# Equal Instinctual Variants?



## d e c a d e n t (Apr 21, 2013)

@GARBANZO
My score was tied as well when I tried that test (though my scores in general were lower than yours), and I've been thinking that I'm not sure if I consider any of my instincts a complete blindspot. I don't think I'm blind to any of them to the degree that some people are, anyway. 

And hey, why shouldn't it be possible that some people have more even instincts than others? Not everyone is going to be extreme.


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## MissyMaroon (Feb 24, 2010)

Sometimes the last instinct isn't all that blind if you've worked on it enough or are just a balanced person. Still, I think you're more likely So/Sp. People don't like to jump to that one immediately because some are convinced that Sx-lasters make a dry/bland personality. Not so. It just means they're not so focused on seeking out intensity, charge, a certain depth of intimacy. Passion isn't just for Sx doms. They have quite a specific brand of passion, even more specific depending on type, but still. Any instinct can be passionate about certain things. An Sx, however, wants to be flooded in it, swim in it, be a part of it, glide through its depths, become one with it. Of course, what the subject is and the intensity with which it is experience varies based on type, but it is still a matter of intensity and merging.

Self-preservation obviously isn't absent in you. I'm health conscious enough and while binging on fast food for a weekend would generally be a no-no and avoided for the most part, I wouldn't necessarily regret after I conquered those meals... but that's just me. Keep in mind that I am Sx second... I don't just think "Oh, to hell with it... I'll eat/binge. Why not?" It's more like, "Fuck it. TO THE DEATH IT IS." I am self-preservation dom, so I often try not to indulge this "to the death" mentality too much. Honestly I could be a lot better with the way I manage myself in pretty much every aspect, but still it is my dominant instinct because I give it the most attention. Sx, my second instinct, is ablaze in me, but I can often put it aside to tend to my dominant instinct which always demands my attention. Whether I neglect it or nurture it is a matter of health and choice, but it will always draw my attention.

Anyways, enough about the dominant instinct drawing our attention since we seem to have figured out yours. The second one... well, it doesn't seem too complicated at this point. What do you pay more attention to? Don't think of relationships or how happy they make you. XD A healthy relationship will make just about anyone happy and fulfilled. It's the force and drive behind it. For example, I'm not "blind" of So necessarily, but a lot of the times, I simply cannot be bothered. It is possible that your last instinct may be more developed than others' last instincts, but it will still be something you often put aside or don't pay much attention to.


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## Donovan (Nov 3, 2009)

Bluity said:


> I don't think an SX -dom, or any Dom, would ever be truly satisfied with their dominant instinct.


i basically agree with your post, i would just point out that when it comes to applying these concepts it would be best to take one's level of growth (not all around, but in a particular facet of their experience) into account. 

it seems like these are more akin to "extreme" (polar) snapshots of what _could_ be--and that there will be an entire spectrum of where someone's "unhealthy" focus/neurosis could fall; for whatever reason, whether it's the experience of pain in that area, and the mind taking over from a different standpoint in the attempt of healing (as you can see in peoples' behavior during any grieving process or setback)--or even in the event of someone actually, in some way, coming to terms with what gave birth to the complex (at least in mollifying it a bit)... which even still depends on the level of severity of the event/style of upbringing itself. 

and if someone was developing another variant, it probably would take a back seat to whatever is now allowed to come forth. with all the in and out and doubling backs, it seems like an argument could be made for each person's experience (or how they subjectively view it) as being one type or instinct or another. 

in other words, i could see an sx-dom seeming nonchalant if they are secure in that arena.


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## GARBANZO (Sep 19, 2013)

Can the SX instinct be applied to learning material rather than relationships? I am happily married so I feel satisfied in that way but I do notice that if I'm not constantly learning and immersed in material I find absolutely fascinating then I will start to get depressed. I really can get obsessed with things (i.e. the enneagram, as of late), and quite enjoy being in that mental place.

Also, a lot of my food stuff revolves around ethics as well as health. I would hate putting fast food into my body for health reasons of course, but I would also really hate knowing that I was supporting an industry that causes harm to so many animals (I am a vegan), preys upon lower income people and condemns them to degenerative diseases, exploits it's workers, and damages the environment.


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## MissyMaroon (Feb 24, 2010)

Any person can become obsessed with certain subjects and learning. Some people are more prone to it, but it's not Sx. It's not any sort of intensity. Think merging, bonding, animalistic/impulsive energy when more related to Id types, deep boundary crossing intimacy, becoming one with that thing. You want to be inside of it and vice verse. Always wanting to be closer - whether it is closer intimately or closer to that edge of life and death is dependent on type, but it does seek to get closer.

So/Sp vs. So/Sx. The descriptions can suck quite frankly, try to find type specific variant stackings. That might help.


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## enneathusiast (Dec 15, 2012)

GARBANZO said:


> Can the SX instinct be applied to learning material rather than relationships?


Yes.

If you look at the difference between an intimate relationship (sx) and social one (so) it's easier to see the energy at work. When I focus on another person alone, all my attention is narrower, more intensely focused. When I focus on the group, my attention is dispersed among many individuals. Think of a spotlight (sx) vs. a floodlight (so) with both lights having the same wattage - same amount of energy but narrow vs. disperse focus.


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