[Type 5] Fives Instinct Questionnaire

[Zoom]

I don't think you have to be an Sx to have the desire for merging, intimacy, and finding your soul mate. I very much want those things, yet I'm fairly certain I'm Sx last. I decided that because I when I talk with my friends, I don't really approach it like an Sx would by trying to find out everything about that person and exchange intimate secrets. I mostly do it to be friendly and maintain relationships. I think that is the one of the main differences between Sx and So.

Interesting. It doesn't have to be secrets, and the person doesn't have to be a lover for the connecting tendency to kick in. It's not just on a romantic level, not in the least.

 

[Vizzy]

1) What is your type (5w4 or 5w6) and instinctual variant, and how positive are you that your variant is accurate?
I'm 5w4. I haven't been studying instinct variants for long but for now I think I'm sp/sx.

2) How would you describe your overall focus when alone versus in social situations?
I cherish my time alone. I'm sure I'm not special in this regard though. Obviously when by myself, I don't have to spend much energy catering to another person. One thing I will mention is that I'm probably too comfortable alone...to the point where I can't seriously imagine myself in a close relationship where I have to share myself, my time and my own comfort. I think I'm more selfish than most people in that regard.

3) How would you describe your interaction style when in a group?
Like many others here, I'm never the centre of attention unless someone does it for me. I'm a smiling observer who is naturally invisible. Though I sometimes wonder why I'm "not like other people", I don't try hard to fit in groups, nor do I deliberately separate myself. "Fitting in" is just not something I'm too interested in and never really felt pressured about. I just accept the fact that I don't fit in like others and focus on more relevant/worthy areas in my life.
On the other hand, I love family groups and family get-togethers but perhaps that is Sx rather than So.

4) How would you describe your interaction style in one-on-one situations?
I ask a lot of questions, sometimes enthusiastically. People do love talking about themselves and I take advantage of that. It does depend on my chemistry with the other person, but I'm rather good at making others feel like they themselves are really fascinating...which they often are. (Often, it's nice when there's a 3rd person so there's less pressure and more things to bounce off of.) I myself don't reveal much.
I must point out that I don't have any best or close friends that I can tell deep dark secrets to. I just don't trust anyone enough...and it's this same reason that I have never been intimate with anyone. It's something I secretly desire but no one knows because for some reason, I put on a front that I don't NEED a special someone.

5) How well does this description of your variant fit you?
It fits me well. But this line from the So/Sp description: "They can really be content to adopt the role of “people watcher,” but they do it from a closer and closer perspective. Their blind spot revolves around the fact that they tend to convince themselves they can get along just fine in the observer role. It does feel safer to them" fits me uncannily...although it could be describing an Sp/Sx too.

6) How did you decide on your variant? Was there anything that gave it away, or else made you change your mind from what you previously thought it was?
I made a thread about it here. It was helpful when [MENTION=5632]VagrantFarce[/MENTION] here said a Sx person can seem asexual or reluctant towards intimacy. I'm extremely frigid when it comes to the idea of even being thought of as sexual, and I have an invisible wall to keep people from coming too close. These are strong thoughts/instincts withint me and seems to support my Sx variant rather than not. On the other hand, I think my social instinct is last because, well, it just don't bother me or occupy my thoughts much.

 

[Hazashin]

I just accept the fact that I don't fit in like others and focus on more relevant/worthy areas in my life.

Wait, what is relevant/worthy in your life? I'm asking because I wonder if finding instinct preference is as easy as that, and if you describe something about security, comfort, having your needs, etc. and things of that sort, then I can't help but think I'm an Sx-dom because what's the most worthy and valuable thing to me in my life are my interpersonal relationships, finding what's important to me that are not material (such as love and compassion), and, most importantly, a significant other whom I love and can have an ideal relationship with and spend romantic/intimate time with her a lot, etc.

 

[Silveresque]

Wait, what is relevant/worthy in your life? I'm asking because I wonder if finding instinct preference is as easy as that, and if you describe something about security, comfort, having your needs, etc. and things of that sort, then I can't help but think I'm an Sx-dom because what's the most worthy and valuable thing to me in my life are my interpersonal relationships, finding what's important to me that are not material (such as love and compassion), and, most importantly, a significant other whom I love and can have an ideal relationship with and spend romantic/intimate time with her a lot, etc.

