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What's My Instinctual Variant?

Silveresque

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
I've changed my instinctual variant so many times now I just have no idea what it is anymore. I thought I was Sp/So, but according to this chart I found, I seem to be Sp last. Maybe this chart is just not an accurate guide to determining your variant, or maybe I've managed to mistype myself yet again. :shrug:

Anyways, here's the chart: (I've highlighted the parts that fit me)
EnneagramInstinctChart.png


I also looked at some descriptions for the instinctual variants of type 5, and bolded the parts that fit me:

Sexual 5 - Seeking Intimacy/Intensity

Udit Patel This Is My World (Ichazo's "Confidence")

Sexual Fives focus their hoarding in the area of intimate relationships. The combination of instinct and type are at odds here: the Five defense is to withdraw, while the sexual instinct demands intimacy and connection. Most Sexual Fives live in an uneasy truce between these polar influences, but they seek to resolve this tension by slowly inviting prospective intimates into their own secret world. Sexual Fives are primarily focused in their imaginations, but they believe that most others would find their thoughts and preoccupations dark and even frightening. At the very least, they are certain that others will find them odd or eccentric. Nonetheless, they want to share their perceptions and hidden worlds and secretly hope to have a deep connection with a single soul, a mate for life, who can understand them and their sometimes bizarre views of reality. Intimacy for them entails finding someone else who will explore the surreal vistas of their inner world. They also look to their partner for some degree of help in dealing with people and the practical affairs of life. They hope that their partner will run interference for them and give them confidence to navigate the external world. If Sexual Fives are disappointed in love, they may retreat and remain unattached for long periods of time, even years.

LifeExplore

Intimate Fives trust only a few people but then do so totally. Friendship is based on the sharing of confidences. Intimacy is equivalent to exchanging secrets. Can go from enigmatic, deliberate distance to intense, unguarded openness. Seductive invitation to sharing secrets; seek a total merging. When entranced can be a little kinky.

Social 5 - Seeking Acceptance/Belonging/Inclusion/Status

Udit Patel The Specialist (Ichazo's "Totems")

Social Fives focus their avarice and hoarding in the social realm, meaning that they socialize through their particular areas of expertise. Fives endeavor to master some skill or body of knowledge, and they relate to others primarily through that area of their mastery. As social types, Social Fives are more comfortable interacting with people, but their comfort is largely dependent on having a context for being in a social situation. They need a particular task or function that gives them the confidence to interact with people (for example, being the DJ at a party, or having a specific topic of discussion at a social event).They enjoy talking intensely with other people who share their (sometimes esoteric) interests—either in person or through the Internet. Social Fives feel that their expertise is what they can "bring to the table" since they make it their business to learn things that others may need. While generally quiet, Social Fives can become quite talkative if their area of knowledge becomes the topic of conversation—anything from computer expertise to trivia about movies or comic books is fair game. Less healthy Social Fives can become elitist, feeling others are too unintelligent to understand their thoughts or conversation. They can also be fiercely argumentative, losing social connections by reactively proving others' ideas inadequate.

LifeExplore

Social Fives connect with groups of like-minded people. Enjoy living in the flow of a group interest, sharing knowledge and affiliations. May prefer specialized or esoteric areas of knowledge that exclude all but the initiated. Could live in high society, know the "right" people, belong to the best clubs. Might enjoy speaking a professional language that few people understand. Can be quite friendly but, at times, terrific snobs. Romanticize secret elitist group membership; concerned with titles, degrees, credentials, etc. Realm of academia.

