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If there were a fourth instinct, what would it be?

Silveresque

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
I have a couple possibilities:

Migration Instinct

General Attitude: Things will be better if I go to another place
Description: The migration instinct is the desire to solve one's problems or improve one's conditions or chances by traveling to another location. It's the instinct that leads people to drop everything and travel to another country in the hopes that they will have better opportunities there. This may manifest in daily life as restlessness, or an urge to go places seeking excitement. Someone with a strong migration instinct may feel drawn to exploration, which could include anything from going for a stroll through the park to traveling to a foreign country. These are people who can't bear to sit at home all day--they feel a constant tugging to go out somewhere.
Unhealthy: May feel restless, act on an urge to go someplace for no reason, wander aimlessly with no planned destination, place all one's hopes on the belief that going somewhere new will solve all one's problems
Evidence in Nature: Migration, immigration, exploration

Introspection Instinct

General Attitude: I can solve my problems on my own by thinking about them
Description: This is the most introverted of all the instincts. People with a strong introspection instinct spend a lot of time reflecting and thinking about issues. They feel that if they think about their problems enough, a solution will come to them. This attitude can cause them to resist help or change even when they clearly need it, stubbornly insisting on solving it on their own. They tend to trust their own judgement and feelings, looking inside themselves for answers. They may do this because they believe that the way to self-improvement and happiness is to attain a better understanding of themselves, or they may simply believe that their minds are key to greater knowledge and understanding of the world. The introspection instinct is responsible for fantasies and daydreams, which may become a way of exercising their creativity.
Unhealthy: Too much reflection leads to brooding and pessimism. May dwell on past mistakes or overindulge in fantasies and daydreams. They may focus too much on their problems or negative feelings, causing them to feel anxious or depressed. Low self-esteem is likely. May become reclusive.
Evidence in Nature: This cannot be observed, since the process is entirely internal. However, what human does not introspect? Clearly this is not learned behavior, but some inborn trait or instinct.

Based on this, I would be In/Mi/Sp/So/Sx. :D
 

Mal12345

Permabanned
Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
14,532
MBTI Type
IxTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Aren't there more than 3 instincts anyway? Perhaps hundreds or even thousands?
 

Speed Gavroche

Whisky Old & Women Young
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
5,152
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
There's thousands, but the enneagram choose to stay at three.
 

VagrantFarce

Active member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
1,558
They're just one interpretation - there's going to be an infinite number of ways of organising our thoughts, perceptions, behaviours, desires etc. - I'm sure one could spend a lifetime inventing them.

Whether that'll do anyone any good is another question. :) It's fairly easy to "think" something into any sort of position or category you want, so long as you perform enough mental backflips.
 

Silveresque

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
Ooh! I have another one!

Procrastination Instinct

General Attitude: I don't feel like doing this right now/Things will be better if I do this another time
Description: People with a strong procrastination instinct have a tendency to put things off until later. They can be quite laid back and enjoy taking things as they come. They also like to have fun and generally dislike work. The procrastination instinct often manifests itself in daily life through putting off homework until the last minute to play WOW or some other form of video games, type up useless threads such as this on internet forums, read a book that you find much more interesting than the ones you were supposed to read for English class, or some other form of entertainment. It can also take the form of putting off taxes and bills until later because that stuff's really boring and you'd much rather spend your time taking online personality tests and figuring out your instinctual variant. Who needs taxes anyways?
Unhealthy: May lead to late assignments, overdue bills, messy houses, and so on. Desire for instant gratification may cause the individual to make poor decisions and miss opportunities. Could risk getting in trouble with boss or parents when important things are put off for too long.
Evidence in Nature: Lazy students, lazy people, laziness, that feeling when you just don't feel like it, umm...procrastinators unite!...tomorrow!

This one's a spoof, of course. :D
 

Savage Idealist

Permabanned
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
2,841
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I have a couple possibilities:

Migration Instinct

General Attitude: Things will be better if I go to another place
Description: The migration instinct is the desire to solve one's problems or improve one's conditions or chances by traveling to another location. It's the instinct that leads people to drop everything and travel to another country in the hopes that they will have better opportunities there. This may manifest in daily life as restlessness, or an urge to go places seeking excitement. Someone with a strong migration instinct may feel drawn to exploration, which could include anything from going for a stroll through the park to traveling to a foreign country. These are people who can't bear to sit at home all day--they feel a constant tugging to go out somewhere.
Unhealthy: May feel restless, act on an urge to go someplace for no reason, wander aimlessly with no planned destination, place all one's hopes on the belief that going somewhere new will solve all one's problems
Evidence in Nature: Migration, immigration, exploration

Introspection Instinct

General Attitude: I can solve my problems on my own by thinking about them
Description: This is the most introverted of all the instincts. People with a strong introspection instinct spend a lot of time reflecting and thinking about issues. They feel that if they think about their problems enough, a solution will come to them. This attitude can cause them to resist help or change even when they clearly need it, stubbornly insisting on solving it on their own. They tend to trust their own judgement and feelings, looking inside themselves for answers. They may do this because they believe that the way to self-improvement and happiness is to attain a better understanding of themselves, or they may simply believe that their minds are key to greater knowledge and understanding of the world. The introspection instinct is responsible for fantasies and daydreams, which may become a way of exercising their creativity.
Unhealthy: Too much reflection leads to brooding and pessimism. May dwell on past mistakes or overindulge in fantasies and daydreams. They may focus too much on their problems or negative feelings, causing them to feel anxious or depressed. Low self-esteem is likely. May become reclusive.
Evidence in Nature: This cannot be observed, since the process is entirely internal. However, what human does not introspect? Clearly this is not learned behavior, but some inborn trait or instinct.

