One of Three Primal Instincts Drives You (Enneagram, Part 3)
It took me over ten years of working with the Enneagram before I understood the instincts clearly. And once I did, it made everything else click.
Lesson Three: Instincts Before Types? Yep.
Welcome to lesson three in our Enneagram series!
If you’re just joining us, I recommend going back to the first two lessons. This isn’t one of those “read in any order” topics. It actually builds. But the good news? You can catch up anytime:
Remember that scene in Hoosiers when Gene Hackman runs his first practice? No scrimmaging. No shooting. Just passing. Footwork. Fundamentals.
That’s what we’re doing here.
The temptation is to jump ahead and pick your type. But trust me—there’s foundational work to do first.
Last time, we talked about the three Centers of Intelligence: Body, Heart, and Head.
Today, we’re talking about instincts—also known as subtypes.
Why instincts before types?
Because I wish I had learned it in this order.
It took me over ten years of working with the Enneagram before I understood the instincts clearly. And once I did, it made everything else click.
So yes, it’s a little backwards from how it’s usually taught. But I think this way works better.
I’ll mostly use the term instincts, but just know that subtypes and instinctual variants mean the same thing. These are biological survival patterns baked deep into our operating systems.
We all have all three instincts—but like the centers, one tends to dominate, one is repressed, and one is in the middle.
Let’s break them down in the order some teachers believe they evolved.
Self-Preservation Instinct (SP)
This is the oldest and most primal instinct. It’s about staying alive.
Think of the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid: food, safety, shelter, health, money, and comfort. SP-dominant folks focus on conserving energy and resources for future threats. They’re more likely to feel anxious or on edge—not necessarily with a disorder, but with a baseline alertness.
Sometimes this is called the “conservation” instinct. These folks are often described as more private, home-focused, practical, or introverted.
One-to-One Instinct (SX or 1:1)
You’ll often see this labeled SX, which stands for “sexual.” That term was common in early Enneagram teaching, but it’s fallen out of favor for obvious reasons.
The instinct is really about intensity, not sex. Deep one-on-one bonds. Emotional chemistry. Power dynamics.
SX-dominant people unconsciously look to merge or win over others. They’re drawn to depth, passion, and often intensity in relationships and experiences.
Social Instinct (SO)
This one’s about the group.
Social-dominant people care about where they fit in the system—tribes, teams, movements, churches, families. It’s not just people-pleasing—it’s about reading the room, understanding roles, and navigating complex dynamics for the good of the group.
Sometimes this is called the “navigating” instinct. SO people are often energized by community, causes, shared language, and social frameworks.
Important note: These are not personality types.
They’re survival strategies.
But they put a flavor on your Enneagram type.
So you're not just a 7—you’re an SP-7, SX-7, or SO-7.
A quick example: Me
I’m a Self-Preservation 7.
And that’s important—because it means I’m a very different 7 than most people think of. For a long time, I mistyped myself as a 4. Why? Because I thought 7s were always “life of the party” extroverts. That’s more true of SX-7s and SO-7s.
SP-7s, on the other hand, can be more inward, more security-focused. We’re still classic 7s—head types, future-oriented, pain-avoidant, pleasure-seeking, prone to overindulgence—but we may come across more grounded or even introverted.
Unless you hand us a microphone and a few bourbons. Then, game on.
Why this matters
Instincts give your type a certain flavor. They often explain the differences between people who share the same number. And while it’s helpful to learn them before typing, most people don’t lock in their dominant instinct until after they’ve landed on their number.
Here’s one more tip:
Dominant instinct = usually overused. You lean too hard on it.
Repressed instinct = often ignored. You have blind spots here.
Secondary instinct = often the most balanced. It’s your sweet spot.
Knowing that helps you navigate life with more intention.
Your assignment for today
Take some time to reflect: Which instinct sounds like your default setting?
You don’t need to be 100% sure. Just start paying attention. We’ll revisit instincts again after we explore the nine types.
Oh—and yes, that means there are technically 27 types.
(9 types x 3 instincts = 27 variations.)
But don’t panic.
Tomorrow, we shoot baskets!
We tackle all nine types.
P.S.
For this week only, I’ve lowered the cost of my 1:1 Consulting Subscription level to include a Zoom session with me to talk about either the Enneagram or your personal Call to Adventure.
You can adjust your subscription below.
Really been enjoying this series and wish I could afford your 1:1 subscriber tier. I found the book I read when I first started learning about the enneagram and will be diving back into it. I think I'm either an SP-9 or an SO-9. Also open to figuring out I'm a different type than I thought I was all together.