Self-Preservation 5 - Seeking Saftey/Comfort

Udit Patel Isolation (Ichazo's "Castle")

Self-Preservation Fives are the most introverted Fives—the Fives most likely to seek long periods of privacy and solitude. The hoarding of the Five is focused in the areas of practical resources, living quarters, and personal space. Self-Pres Fives attempt to find out how few self-preservation needs they can subsist on, likely agreeing with Thoreau's statement that "A man is rich in proportion to what he can do without." They are intensely private people who seem to require few comforts, even if they have substantial personal wealth. To some degree, they enjoy the company of trusted others and enjoy sharing their knowledge with people. They can also be counted on for their sense of whimsy and oddball humor. Nonetheless, Self-Pres Fives need lots of time by themselves to regenerate their energy. Many choose to live alone, or if they are in a partnership, they require personal space (such as a study or a nook in the basement) into which others, even loved ones, will not intrude. They also tend to hoard personal effects, stockpiling their homes like castles preparing for a siege. As much as they may like and admire others, they attempt to keep their relationships few and simple, so that they can focus on what holds interest for them.

LifeExplore

Chief defensive tendency is to withdraw. Sensitive to feeling saturated by the world, Fives with this subtype lose their sense of privacy easily. Can feel knocked over by people's expectations. In isolation they refind their lost sense of balance and build up to the next round of social stresses. More alienated than the other subtypes. May hide in books, live alone or need their own room where they can close themselves off. Take little from others. Sometimes thin. Likely to hoard time and space. Have solitary hobbies and interests, seek comfort and solace alone.

So, what do you think my type is? Looks like Sx is the main type, right? But I'm low-energy and sexual images sometimes make me feel uncomfortable, which is what made me think I was Sx last in the first place, so I just don't know. And I suppose I should note that the Social fear section in the chart fits me extremely well. I should also note that I don't think I could be Sx/So or So/Sx because those seem to be more extroverted variants.
 

Hazashin

Secret Sex Freak
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
1,157
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Anyways, here's the chart: (I've highlighted the parts that fit me)

EnneagramInstinctChart.png

I personally don't see you as an Sx-last. But do you mind if I use this picture? :D (without the highlights, of course, and I want to be able to highlight my own things)
 

Silveresque

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
I personally don't see you as an Sx-last. But do you mind if I use this picture? :D (without the highlights, of course, and I want to be able to highlight my own things)

I found the chart here, but it was really difficult to get it on there like that as an image. I had to get a little creative. First, you have to copy and paste it into a Word document, then resize to as big as you can make it where it will still fit on one page, and then do the highlighting. Then you have to select "Full Screen Reading" on the View tab and press the PRTSC SYSRQ (copies the screen) key on your keyboard (you have to do this first or will be too small and poor quality when you paste it into paint). Then open up Paint and paste it. Then you have to move the separated half of the chart so that it is connected to the first half, and get rid of the extra screen stuff.
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I'm not crazy about the sp on that chart. I think the other two are pretty good though. I am definitely sp first, but on that chart I relate nearly equally to sx, if not more, and I suspect it's because of the way sp is described. I wouldn't let one description throw you, as they all take a slightly different angle.

Based on what you bolded for the other description, you seem either sp/sx or sx/sp.
 

VagrantFarce

Active member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
1,558
I wrote about this in another post:

VagrantFarce said:
The instincts are like "radars" - they describe what your attention is intuitively, subconsciously drawn to.

  • Social types are aware of their position and value (or lack thereof) to groups of people; low self-esteem can lead to an inflated preoccupation with social status and prestige.
  • Sexual types are aware of their connection and desirability (or lack thereof) to particular individuals; low self-esteem can lead to an inflated preoccupation with intimacy and allure.
  • Self-preservation types are aware of their own sense of comfort and security (or lack thereof); low self-esteem can lead to an inflated preoccupation with health and familiarity.

The stackings are just combinations of these three radars. :)

It's better to think in terms of the principles that the descriptions are based on, rather than trawl descriptions for something that kind of describes you some of the time. The instinctual descriptions are just derived from combining these principles and the core fixation of each type.
 

Southern Kross

Away with the fairies
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
2,910
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
You have to be careful because some of the things you highlighted are more generally related to enneatype: eg loneliness, isolation = e5; brokenness, unworthiness = your 4 wing. The difference between things that relate to being a 5 and things that relate to being sp can be particularly confusing.

I think the fact you are rather interested in the one-on-one and intimacy is quite telling for a 5. I'm thinking you might be sx/so, perhaps? :thinking:

How do you feel about this 5 sx description?

