#Sp/Sx

[blueopinions49]

Controversial Opinion

What’s the obsession with enneagram 4? I genuinely don’t get why there are so many people so obsessed with this type.

I get that there are some people that just romanticizes some of the mental illness aspects of them HOWEVER mental illness isnt an inherent E4 thing and neither is personal struggle I can see why they correlate that to 4s (maybe cuz of the pseudo depression naranjo described on his work however thats just a false image they portray so?) , which mostly stems from terrible understanding of the type. However the increase in mistypes? The obsession with the SX4 subtype? The obsession with the toxic aspects of E4? Idk I just don’t get it.

I’m asking from a place of genuine wonder cuz this has been going on for a long time. And I want some clarity as to why it happens.

[butterflyyoucomefromme]

soc-blind love hits different <3

[sleepy-vix]

100% 5 AND 99% 4 HOLY SHIT??? higher than average percentages on 6 and 9 is so true aswell wow

source: advanced-personality.com

[lumpyorganelle]

Enneagram Social Instinct (SO)

Summary of the Social Instinct:

Key words: connection, contribution, participation, adaptation, involvement, mirroring, attunement, cooperation, reciprocation, accommodation

(note: there's a common misconception about the social instinct being correlated to being extroverted or social. This is not the case, introverts (cognitively) can be a social subtype and even the most reserved or quiet individuals. The social instinct is simply the instinctual drive to connect, engage and contribute to others. In some cases, social subtypes can be most prone to social anxiety due to the heightened sensitivity of their position in the world)

Main concerns:

Maintaining the sense of value gained from participating in activities with others (be it group, family, community, friends, colleagues, etc)

to be part of something larger than themselves (social media is a great example of the social instinct, because we all innately are looking to satiate that need for contribution and involvement)

Main focuses:

to establish a social standing/position in society

building personal value, sense of accomplishment and security with others

to know what is going on in the world/community; can manifest as gossiping, world news, celebrities, events, politics, etc.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Social subtypes are sensitive and attuned to the hierarchical social structure and group norms; emphasis on groups; 'out-groups', 'in-groups'

Have the capacity to form and sustain relationships over a long-period

comprehension of one's position and place (e.g 'am I a loner? Am I accepted? do I have value here?, I feel like an outcast, what do we have in common? Are we close? etc')

nuances of social environments, etiquette, cues, boundaries, status and power, behaviour, etc

being able to understand and sense impact of actions on others

What this can manifest as:

desire for acclaim/fame, attention, popularity, recognition, success, honour, leadership, appreciation, to have high social status, etc

How the Social instinct may manifest when unhealthy/distorted:

Antisocial behaviour, resentment over society and people, anxieties and self-defeating behaviours, overly preoccupied about self-image (to others), fear of exclusion or being devalued, avoidance of social endeavours, cynicism and distrustfulness, etc.

The Social instinct, however, is actually something much more fundamental. It is a powerful desire, found in all human beings, to be liked, approved of, and to feel safe with others. On our own, we are rather weak and vulnerable and can easily fall prey to a hostile environment. We lack the claws, fangs, and fur of other animals, and if we did not band together and cooperate with each other, it is unlikely that our species, or we as individuals, would be able to survive. Being able to adjust ourselves to others and be acceptable is a fundamental, survival based human instinct.

References:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Enneagram/comments/14bw32k/are_enneagrammers_instinct_example_thoughts/

https://thepracticalenneagram.com/instincts/social-instinct/

https://www.personalitycafe.com/threads/the-resource-thread-for-instinctual-variants-and-stackings.118168/page-2?nested_view=1&sortby=oldest#replies

https://www.reddit.com/r/Enneagram/comments/14cegz6/being_so_dom_actually_makes_you_less_social/

[mbti-darling]

people often mistake self care in any form or shape as inherently equivalent to self preservation instinct. it's not.

sp is primarily concerned with survival and resource needs. most of the time, self care will only become a concern when it's the necessary resource or a tool to resource gathering. otherwise, it's a waste of time and energy and hardly will become a concern.

a sp who doesn't rely on their looks for survival will probably not invest time in money in extensive beauty care. a sp with no signs of illness of fragile health state won't probably be concerned about eating and exercising much. a sp whose mental health do not affect their productivity may not be concerned about health care management.

