# Animals that Remind you of an Enneagram Type



## Mutant Hive Queen (Oct 29, 2013)

He's a Superhero! said:


> You mean like the Soc instinct?



Are you referring to the qualities I pegged onto Type 6? 

...yeah, my understanding of the Instincts isn't _that_ great at the moment. I'm currently just going off of my understanding of the Six type honestly, which _does_ emphasize reliance on both groups (or at least _people_) and something greater than yourself. My description may be a little biased towards So. 

...I have a _thought_ about how one might differentiate 6 from So, though. The thought being basically the distinction between _motive_ and _method_, with the actual type framing what you want to do and the instinct sort of guiding whether that's done by associating with a group of people, or seeking out a single soulmate, or whatever (again, I really don't get instincts). 

...though now I have to say humanity reminds me more of 3 or 7, actually. Seeking to get _more_ than what's already there and whatnot.


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## He's a Superhero! (May 1, 2013)

Privileged said:


> Are you referring to the qualities I pegged onto Type 6?
> 
> ...yeah, my understanding of the Instincts isn't _that_ great at the moment. I'm currently just going off of my understanding of the Six type honestly, which _does_ emphasize reliance on both groups (or at least _people_) and something greater than yourself. My description may be a little biased towards So.
> 
> ...


The instincts are worth understanding.

As you said, humanity seems to behaving like type 6 _instinctively, _however type 6 is not an instinctive type - the instinctive types are 8, 9 and 1. As for the Soc instinct, it's basically the instinct to be in a herd or group - safety in numbers. Type 6 is interested in being in a group, but they are also interested in other things they can do to increase safety...type 6 takes on the logical and critical thinking approach to the problem, trying to think it thru rather than react without thought. Type 6s stress about a lot of stuff, even when they are in that group they sought out to be in, while the Soc instinct is happy once it is in that group. There is always more to do in the mind of a 6, and their minds do go over it a real lot! (I should know, as I have a strong 6 wing).

So in summery: If we are looking at humanity thru the lens of instinct, then I'd go for the instinctual variants, which work for any and all types. Intellectually maybe we are more like 6, but that isn't the same thing as instinctual behaviour. Focusing on the gut centre types feels a lot more exclusive too, so despite the fact that they are instinctual types, I feel more comfortable going straight for the instinctual stackings.

Come to think of it, I don't think I could assign humanity to just one instinct...we cover all of them quite thoroughly.


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## Modal Soul (Jun 16, 2013)

The Typeless Wonder said:


> Humans. I think we're kinda 5ish / 6ish, as far as species go.


Animal thanked this post.

lol


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## 7rr7s (Jun 6, 2011)

Type 3:


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## Blazkovitz (Mar 16, 2014)

Bird of paradise: 3w2. "Love me, I'm beautiful":






Cats: 4. Individualistic, elegant and secretive
Bonobos: 7w8. Party animals of the primate world.


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## Animal (May 29, 2012)

He's a Superhero! said:


> That's what I mean - favourite animals have at least a degree of correlation with what animals fit each personality (we are often drawn to what resembles ourselves). This is of course not always the case, and there is variation happening. As you said, we often like the same animal for entirely different reasons, which definitely effects this. Still, this correlation is true at least to an extent - ones do quite often have deer in their favourite animals for example...surprisingly often in fact.
> 
> Now, I believe that the most common favourites per type should be the representative animals. We will never get a single animal that everyone of a single type will favourite, but this is probably the best we can do here.
> 
> Maybe the best idea would be to assign animals (according to choices of favourites correlating dominantly) to each tritype instead...tho that would be a more difficult job, and I'm certain that some types would have the same animal representation...so yeah, but the ideal thing to do actually is get the best animal "totem" for each of the nine types and then just stack them according to the tritypes. Trouble is, the instinctual stackings open up a whole new doorway here. This is not an easy task, tho it is quite fun!


I know what you mean in theory. I said the same thing on the spirit animal/ totem animal thread - about how someone's totem animal could also be a favorite or one they are drawn to. But it's a bit different with enneagram TYPES because there is a lot of variety within each type. I guarantee if you put 10 type 4s in a room, each will have a very different spirit animal. Image types have a self-image which also may not be precisely what they are. Some 7s have a grandiose self-image. Many 6s think they are 8s because they view themselves as strong, but that's not really what 8 is about. Etc. It's a bit too messy what with variations between types, mistypes, people's background contributing to animal choices....