Relational Fives: "Confidences"

  • My close relationships often involve sharing secrets such as inside information with a colleague, a piece of forbidden knowledge about someone, or a made-up language with a friend or lover.
  • Keeping things to myself can give me a feeling of excitement and power; I have taken revenge by not telling something that I knew people wanted to know.
  • I don't want my partner to discuss our relationship or private business without consulting me first.
  • I like to have interesting conversations, although I rarely initiate them with people I don't know; as a thinking type, I tend to discuss logistics, scientific matters, or mechanics; as a feeling type, I am more likely to discuss literature, the arts, or psychology.
  • I especially value the people I know who respect my boundaries.
  • I know I look aloof, but I'm often very involved with what is going on as an observer. I find this more comfortable than having to be a part of the action, where I might feel inadequate or put on the spot.
  • Expressing my feelings sensually is very important to me, because this gets me out of my head and into my body.
  • When I'm alone with my feelings, they seem quite clear; but when I try to express them to my partner and close friends, I can't find the right words.
 

Silveresque

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
Relational Fives: "Confidences"

-My close relationships often involve sharing secrets such as inside information with a colleague, a piece of forbidden knowledge about someone, or a made-up language with a friend or lover.
-Keeping things to myself can give me a feeling of excitement and power; I have taken revenge by not telling something that I knew people wanted to know.
-I don't want my partner to discuss our relationship or private business without consulting me first.
-I like to have interesting conversations, although I rarely initiate them with people I don't know; as a thinking type, I tend to discuss logistics, scientific matters, or mechanics; as a feeling type, I am more likely to discuss literature, the arts, or psychology.
-I especially value the people I know who respect my boundaries.
-I know I look aloof, but I'm often very involved with what is going on as an observer. I find this more comfortable than having to be a part of the action, where I might feel inadequate or put on the spot.
-Expressing my feelings sensually is very important to me, because this gets me out of my head and into my body.
-When I'm alone with my feelings, they seem quite clear; but when I try to express them to my partner and close friends, I can't find the right words.

I think only the 5 parts in this description fit.
 

Speed Gavroche

Whisky Old & Women Young
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
5,152
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Yeah, basically you don't seem Sx.
 

Silveresque

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
I've considered being So second because I feel a strong need to belong and I'm always worrying about what others think of me, but the thing that doesn't fit is that I couldn't care less about status. What does that say about my instincts?
 

Lady_X

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2008
Messages
18,235
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
784
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
interesting chart...maybe i am sx/sp
 

VagrantFarce

Active member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
1,558
I've considered being So second because I feel a strong need to belong and I'm always worrying about what others think of me, but the thing that doesn't fit is that I couldn't care less about status. What does that say about my instincts?

"A need to belong" points to Social - your focus is placed squarely on the group and your relation to it.

You don't need to be obsessed with status, that's only to illustrate an over-inflated need (i.e. one that isn't somehow being met, and thus is turned up in volume and desperation - "I must belong, I must be important to the group").
 

Silveresque

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Jul 28, 2011
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"A need to belong" points to Social. You don't need to be obsessed with status, that's only to illustrate an over-inflated need (i.e. one that isn't being met, and thus is turned up in volume and desperation).

Hmmm...But the other thing is that I can't stand groups, and whenever I'm in a group situation I feel really detached and isolated. I just feel like I don't fit in and I want to get away, so I guess that's what I mean when I say I have a need to belong--I want to fit in and be able to interact with "normal people", and when I can't I just feel like I don't belong. Could that still be So, or would So's "need to belong" be different somehow?
 

VagrantFarce

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Hmmm...But the other thing is that I can't stand groups, and whenever I'm in a group situation I feel really detached and isolated. I just feel like I don't fit in and I want to get away, so I guess that's what I mean when I say I have a need to belong--I want to fit in and be able to interact with "normal people", and when I can't I just feel like I don't belong. Could that still be So, or would So's "need to belong" be different somehow?

They're just radars - social types might find it hard to fit in, sexual types can be utterly a-sexual, and self-preservation types can display very self-destructive behaviour. All they do is frame your perspective in a particular way.