[subconsciousmysteries]

I must lament how terribly lacking in CONTEXT most ppl’s typology is.

In an environment of scarcity, war and/or isolation, sp means being aggressive. In civilized societies, and with tribes who meet your survival needs, sp usually means the opposite. Because you don’t want your boss to fire you or to be considered a problem to the tribe that feeds you and shelters you.

All sp-doms carefully track where their resources and survival needs come from. The sp-instinct is wired towards meeting base survival needs. The sp-instinct is wired against doing anything that jeapordizes one’s physical health and survival. Sp-doms will fixate upon these base, physical survival needs even if their base needs are already met and they don’t need to fixate on them. They’ll worry about losing their job, losing their income stream, not having enough income and resource security and health in the future, etc. sp doms will neuroticise about resources, health and base survival even it is at the expense of pursuing what they really like viscerally (sx), or at the expense of carving out their desired social identity (soc).

a person like this, regardless of their second instinct, is not going to be chronically edgy. They are going to fear alienating people unless they truly need nobody for their survival needs to be met, both short term and long term. They are going to fear making enemies for this threatens base survival needs. Sx and soc, on the other hand, have actual incentives to be edgy. Sx has an incentive because being brash can mean expressing what you like and dislike, which is the whole thing sx wants to do. Soc has an incentive to be edgy and rude because polarizing can be a tool in carving out your social identity and your desired place among others. Sp only has an incentive to be aggressive and polarizing if the environment tangibly rewards it with resources… which it rarely does. There are exceptional cases where you can get paid to be edgy and polarizing in this society, but these are the exception and not the rule. Often these roles are filled by lucky sp-blinds anyway, who happened to find themselves in wealth despite not seeking it as their goal.

Why are these such a difficult concepts? Why do I still see people pushing the “soc-blinds are edgy and speak their minds” rubbish?

[fanopeia]

em: Instinctual Variants Stackings | Wiki | Myers Briggs [MBTI] Amino (aminoapps.com)

Self-Preservation dominant, Sexual 2nd, Social blindspot (SP/SX)

> Mindset: "I can have merging/intensity without having to leave my orderly & pleasing lifestyle." (imagination, safe people and relationships, when the safety of these are challenged they withdraw)

> Earthy, mysterious, quietly intense, seem oblivious to the greater social world around them, favour personal interests

> Slow to commit, but when they do it is a life commitment to establish an impermeable bond

> Can attach to others at a root level in contrast to their surface formality

> Sanctuary of home, decorate spaces to reflect their taste/depth

> Want to live in secure comfortable environment where they can pursue their private interests in depth

> Archetypes: The Grave Digger, pirate, voodoo fetishist

> Missing Social, fresh air/sunlight

> Shrouded/hooded quality, cave dweller

> Can be oblivious to the collective good

> Communications are intimate, personal, no aura of the collective

> Friend-of-the-dark, non-judgemental with people’s underbellies/corruption

> The elements as metaphor: Downward death, decay/destruction, undertow, carcasses recycling into earth fertilizing

> Molten fire SX in earth’s core SP, volcanic, threat of eruption

> Psychic nudity/revelation threatens the SP/SX with self-destruction, or at least social self-destruction, which is all part of the distilling process toward the desired one-to-one bond.

​-------------------------------------------------------------

Sexual dominant, Self-Preservation 2nd, Social blindspot (SX/SP)

> Mindset: "If I can make (us) have an orderly & pleasing lifestyle, I can keep up and escalate all this merging/intensity."

> Internally conflicted, inconsistent behaviour SX blocked by SP, brooding, troubledIsolation vs. emerging

> Strictly personal outlook, not concerned with social consensus

> Searching for missing piece, soulmate, form a secret bond

> When stressed, severe sexual tensions may manifest as erratic behaviour

> Restless, torn between stable home and urge to wander/explore intensity

> Want the intensity of partner/pursuing personal interests with the stability and comfort of a home sanctuary

> Archetypes: The Alchemist, shaman, self-injurer, cutter, tattoo artist

> Missing Social, fresh air/sunlight, when you take away air you get death

> Shrouded/hooded quality, cave dweller

> Oblivious to the collective good

> Communications are intimate, personal, no aura of the collective

> Friend-of-the-dark, non-judgemental with people’s underbellies/corruption

> The elements as metaphor: Upward death, rebirth, metamorphosis, burned to death and born again from new elements