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## O_o (Oct 22, 2011)

Kink said:


> Well, it's an interesting suggestion. I remember reading that a *swan can break a man's arm.*


Swans are 9w8 <3


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## 7rr7s (Jun 6, 2011)

Type 8. Grizzly Bear.










Great White.










Tyrannosaurus Rex.


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## He's a Superhero! (May 1, 2013)

Animal said:


> I know what you mean in theory. I said the same thing on the spirit animal/ totem animal thread - about how someone's totem animal could also be a favorite or one they are drawn to. But it's a bit different with enneagram TYPES because there is a lot of variety within each type. I guarantee if you put 10 type 4s in a room, each will have a very different spirit animal. Image types have a self-image which also may not be precisely what they are. Some 7s have a grandiose self-image. Many 6s think they are 8s because they view themselves as strong, but that's not really what 8 is about. Etc. It's a bit too messy what with variations between types, mistypes, people's background contributing to animal choices....


If you got only 10 type X in a room you may not notice a pattern of favourites - or at least far less likely - but if you got say 100 type X in a room then you would see a pattern forming. Not everyone in that 100 would agree, that is for sure, and things like their tritypes, instinctual variants, and probably their Myer's Briggs types as well would all effect their results, and that's not even discussing life experience and situations that would effect someone's choices (someone's life is saved by their dog...dogs become their favourite animal), and there there are influences in life, such as someone else having a favourite animal and that person being either a hero or a villain to the person...this may grant them a degree of bias.
So yes, I do agree with you that it isn't 100%, but the commonality cannot be denied, as it is there for a good portion of cases.


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## He's a Superhero! (May 1, 2013)

O_o said:


> Swans are 9w8 <3


This is an interesting perspective - can you shed a bit of light on this statement? (especially the w8 part)


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## Paradigm (Feb 16, 2010)

Privileged said:


> ...yeah, my understanding of the Instincts isn't _that_ great at the moment. I'm currently just going off of my understanding of the Six type honestly, which _does_ emphasize reliance on both groups (or at least _people_) and something greater than yourself. My description may be a little biased towards So.


http://personalitycafe.com/enneagra...isons-common-misconceptions.html#post12187554

I like having Safe Persons. I am not reliant on people. Groups can go screw themselves; support groups are unhelpful.

Yes, you're biased towards Soc, and even then that's not how Soc works 100% of the time :tongue:


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## Animal (May 29, 2012)

Modal Soul said:


> Animal thanked this post.
> 
> lol


Haha. I find humans to be 6ish, personally.  This is also why I love sixes but they frustrate me and remind me of what I lack.


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## O_o (Oct 22, 2011)

He's a Superhero! said:


> This is an interesting perspective - can you shed a bit of light on this statement? (especially the w8 part)


Just my opinion of course, but : You have the outward peaceful state of the swan which most individuals see. The way they swim; there is a calm to them overall, they don't really challenge other animals. But you show a threat and give them a reason to, they will attack. They will be aggressive and stand guard in challenging you. No one seems to think so; from an outward perspective they seem like only calm animals. 

A lot of people seem to imagine a sort of contradiction when it comes to being a 9w8. I think the combinations can mix pretty reasonably in people.


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## He's a Superhero! (May 1, 2013)

O_o said:


> Just my opinion of course, but : You have the outward peaceful state of the swan which most individuals see. The way they swim; there is a calm to them overall, they don't really challenge other animals. But you show a threat and give them a reason to, they will attack. They will be aggressive and stand guard in challenging you. No one seems to think so; from an outward perspective they seem like only calm animals.
> 
> A lot of people seem to imagine a sort of contradiction when it comes to being a 9w8. I think the combinations can mix pretty reasonably in people.


This is true. I know as a 9w8 in my tritype, everybody sees me as non-threatening...until they become a threat to my family that is.


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## mimesis (Apr 10, 2012)

Just thought it was a nice picture, of one of the polar bears in our town's zoo, who just gave birth to a twin


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## Superfluous (Jan 28, 2014)

I always saw myself as a fox. 











Now if someone talked about foxes lately, during these pages, sorry, I just cant read through 8 pages right now, my attention span will not allow me.


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