You've just illustrated that your awareness is placed on the group, and your relation (or lack thereof) to it. That's the social instinct. That's all it is - awareness, a radar. Social types aren't automatically social butterflies.

What you've described just sounds a lot like the low side of a social Five - "whenever I'm in a group situation I feel really detached and isolated, I just feel like I don't fit in and I want to get away". Friends don't make themselves, buster - get out of that detached state of mind, get involved on an emotional level and find a way to relate!
 

Silveresque

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Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
1,169
They're just radars - social types might find it hard to fit in, sexual types can be utterly a-sexual, and self-preservation types can display very self-destructive behaviour. All they do is frame your perspective in a particular way.

You've just illustrated that your awareness is placed on the group, and your relation (or lack thereof) to it. That's the social instinct. That's all it is - awareness, a radar. Social types aren't automatically social butterflies.

What you've described just sounds a lot like the low side of a social Five - "whenever I'm in a group situation I feel really detached and isolated, I just feel like I don't fit in and I want to get away". Friends don't make themselves, buster - get out of that detached state of mind, get involved on an emotional level and find a way to relate!

Okay, so So is certainly a possibility, but my focus isn't really on the group, it's more on myself and how awkward I feel when I'm in the group. It's very hard for me to get engaged in other people's conversations sometimes. And I'm terrible with names and faces and birthdays and who did what.

But I still relate to the Sp and Sx "radars" as well. I do like to feel comfortable and it bothers me when I walk into a store and the air conditioning is on way too high and it's freezing. I also have never really had a very close friend, though I really want one. I want to be able to connect with someone intimately and reveal sides of myself that I normally keep private. I guess I haven't because I'm afraid that if I do reveal more of myself, the person won't understand me or won't care enough to try. Indifference is the cruelest response.
 

VagrantFarce

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Okay, so So is certainly a possibility, but my focus isn't really on the group, it's more on myself and how awkward I feel when I'm in the group.

But that IS focus on the group! Your focus is your lack of relation to the group! The group, and your position in relation to it, is what is on the radar! That's the social instinct!

Like I said, you don't need to be a social person to have the social instinct be your dominant, it just needs to dominate your awareness more than the other two instincts!
 

Silveresque

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But that IS focus on the group! Your focus is your lack of relation to the group! The group, and your position in relation to it, is what is on the radar! That's the social instinct!

Like I said, you don't need to be a social person to have the social instinct be your dominant, it just needs to dominate your awareness more than the other two instincts!

Good point! So I probably do have the social instinct in there somewhere, I just have to figure out the actual order now. The problem is, after this thread I'm not sure that either Sp last or Sx last seems right. Anyways, I'm now willing to consider being So/Sx.

So which do you think I am: So/Sp, Sp/So, or So/Sx, or something else?
 

VagrantFarce

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Nov 19, 2008
Messages
1,558
Good point! So I probably do have the social instinct in there somewhere, I just have to figure out the actual order now. The problem is, after this thread I'm not sure that either Sp last or Sx last seems right. Anyways, I'm now willing to consider being So/Sx.

So which do you think I am: So/Sp, Sp/So, or So/Sx, or something else?

I have no idea, you're the only one who can figure that one out. :) Look at your whole life, and the various decisions you've made, and try to identify how your decisions were affected sub-consciously by the instincts - which ones stand out the most?
 

Hazashin

Secret Sex Freak
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
1,157
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I found the chart here, but it was really difficult to get it on there like that as an image. I had to get a little creative. First, you have to copy and paste it into a Word document, then resize to as big as you can make it where it will still fit on one page, and then do the highlighting. Then you have to select "Full Screen Reading" on the View tab and press the PRTSC SYSRQ (copies the screen) key on your keyboard (you have to do this first or will be too small and poor quality when you paste it into paint). Then open up Paint and paste it. Then you have to move the separated half of the chart so that it is connected to the first half, and get rid of the extra screen stuff.

Oh, well, nevermind then. I don't have MS Word. But thanks anyway. :laugh:
 
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