All humans share three main survival instincts: Self-Preservation, Sexual/Intimate, and Social. According to the Enneagram, not all of these instincts are created equal.
We humans have a tendency to favor one of the three instincts above the rest. When combined with the nine Enneagram types, it creates 27 Enneagram subtypes… adding some much needed nuance to the system.
But before diving into subtypes, let’s dive into the details and the differences between the three basic humans instincts.
The Self-Preservation Instinct
Self-Preservation (abbreviated as SP), is the instinct to achieve and maintain physical self-protection. Those who favor self-preservation will be most concerned with meeting their physical needs, whether that’s a need for food, shelter, safety, transportation, or any other form of tangible resource.
The self-preservation instinct manifests itself as a need to protect the physical body, a need to acquire both professional and personal skills, and a need to build foundations and acquire resources.
To identify whether you favor the self-preservation instinct, see how many of the following questions and/or statements you say or think on a day-to-day basis:
- What am I going to eat tonight?
- You know… I should probably cut out ____ from my diet.
- Gosh, I’m just so tired today!
- Do I need to go to the store right now to get that?
- I could definitely lift that. No problem.
- I wonder if I could actually survive in those conditions?
- How does this work?
- You know what I really need right now is: ____.
- I’m going to take this apart to figure it out.
- I really need to save up for that.
The Sexual/Intimate Instinct
The sexual instinct (also called intimate or one-on-one, abbreviated as SX), is the drive for attraction, connection, and legacy-building. Although this instinct does include the physical drive to have sex, it extends much deeper than that. Those who favor the sexual instinct will be most concerned with attraction, transformation, and chemistry.
The sexual instinct manifests itself as a need to have intense experiences, connect deeply and personally with other individuals, be vulnerable and accepted in their vulnerability, fuse and become one with another person, and to sustain a sense of thrill and adventure in their lives.
To identify whether you favor the sexual instinct, see how many of the following questions and/or statements you say or think on a day-to-day basis:
- Are we connecting?
- Does he/she really see or know me?
- I think it’s off-putting when I do ____.
- How can I be a better version of myself?
- I want to be remembered for ____ when I die.
- I need to surround myself with better people.
- Am I doing enough to leave a legacy?
- I just don’t see myself there…
- What can I become?
- Life is about being rich in experiences.
The Social Instinct
The social instinct (abbreviated as SO), is the drive to get along with other people and create strong social bonds. Those who favor this instinct are aware of how they’re positioned in the community and they are motivated to build status and reputation through social interaction.
The social instinct manifests itself as a desire to build strong connections with various social groups, care for others so that they will also be cared for, interpret actions and consequences of those actions, andachieve or maintain harmony between people.
To identify whether you favor the social instinct, see how many of the following questions and/or statements you say or think on a day-to-day basis:
- What do we all have in common?
- Do they expect me to attend?
- Maybe I should say it like this instead…
- I don’t want to offend anyone.
- How am I being perceived right now?
- Is it problematic to say ____?
- Will they all get along?
- I don’t want to start a fight.
- That happened to her because she did ____.
- But will I fit in there?
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Now that you’ve received an introduction to all three basic human instincts, know that they can be combined with your Enneagram type to create a subtype. For example, you can either be a SP 2, SX 2, or SO 2. When you combine the motivations of the nine Enneagram types with the drives of the three instincts, it creates 27 wildly unique personalities.
What about you? Do you notice a preference for self-preservation, sexual, or social drives? Are there two that you identify strongly with and one that significantly lags behind? Why do you think that is? Feel free to share below!
Personality City 