> Losing self to die in the other in upward peak of flame and ecstasy

> A lightning bolt captured in a bottle. The energy is always there but it's contained in a glass jar and only breaks free once in a while. The SX/SP is boxed in energy, self-contained, cutting, and focused. SX/SP types will often look angry even when they are not. There is a certain reality of emotion which they display that is due to their social obliviousness. Most SX's will be honest almost to a fault. SX/SP want to choose their friends wisely. A "with me or against me" attitude reminiscent of 6 and 8s. The least inhibited of all stackings. Cares less of what others think of them. The most likely to get into physical altercations, and may even enjoy fighting. Healthy SX/SP's will display a playful selfishness.

> SX/SP have a inner confidence which is not usually found in other stackings. However they may lack social confidence or just may not pay any attention to social rituals at all. Put a SX/SP in a busy bar and they will be confident in themselves. But make them sit at their parent-in-laws for a formal family dinner and you won't see that same confidence. It's inner confidence rather than social confidence of the SX/SO. May be very popular without knowing or putting emphasis on it, unlike SO types.

> SX/SP does create a kind of isolationary tendency though even in extroverted types, an in-their-own-world vibe, kinda oblivious sometimes. But ironically they can also be extremely insistent and aggressive on issues they feel strongly about, which they go on about in the SO realms in ways that will cause stronger SO's to cringe, it's so rough and undiplomatic. They can fall in love with their soapboxes. They can tune out of conversations, reacting suddenly when someone says something interesting, then snapping back to their inner focus whenever it gets boring. Also, making the odd crude joke, in bad taste. Or a faux pas, where they don't know it's the wrong thing to say until afterwards, or don't care.

> SX manifests as strong drives towards pleasure, new experiences, personal transformations, spontaneity, being provocative and in the spotlight, flaunting to impress, extravagance, and unrealistic romantic fantasies and whims. But SP counters with worries, fears, practical downers, erecting walls, a need to hide and be secretive, and needs to conserve time, space, and energy.

Energies in the Stackings

SX-firsts, aren’t as aware of the interactions between them and others and the environment, rather… their more aware of the chemistry. So while the so-firsts are more “mechanical”, the sx-firsts are more “chemical”. Focusing on SX-first issues involve: Am I close to my gf/bf? Am I close to my family? How much in common do we all have? Do I really like this thing? Am I attracted to it? Is that person attracted to that other person? etc. They’re more aware of the bonds and the chemistry between them and people, as well as environment, and other people and other people, as well as other people and the environment. They really like being close to their intimates, and are generally passionate about things. Likewise, they fear that those chemical bonds could be broken, and when they are, they are emotionally hurt. They feel literally separated, and ripped away from the other person or object.

SP-first issues revolve around: Am I healthy? Do I look good? How are my financial issues? How is that person’s financial issues? Am I hungry? etc. In other words, SP-firsts worry more about fitness. Fitness in general, of course, not necessarily just body fitness. Therefore, they worry more about how fit they are in their environment, as well as how fit other people are in their environment. They want to be fit. This represents more a potential energy, rather than mechanical and chemical energy. When someone leaves them… I guess perhaps they feel more unfit, since I’m sure they may rely on others to keep them fit. Though, its still more important for they themselves to be fit on their own.

[ok, não sei ainda qual sequência é mais minha cara. ainda acho que sx/sp]

[anime-addictt]

Love is Hard for Otaku

Narumi Momose - ESFJ 2w3 sp/so

Hirotaka Nifuji - INTP 5w4 sp/sx

Hanako Koyanagi - ESFP 7w6 sp/so

Taro Kabakura - ESTJ 8w9 so/sp

Noaya Nifuji - ENFJ 2w3 so/sx

Ko Sakuragi - INFP 6w5 sp/so

[j4r-of-flies]

need a typology mf to tell me if my type is contradictory or not , ESTP sp/sx 7w8 738 SEE choleric-sanguine SCOEI VFLE ES(T)

also on the hunt for typology moots u guys are rare and elusive like a silverback gorilla

[omgvalhalla]

Sp is not sx

Mistaking sp for sx is a thing. One element of sp is the pleasure principle, ie hunting for physically and psychologically gratifying activities. 

