Descriptions of the Enneagram Instinctual Variants

[OrangeAppled]

I relate to both sx/sp and sp/sx...

This is me:
Motivation: to know the heart, reconcile inner conflict, form a secure union.

But I can relate to this also:
Motivation: to live in a secure, comfortable environment where they can pursue their private interests in depth.

I feel like I lean towards sx/sp, but I have a conflict of values with that level of autonomy, so I strive for those calmer sp/sx goal, but that always feels a bit stifling. Inner conflict sums me up well, because I feel a pull of personal desire vs. personal values. I usually test sp/sx though, so maybe that suits me better....?

[BlahBlahNounBlah]

Okay. I just read the descriptions. I'm now 75% sure I'm sx/sp.

[The Outsider]

INFP 9 sp/sx would be almost me. Could you live with being me?

Absolutely.

I mean, for a while. I still have my own life to finish up.

[Charmed Justice]

I am totally sx/so.
I couldn't avoid that definition if my life depended on it.
Busted!

At this point in my study of personality theories, I cannot help but think that a person's life experiences, especially those during formative years (birth to age seven) contribute to the finite selection of personality types available to them via genetic inheritance.

I grew up as a military dependent, moved every two years, and have seen many differnt ways of doing things. I cannot help but believe that those experiences assisted in me ending up as an ESTP.

Genetically, I have strong evidence to have ended up as such, as my Father is a (tested) ESTJ. But he grew up and lived in one town, in a rural, Southern Baptist (authoritarian) household, until enlistening in the U.S. Army, and I think he saw things as very black and white (right or wrong) as a youngster, where my experiences were much more varied and thus were read by me in shades of grey...

My Ennegram of 7w8 is also consistent with my upbringing (and genetics too!), maximize satisfaction to minimize pain, being a thrillseeker because I was exposed to alot that increased my threshold for stimulation, etc...

We are all products of nature (DNA) and how we were nurtured (upbringing). The geneticisits say:

Genotype + Environment = Phenotype

If two identical seeds of a mighty oak tree are sowed in different environments, one shady and dry, the other sunny and wet, which will grow to be the bigger tree, despite their identical genetic code?

Hey Halla, we had a freakishly similar upbringing based on what you've written: the Southern Baptist influence, the authoritarian EXTJ parent, military family, Germans, we've got lots of Germans:,etc....In any case, I have no clue what Enneagram type I am. I consistently get 7w8, 3, or 4, and relate most to sx/so. You might be onto something.

[Tiltyred]

I'm definitely sp/sx.

[Lady_X]

totally this.. yep

sx/so

This is the type that exudes the most raw charisma and sexual energy. They may identify so strongly with whatever they're involved with that they often become the symbol of its core essence, and sometimes its lead agent for change. Hardly content with the status quo, this subvariant seeks to alter the fundamental structure of something while at once embodying it's purest or most extreme form. Possibly attracted to radical views on politics, philosophy, spirituality or creativity that reflect their penchant for testing boundaries. They enjoy pushing other's buttons, especially those resistant to their modes of expression. It's not uncommon for them to have a pet social, political or spiritual cause which they're able to support with heartfelt conviction. May exploit and seek to redefine sexuality to reflect their own colorful and uncertain understanding of it. While prone to exhibitionism, they are strongly attracted to grounding influences which can anchor them and provide stability. Failure to satisfy an especially intense desire for connection may cause this subvariant to spite others at the risk of jeopardizing the need for an equal, stabilizing force. Can feel pulled between wanting a life of maximum intensity and reassuring episodes of peaceful convention.

Motivation: to impact others, question assumptions, challenge convention.

Familiar roles: provocateur, activist, exhibitionish

Examples of sx/so: Madonna, John Lennon, Yukio Mishima, Robin Williams, Drew Barrymore, Richard Simmons, Elvis, Bono, George Michael, Sinead O'Connor, Joan of Arc

[Thalassa]

sx/sp

This is perhaps the most internally conflicted of the stackings, and potentially the most inconsistent in behavior. This may occur as a blockage of the sexual instinct which can be redirected as a more generally brooding and troubled personality. They may isolate themselves for long periods of time before reemerging. They live according to a strictly personal outlook and are not particularly concerned with the approval of others outside of their immediate concern. They seem to be searching for something, the missing piece. If they find a soulmate they will unite without fanfare, forming a secret bond, dealing with formalities as an afterthought. Powerful sexual impulses facing inner resistance may manifest symbolically in the psyche, giving way to soulful interpretations of the unconscious. Under periods of stress severe sexual tensions may manifest as erratic, impulsively destructive behavior. Can seem restless, torn between the comforts of a stable home life and the urge to wander. May be prone to self-medicating.

Motivation: to know the heart, reconcile inner conflict, form a secure union.

Familiar roles: the devotee, the seeker, the wanderer

Examples of sx/sp: Prince, Carl Jung, Johnny Depp, Ozzy Osbourne, Johnny Cash, Joan Crawford, Princess Di, Marilyn Monroe, Janis Joplin, Frollo from "Hunchback of Notre Dame"

This is me.

I'm also a 4w3, and it seems like I've seen a couple of people on this list as 4w3 or 3w4.

It's much harder to decide if I'm an INFP or an ENFP.

[Sinmara]

the Southern Baptist influence, the authoritarian EXTJ parent, military family, Germans, we've got lots of Germans:,etc...

Uh...er...me too. ^.^ ESTJ German mother, military father, except replace Southern Baptist with Mormon.

ESTP 8w7 sx/so.

Yep.

[Synarch]

Hey Halla, we had a freakishly similar upbringing based on what you've written: the Southern Baptist influence, the authoritarian EXTJ parent, military family, Germans, we've got lots of Germans:,etc....In any case, I have no clue what Enneagram type I am. I consistently get 7w8, 3, or 4, and relate most to sx/so. You might be onto something.

Uh...er...me too. ^.^ ESTJ German mother, military father, except replace Southern Baptist with Mormon.

ESTP 8w7 sx/so.

Yep.

Raised Southern Baptist (anyone really surprised?), though I never believed. My father was a police officer. ESFJ.

[Tiltyred]

Navy brat, moved constantly, both parents Southern Baptist.