I don't think it's that simple. If Sp's are all about material possessions and comfort, and your main instinct is what you consider worthy and valuable, then I feel like being an Sp is like saying I'm superficial and materialistic. I consider people and relationships far more valuable than material things.

 

[Hazashin]

I don't think it's that simple. If Sp's are all about material possessions and comfort, and your main instinct is what you consider worthy and valuable, then I feel like being an Sp is like saying I'm superficial and materialistic. I consider people and relationships far more valuable than material things.

Perhaps it's reason why we value certain things? Or perhaps I just don't understand instinct theory at all.

 

[Silveresque]

Perhaps it's reason why we value certain things? Or perhaps I just don't understand instinct theory at all.

Yeah, this whole instinct theory is about the hardest part of the enneagram. I don't really get it either.

 

[sleuthiness]

1) What is your type (5w4 or 5w6) and instinctual variant, and how positive are you that your variant is accurate?
so/sp e54.

2) How would you describe your overall focus when alone versus in social situations?
When alone, I spend all my time looking for new information, reformulating hypotheses, pondering existential reality. Focus tends to be on abstract mental constructs assembled over the years, replacing / adjusting joints on the fly.

3) How would you describe your interaction style when in a group?
I'm mostly silent, gently grinning, more than likely wearing sunglasses, as eye activity reveals way too much information. Occasionally address an entire group, assuming we're discussing ideas I'm interested in.

4) How would you describe your interaction style in one-on-one situations?
Compared to most other arrangements, pretty awkward, but feel more in my element if it's a one-on-one in a public environment rather than private; allows me to draw attention to surrounding, always interesting social dynamics.

5) How well does this description of your variant fit you?
Alright? I'm no expert, but have insightful / meaningful ideas worth mentioning to the right people. It comes naturally to station myself for a few hours to take notes for my records for no reason. so/sp e56 intpjs are the experts.


6) How did you decide on your variant? Was there anything that gave it away, or else made you change your mind from what you previously thought it was?
I thought it was strange how my sp/so e54 intp buddy seemed uber stingy with his resources, more than me, then realized we weren't as similar as I thought, just enough to catch on. Much like the socionics ego-superego shadow relation, I found that the sx/sp way of thinking was actually pretty complimentary, different, both looking to feed some immediate interest. Also am unfettered by criticism, unlike sx/sps, so I expose them to ways in which the world is an amazing thing to live in, while they provide a darker portrait, interesting in itself.

 

[Silveresque]

I thought it was strange how my sp/so e54 intp buddy seemed uber stingy with his resources, more than me, then realized we weren't as similar as I thought, just enough to catch on.

Really? I'm the same type and variant as that person, yet I'm not stingy with my resources at all. I like sharing--in fact, about the only thing I wouldn't share is my computer. I wonder if stinginess really has anything to do with your instinctual variant.

 

[Mal12345]

I don't think it's that simple. If Sp's are all about material possessions and comfort, and your main instinct is what you consider worthy and valuable, then I feel like being an Sp is like saying I'm superficial and materialistic. I consider people and relationships far more valuable than material things.

As the 5w4 Sp-dom, all I can say to that is there are never enough resources available. "Where's the right tool to fix this? I never seem to have one." Feeling resourceless buys into this quest which is never resolved. Money? What's that. Some resource other people seem to have in great quantity.

So it's not superficial materialism. It's a need for resources that are never available.

 

[Silveresque]

As the 5w4 Sp-dom, all I can say to that is there are never enough resources available. "Where's the right tool to fix this? I never seem to have one." Feeling resourceless buys into this quest which is never resolved. Money? What's that.

Hmmm...I don't feel resourceless. I have all the things I need. I wonder if this could indicate Sp second rather than Sp first?

 

[sleuthiness]

Really? I'm the same type and variant as that person, yet I'm not stingy with my resources at all. I like sharing--in fact, about the only thing I wouldn't share is my computer. I wonder if stinginess really has anything to do with your instinctual variant.

Absolutely. Also don't think you're a self pres. dominant now.