There are people who mistake high octane living and things like alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviour as signs of sx. Except that you’re talking about physical and psychological stimulation, which is tied to sp. Mistyping as sx-dominant, sometimes additionally sp-blind because of a need for partying and engaging with people. Add to that stuff like extreme sports but that too is a way of engaging with sp through challenging the body. When taken to the extreme,  it’s a type of anti-sp: testing the sp-neurosis of survival and outlasting. 

Sx is a more ethereal orientation towards chemistry in the broadest sense of the word. Hang ups around your sexual attractiveness - moreso than sx-second or sx-last - and prioritising chemistry above all. Sp is not sx. 

[liminallovee]

Please could I request a moodboard for INFP 4w5 sp/sx with themes of the arts and being in love? tysm!

here's the moodboard, I hope you like it:) my pleasure <3

INFP 4w5 sp/sx Moodboard

Pictures sources

[blueopinions49]

Help

Hey guys I am currently a bit stuck with the enneagram 4 explanation post because I came to realize that I am reusing the same characters over and over again. I have SX4 figured out perfectly however idk who else to put on SO and SP4. So please let me know some characters that are 4s. It can be from any media too.

[keitashi-is-me]

Instinctual variants

Sp/So

Sp/Sx

So/Sp

So/Sx

Sx/Sp

Sx/So

[daemonanalysis]

Ratel Daemon: mellivora capensis

Note: A honey badger and a ratel are the same animal, and the terms are both used in this article.

MBTI type: INTP (the Logician) Enneagram type: 5w6 (the Troubleshooter) Instinctual variant: sp/sx (the Hermit) Basic fear: to be dishonest or inauthentic

Neutral: introverted, independent, tolerating, assertive Positive: adaptable, tenacious, confident, intelligent, dexterous Negative: temperamental, self-centered, critical, stubborn

What you have in common with mustelids: This kind of daemon is not uncommon, but with such a variety of subspecies from weasels, badgers, polecats, martens, otters, and wolverines, there are many different people who may find their daemon to be a mustelid. You are probably incredibly tenacious and stubborn, much like your animal counterparts, as well as incredibly adaptable. Most mustelids are solitary, and their people will also show reserved, introverted traits. If you have a smaller mustelids like an otter or marten you may be more friendly and inquisitive, while those with tougher daemons like wolverines and badgers may be more standoff-ish. Most mustelids are nocturnal, and you may also find yourself working late into the night.

Why you might have a Honey Badger: Honey badgers are more closely related to martens than other badgers, and are more territorial compared to other mustelids. You may find that you are more mechanically inclined, and enjoy picking locks and climbing, much like your animal counterpart known to excel at escaping captivity and using tools. People with Ratel daemons don't let other's opinions take hold of them, and while not immune to jabs and unkindness are much more tolerant of it than most. People with honey badger daemons are known to be reliable, hardworking, and adaptable, and good friends to have, although they will not take kindly to people who try to confine them with expectations.

Notes from Atlas:

I only know one person with a honey badger daemon. He has found many daemons to be skittish around him, mostly because of the renowned toughness of the honey badger that can take on much larger predators. He and Nada get on spectacularly. Daemons that are known to be more confrontational are very rare. This is because although many like the idea of a tough daemon, it is uncommon for someone to be so self-reliant and confident that they are okay with a fearsome daemon like a lion, scorpion, or black mamba.

[lumpyorganelle]

Enneagram Self-preservation (SP) Instinct

Keys words: Survival, comfort, stability, home, independence, practical foundation, resources, hoarding, well-being, domesticity, structure, sustainability, shelter, work, finances, safety, environment, self-care, balance

Summary of SP instinct:

The first instinct to have evolved. This is an orientation towards survival, health, and comfort. SP drive checks in with the body: “Is this not enough or too much?” and orients by what the body reports on its needs. Of the three instincts, this is the oldest one; it dictates: “I must survive.”