These are excellent; I seriously think that the should be incorporated into the instinct schemata :yes:

Based on this, I would be In/Mi/Sp/So/Sx. :D

I'd be In/Sx/Sp/So/Mi or something like that :)

Aren't there more than 3 instincts anyway? Perhaps hundreds or even thousands?
There's thousands, but the enneagram choose to stay at three.

So why the hell are only three being utilized? Isn't that just arbitrary and confusing?
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Yes, it's just a way of categorizing, but they all share the same foundation. They are all about relationships, with the self, another individual, and the group. SP = me, SX = us, SO = them.
There are simply 3, and everything becomes an extension of them. The relationships can be with objects also. "Me" can be projected onto the environment, which is why the sp may identify with objects & seek to make their home a sanctuary, or find independence in hoarding supplies (ie. food). "Us" can be the person & an experiences. There can be an intensity & passion occurring in an experience similar to an intimate relationship with another person. The sx-dom person is seeking a "high", like you'd get from sex or emotional intimacy (that's partly why it's called the sexual instinct). "Them" can be the world or a vague, undefined "other" the person seeks to identify with or in relation to. It doesn't have to be a specific social group.

The problem with your examples is they are extensions; they can boil down further to the more basic instinct. If the reason to migrate is new experiences & exploration, then it may be sx (seeking intensity & passion, including experiences, not just relationships). If the reason is to assert independence or seek a more secure life, then it's sp (seeking physical security & self-sufficiency). If the reason is to find a place where one fits in better, to use travel experience as a status marker, to be more aware of other cultures, then it's so (to define self in relation to a group). The solving own problems one reeks of sp, BTW.
 

Vizzy

New member
Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
229
Enneagram
5w4
If there's a Denial Instinct, then I have it.
I can deny myself of insurance, intimacy and society.
 

CzeCze

RETIRED
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Messages
8,975
MBTI Type
GONE
I thought the instincts were specifically about how we relate to people (or don't). I guess a good 4th instinct would be "The Narcissism Instinct". Always and forever focuses on self and automatically frames all situations around "how does this effect me, how do I feel?"

*edit* Lol "narcissism instinct" sounds like a very negative way to say "self-preservational" now.
 

Hopelandic

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Dec 13, 2009
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232
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me
Yes, it's just a way of categorizing, but they all share the same foundation. They are all about relationships, with the self, another individual, and the group. SP = me, SX = us, SO = them.
There are simply 3, and everything becomes an extension of them. The relationships can be with objects also. "Me" can be projected onto the environment, which is why the sp may identify with objects & seek to make their home a sanctuary, or find independence in hoarding supplies (ie. food). "Us" can be the person & an experiences. There can be an intensity & passion occurring in an experience similar to an intimate relationship with another person. The sx-dom person is seeking a "high", like you'd get from sex or emotional intimacy (that's partly why it's called the sexual instinct). "Them" can be the world or a vague, undefined "other" the person seeks to identify with or in relation to. It doesn't have to be a specific social group.

The problem with your examples is they are extensions; they can boil down further to the more basic instinct. If the reason to migrate is new experiences & exploration, then it may be sx (seeking intensity & passion, including experiences, not just relationships). If the reason is to assert independence or seek a more secure life, then it's sp (seeking physical security & self-sufficiency). If the reason is to find a place where one fits in better, to use travel experience as a status marker, to be more aware of other cultures, then it's so (to define self in relation to a group). The solving own problems one reeks of sp, BTW.

Precisely. Migration seems sx/sp and introspection sp/sx,

I don't think we need more than three instincts because how a person approaches one thing, is how they will approach others (resulting in as you mentioned, projection).
 

nanook

a scream in a vortex
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
1,361
the way i see it insticts are based on stages of developement, because the enneagram is expressed through the stage one is at, or the stage one adapted to in his culture. but since people who use the instinct system dont understand stages they interpret the instincs in different ways. most of the time they intuit the stages, because stages are pretty damn obvious (just not recognizable as such, unless you get them), but there are lookalike effects between several stages, so things get confused. the stages are
1) merged (childlike, think of aborigines, dreamtime),
2) impulsive (self preserving, fighting for personal space and power, conquering, pragmatic instable powerbased social order),
3) conformistic (social, status, family, heritage, community, persona, cultivating, missionary, introspection largely limited to adaption/moral issues),
4) rational (could look like any of the three instincts, depending on situation, some refined sense of psychology, but focus on external/behavior, manipulation of the self for external purpose),
5) pluralisitc (is rather introspective, adapts life to self, therefore sensitive to individuality, therefore gets most out of relationships (much like sexual instinct), but is also very social - sees the individuals in groups, though, is worldcentric and therefore loves to travel and connect with most cultures on a mutual basis),
there are further stages but they are rare ...
like with instincts, people are never exactly and only on one stage at a time. they are mixed packages internally, but also usually focus on one stage externally.
 

Sinmara

Not Your Therapist
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
1,075
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Aren't there more than 3 instincts anyway? Perhaps hundreds or even thousands?

So why the hell are only three being utilized? Isn't that just arbitrary and confusing?

I like to compare the three instinct variables to primary colors. Red, blue and yellow are only three colors in a whole spectrum of hundreds and possibly thousands of color combinations, but they all begin with and derive from some combination of red, blue and yellow.

It may seem overly simplified, but complexity always starts with something simple.
 
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