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[so] Understanding the Social Instinct

Elfboy

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as I currently understand it, a more accurate name for the Social instinct would be the Networking instinct or group dynamic instinct. it seems to mostly deal with
- gathering and keeping track of large amounts of detailed information about a wide range of people
- keeping a mental book of social contacts
- understanding group social dynamics
- desiring to be a part of a larger group/organization
- natural tendency towards hierarchy
- wanting some form of status/recognition to secure one's place in the hierarchy
- keeping track of other people's relationships. who's dating who? who owes who money? who needs help? who can help me?

is this an accurate understanding or am I missing something?
 

Catharsis

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The social instinct is about a deep need to belong, extend the self to the group, awareness of social dynamics (the order of the hierarchy and one's place in it), identifying with your chosen group, and being accepted and necessary to the community. If it's your least developed instinct, you find it hard to see why you have to sustain social connections or go out of your way for the benefit of the whole, without regard for the impact of other people's opinions. Would rather act as a lone force, feeling that you don't need others and others don't need you.
 

Speed Gavroche

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The Social instinc is an intinctive, animalistic dirive to extend you toward a larger social sphere or entity. You can belong, provoke it, create it, manipulate it lead it, etc, but in every case, you are part of it and it is part of you. It is to be a duck and be part of the group of the ducks, and feel conflicted if you don't seem to be part of the group. There's typycal social concern about this: networking, reputation, rumor, hierarchy, relationships, status, etc. So-last people happen to care about this a lot, like Sx-last happen to be obseesed with their loved ones, but for So people, the passion of their enneatype has to express in the Social realm, and it is what they are specialised in because they are oriented to the So realm insinctively and naturally.
 

Elfboy

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The Social instinc is an intinctive, animalistic dirive to extend you toward a larger social sphere or entity. You can belong, provoke it, create it, manipulate it lead it, etc, but in every case, you are part of it and it is part of you. It is to be a duck and be part of the group of the ducks, and feel conflicted if you don't seem to be part of the group. There's typycal social concern about this: networking, reputation, rumor, hierarchy, relationships, status, etc. So-last people happen to care about this a lot, like Sx-last happen to be obseesed with their loved ones, but for So people, the passion of their enneatype has to express in the Social realm, and it is what they are specialised in because they are oriented to the So realm insinctively and naturally.

so would that mean an Sx/Sp or Sp/Sx could also be social/gregarious but for different reasons. the So type needs acceptance and unity while the Sp/Sx views social interaction as more "optional" and does so mainly because the social group is enjoyable company?
 

INTPness

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For you Sx/so's, do you believe that having "sp" last makes you more "entrepreneurial" in nature? More willing to take risk, throw caution to the wind, and just go for it?

How do you think your "so" plays into being a risk taking entrepreneurial type?
 

Elfboy

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For you Sx/so's, do you believe that having "sp" last makes you more "entrepreneurial" in nature? More willing to take risk, throw caution to the wind, and just go for it?

How do you think your "so" plays into being a risk taking entrepreneurial type?

actually, Sp types are the MOST entrepreneural :yes:
 

Elfboy

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For you Sx/so's, do you believe that having "sp" last makes you more "entrepreneurial" in nature? More willing to take risk, throw caution to the wind, and just go for it?

How do you think your "so" plays into being a risk taking entrepreneurial type?

actually, Sp types are the MOST entrepreneural :yes:
 

INTPness

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Well, yes, things I've read have sort of indicated that the most entrepreneurial types are "sp/so" and "sx/so", but I'm trying to understand "why" this is the case. I can see "so" in the 2nd position - using your network of people and connections as "leverage" to carry out one's "sp" or "sx" goals. In other words "so" being used to support the sp or the sx. But, what I don't understand is that sp's are very much concerned with the idea of security. Entrepreneurial types are not normally associated with needing financial or personal security. They are seen as risk-takers who buck the idea of security. "To hell with a steady paycheck and a nice cushy office job! I'm going for it!" sp's supposedly like the appeal of the steady paycheck (all their needs will be met, etc.), so that's what has me confused.
 

Speed Gavroche

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so would that mean an Sx/Sp or Sp/Sx could also be social/gregarious but for different reasons.

So-last can also be social and gragrious of course, many are. The character of Rachel from Friends is Sp/Sx for example, and was very popular in high school, and care a lot about her popularity and reputation, because she is a typical valley girl. But her dominant energy don't run in the social realm.

Sp, Sx and So display very different energy. Sp's energy flows primarly in the "I", to preserve the self toward safety and security, the Sx's energy flows primarly in the "you" to complete the self toward intimacy and intensity.

So have that animalistic energy wich flows in the "us", thay are like a lighthouse with his light and clean the world around, eventually burn it (So can be completely antisocial, like The Joker).

Sp/Sx and Sx/Sp can be gregarious, and belong group or even lead it, but they have not an intinctive, bestial energy that So have. They are always very self-contained, even when they belong and lead group with heartfelt conviction, wich happen sometimes.

Also, this bestial need to extend the self toward larger entity often lead So to a great imagination and great fantasy, especially So/Sx, So/Sp being more collected.

the So type needs acceptance and unity while the Sp/Sx views social interaction as more "optional" and does so mainly because the social group is enjoyable company?