primary concerns:

physical safety, comfort, and well-being; securing an orderly and aesthetically pleasing way of life (food, clothing, money, housing, and physical health)

primary focus:

security, comfort, and well-being of the environment (lighting, temperature, comfortable furniture, aesthetics, food quality)

primary ambition:

using practicality and financial sense to create a secure environment in the home and workplace (paying bills, acquiring skills to ensure the orderly flow of life)

primary stresses:

money, sustenance (how they will get food, when it will come, if they will like it, if it fits their diet), scarcity of resources

coping methods (unhealthy/distorted):

over-stocking, overbuying, overeating, under-eating, over-purging, oversleeping, under-sleeping, overindulging in aesthetics or comfort foods, not exercising or over-exercising, constant concern about lack of resources and survival, lethargy and fear of stepping out of comfort zones, never feeling secure or struggling to relax

Topics SP types might bring up in conversation:

food, dining out, dieting, nutrition, health, fitness, appearance and looks, money, savings and sales, shopping, quality or durability of objects, clothing, design, home decoration, employment, benefits, insurance, comfort, strength, vitality, sickness, death, discomfort, noise, safety, security, environment, resource management, physical sciences, engineering, architecture.

Example thoughts SP subtypes might have:

Physical Well-Being: 

Is this food healthy? Why do I feel so tired today? When can I get back to the gym so I can feel more energetic? Could I climb to the top of this mountain? Could I survive in the forest for one month?

Self-Regulation and Skills: 

Can I take this apart/fix it? How does this work? What work needs to be done to get what I want? How can I autonomously create my own life? Did we do the laundry? Are my affairs in order? Will I be able to settle in a new place? How do I make this more convenient?

Foundations and Resources: 

Is owning property better than renting? How much money do I have this month? Where’s the closest grocery store? Why am I stuck here when I really want to travel and see the rest of the world? Why isn’t there enough nature in this city? Do I have any savings?

References:

https://thepracticalenneagram.com/instincts/self-preservation-instinct/

https://re-fi-ne-ment.tumblr.com/post/161035338043/instinctual-variants-and-cruelty

https://www.reddit.com/r/Enneagram/comments/14bw32k/are_enneagrammers_instinct_example_thoughts/

[profoundsubmissive]

Enneagram Instinctual Variants Write-Up (03/12/2022)

