important than mine, your survival is my survival. To care for someone and to receive care.

-Ability to create bonds that are instinctual.
-Involvement in life of others - bonding and connecting.
-Affiliations - what to give my time and energy to, what do you serve and align with?

Play is a big part of social instinct, engaging for the sake of engaging, not needing a reason, not so serious. Americans don’t know how to play. Play has to be justified and regulated. Low socials too serious, focus too much on exchange, concerned with ‘getting mine’. Humans and animals learn and develop through play.

Connection to emotions tend to be warm, approachable, accessible.
Curiosity. “Who are you? This is who I am.”

Social instinct is birth of altruism.

This is about having a call and answering it.

SP - ground of being - time felt as resource, chronos.
SX - dynamicmism of creative being - time felt as chrios.
SO - articulated world, conscious of the great mandala and one’s place in it, time as cycle.

Social Blindspot/SO-Last: How do I be with others? Finding ourselves outside participation in life. New connections are a pain in the ass, visit or phone call not a possibility but a drain “what will this cost me?” Interaction seen in terms of exchange, like money. People and connections as burden. There is unconscious shame - defective, broken, emotionally retarded, don’t know how to love.

The key for social lasts is not that they have to create or pretend there’s a connection, but to find the connections that are already there. The so-last will think it’s up to them to make the social happen, so they won’t do it at all, but that’s the projection by so-lasts on the social sphere.

3 Levels of development:
- Unconscious - Collapsing into or mirroring group, denial of self, lack of self-initiation. Chronic reaction to group values.
- Growing - i have something to contribute, what am i serving?
- Illuminated - surrender to finding one’s place in mandala.[/spoiler]

The proposed sub-areas for SO are:

1) Reading and Adapting - Discerning and reading people’s emotions, states, mirroring, how to ‘plug in’ with people, connecting to where someone is, not what you need from them but where they really are. Learning, adapting new behaviors - when you have a child, you need to be able to learn new behaviors and accommodate them in your life.
Distortion - back and fourth on participation and support, staying connected in crap relationships for fear of sabotaging being plugged in. Fear of banishment. Losing identity. Going overboard to maintain relationships and overboard in reactions to relationships.
(*Discussion on Autism as the very lack of this capacity, with additional compensating mental capacities. One of the women in the group is a researcher at Johns Hopkins who studies Autism in children. Difficulty in sensory integration in autism, not able to take in info of the environment because there is too much, unable to make meaningful connections because too much data. This Zone is that capacity to discern, to plug in, to connect.)

2) Bonding and Affiliating - Create and sustain connection and to know the appropriate nature of the bond. Co-dependency is a way we don’t listen to the social instinct.
Distortion - group merging. groups merging around particular ideas on small and large scales. Individualism fails. Nazi German. Smaller example - our class started side-tracking and joking and bonding over joking, Jessica had to stop the fun because we had to continue on with the real work.

3) Participation/Contribution - Having an influence, a contribution, a betterment in the lives of others. When animals and people can’t contribute (like in experiments or in concentration camps) they commit suicide or die. Something in us lives by connecting to the human journey.
Distortion - Chronic Reaction to group values. Chronic rebel, chronic supporter. Gang mentality. Consumed by roles. Fixation on affiliation - for or against, ideology is human created. Fixated on something constructed by humans. Identity is asleep. Outlaw.