 

[Mal12345]

If you want superficial materialism, look for example to the type 8 Sp-dom. The type 8 has enough, has more than enough, maybe even wayyyyyy more than enough. But to the type 8 Sp, it is NEVER enough. So it is necessary to think about how this Sp instinct is filtered through the enneatype. Compared to the type 5, who also has a quest to find more and more, because it really doesn't exist. And then there is the possibility that, underneath it all, some subconscious drive is intent on maintaining this constant state of penuriousness which acts on instinct.

 

[Mal12345]

Hmmm...I don't feel resourceless. I have all the things I need. I wonder if this could indicate Sp second rather than Sp first?

I'm not saying it's linked to not having all the things you need. Compare with the type 8 Sp, who has everything he'll ever need and then some, but still feels resourceless, and this irrational feeling drives the materialistic urge to surround himself with more and more and more stuff. I think that a type 5 Sp who really does have enough will simply find a way, subconsciously, to self-sabotage.

I am suddenly reminded of a friend I used to chat with online for years. He was a classic 5w6 nerd making 100k/year as a programmer. But he had a penchant for getting in trouble with women - either through sexual harassment lawsuit or divorce - and then being fleeced out of $10 grand or his nice car. Last I heard he had gone in for some therapy.

 

[Silveresque]

I'm not saying it's linked to not having all the things you need. Compare with the type 8 Sp, who has everything he'll ever need and then some, but still feels resourceless, and this irrational feeling drives the materialistic urge to surround himself with more and more and more stuff. I think that a type 5 Sp who really does have enough will simply find a way, subconsciously, to self-sabotage.

I am suddenly reminded of a friend I used to chat with online for years. He was a classic 5w6 nerd making 100k/year as a programmer. But he had a penchant for getting in trouble with women - either through sexual harassment lawsuit or divorce - and then being fleeced out of $10 grand or his nice car. Last I heard he had gone in for some therapy.

Interesting. Maybe I'm not an Sp then. Come to think of it, every year when my parents would ask me what I wanted for Christmas, I always had trouble coming up with things. I just don't need so much stuff. I'm perfectly content with what I have, and most of the time I can't even think of anything more that I want. The things I want are rarely material things.

 

[Mal12345]

Interesting. Maybe I'm not an Sp then. Come to think of it, every year when my parents would ask me what I wanted for Christmas, I always had trouble coming up with things. I just don't need so much stuff. I'm perfectly content with what I have, and most of the time I can't even think of anything more that I want. The things I want are rarely material things.

I feel the same way about things. I know people of other types don't care for the idea of more and more. What's it for? But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to try being rich just for a day.

Mickey Rourke in the movie Barfly, playing the life of a real-life poet, sold a piece of poetry to a magazine for $500, and then blew the entire wad in his favorite bar so he could get back to his normal, meaning, penniless position in life. He also threw away a chance to live in luxury with the magazine owner, calling it a cage with golden bars which stifled his creative impulse. Rourke was playing a 4w3 Sp-dom.

Or maybe not.

 

[Silveresque]

I feel the same way about things. I know people of other types don't care for the idea of more and more. What's it for? But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to try being rich just for a day.

Mickey Rourke in the movie Barfly, playing the life of a real-life poet, sold a piece of poetry to a magazine for $500, and then blew the entire wad in his favorite bar so he could get back to his normal, meaning, penniless position in life. He also threw away a chance to live in luxury with the magazine owner, calling it a cage with golden bars which stifled his creative impulse. Rourke was playing a 4w3 Sp-dom.

Well, I wouldn't mind being rich either. It sounds like a pretty nice deal, though I think anyone would say the same, regardless of their variant. I can't relate to the second part, though. I'm a saver. I would never blow my money like that. Though I think a good part of the reason why I'm a saver is that there isn't really a whole lot I want to spend my money on. The other part of it is that it's good to be financially secure and have money for when you need it.

 

[Mal12345]

Well, I wouldn't mind being rich either. It sounds like a pretty nice deal, though I think anyone would say the same, regardless of their variant. I can't relate to the second part, though. I'm a saver. I would never blow my money like that. Though I think a good part of the reason why I'm a saver is that there isn't really a whole lot I want to spend my money on. The other part of it is that it's good to be financially secure and have money for when you need it.