The following is merely a port of an entry I wrote in my diary in an attempt to understand my instinctual variant stack, which then evolved into a brief extrapolation of what I believe the instincts truly are. Nothing more. If I conceptually understand the instincts, then even replication of each one should be relatively easy. Further, though I wish to know my instincts, it's a relatively useless concept that is more in the realm of spirituality than psychology. That is—it seeks to explain that which isolates humanity from any other animal, as well as that which keeps it in the kingdom of animalia. The question of old, "do humans have souls?" It seeks to derive from your interpersonal influence, as well as our drives fundamentally. If I avoid the use of instinct, readily this becomes somewhat akin to a, "soul journey," or that which spiritualists may describe as your "karmic path". The dominant instinct being that which is safe, what you know and what you are drawn towards the most. With the auxiliary, a ~~function~~ *instinct* that under normal circumstance of, "synflow" being that which the dominant instinct uses to fulfill its desire. Interestingly, while in synflow Sp -> So -> Sx, the way that the instincts are used is actually in reverse. In Sp/So, the social instinct reinforces the Sp, not the other way around. So since the auxiliary is seen as more of a tool than a basic necessity, it gets relegated to the healthiest expression. However in contraflow, the order of use is actually the opposite, the Sp would flow into the So, this would mean reinforcing the social realm with barriers, walls, likely a melting of one's self conception as isolated, with the social realm, ultimately viewing the social realm as an extension of the self and as such that general concept of "dying on the hill of one's beliefs". *The body as a social statement.* Cutting is an inherently So/Sp act. Ah yes, first we must define something: SP = Self Social = Others Sexual = Genes Yes, it really is this simple. No one is "blind" to an instinct, and a majority of people harmonize with those instincts to live fulling (as defined by their enneatype and instinctual variant order) lives. What the concept of "blindness" attempts to describe is a turning away from that instinct so that it's relegated from conscious action, and instead becomes an underlying thread within the unconscious. It becomes fully supplemental in the triad of instincts. Some people seem to think that in this instance, the instinctual variants are acted upon as 3 equidistant, intersecting, lines and that one can only move along the perimeter of the triangle. Shift your perception to include the fact that one can move *inside* of the triangle, within the area, and it becomes clearer. In fact, someone can stand right in the center of the triangle. Further, is that not the goal? Bodily closeness is an inherently Sp/So and So/Sp act. The body, Sp, reaches out towards another (So) and pulls them in to be as close as possible. Seeing touching, melting into each other's bodies, coexistence and bodily mixing as intimacy. Those that fall furthest from Sx, look towards those of their romantic interest as their body parts first. They wish to get as close as possible, your look and appeal. Collages made by them will feature isolated body parts or wishing to be swallowed whole into a higher concept, such as water (their emotion), absolving themselves of self concept because to exist is to survive. Endure. Looking to the stars, looking towards the unknown, do they wish to place their trust in that higher forces will take care of them. On the other hand, rather than reduce to the body, the Sexual instinct reduces others to their *genes* or *traits* which they will release into the gene pool. It's looking for the perfect *mate*. It's a fully objectifying lens, not seeking closeness but replication as a form of intimacy. The act of sex itself: to penetrate (live), to cum (die), to inseminate/birth (replicate). Thus you will see the femme fatale is a Sexual archetype. There is no use for another when the act of sex has been completed; the object of attraction is granted permission to die. Integrating back into broad definitions of the instinctual variants' individual roles in the personality, the tertiary instinct, *not* the blindspot, is supplementary. If SP is at L2 and SO is at L4, then the sexual instinct still has a gravitational effect on SP and SO, as do they have one on it. You could describe the person as the sun, the Dom as the Earth, Aux as the moon, and Tert as Theia(ignoring the fact that the moon and Theia logically can't coexist, as Theia's impact with Earth is what created the moon. Bare with me though). Curiously, this means that the instincts do not have complete control over one or the other, or that they are subservient to the Dom, but rather they have their own individual influences. However, it is the person themselves which anchors the instincts, not the other way around. Yes, instincts play the most significant role in our lives, but those instincts don't begin to manifest until just before birth. Ultimately more metaphorical approach, this means that Theia or the Tertiary instinct still falls into step along with the other instincts, it's just dancing to the beat of its own drum unlike the moon, the Auxiliary instinct, which is tidal locked. Certain concepts deal with the harmony of the personality, not its discordance and as such when you do introduce concepts such as tri-fix or tritype, you can only use it as a typing maneuver to encompass that which harmonizes, not the cacophony. Some use tritype to explain a push and a pull within their personalities, such as a push and pull between wanting individuality, feeling unique and disconnected from everyone else but also being chronically attached to others, desiring connection and sharing their life. Unfortunately, this is not a 94x, this is simply a 9. An axis between individuality and self-narcotization perfectly describes the inner turmoil of the 9: dissolution in others or complete stagnancy to hold onto what is them. "Do humans have souls?"