So-last can need acceptance and unity but their priaml instinct is not to seek it. Like I said, Social can be Antisocial, because they need to be conncected with the larger social sphere, but don't necessarly seek acceptance. Ussama Bin Laden, Eminem, The Joker, John Lyndon, or Dr House are examples of antisocial So. Of course, it's more the case of So/Sx. They typically say that they don't need acceptance from the group, but if they stopped their social activity, they would be instinctively frustrated.

Also, So can be driven to fight hypocrisy and ignorance and lead the social sphere to reform, combat or even revolution. So can be very anti-conformist and independant. Gandalf, Churchill, and Frank Zappa are Social. But Sx/Sp and Sp/Sx can be attention whore beacause even if their primal energy don't turn to the social sphere, they have issues with self-esteem and need for approbation.
 

INTPness

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Also, So can be driven to fight hypocrisy and ignorance and lead the social sphere to reform, combat or even revolution. So can be very anti-conformist and independant. Gandalf, Churchill, and Frank Zappa are Social.

I would think these social reformers would be some mixture of so and sx. Either sx/so or so/sx. It doesn't seem that sp's would be social reformers - they'd likely be more interested in their own gains, like how you say that sp = I (me).
 

Speed Gavroche

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I would think these social reformers would be some mixture of so and sx. Either sx/so or so/sx. It doesn't seem that sp's would be social reformers - they'd likely be more interested in their own gains, like how you say that sp = I (me).

So/Sx tend a bit more to be reformer, yeah, but as a general rule only. Churchill, Marilyn Manson and Albert Einstein are So/Sp.
 

Hazashin

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So-last can need acceptance and unity but their pri[ma]l instinct is not to seek it.

[...]

Sx/Sp and Sp/Sx can be attention whore beacause even if their primal energy don't turn to the social sphere, they have issues with self-esteem and need for approbation.

What does it mean if you go to great lengths to avoid attention because of low self-esteem, but not being approved of is the exact reason why you have low self-esteem?
 

Speed Gavroche

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What does it mean if you go to great lengths to avoid attention because of low self-esteem, but not being approved of is the exact reason why you have low self-esteem?

Nothing more that you said.
 

Speed Gavroche

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I mean, is that significant for determining instinct preference?

I think, that if you are So and you have problem with acceptance of the group, your bestial and animalistic reaction is to solve the problem, or try. See Michael Jackson. If is it not your bestial and animalistic reaction, it is a strong clue that you are not So.
 

Elfboy

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So-last can also be social and gragrious of course, many are. The character of Rachel from Friends is Sp/Sx for example, and was very popular in high school, and care a lot about her popularity and reputation, because she is a typical valley girl. But her dominant energy don't run in the social realm.

Sp, Sx and So display very different energy. Sp's energy flows primarly in the "I", to preserve the self toward safety and security, the Sx's energy flows primarly in the "you" to complete the self toward intimacy and intensity.

So have that animalistic energy wich flows in the "us", thay are like a lighthouse with his light and clean the world around, eventually burn it (So can be completely antisocial, like The Joker).

Sp/Sx and Sx/Sp can be gregarious, and belong group or even lead it, but they have not an intinctive, bestial energy that So have. They are always very self-contained, even when they belong and lead group with heartfelt conviction, wich happen sometimes.

Also, this bestial need to extend the self toward larger entity often lead So to a great imagination and great fantasy, especially So/Sx, So/Sp being more collected.



So-last can need acceptance and unity but their priaml instinct is not to seek it. Like I said, Social can be Antisocial, because they need to be conncected with the larger social sphere, but don't necessarly seek acceptance. Ussama Bin Laden, Eminem, The Joker, John Lyndon, or Dr House are examples of antisocial So. Of course, it's more the case of So/Sx. They typically say that they don't need acceptance from the group, but if they stopped their social activity, they would be instinctively frustrated.

Also, So can be driven to fight hypocrisy and ignorance and lead the social sphere to reform, combat or even revolution. So can be very anti-conformist and independant. Gandalf, Churchill, and Frank Zappa are Social. But Sx/Sp and Sp/Sx can be attention whore beacause even if their primal energy don't turn to the social sphere, they have issues with self-esteem and need for approbation.

so by extension, the focus tends to be
social: on the environment, group, on everything that's going on at once
sexual: on one thing like an intense lazer beam
self preservation: detached
 

Speed Gavroche

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so by extension, the focus tends to be
social: on the environment, group, on everything that's going on at once
sexual: on one thing like an intense lazer beam
self preservation: detached

Yes, I think it's that. :yes:.
 

Hazashin

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I think, that if you are So and you have problem with acceptance of the group, your bestial and animalistic reaction is to solve the problem, or try. See Michael Jackson. If is it not your bestial and animalistic reaction, it is a strong clue that you are not So.

So can Sp-first type be like that (what I had described)? If so, what's the reasoning behind it?
 

Speed Gavroche

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So can Sp-first type be like that (what I had described)? If so, what's the reasoning behind it?

So-last can be image concious, but their primal instinctive energy is not lead by that, despite they can do action lead by their worry about reputation.
 
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