Note the edit at the end of my last post. Is the character an Sp-dom? He's more like an Sx. He's not playing a 5 anyway.

It's difficult for me to save money with my family's ever-present needs.

 

[brainheart]

5w6 sx/sp. At times I think I could be sx/so, but such thoughts are infrequent. I'd say I'm about 75% sure.



I'm not sure I entirely understand what you mean by my "focus" but when I'm alone I'm naturally focused on the self an when in a social situation I'm typically fighting against boredom and looking for some kind of entertainment.



In a group, I'm largely an observer and enjoy a more auxiliary role in the group dynamic. Very little direction, but more going with the ebb and flow of conversation and humour, unless it's not to my liking and I'll just leave or isolate myself.



Attentive, uninhibited, probing, eager to explore a heavy concept and unlock the mind of the person I'm conversing with. I have a compulsion to discover everything someone knows and is, my avarice for total information about a person.



Very well, they highlight the difficulty with a fluctuating desire for space and for indulging pleasant connections, which is what is most apparent to me and something that's incredibly hard to regulate and explain. The explaining is the tough part, because as someone who tries to be consistent, the inherent inconsistency of this seesaw of desires can probably leave the other person somewhat confused and can also make my attention appear superficial.




For me, I settled begrudgingly on sx first because I thought it explained my interactions not only with others, but with myself, the best. I experience sx dominance as a primal hunger for the natural fixation of the 5; I crave information and understanding about others that interest me, I am consumed by my own interests in certain topics and I can very nearly lose myself as I indulge in the connections I have between others. Sx dominance is very much characterized by its desire to indulge in extremes for me. All or nothing.

I think it's hard for 5s to separate some of the naturally sp elements of the type from the instinct. If sx is a matter/antimatter annihilation, sp is a stable atom. Controlled, collected, managed, clear boundaries, the rock. If only!

This sounds A LOT like me.

 

[Vizzy]

Socialising or belonging in a group not something that bothers me or has a big impact on the way I act. Of course, I like to be pleasant and all but I just don't feel the need to "fit in" as much as others do, nor is hanging out with mates something I really care for. (Of course, feeling invisible sucks for anybody.)

I think I'm an Sp-dom, but I'm NOT materialistic or superficial. Quite the opposite, really. I never ask for presents (no matter the occasion) or value material things over people. Aargh, is that what Sp's are thought to be like?
I have a strong desire to "go it alone" rather than relying on people but that doesn't mean I replace humans with objects, clothing and other material things that So-dom and Sx-dom people could just as well be addicted to...if not more. I can imagine So people being materialistic in order to fit in with others or to look part of some group in society.

 

[cascadeco]

I think I'm an Sp-dom, but I'm NOT materialistic or superficial. Quite the opposite, really. I never ask for presents (no matter the occasion) or value material things over people. Aargh, is that what Sp's are thought to be like?
I have a strong desire to "go it alone" rather than relying on people but that doesn't mean I replace humans with objects, clothing and other material things that So-dom and Sx-dom people could just as well be addicted to...if not more. I can imagine So people being materialistic in order to fit in with others or to look part of some group in society.

+1 I think any instinct can be materialistic, it's just perhaps different motivations behind why the materialism is a strong urge. Diff. instincts will have diff. reasons for wanting more stuff.

---------------------

As for myself, while I like having a nice place to live and having aesthetics/surroundings that I like and that are decent quality, I hate the idea of accumulating, I am not someone who buys 'stuff' as a general rule, I am extremely against the whole 'keeping up with the jones'' concept, I tend to value experiences (travel, activities) more than things when it comes to spending money, and I am a saver.

However, yeah, I might be stingy with sharing my stuff because I don't trust the other person (don't think it will be returned, think it will be returned in worse condition than it started, think the other person's just taking advantage and simply not wanting to pay for or put in the work/effort that I paid for/worked for..lol.. stuff like that). I tend not to be a very generous person when it comes to tangible things. Heck, now that I think about it, even helping people with, say, homework. In jr. high/high school I really resented that and didn't want to give anyone any answers. haha! I realize that says a lot about me.

I'm not at all implying this will resonate with other sp's, or even has anything to do with sp, but this is just another aspect of myself.