Enneagrammer answers this question through pointing to the Social instinct. It's the most traditional view of transcending or absolving oneself of karmic debt. Luckovich specifically references the social instinct as the instinct which searches for the meaning of life; the one would posit the premise of this altogether. To them, the social instinct is the journey to transcendence, as transcendence is to absolve oneself of the self entirely, and instead connect or attach oneself to a higher collective / the collective unconscious / the universe / God / Kami, etc. As they utilize the bhavacakra as a representation of the 6 instinct types, with Sx/So beginning life as the closest to transcendence and as such the easiest life or as they've so titled, "God" for they have already transcended. On the opposite end of the spectrum you have the Sp/Sx, but rather than refer to it as the "Devil," it is instead referred to as "Hell". This is entirely intentional, as to be the devil, one would have transcended to godhood and be aware or at the very least oriented and connected enough into the social realm to act as an antagonistic force against it. In limiting Sp/Sx to, "Hell," Gray attempts to dehumanize the social blinds stemming from the conclusion that they don't have enough personhood to be referred to as a *being* of representation. They are simply, humans in the most animalistic way possible. You'll hear this tooted often on the podcast, how social blinds lack the ability to connect altogether, and as such have no hope of ever being human or even a person. Through my interpretation, I'm actually awarding *more* humanity to social blinds than Gray does. Sx/Sp is referred to as the "Hungry Ghost" because it's looking to restore its humanity by feasting on the souls of those who are worth replicating through based on the gene pool. Obviously, it's determined through the realm of sex. Through feasting on a soul, it's able to take in as much energy as theoretically possible to change and transform itself in hopes of becoming something higher, or perhaps, in his interpretation they aren't even aware of that desire and instead feast aimlessly. You could think of it like a black hole, keeping up with my more astronomical reference of the instinctual variants. To eat and absorb as much energy as possible (live), feel it well up inside like a witch burning at the stake and lose oneself to the scalding of flesh and the melting of innards (die), and then reassimilate, born anew wearing a completely different skin, but retaining the gene pool of the mate and themselves (replicate). A common misinterpretation of the Sexual instinct is that it must be interested in others, intensifies *outward* experiences, is easily visible *outwardly*, wrenches attention towards it, and that it can't go unhidden or veiled even by the deftest of chameleons. Unfortunately, this is actually an incredible social view of the instinct. If someone is constantly looking to incite ire, flame, disrupt the social environment, intensify the social experience, lock onto others, they are using the *social* instinct. To put it simply, Sexual instinct when influenced by Sp intensifies the *inward* experience, and when it's influenced by Social it intensifies the *outward* experience. Social blinds are known for being able to entertain themselves without reaching outward because they are intensifying their own experiences without needing to be other referencing or receive reciprocation or reciprocity. However there's an interesting conundrum. If this possibility exists, why would the Sx/Sp be referred to as the, "Hungry Ghost" if it could simply feast on its own innards and asexually reproduce? That's the thing, *it doesn't*. Sp/Sx is what does that, *NOT* Sx/Sp. There's a difference between looking outward or pushing outward, and looking for *genes* to intensify the *self* or internal experience. In this instance, David Gray's Interpretation makes sense, because then Sx/Sp and Sp/Sx have no reason to be interested in anyone but themselves and the genes they want. Earlier, I referenced cutting as an inherently So/Sp act; using the body as a social statement; "I show my cuts so the world knows my pain and that they're not alone." The Sx/Sp uses cuts as a symbol of *sexual attraction*, the body itself, as a symbol of sexual attraction. It's a way to maneuver the gene pool by showing off their traits, their mating dance, to the person who will cause such visceral change in them that it is akin to self-rebirth. Their tune isn't as visible, or rather, they aren't trying to appeal to as many people as possible for mating purposes, but rather the *one* in the room. Referring back to "God," the Sx/So, we will see that it's referred to as such because it's injecting flame into the social environment, piercing it to the traits that it desires to evolve. So/Sx, dutifly referred to as simply, "Human" because it's what flows naturally, sorting through and orienting one's lens towards others, taking on the beliefs and convictions of others, putting the self out there in order to take care of the off spring as well as use those connections to find the genes that one would wish to spread. Perhaps one could refer to it as a maternal view of the social instinct in this case, because the dominance of the social instinct forces sexual into a more nurturing role. Here, the social instinct is viewed as a softer instinct. What Gray and Luckovich posit with "Sp blindness" is that here none of the energy is taken inward to protect oneself, create boundaries, and intensify one's own; self sacrifice for the sake of the whole. "God," "Humans," and, "Titans," represented by So/Sp; the Titans which procreate and create the gods or rather, facilitate the creation of a world which allows them altogether. The focus is not on procreation, but everything afterwards: society, nurturing, sowing the seeds of creation, dying for their causes, creating a world for others to live in and subsequently, food for the Gods to eat as they are birthed by the Humans on the other side of the heavens. Curiously, they also act as a symbol of reigning in the power of the gods, and acting as a stifling force to stop humanity from going out of bounds and destroying their foundation. This is the dampening effect of Sp, represented by the element of Earth. If you inject the social, represented by the element of Air into the Earth, all that is happening is an expansion of the crust. More space inside of the perimeter is created, but the bounds still exist. Much like when Chronus ate the Gods when they were born and trapped them in his stomach, limiting their growth, ambitions, and imposing a set area of which they were allowed to act. Hopefully, all of this will help everyone understand why this theory refers to Sp/So as, "Animal". The beings which exist in the bounds created by everything else, are poached as food for the Hungry Ghosts, forced into the rules and bounds of the Titans, and endure the revolutions of the Gods attempting to destroy or push the bounds, so that they can escape the limiters. It doesn't grant them significance, it doesn't grant them autonomy, it lowers them to food or fodder.